The City of Berkeley was first incorporated in the 1870s, an outlying city built on San Francisco's wild success. The area that would become Northwest Berkeley was one of the first areas developed, then known as Ocean View and built in the classic San Franciscan Victorian style. Northwest Berkeley was the subject of much debate in the 1970s when the City proposed knocking down the classic Victorian architecture as part of a redevelopment plan. The local property owners prevailed and the historic buildings were spared, just in time for the boom of the 1980s. Originally a working-class industrial neighborhood, the success of Silicon Valley raised prices and gentrified the area. Today Northwest Berkeley is home to middle-class families, students from UC Berkeley and artists workings in the dozens of studios, publishing presses and galleries in the area.

Berkeley residents enjoy a wide range of transportation choices. Many residents, particularly those who commute out of the area, own their own vehicles. But street parking is hard to come by, so much of the local travel is done on foot or on bicycle. Bicycles are a part of life out here with the city going out of its way to create more bike lanes, bike trails, and bike friendly roads. A lot of students and artists pick up extra cash as drivers for Uber and Lyft. You can also find traditional taxi services easily in this major metropolitan area. Public transportation in the area is excellent. BART, has a station right in the neighborhood, and AC Transit runs buses through the area and offers an excellent Trans-bay service for those commuting to San Francisco.

With so many artists and entrepreneurs, it's not surprising that this area is home to some extraordinary shopping. You can spend hours in Oceanview, window shopping on 4th Street between Hearst and Virginia. High-end name brands sit side by side with independent boutiques and shops.  If you value the story behind an object, check the daily finds at Social Studies, a home decor and clothing boutique dedicated to bringing small curated collections to shoppers who love artful design. Farther north is a second cluster of shops on Gilman Street. Here you'll find original designer clothing, such as knitwear from Nomadic Traders or boiled wool workwear from Two Star Dog. Feed your family with organic produce from the nearby Whole Foods Market, or hit up local independent grocers Berkeley Bowl or Berkeley Natural Grocery Company. You can also find international delicacies in one of the many high-end markets selling Italian foods, Spanish wines, Indian curries and sea food.

For exercise, play and stunning Bay views, residents cross the Eastshore Freeway to the Berkeley Marina.  Home to the Eastshore State Park, you can bike, walk, or jog through the trails of this park that stretches 8.5 miles along the coast.  The Berkeley Marina hosts several annual community events that range from Fourth of July fireworks to the annual Shoreline Clean-Up and the educational Berkeley Bay Festival. For those who'd rather not brave the ocean weather, head to the James Kenney Recreation Center instead. First designated a public park in 1917, today the on-site building serves as meeting space for the community. Outdoors you can let the kids run on the playground or join a game on one of the sports fields. James Kenney has facilities for baseball, soccer, basketball, tennis and volleyball. Further inland lies Cedar Rose Park. In addition to sports fields and playgrounds of its own, Cedar Rose has an amphitheater stage popular for local programming and is within walking distance from the local community gardens.