Jeremy and I have lived in Oakland, California for 8 years (5 of them together). But for years, I told out-of-towners that I lived in San Francisco. Most folks had never heard of Oakland, and the ones who had tended to recoil in horror. At the time, it seemed easier to just … errr, lie. I mean, they’re only 5 minutes apart, right? Close enough.
But as the years go by and I fall more and more in love with my adopted home, I’ve stopped stretching the truth. Instead, I whip out a full lecture (slash rant) about how great and underrated Oakland is, how not enough people visit when they come to San Francisco, how great the food is here, the unique culture and history, and so on and so forth.
Anyone whose made the mistake of asking me where I’m from in the past few years has gotten quite a bit more of an earful than they bargained for.
But y’all, people need to know! I met way too many people who think Oakland is somewhere near Los Angeles (no) or that it’s horrifyingly dangerous (nope) or that it’s actually a neighborhood of San Francisco (absolutely not).
Oakland is a giant city, an urban cultural mecca that stretches from the coast to redwood-covered rolling hills. It has its own history, culture, slang, food, and plenty to see and do. And so, we’re finally writing a post about our home city that’s LONG overdue: things nobody tells you about Oakland!
Psst: Planning a trip to the Bay Area? We have loads more posts to help you plan your trip! Check these out:
- 26 Awesome Things to Do in Oakland, California
- Where to Eat in Oakland, California: A Local’s Guide
- 30 Things Nobody Tells You About San Francisco: A Mildly Helpful Local’s Guide
Things Nobody Tells You About Oakland
Oakland is next to San Francisco, just a bridge away.
I’m not sure why this isn’t more common knowledge, but I find that many people don’t actually realize how close Oakland and San Francisco are. We’re neighbors, separated only by a small span of water and the Bay Bridge. And yet despite our close proximity, the two cities could not be more different.Oakland has its own distinct history, sounds, tastes, culture, and social movements!
We have better weather than San Francisco.
At any given moment, you can pretty much guarantee that it’s 10 degrees warmer in Oakland than San Francisco, and chances are it’s a lot sunnier, too. We also rarely get San Francisco’s famous fog.
So if you’re not into spending your day soaked to the bone from 12 hours of cold and fog in the middle of July, come on over! It’s definitely nicer here.
Our nickname is The Town.
San Francisco’s nickname is The City, and Oakland’s is The Town. That’s not to imply that we are actually smaller than San Francisco – in fact, we’re much, much, MUCH larger. Speaking of which …
Oakland is HUGE.
How huge? Oakland is about 78 square miles, almost twice the size of San Francisco.
You can go from ocean to city to Redwood forest in 20 minutes, and stay within Oakland the entire time.
Yep. Hop off the ferry from San Francisco at Jack London – the coastal border of Oakland – hop into a car, and take the 980 to the 580 to Oakland Redwood Regional Park, and boom: 20 minutes later, you’re deep in a quiet redwood forest. In Oakland.
You can hike through the redwoods in the middle of the city.
Think you have to drive an hour north to Muir Woods to get your redwood fix? Think again! Oakland has 2 redwood parks, and the redwoods you’ll find in the are some of the oldest in the Bay Area, dating back to the 1880’s.
Oakland Redwood Regional Park and Joaquin Miller Park are technically two separate parks, but they actually connect, providing a sprawling network of hiking trails criss-crossing through redwood-covered valleys and hills overlooking stunning views of the Bay Area.
Despite being only a few minutes away from downtown Oakland and quite close to civilization, the parks are peaceful and quiet: you’ll feel like you left Oakland, stepped through a wardrobe, and emerged into redwood Narnia.
There’s a huge lake in the middle of downtown.
It always comes as a surprise to anyone unfamiliar with Oakland that there’s a giant lake in the middle of downtown. Yep, that’s right: Lake Merritt is right smack downtown, and it’s gorgeous.
The 3-mile wide lagoon is home to the oldest designated wildlife refuge in the United States and there are 70 species of native birds surrounding Lake Merritt (and no, they’re not all pigeons). Today the lake feels comfortably urban, with city views from every angle.
Stroll the well-lit 3-mile loop around the lake at sunset, enjoy a drink at Lake Chalet on the historic Oakland Boathouse, or up the romance factor by roughly a zillion on a gondola ride across the lake.
