With its spectacular bay views, ample trees, and impressive homes, the Berkeley Hills is one of the most desirable places to live in the East Bay.
Architecturally, it’s a rich smorgasbord of Craftsman bungalows, ranch houses, Italian-style villas, Spanish farmhouses, and Tudor manors. (The neighborhoods around Southampton Avenue are particularly abundant in period revival architecture.) Renowned 20th-century architects such as Bernard Maybeck, Julia Morgan, and John Galen Howard made contributions here, imbuing the landscape with a sense of history and permanence.
Although there is little in the way of commercial businesses in the hills, an extensive network of pathways and staircases link hills residents to amenities in North Berkeley. Hills residents also have access to numerous parks and green spaces. Locals can often be found rock climbing at Indian Rock Park, enjoying Bernard Maybeck’s fragrant Rose Walk, or picnicking at the Berkeley Rose Garden, considered by many to be the finest rose garden in Northern California.
Other area favorites include the UC Botanical Garden and the Lawrence Hall of Science, where children can enjoy hands-on educational activities. Tilden Park, which has a delightful merry-go-round and steam train, is considered by many to be the crown jewel of the East Bay park system.
When the fog rolls in off the Pacific, shrouding the hillside in a mysterious mist, no place else feels more tranquil or transporting.
