oaklandish

I'm not sure why Dimond has such a low score -- the neighborhood has everything one needs. A great organic grocery store, an excellent bakery, great pet store, cvs, Safeway, several coffee shops, a park with a swimming pool/tennis courts, library, post office, a beautiful trail that runs up Sausal Creek through Joquin Miller park, quiet tree-lined streets, views up the hill, and is highly walkable but still has great freeway access making it very easy to drive anywhere in Oakland. There are also a bunch of broken-down houses and some riff raff that tends to both loiter/litter (probably my biggest pet peeve with the area), but hey, it's Oakland, and I think these things are slowly but surely cleaning up. The neighborhood association really cares. There's a nice Oaktoberfest each year, and new restaurants pop up regularly. Houses are still affordable -- but probably not for long. Public transit could be a little better, but there's an active casual carpool straight to SF, and Dimond is the first stop on an express bus back from the transbay terminal in SF. Quick bike ride to BART, as well. Neighborhood is also extremely diverse (could be a pro or a con for some). Weather is really great too -- warmer and sunnier than even other parts of Oakland.