We have an amazing art scene.
Take a walk downtown around 15th Street & Webster and you’ll pass countless independent galleries featuring works of art and crafts made by Oakland locals. Or, take a self-guided walking tour of Oakland’s public artworks. Visit on the first Friday of the month and you’ll be treated to one of Oakland’s best monthly activities, First Fridays out on the street & the Oakland Art Murmur in Oakland’s many galleries.
There’s street art everywhere.
Oakland loves art, and its buildings are covered with colorful murals – over 600 of them, to be specific! Check out the highlights here, but don’t worry – you don’t need to go out of your way to find street art in Oakland. It’s EVERYWHERE. Want some proof? This massive wiki lists every known mural in Oakland. Happy mural hunting!
We take pride in our sports teams, but the feeling isn’t always mutual.
Just a couple years ago, we would have proudly told you that we have THREE major, incredibly good sports teams: the Warriors, the Raiders, and the A’s (respectively: basketball, football, and baseball). But now the Warriors and the Raiders are in the process of leaving town. Because Oakland can’t have nice things, apparently.
So now we just have the A’s. And we’re pretty sure they’re not going anywhere. At least, we hope not. *cries*
Oakland is just as old as San Francisco.
OK, sure, San Francisco was the home of the Spanish Mission and is, therefore, technically an older established city than Oakland. But in terms of United States history, both cities are equally old.
Oakland and San Francisco were both well-established cities in the 1870s, when the Gold Rush brought hordes of Americans out to explore its newfound western borders. But unlike San Francisco’s glittering gold rush and Silicon tech boom, Oakland’s growth has always been rooted in hard work. Labor. Docks. Warehouses. Factories. Manufacturing. Our airport dates back to 1927. At the time, Oakland was known as the “Detroit of the West.” We been here a LONG time, y’all!
Oakland is the home of the Black Panthers – and yes, they’re still around.
The Black Panther Party was founded in Oakland in the mid 60’s by two local college students. Contrary to popular belief – and media portrayal – the Black Panther Party’s goal was to protect the unprotected, through community social services (“community survival”) programs like free breakfasts for children and health clinics. They were not a paramilitary organization hell-bent on wreaking racially motivated havoc; their goal was to project their community, who was being neglected and even persecuted by local law enforcement. For daring to carry guns (legally), they were branded as public enemies and subjected to horrific FBI COINTELPRO raids.
Today, a few members of the Black Panther party can still be seen in Oakland running drills at the Ashby BART Station during its weekend flea market (which is also home to an EXCELLENT drum circle, FWIW).
You can’t talk about Oakland without talking about race.
At least, not in any meaningful way. Oakland’s history is deeply intertwined with radical social justice movements, and Oakland has quietly been a mecca for people of color for as long as San Francisco has been a mecca for entrepreneurs and inventors. The history of Oakland is deeply rooted in social justice, and so is its present day.
Oh, and as a white person, let me say: if you’re not used to being in a place where whiteness is NOT the majority, you may feel uncomfortable. Lean into that discomfort and question it – Oakland just might challenge you to face some harsh truths.
Oakland isn’t as dangerous as you probably think it is.
There’s a pretty pervasive narrative about how dangerous and scary Oakland is. And in certain years that has been the case (for instance, the crack epidemic in the 80’s hit Oakland HARD).
But from a tourist’s perspective, visiting Oakland isn’t really any more dangerous than visiting San Francisco, or any other major US urban city. No, you’re not going to get shot. No, every non-white person in a hoodie is NOT a “gangster” or a “hoodlum” (a common racist narrative that’s often used to justify violence against children). No, that beautiful mural wasn’t graffitied illegally by hardened criminals hell-bent on widespread social destruction via street art.
That said, theft does happen quite a bit in Oakland, but most of it is opportunity theft, which can be avoided by taking some savvy precautions (more details in my Oakland guide and in our Travel Safety guide).
We have our own Chinatown.
Sure, San Francisco’s Chinatown has a well-staked claim to fame for being the largest Chinatown outside of literal China. And Oakland’s Chinatown is definitely not as immersive or scenic as San Francisco’s – you won’t feel like you’ve walked through an alley and emerged in actual China like you do in SF.
