Lakeshore Area of Oakland Offers Picturesque Location, Convenience

The Lakeshore area gets its name from its namesake boulevard, which begins along the shoreline of Lake Merritt in downtown Oakland. Bounded by Lakeshore Avenue, the City of Piedmont, and the Trestle Glen neighborhood, and incorporating the Grand Avenue area, Lakeshore is a combination of stately homes at a central, convenient location."It's one of the nicest areas of Oakland," says realtor Michelle Winchester with The Grubb Company. "Most homes in the area were built in the 1920s and 1930s, although some were built a bit later," she explains.Winchester says that home buyers have a wide choice of traditional styles from the period, ranging from English Tudor to Spanish. "People started using styles popular at the time, borrowing from home styles in San Francisco," Winchester explains -- although Victorians are not really part of the mix.Pricing of homes in Lakeshore varies widely, as does home size. "There is everything from cottages to very large, very grand estates," Winchester says. Home prices start in the upper $500,000s, and go into the $1 million-plus range.Homes in the neighborhood all belong to the Lakeshore Homeowners Assocation (as do homes in neighboring Trestle Glen, which is often included when residents talk of the Lakeshore area). Joining is mandatory, but for about $25 per year, the homeowners association maintains common areas throughout the two neighborhoods. It is also ensures that the tranquil, tree-lined streets stay that way.Although its streets are tree-lined, the neighborhood is anything but cut off from the rest of Oakland. AC Transit runs a number of local and transbay routes for residents' use, and both BART and I-580 are close by. The Grand Avenue shopping area is within walking distance, making transportation less important for many errands.Of course, the neighborhood's namesake -- Lake Merritt -- is also a key attraction. Offering a bit of nature in downtown Oakland, the lake offers a chance to stretch the legs as well as get away from the hustle and bustle of urban life.Lakeshore resident Carol DiFilippo says she is "spoiled" being able to walk to the nearby Grand Avenue shopping area. "I like the idea of running errands without getting into a car," she says.DiFilippo says the feel and old, established look of the neighborhood is what drew her and her family when they moved to Oakland from Seattle. "We drove around and I just liked the way it looked," she says. "It's a nice, established neighborhood with long-term residents." DiFilippo says the yards, too are interesting -- not cookie-cutter, as they might be in newer developments. "You also have the feeling of privacy, even though homes are closer together," she adds.For those times when she needs to shop beyond the neighborhood, DiFilippo says she likes the freeway's proximity. "It's easy to get anywhere. You're on the freeway within a minute."Perhaps because of its convenient access, Winchester says the area is very diverse. "There is a lot of diversity in the neighborhood, both age-wise and ethnically. You have families, you have older people. Everyone feels very comfortable here."Comfortable -- as in, it feels like home.