The Basics:

Berkeley, which is adjacent to Oakland, is probably the best-known East Bay city other than Oakland. Despite being so close, they have completely different reputations. Oakland is often thought of as a violent place (though the truth is much more complicated), while Berkeley is known as a college town.

• Population: 112,765 (as of 2011)
• Percent of residents with at least a high school education: 92.2% (according to CityData.com)

• Median age of Berkeley residents: 31 years
• Major streets and freeways: 80/580, highway 13 (Ashby Ave.), University Ave., San Pablo Ave., Shattuck Ave.

General Location:

Berkeley is located directly north of Oakland and Emeryville. Albany is in its northwest corner, while Kensington and El Cerrito are further north.

The hills form the eastern border of Berkeley, though the city does extend partway into the hills in some places. These homes tend to be large and quite expensive.

Tilden Park lies to the northeast. The San Francisco Bay forms Berkeley’s western border, though the Berkeley Marina and Cesar Chavez Park extend into the bay.

Getting There:

80/580 runs along the western border of Berkeley, almost adjacent to the San Francisco Bay. The location of this freeway means that it’s pretty easy to get to Berkeley from all over the Bay Area.

From the northern cities in the inner East Bay (such as Richmond and Pinole), take either 80 or 580 southward. The one you take depends on your location; Pinole is on 80 and Point Richmond is on 580, for example.

When these two freeways merge, you will be very slightly north of Berkeley.p> From the southern cities in the inner East Bay (such as San Leandro and Fremont), take either 580 or 880 north. If you take 880, merge onto 580 when you are given the opportunity.

From San Francisco, take 80 across the Bay Bridge into Oakland, and then take 580 north through Emeryville and into Berkeley.

BART has three stations that serve Berkeley. The Downtown Berkeley station is, as its name suggests, in the heart of downtown Berkeley. The North Berkeley station is fairly close to the downtown station, about halfway between downtown Berkeley and Albany. The Ashby station is in the southernmost part of Berkeley, just about a block from Oakland.

Landmarks:

Berkeley’s most famous landmark is inarguably the University of California, Berkeley. This university, founded in 1868, is the oldest school in the University of California system. It consistently ranks as one of the top public universities in the country. It takes up a fairly large part of the city of Berkeley, and its academic population is a major contributor to the city’s population.

Berkeley is also home to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Many researchers here have been awarded the Nobel Prize, and this laboratory has made many contributions to science.

Berkeley’s Telegraph Avenue is a bit of a tourist destination, with vendors selling incense and tie-dyed T-shirts in an attempt to evoke the hippie spirit that is part of the city’s history.

The Campanile, or Sather Tower, is visible for miles around. This tower is located on the University of California, Berkeley campus and is one of Berkeley’s most distinctive visual landmarks. For a small fee, you can visit its observation platform for a unique view of the Bay Area.