<p>How safe is it to live in Berkeley area?</p>
<p>I checked out an apartment in Emeryville today.</p>
<p>It was only 8 blocks from MacArthur station so I just walked to there.</p>
<p>I talked to the manager and everything went fine.</p>
<p>But on the way back two kindly neighbors reminded me how wonderful the place was.</p>
<p>"Dude, you don't belong here... Where're you from?... If you don't want to get shot, take a taxi and don't ever come back!... Someone got shot to death on this street 2 days ago... etc.. etc.."</p>
<p>That really scared the crap out of me. </p>
<p>So, I took a taxi and went straight home.</p>
<p>Yes, I'm naive. I've never been to ghetto areas and have no idea what those areas are like. I thought crimes only happen in the TV.</p>
<p>Stay as close to campus as possible... Sounds like you were pretty far away. The some areas of Oakland can be pretty bad. </p>
<p>It is tempting to get a place in south berkeley/emeryville because places are much easier to find down there, but remember they are easier to find for a reason... NOBODY IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD WANT TO LIVE THERE!!!</p>
<p>Haha well that is a bit of an overstatement, but you know what I mean. If you are ok with a commute from as far as Macarthur you could probably find a good place in a safer neighborhood, but I would reccommend just trying your hardest to get a place in Berkeley that is close to campus.</p>
<p>North Berkeley or Albany is good !</p>
<p>Look into campus housing or the Co-Ops. Expensive but pretty secure (campus housing anyway).</p>
<p>Always carry a shank in Berkeley.....jp. There definitely seems to be some rough parts though. I would definitely live close to campus as possible.</p>
<p>Biggest problems around campus are bike and laptop thefts. Robberies do happen but usually early morning (6am) or later in evening (after 8)... but someone was robbed in February in the Eucalyptus Grove on campus at 11am. It's usually high school kids with guns. No one gets shot, just robbed.</p>
<p>" No one gets shot, just robbed" </p>
<p>You forgot to mention stabbings.</p>
<p>Ok, I'll grant you that one. We just had a senior stabbed to death here last weekend. But I think that it was an argument that went bad, not a robbery.</p>
<p>Yea, try and stay as close to campus a possible. I'm from the bay and knowing ghetto from not ghetto would be pretty hard to call if you're not from here. Even for me it's hard to tell unless I really know the area well. The lines between good areas and bad areas are really fuzzy. I'd say most places in Emeryville wouldn't be good unless you're in the bay street apartments or one of those super expensive buildngs in that area. Oakland and a lot of parts of Berkeley are pretty sketchy too. LOL, sorry I don't want to scare you because it's really not that bad out here. Just don't get a place in the ghetto. Stick to North Berkeley and Albany.</p>
<p>I go for the head down, walk as fast as possible and twitch every once in a while to make them think that you're crazy approach to living in the city. :)</p>
<p>I would personally stab you if the occasion were to arise OP. If I, a stranger on the Internet is willing to stab you for no apparent reason, I'm sure some guy looking to score his next fix would be more than willing to.</p>
<p>Good point. I'm putting a shank-proof vest on my x-mas list this year.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I, a stranger on the Internet is willing to stab you for no apparent reason
[/quote]
Damn, anchor is hard. Must be from the ghetto.</p>
<p>Were you born and raised in the ghetto anchor? It seems that you are very familiar with thug life.</p>
<p>CalBear, </p>
<p>That's a good technique, I like it. Personally, I prefer the "immediately pull down your pants" technique while you're getting robbed. It's like trying to fight a naked man, it just doesn't work.</p>
<p>In west Philadelphia?</p>
<p>I sense a definite hardness about him. Even the name carries some serious weight.</p>
<p>I heard anchor didn't have cable tv while growing up. If thats not hard, I don't know what is.</p>
<p>Dang! Are we talking rabbit ears on the TV with the tinfoil booster? That is definitely HARD!</p>
<p>That's right mortals, born and raised on the streets.</p>
<p>Stabbing someone is par for the course. We view it as a victimless crime, like punching someone in the dark.</p>