That said, Oakland’s Chinatown is one of the oldest Chinatowns in the United States, settled in the 1850s. Today, this 16-block area is Pan Asian, featuring Koreans, Vietnamese and Japanese – and truly delicious Asian food. See the sights on a self-guided walking tour of Chinatown’s murals.
Oh, and just like San Francisco, there’s a Fortune Cookie Factory – except ours is actually older. And we invented the Fortune Cookie Folding Machine. So.
Our food scene is arguably better than San Francisco’s.
YEP, I SAID IT. Oakland’s food scene is INCREDIBLE, you guys. It’s diverse, it’s fresh, it’s expertly created, and it’s one of the best ways to get to know the city. The first post we ever created about our hometown was a guide to the best places to eat in Oakland.
Oakland has its own food specialties that are distinct from its neighbors: in Oakland, you’ll want to eat chicken & waffles, shrimp & grits, street tacos, spongy Ethiopian injera bread, sizzling Korean bulgogi, deep fried vegan soul food, and bubbling mac & cheese. Is there any better way to get to know a place?
To sample as much of Oakland’s incredible food scene as possible, we recommend taking a food tour like this one. We’ve included more food tour recommendations in our Oakland guide.
So is our coffee.
Listen, we love San Francisco’s fancy AF coffee scene. We’re coffee snobs through and through, and we even have a guide to the best coffee shops in San Francisco.
But … Oakland has a baller coffee scene, too. Hello, we’re the home of Blue Bottle, specialty coffee’s answer to Starbucks. (Meanwhile, our northern neighbor Berkeley invented Peet’s. Speaking of which: you won’t find any Starbucks at the Oakland Airport. Just Peet’s!)
And it’s not just us recognizing Oakland’s amazing coffee scene: in 2018, Oakland was ranked the third most popular city in the U.S. for coffee fanatics, after Portland and Seattle. There are 17 local roasters and countless excellent third-wave coffee shops – here’s a guide.
We have an urban wine trail.
Want to know something great about California? There is SO MUCH WINE. There are vineyards all over the place. And in Oakland, local winemakers are bringing their grapes from wine country back home to finish the process here in town, in those large, urban warehouses that Oakland’s got in spades. Do your own DIY tour of The Oakland Urban Wine Trail or try the trail on bike with East Bay Winery Bike Tours!
We also have a craft brewery trail.
Oakland has its own plethora of locally owned, small batch artisanal breweries and taprooms! Get your brew on with the Oakland Ale Trail. Here’s a guide to spending a day drinking your way through the Ale Trail.
You can also book a beer tour so you can drink your way through Oakland safely, responsibly, and with someone else in charge. Check out the Uptown Beer Walk, the Temescal Beers and Bites tour, or The Golden West Beer Tour (which includes some Berkeley spots).
We invented hella.
And we all still hella use it, too.
We also invented the Popsicle.
In summer 1905, some kid left his lemonade outside with a stick in it. Anywhere else in the country, that would be a recipe for ants. But in Oakland, apparently it’s a recipe for popsicles. Either way, we did it first.
We also invented the Wave, fantasy football, and the fortune cookie folding machine
I literally learned all this while writing this article. But I’m thrilled to know that the A’s are the home of the Wave, the Oakland Tribune is the home of Fantasy Football, and some guy’s basement is the home of the fortune cookie folding machine.
Oh, and the Mai Tai.
This is one of my favorite weird Oakland inventions. Like, Mai Tais are supposed to be Polynesian. They’re served in Tiki Bars. What’s the deal?
Well, oddly enough, Trader Vic’s – the famous Tiki Bar chain – is actually from Oakland. Annnd that’s where the Mai Tai was invented. Random, right?
There’s another city in the middle of Oakland.
It’s a city called Piedmont, and it’s in Oakland. Like, it’s surrounded on all sides by Oakland and the borders of the city are literally drawn through people’s houses. Why? Chalk it up to a bunch of weird rules that nobody’s bothered to change, as explained here.
Oakland’s hills are criss-crossed with hidden staircases.
There’s a whole network of hidden staircases snaking through the Oakland hills, full of jaw-dropping Bay views (this book is full of step-by-step secret staircase walks). Taking an urban hike through Oakland’s beautiful neighborhoods via hidden staircase is one of the best ways to explore Oakland!
