<p>Please don't try to sell me a plane ticket to Berkeley. I just want an honest opinion of the city from an actual resident. I come from a big city (Houston) and I like an urban atmosphere (e.g., NYC).</p>
<p>Sincerity and no recruiting please :D</p>
<p>As an actual resident of more than 20 years (no, I'm not a student), Berkeley is an extremely livable location.
Today, for example, the weather is high 60's with clear blue skies and fabulous views of San Francisco and the Bay. Students and town residents don't tend to mingle much, because unlike NYC, Berkeley is more of a smaller city/suburb. There are, however, lots of shops and restaurants and movies that appeal to both students and locals alike.
The university bifurcates the town into Northern and Southern sections. There are upscale parts of both areas, although the northern side is often quieter.
Transportation is fairly easy here. Buses and BART will take you most everywhere and bicycles are prevalent. Depending on what part of the city you are, the crime statistics will vary. There are a few dicey areas, but depending on the time of day or night, they are easy to identify and avoid. As with any urban/suburban location, the sober, aware person should have no real trouble.
Overall, it's a nice, easy place to live.
The north end of town</p>
<p>i live across the caldecott tunnel which separates Walnut Creek from Berkeley.</p>
<p>Berkeley is a college city/town. People are always decked out in Cal gear and if you're a 20-25 year old looking male/female, people assume you go to Cal. There is a small divide between residents and students. People travel by bus and Bart, the train/subway system. Traffic is slightly bad, but Berkeley is the type of place where people walk just for the hell of it. You'll want to explore Telegraph, try out new foods, and go to local concerts. </p>
<p>Berkeley isn't the safest at night, but by no means will you feel that you're life is in danger. It's not uncommon to have something stolen because you were careless that one day. Areas differ of course, but just be aware. That's all night time mischief anyways. </p>
<p>During the day, people are laid-back. Weather can get cold like 45-50ish during winters, but it never snows. Expect awesome summer weather, short rain seasons especially during feb/march.</p>
<p>I live in San Francisco and I go to Cal. I do not commute and actually live in the dorms. I've been pretty familiar with Cal for obvious reasons but regardless, I feel much safer in Berkeley than San Francisco. Berkeley is a college town and is rather safe actually. I feel pretty safe when I'm walking down Telegraph even at 2 am or later. I think a lot of it is because there's two police departments that serve the area, Berkeley Police and UC Police, and because there are other people just like me roaming the streets as well. </p>
<p>Regardless, I doubt you'll be spending much time hanging out in Berkeley anyway. Berkeley is a college town and it's more of a suburb of San Francisco more than anything else. The urban life will definitely be in San Francisco from the club scene near downtown San Francisco in the South of Market Area to the shopping around Powell Street in the huge Westfield Mall or the upscale boutiques of Union Square. The weather is pretty fair. It's essentially 50-60 year round with it "getting hot" in the "summer" reaching 70 or perhaps the 80s even. In the "winter" or "spring," it gets cold and can reach the 40s or even the 30s. You do not need a heavy coat at all, as a jacket will do just fine.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Sincerity and no recruiting please.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Berkeley city itself is a happy place. They have flowery meadows and rainbow skies, and rivers made of chocolate, where the children dance and laugh and play with gumdrop smiles.</p>
<p>Downtown Berkeley is a great training ground against transients and beggars.</p>
<p>Although UC Berkeley is a great university, most of Berkeley (the city) is terrible (except for the North Berkeley area, which is quite nice). The restaurants around campus are straight up awful. Everything just looks dirty and run down, and the bum/crackhead ratio is really high for a small town. On the brighter side, the quality of the university outweighs all the cons, the weather is pleasant, it is close to San Francisco, and at least it's not an artificial college town (it's still a college town though). If you do move here, I would recommend living somewhere around the North Berkeley area because it's way more neat and organized, it has some good places to eat, and there are two huge grocery stores/supermarkets close by. That's just my opinion though; I see lots of people enjoying the city.</p>