ajherrma

Bay Farm Island is the only part of Alameda, CA connected to the mainland Bay Area. On a peninsula that also includes the Oakland Airport, Bay Farm features a quiet suburban environment with mostly newer (last 10-20 years at most) housing developments and communities.

Pluses are great running trails, parks, commuter ferry access directly to San Francisco, a small-town neighborly feel, good public schools, and a very safe environment. Kids play in the street, not much traffic, you know your neighbors. Also Alameda's only municipal golf course is located on Bay Farm and is one of the cheapest in the Bay Area.

Downsides of Bay Farm are a complete lack of local night life and poor public transportation. This is not a great place to live if you don't have a car, and if you're looking to meet young professionals or enjoy going out on most nights, you can probably find better places to live in the East Bay. There is a small shopping center with a grocery store, a great local coffee shop, and an excellent sushi restaurant (as well as a few other shops), but you will have to go to the main island of Alameda for most of your entertainment and shopping needs.

Overall I'd say Bay Farm is a great place to raise a family or even retire if you want to live quietly in East Bay suburbia (but still have great commuter access to the Bay). If you're looking for something a little more exciting, however, stick to the main island or Oakland/Berkeley.

Kofman Parkway (which is no parkway, though it is slightly wider than neighboring streets) provides great access to Tillman park and to Bay Farm Elementary School. Also only a 5-10 minute walk from the commuter ferry to San Francisco. Other services on Bay Farm Island are a 15 minute walk or a short drive away, though this is par for the course for much of the island. Overall a very pleasant street with nice houses, though you might want to look at something on a neighboring street if you want slightly less traffic.

Lived around the corner from here for years, street is extremely quiet (no one uses it besides those who lives there) and has wonderful trees. Some houses front on a lagoon, which gives you great birdwatching and canoeing possibilities. Clipper ends at a small neighborhood park, which is great for letting kids play or taking a dog for a quick walk. Easy access via trails to local shopping center and elementary school.

Like the rest of Bay Farm Island public transportation and services beyond a few restaurants, a drug store, and a grocery store are limited, so you have to drive to the main island if you're looking for more than that.

Park Street is Alameda's business center, featuring tons of restaurants and shops and a newly refurbished and rebuilt movie theater that is the first to operate in the city in years. An ideal living location would probably be a few blocks off the street in order to preserve some quiet, but there are some locations towards the Bay end of the street that are less crowded than the central area further towards Oakland.

Any house nearby provides easy access to Alameda High School, a few bars, a ton of restaurants (everything from Italian to Burmese, and a couple outstanding burrito spots). Influx of coffee shops has increased foot traffic and made Park a really pleasant place to hang out. Other cool features are the annual Art and Wine Fair in the summer and easy access to Alameda's newly remodeled library.

Downsides to the street are lack of access to public transit (besides a few AC Transit lines), but this is a consistent problem for all of Alameda. Other locations in the city have slightly better access to trails and parks as well.

Had a family friend live here for years, nice quiet cul de sac on Bay Farm Island. Some houses back up on a lagoon, which is great for grilling, sitting outside, watching geese, etc. Another plus is easy access to a commuter ferry terminal which provides direct access to San Francisco, though only a few trips a day. Other public transit options are limited.

Like other streets in the area, Anderson isn't far from a local shopping center with a few restaurants, gym, and a grocery store, though there isn't much else going on. You have to go to the main island to really find any kind of entertainment or night life options.

Anderson also provides easy access to local parks and is only a few minutes from the local elementary school.

Fernside connects the Bay Farm Island Bridge to Bay Farm Island and the Oakland Airport with the Fruitvale Bridge to Oakland. Since it is the fastest way to get off the island from Bay Farm, and runs past a Middle School, it can be somewhat heavily trafficked during rush hour. Speeding is sometimes also a problem, though Alameda cops are known to patrol heavily and strictly enforce the 25 mile per hour speed limit.

The street itself has great houses and provides close access to services, especially at the Fruitvale end as it connects to the newly built Nob Hill Shopping Center. It also runs past Lincoln Park and Lincoln Middle School, providing great access to receration. Some of the houses near the High Street Bridge also have water access to the estuary, which could be a great plus if you are nautically minded.

Overall a great street in a great town.

In Alameda, High Street basically runs from the Bay to the estuary, crossing a bridge into Oakland. The western (closest to Oakland) side of the street features the nicest houses, with giant trees and easy access to nearby Lincoln Park. The eastern end also provides easy access to Krusi Park, as well as trails along the bayfront. There is also a nice small shopping center nearby with a good local market and coffee shop. Park Street, Alameda's central business district, is also only a 5-10 minute walk away, with plenty of great restaurants, coffee shops, and even (and this is a recent development) and couple of half-decent bars.

Overall a nice street to live in a town that is only going to get better as more business move in and Park Street continues to revitalize.

Part of friendly Bay Farm Island, Aughinbaugh Way is mostly a traffic guiding street that connects a few housing developments and runs past an elementary school and a park. Compared to almost anywhere else it would be considered quiet, but next to other streets in the neighborhood it does have more traffic, including an infrequently running AC Transit bus line. If you can find a house on another street it is probably worth doing to have more of a neighborly feel.

Very pleasant street with nice houses, quiet location, no traffic. General area is extremely safe with solid schools, lots of parks, nearby lagoon with walking and biking trails, perfect for walking a dog. About a ten minute walk from a small shopping center with essentials like a Safeway, a few restaurants, drug store, etc. Downsides are limited access to public transportation besides a commuter ferry to San Francisco, no night life, and things are very, very quiet. But overall a great place to raise a family.

Pleasant, quiet street on Bay Farm Island. Not much in the way of businesses nearby, but Channing is walking distance to a small shopping center with a Safeway, a few restaurants (including a great sushi place), and a few shops. Local schools are solid. Parks and recreation opportunities are excellent, there's a number of running and biking trails that wind through the neighborhood, as well as a cheap municipal golf course. Also ferry service direct to the Embarcadero in San Francisco is only a 2-3 minute drive away, though other public transportation options are extremely limited.

Spent all 18 years of my childhood here, great place to raise a family, walk a dog, go play in the parks, etc. But street is reasonably far removed from restaurants, stores, or night life of any kind. If you are looking for excitement definitely go elsewhere, but if you want a place where you can take your kids to the park or let them play in the street with no worries Capetown is a good place.