Upper Dimond
Ranked 3rd best neighborhood in Oakland
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Great for
- Lack of Traffic
- Neighborly Spirit
- Parking
- Peace & Quiet
- Pest Free
Not great for
- Childcare
- Medical Facilities
- Public Transport
Who lives here?
- Families with kids
- Professionals
- Retirees
- Students
- Singles
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Reviews
Upper Dimond
rating details
2yrs+
- Neighborly Spirit
- Safe & Sound
- Clean & Green
- Pest Free
- Peace & Quiet
- Eating Out
- Nightlife
- Parks & Recreation
- Shopping Options
- Gym & Fitness
- Internet Access
- Lack of Traffic
- Parking
- Cost of Living
- Resale or Rental Value
- Public Transport
- Schools
"Great neighborhood with restaurants, parks, trails, and shopping"
Pros
- Access to nature
- Restaurants/Shopping
- Affordable Houses
- Good Elementary School
- Pleasant Streets
Recommended for
- Professionals
- Families with kids
Upper Dimond
rating details
2yrs+
- Neighborly Spirit
- Safe & Sound
- Clean & Green
- Peace & Quiet
- Eating Out
- Nightlife
- Lack of Traffic
- Parking
- Schools
"Only offers the middle-class basics"
Upper Dimond is a relatively hidden, rarely visited middle-class neighborhood nestled at the foot of the Oakland hills. It is a small district and does not have much to boast about. The district is organized with plain, straight streets, while homes are tightly packed along monotonous ragtag blocks. Driveways are commonly blemished with grass protruding through cracks. Homes that lie along the hillside have steps that climb up to front porches while neatly trimmed bushes fill the rest of the front yard. In extreme cases, garages sit at street level, unconnected from homes perched on steep ridges. But for the most part, homes gradually increase in quality and price the further north one travels.
There is little commercial activity in the district, only offering shops that serve essential goods and services. Shoppers typically venture to MacArthur Boulevard, which edges Upper Dimond’s southernmost border. The main commercial hub hosts a variety of chain restaurants, banks and small electronic stores. For your grocery shopping needs, the neighborhood Safeway is conveniently located on Fruitvale Avenue.
One of the bright spots in the community is Sequoia Elementary, which lies on Lincoln Avenue. The school comes highly recommended among the community and is given five stars on greatschools.org. Lions Pool at Dimond Park is one of the few outdoor attractions to the locals, offering a myriad of different activities and recreational events.
Public transit is fairly limited in the neighborhood, except for the bus line that traverses along MacArthur Blvd. However, crime is an ordinary occurrence on this street, so travelers beware.
There is little commercial activity in the district, only offering shops that serve essential goods and services. Shoppers typically venture to MacArthur Boulevard, which edges Upper Dimond’s southernmost border. The main commercial hub hosts a variety of chain restaurants, banks and small electronic stores. For your grocery shopping needs, the neighborhood Safeway is conveniently located on Fruitvale Avenue.
One of the bright spots in the community is Sequoia Elementary, which lies on Lincoln Avenue. The school comes highly recommended among the community and is given five stars on greatschools.org. Lions Pool at Dimond Park is one of the few outdoor attractions to the locals, offering a myriad of different activities and recreational events.
Public transit is fairly limited in the neighborhood, except for the bus line that traverses along MacArthur Blvd. However, crime is an ordinary occurrence on this street, so travelers beware.
Pros
- Affordable Houses
- Good Elementary School
Cons
- A Bit of Crime
- Old Home Problems
Recommended for
- Families with kids
- Retirees
- Students
Add a comment...
Upper Dimond
rating details
2yrs+
- Neighborly Spirit
- Safe & Sound
- Clean & Green
- Pest Free
- Peace & Quiet
- Eating Out
- Nightlife
- Parks & Recreation
- Shopping Options
- Gym & Fitness
- Internet Access
- Lack of Traffic
- Parking
- Cost of Living
- Resale or Rental Value
- Public Transport
- Medical Facilities
- Schools
- Childcare
"Just So So"
Upper Dimond in Oakland is a firmly middle class neighborhood just to the south of Dimond Park and straddling Oakmore (one of the nicest areas in the Oakland Hills). Upper Dimond looks, for the most part, like a lot of other East Bay neighborhoods—about half the homes date from before World War II and most are California Bungalow type homes with a good portion of smallish Mission Revivals as well. The neighborhood is on a slight incline as it begins climbing up into the hills, but this is not really the kind of hillside living that you get in places like Oakmore—these are mostly gentle grades without any real views to speak of. It is enough of a hill though that many homes take advantage to create walk up steps over garages that you have to drive down into. Its not a bad look for the neighborhood overall, but nothing spectacular.
As you get a bit farther up into the hills the homes, though still on small lots, become just slightly nicer and better kept, but only in barely noticeably ways—slight better kept lawns, nicer stone paving for the walk-ups, slightly newer paint jobs—nothing major, and only barely noticeable.
Sequoia Elementary is the local grammar school which is not only well-loved by local parents but also gets the job done when it comes to test scores. Especially when you compare it to some of the other nearby elementary schools that can’t seem to keep up these standards, Sequoia stands out for its excellence. Unfortunately nearby Bret Harte Middle School does not keep up this standard. Just outside of Upper Dimond, Bret Harte, though well liked by parents and teachers, hasn’t managed to translate this into positive test scores. In fact, it has some of the worst test scores in this area.
There is a little bit of a crime problem here as well—especially as you near the area by the freeway. In the last month, for example, there have been three assaults and a half dozen robberies (all within a block of MacArthur Blvd. on the western end of the neighborhood). This doesn’t make it the most dangerous neighborhood in Oakland, but it is worth noting.
Overall, this is a relatively affordable middle class neighborhood that doesn’t overly impress you either positively or negatively.
As you get a bit farther up into the hills the homes, though still on small lots, become just slightly nicer and better kept, but only in barely noticeably ways—slight better kept lawns, nicer stone paving for the walk-ups, slightly newer paint jobs—nothing major, and only barely noticeable.
Sequoia Elementary is the local grammar school which is not only well-loved by local parents but also gets the job done when it comes to test scores. Especially when you compare it to some of the other nearby elementary schools that can’t seem to keep up these standards, Sequoia stands out for its excellence. Unfortunately nearby Bret Harte Middle School does not keep up this standard. Just outside of Upper Dimond, Bret Harte, though well liked by parents and teachers, hasn’t managed to translate this into positive test scores. In fact, it has some of the worst test scores in this area.
There is a little bit of a crime problem here as well—especially as you near the area by the freeway. In the last month, for example, there have been three assaults and a half dozen robberies (all within a block of MacArthur Blvd. on the western end of the neighborhood). This doesn’t make it the most dangerous neighborhood in Oakland, but it is worth noting.
Overall, this is a relatively affordable middle class neighborhood that doesn’t overly impress you either positively or negatively.
Pros
- Affordable Houses
- Pleasant Streets
- Good Elementary School
Cons
- A Bit of Crime
- Old Home Problems
- Bad Middle School
Recommended for
- Retirees
- Students
torianog
Being that this post is two years old I have to take it in consideration. I didnt know about the district two years ago. Now the neighborhood is a great neighborhood in my experience. Im a resident and I love it.
2yrs+
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