Overview

Introduction to Berkeley, California

Berkeley, located in northern California's San Francisco Bay Area just north of Oakland and 10 miles north of San Francisco, is one of the country's hippest cities and one of the best places for educational pursuits. Berkeley claims arguably the best public university in the nation, the University of California at Berkeley, which has existed since 1872. Both the city and the university are famous for a tradition of free thinking, cultural diversity and activist politics. In the 1960s, Berkeley was the site of Vietnam War protests and was the backdrop for the film The Graduate. In the 1970s, the Bay Area Rapid Transit system (BART) linked Berkeley to San Francisco and Oakland. Today, Berkeley remains a socially conscious, politically active city, with a young, diverse population. Sharing the Cal Berkeley campus is the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which conducts scientific research within 15 divisions and 76 buildings. Over the years, several researchers there have won the Nobel Prize.

Berkeley Culture

Although San Francisco is a nearby cultural hub that rivals any on the planet, Berkeley has a distinct cultural presence of its own. It has gourmet and specialty foods shops (Scharffen Berger chocolates, anyone?) that rival San Francisco's, it's closer to the Napa and Sonoma wine regions than San Francisco, and it has bragging rights to one of the finest restaurants in the country, Chez Panisse, a leader in what is known as California cuisine. It is home to the Berkeley Art Museum, with eleven galleries and an emphasis on historic and contemporary films. Other cultural attractions include Aurora Theatre Company, the Berkeley Opera Company, and the Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

Berkeley Sports and Leisure

Some of the country's best college athletics can be seen right in the city. The Cal Berkeley Golden Bears play football at Memorial Stadium and basketball at Haas Pavilion. For big league action, there are six pro sports teams just a short ride away within the Bay Area: major league baseball's San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics, the NFL's San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders, the NBA's Golden State Warriors and the NHL's San Jose Sharks.

Berkeley Outdoors

A comfortable climate, a superb park system and access to ocean and mountains make Berkeley a great city for outdoor recreation. Aquatic Park offers boating, bird watching and biking/hiking trails around the lake. Caesar Chavez Park has 90 acres of land, paved trails and wildlife. Berkeley Rose Garden has over 3 acres of roses, plus tennis courts and hiking trails. For rock climbing, there's Contra Costa Rock Park, Cragmont Rock Park, Great Stoneface Rock Park, Grotto Rock Park and Mortar Rock Park. Briones Regional Park, a few miles northwest of the city, has more than 5,000 acres of wilderness, wildlife and trails for hikers, runners, and horseback riders. For a winter getaway, skiing and snow sports are available within a 2-hour drive at a Lake Tahoe and other Sierra Nevada Mountain resorts.

Berkeley at Night

With thousand of students in the city and a young population, Berkeley has a very upbeat nightlife. Plenty of restaurants, bars and clubs are available within Cal Berkeley area, along Shattuck Avenue and along San Pablo Avenue heading south toward Oakland. And there's always San Francisco just across the Bay.

Demographics

People

Total Population120,926
Male Share of the Population49.2%
Female Share of the Population50.8%
Senior Citizens13.7%
Employed Population 16+60,828
Age of the Population31

Families

% of people married33.1%
Average household size2

Education and Earnings

Population % with Bachelor Degree or Higher51%
Median Earnings25+$51,620
Median Earnings Without High School Qualification$24,174
Median Earnings With High School Degree$36,518

Wealth

Median Family Income$134,708
% Above Poverty Level80%
% Below Poverty Level20%

Commute & Sprawl

Average Commute Time29 minutes
% Working from Home10.1%
% Walking and Biking to Work26.1%
% Using Public Transportation23.6%

Housing

People Living Alone33.4%
Median Gross Rent$1,612
Median House Value$938,400

Ancestry

Other(often includes Hispanic and African American)46.3%
German9.9%
English7.8%
Irish7.4%
Italian4.3%
Russian2.9%
Polish2.9%
French Except Basque2.6%
Scottish2.1%
Swedish1.7%
Norwegian1.4%
African1.2%
Dutch1.2%
Iranian1.1%
Arab1.1%
Welsh1%
Greek0.7%
Swiss0.7%
Hungarian0.7%
Austrian0.6%
Ukrainian0.6%
Danishn0.6%
Czech0.5%
Portuguese0.5%
US/American0.5%
Finnish0.4%
Lithuanian0.4%
Canadian0.4%
West Indian0.3%
Turkish0.3%
Romanian0.3%
Lebanese0.3%
Brazilian0.2%
Croatian0.2%
Israeli0.2%
Ethiopian0.2%
Palestinian0.2%
Afghan)0.1%
Albanian0.1%
Belgian0.1%
Zimbabwean0.1%
Latvian0.1%
Jamaican0.1%
Bulgarian0.1%
South African0.1%
Nigerian0.1%
Slovak0.1%
Serbian0.1%
Iraqi0.1%
Slovene0.1%
Egyptian0.1%
Kenyan0.1%
Syrian0.1%
Basque0.1%
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Berkeley Almanac

CategoryValue
CountyAlameda County
Standard Zip Codes94709, 94702, 94703, 94704, 94705, 94710, 94708, 94707, 94706
P.O. Box Zip Codes94701, 94712
Company Zip Codes94720
Phone Area Codes510
Time ZoneAmerica/Los_Angeles
Approximate Latitude37.88
Approximate Longitude-122.27

Berkeley Climate

Nearest Weather Stations

Notes:

  • Temp ranges are avg daily min and max for the month
  • Precipitation is rainfall (and rainfall equiv of snowfall)

StationBERKELEY
Distance0.4 miles
Jan Temp44 to 56 F
Apr Temp49 to 64 F
Jul Temp55 to 70 F
Oct Temp54 to 70 F
Annual Precip25.4 inches
StationOAKLAND MUSEUM
Distance5 miles
Jan Temp45 to 57 F
Apr Temp51 to 66 F
Jul Temp57 to 73 F
Oct Temp55 to 72 F
Annual Precip22.9 inches
StationUPPER SAN LEANDRO FLTR
Distance9.3 miles
Jan Temp42 to 58 F
Apr Temp46 to 67 F
Jul Temp54 to 75 F
Oct Temp52 to 73 F
Annual Precip26.3 inches

Nearby Cities and Towns

LocationPopulationMedian Family Income
Albany19,758$101,302
El Cerrito25,203$117,776
Emeryville11,724$123,779
Oakland421,042$76,048
Orinda19,431$246,659
Piedmont11,308$246,250

Berkeley Public Libraries

Berkeley Public Library
2090 KITTREDGE STREET
Berkeley, California
(510) 981-6195

library logo

More Information for Librarians

Berkeley Hospitals

Alta Bates Summit Med Ctr-herrick Campus
(Non-profit)
2001 Dwight Way
Alta Bates Summit Med Ctr-alta Bates Campus
(Non-profit)
2450 Ashby Street

Berkeley Public Schools

Jefferson Elementary
1400 Ada St.
ZIP: 94702
Primary
Total Enrollment 392
Aspire California College Preparatory Academy
2125 Jefferson Ave.
ZIP: 94703
High
Total Enrollment 244
Longfellow Arts And Technology Middle
1500 Derby St.
ZIP: 94703
Middle
Total Enrollment 510
Malcolm X Elementary
1731 Prince St.
ZIP: 94703
Primary
Total Enrollment 567
Martin Luther King Middle
1781 Rose St.
ZIP: 94703
Middle
Total Enrollment 957
Berkeley High
1980 Allston Way
ZIP: 94704
High
Total Enrollment 3182
Berkeley Special Education Preschool
2134 Mlk Jr. Way
ZIP: 94704
Berkeley Technology Academy
2701 Mlk Jr. Way
ZIP: 94704
High
Total Enrollment 85
Washington Elementary
2300 Mlk Jr. Way
ZIP: 94704
Primary
Total Enrollment 468
Emerson Elementary
2800 Forest Ave.
ZIP: 94705
Primary
Total Enrollment 295
John Muir Elementary
2955 Claremont Ave.
ZIP: 94705
Primary
Total Enrollment 289
Leconte Elementary
2241 Russell St.
ZIP: 94705
Primary
Total Enrollment 347
Willard Middle
2425 Stuart St.
ZIP: 94705
Middle
Total Enrollment 561
Oxford Elementary
1130 Oxford St.
ZIP: 94707
Primary
Total Enrollment 302
Thousand Oaks Elementary
840 Colusa Ave.
ZIP: 94707
Primary
Total Enrollment 452
Cragmont Elementary
830 Regal Rd.
ZIP: 94708
Primary
Total Enrollment 441
Berkeley Arts Magnet At Whittier
1645 Milvia St.
ZIP: 94709
Primary
Total Enrollment 445
Realm Charter High
2023 Eighth St.
ZIP: 94710
High
Total Enrollment 361
Realm Charter Middle
2023 Eighth St.
ZIP: 94710
Middle
Total Enrollment 310
Rosa Parks Environmental Science Magnet
920 Allston Way
ZIP: 94710
Primary
Total Enrollment 446

Berkeley Private Schools

Cedar Creek Montessori School
1600 Sacramento St
ZIP: 94702
Elementary
Total Enrollment 3
Shu Ren International School
1333 University Ave
ZIP: 94702
Elementary
Total Enrollment 25
The Berkeley School
1310 University Ave
ZIP: 94702
Elementary
Total Enrollment 212
The Crowden School
1475 Rose St
ZIP: 94702
Elementary
Total Enrollment 49
American International Montessori School
3339 Martin Luther King Jr Way
ZIP: 94703
Elementary
Total Enrollment 30
Berkwood Hedge School
1809 Bancroft Way
ZIP: 94703
Elementary
Total Enrollment 105
Walden Center & School
2446 Mckinley Ave
ZIP: 94703
Elementary
Total Enrollment 80
Global Montessori International School
2314 Bancroft Way
ZIP: 94704
Elementary
Total Enrollment 15
Maybeck High School
2727 College Ave
ZIP: 94705
Secondary
Total Enrollment 116
The Academy
2722 Benvenue Ave
ZIP: 94705
Elementary
Total Enrollment 96
St Mary's College High School
1294 Albina Ave
ZIP: 94706
Secondary
Total Enrollment 619
School Of The Madeleine
1225 Milvia St
ZIP: 94709
Elementary
Total Enrollment 313
Black Pine Circle School
2027 7th St
ZIP: 94710
Elementary
Total Enrollment 252
Ecole Bilingue De Berkeley
1009 Heinz Ave
ZIP: 94710
Elementary
Total Enrollment 468
Nia House Learning Center
2234 9th St
ZIP: 94710
Elementary
Total Enrollment 6
Via Center
2126 6th St
ZIP: 94710
Combined Elementary And Secondary
Total Enrollment 22
Sources :
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