Real Estate in the Berkeley: North Berkeley

Outdoor eating on Hopkins Street: North Berkeley
Photo by Kathie Berg: Berkeley Real Estate

Why Live in North Berkeley

- walk to shops and resturants
- picturesque homes on quiet streets
- walk to Bart
- numerous parks and recreational areas

History

The transformation of this part of Berkeley from rural farmland to a vibrant urban center began in earnest after the 1906 earthquake when Duncan McDuffie, the developer of the Claremont neighborhood in Berkeley and the St. Francis wood neighborhood of San Francisco, began to build up the Northbrae neighborhood. He avoided the traditional grid patterns of 19th-century urban planning and inspired by the work of Frederick Law Olmstead and others, sought to create a naturalist residential park, replete with curving tree-lined streets and elegant homes.

McDuffie’s lots sold quickly and development in North Berkeley progressed at a brisk pace. Houses were mostly 2 or 3 bedroom bungalows and represented an eclectic mix of Craftsman, Tudor and Mediterranean styles. McDuffie convinced Southern Pacific to make a stop in North Berkeley; he and the Chamber of Commerce embarked on a quixotic bid to move the state capitol to Berkeley and have it be situated in Northbrae (the streets were apparently named after different counties in order to sell the idea to skeptical Californians). The fire of 1923 destroyed numerous homes in the hills and in North Berkeley, but did little to slow down the growth of these neighborhoods. By 1930, much of North Berkeley was built up.

Westbrae and Northbrae

There are two distinct neighborhoods in North Berkeley: Westbrae, around Gilman and Hopkins, and Northbrae, around Hopkins and Monterey.

The Westbrae area boasts 2 impressive community gardens: the Paralta Community Garden and the Karl Linn Community Garden are both open to the public. The Cedar Rose Park and the Ohlone Greenway provide outdoors recreational opportunities; the small shopping district on Hopkins boasts a few good restaurants – Lalime’s, Lilly’s Restaurant, Mama Lan’s – and the excellent Berkeley Natural Grocery and the small but very good Westbrae Nursery.

Located a few minutes east on Hopkins is the Northbrae neighborhood with shops clustered around Monterey Street. Monterey Market, the upscale grocery and retail supermarket has been the at the epicenter of retail activity in this neighborhood for over 30 years; Espresso Roma, Magnani and Gioia Pizzeria are the destination eating establishments; Berkeley Horticultural, located nearby, is one of the best nursery in the East Bay.