Oakland even has its very own version of one of San Francisco’s most famous photogenic attractions, the tiled steps. Ours are called the Carrington Steps, aka 72 Steps, and they’re quietly tucked away into an Oakland neighborhood.
Our downtown is studded with Art Deco architecture.
Between the 1920’s and 1940’s, during Oakland’s manufacturing heyday, Oakland built tons of Art Deco style buildings – the cool, hip, with-it architecture style of the day. Check ’em out! You’ll see plenty of fabulous Art Deco elements throughout Oakland, in all of their gorgeous terra cotta mosaic glory.
There are 3 beautiful historic movie theaters.
The Fox and Paramount Theatres downtown are two of Oakland’s most iconic (and beautiful) buildings, featuring Oakland’s classic Art Deco style.Then there’s also the Grand Lake Theatre next to Lake Merritt.
There used to be a LOT more, but they’ve sadly been torn down.
Oakland is having a Hollywood moment.
Last year, not one but THREE major Hollywood movies came out featuring Oakland in the starring role: Black Panther (which was shot in Atlanta but set in Oakland …. and Wakanda), Blindspotting, and Sorry to Bother You. All 3 movies focused on the topic of race relations and the Black experience in Oakland, which is quintessential Oakland. Any minute now, I’m hoping we’ll have our own TV show, a la Atlanta. Or Nashville. Or Portland…
There are hella famous people from Oakland.
Clint Eastwood, who is Clint Eastwood. G-Eazy, the rapper. Mark Hamill, who is Luke Skywalker. Tom Hanks, who has played every white person in every biopic for the past 50 years. Julia Morgan, the famous architect who designed Hearst Castle on the Central Coast. Marshawn Lynch, a football player for the Raiders who sometimes shows up at local schools just to say hi. Mahershala Ali, a famous movie star who’s in everything from Luke Cage to Moonlight. Ryan Coogler, the director of Black Panther, who once came to Jeremy’s classroom to talk about filmmaking. Daveed Diggs, who starred in Hamilton and is the director of Blindspotting. Chelsea Peretti, aka Gina from Brooklyn 99. The band Green Day. Zendaya.
Oh, and me and Jeremy! You’re welcome, everyone.
Psst: Planning a trip to the Bay Area? We have loads more posts to help you plan your trip! Check these out:
- 26 Awesome Things to Do in Oakland, California
- Where to Eat in Oakland, California: A Local’s Guide
- 30 Things Nobody Tells You About San Francisco: A Mildly Helpful Local’s Guide
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This is such a lovely article! I spent a year living in San Francisco on study abroad but I barely made it over to Oakland – just for a couple of concerts. I’ve always regretted it and now I’ve got even more reason to head back there again! Gorgeous photos too 🙂
I really enjoyed reading about Oakland’s (recent) history– thank you for sharing it! I’d love to spend some time in Oakland…maybe that’ll be the push I need to take the West Coast trip I’ve been kicking around for the last few years 🙂
I admit it, I’ve only been to Oakland once and that was only as it was cheaper hotels than SF and I was going to explore the redwoods and Point Reyes. I did nothing in Oakland. I had no idea it had such wonderful places as you always tend to hear negative things about the city (sorry). Thanks for setting me straight. And next time I’m up that way, I’ll be sure to save some time to explore Oakland.
Insider insights into people’s home cities are the best! I can’t believe we missed visiting Oakland when we were in California last year! Now I really want to go and drink all of the coffee and eat all of the popsicles there – loved this post 🙂
This was a very interesting read. When I saw the title, I realized I didn’t really know anything about Oakland. I had always heard it was dangerous, but other than that, basically nothing. My dad even had his car broken into there and a bunch of his stuff was stolen. I’m happy to see this isn’t always the case though!
I never been in Oakland and it looks pretty amazing. To be honest, I never really heard about this place earlier. I was in San Francisco a few years ago an dreaming about coming back to the US. I will definitely put Oakland on my list.
I live just one hour north yet never knew there was a redwood forest in Oakland! Thanks for the fun post and new ideas!
Lia, this Guide is perfect. Where was this four weeks ago, before we headed to San Francisco? *sigh* Needless to say, we didn’t cross the Bay Bridge during our visit (although I did think about it, but only so I could take a great photo of the ferry building from the water tbh). But now I wish we did. Oakland looks great and I had no idea.
For sure on the itinerary for next time we make it to California.