Berkeley California

UC / Southside

Just south of the UC Berkeley campus, Southside is a bustling, student- oriented area that wins our vote for the most colorful and vibrant neighborhood in the East Bay. Students, homeowners and curious tourists happily meander through endless cafes, eclectic bookstores, record shops, and ethnic restaurants on busy Telegraph Avenue, the hub of activities south of campus.

Southside is proudly home to the work of Berkeley's first planners and architects. Julia Morgan, Bernard Maybeck, and other virtuoso architects designed many of the buildings, and Frederick Law Olmsted (designer of Central Park and Golden Gate Park) had a hand in planning the leafy residential streets southeast of campus. There influences can be seen on the dense, tree-lined side streets where homes include restored Victorians, Neo- Colonial boxes, vernacular-style bungalows, and shingled cottages. Many of these homes feature separate, self-contained "in-law" units, which provide additional income homeowners who wish to rent them to students.

For an equally interesting yet more livable neighborhood, our pick is the homes surrounding Bancroft Way, which intersects Telegraph Avenue and runs along the southern boundary of campus. This neighborhood is light and airy by comparison. Its sidewalks are lined with stores and coffee houses patronized by students living in the leafy residential areas above campus.

Learn more about UC / Southside:

Best of Telegraph Avenue & Bancroft Way
Best of UC Berkeley