Once upon a time, Emeryville was an industrial city teetering on the brink of becoming a mini-Rust Belt. Even as recently as the 1950s, Emeryville was a tough town, an amalgam of the Wild West and gritty factories. Not any more. In recent years, Emeryville has burst onto the scene as the hot, post-industrial place to live and work — and with good reason. Set along the waterfront, at the foot of the Bay Bridge, the city has a temperate climate, first-class retail shopping, entertainment venues, thriving businesses, and a world-class setting, providing an amazingly high quality of life for its residents.
[Emeryville’s real estate and housing choices](about:blank) are as diverse as its population. Whether it’s a modern townhouse complex, a waterfront high-rise condominium, a live/work artist’s loft, or a quaint Victorian style home, Emeryville has something to offer every lifestyle. People flock to Emeryville from all over the Bay Area to work and play. Retail magnets include [IKEA](http://www.ikea.com/us/en/store/emeryville), the [Bay Street shopping area](http://www.baystreetemeryville.com/), the [Public Market](http://www.emerymarket.com/), two theaters, Trader Joe’s grocery store, Home Depot and several major big-box retailers. Some of the city’s largest employers are [Pixar](http://www.pixar.com/) and [Novartis](http://www.us.novartis.com/). Emeryville is easily accessible from Interstate 80 and 580, and is just a short hop over the Bay Bridge from San Francisco. This little city also offers free local transportation via a mini-bus system, called the [Emery-Go-Round](http://www.emerygoround.com/), that services all of the commercial areas as well as the nearby MacArthur BART station in [Oakland](about:blank).
