Prior to the building of the Bay Bridge in 1936, Rockridge, located at the foot of the Oakland Hills between Alcatraz Avenue to the north and 51st Street to the south, and between Telegraph Avenue to the west and Broadway to the east, was a sleepy neighborhood of cottages and bungalows owned by those who preferred the quiet life to the urban bustle of San Francisco across the bay.

Today, many of these homes remain, and they represent some of the most coveted real estate in the Bay Area, for several reasons: the weather in this particular microclimate is often sunny and warm; the commute from the Rockridge BART is easy; the homes on the leafy residential streets have been charmingly restored; and the area's main thoroughfare, College Avenue, is lined with atmospheric cafes, gourmet restaurants, independent bookstores and antiques shops that people go out of their way to patronize.

Although this is one of the most upscale and desirable areas of Oakland, it's also a place where people greet each other on the street, chat in line while they wait for their burritos at Cactus Taqueria, and walk home together from BART. In the hamlet of Rockridge, a down-home feel prevails.