7.5 out of 10

West End

Ranked 4th best neighborhood in Alameda
37.778227703436 -122.281357302144
Great for
  • Internet Access
  • Neighborly Spirit
  • Parks & Recreation
  • Schools
  • Gym & Fitness
Not great for
  • Nightlife
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
Who lives here?
  • Families with kids
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Singles
  • Students

Reviews

4/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 5/5
  • Safe & Sound 5/5
  • Clean & Green 4/5
  • Peace & Quiet 4/5
  • Eating Out 5/5
  • Nightlife 3/5
  • Parks & Recreation 5/5
  • Shopping Options 3/5
  • Gym & Fitness 5/5
  • Internet Access 5/5
  • Lack of Traffic 3/5
  • Parking 5/5
  • Cost of Living 3/5
  • Resale or Rental Value 5/5
  • Public Transport 5/5
  • Schools 5/5
2yrs+

"Come to the West Side...We Have Cookies :)"

I have lived on the West End of Alameda most of my life. I am very proud of the accomplishments the businesses, residents and schools have accomplished.

New restaurants, thriving small and medium size mom and pop businesses, growing retail & redevelopment on the rise. Our schools are stellar. According to what someone wrote earlier crime is on the rise there....not true. According to the Alameda Police Department blogs, most of the areas of crime are not beyond Webster Street but in Central Alameda, so please check your stats!

West Alameda is in the process of revitalization of its entire district. In 1997, the Alameda Naval Air Station closed, which gave West Alameda the opportunity to focus and reconnect with the unique and eclectic community, along with the opportunity to showcase the vast businesses and historic buildings stretching from the Webster Tube gateway to the anchor of Crab Cove (the site of the historic Neptune Beach).
 
Today, the west side of Alameda is ripe with diverse businesses: from longtime established businesses to a fresh new crop of retail shops, restaurants, services, and other enterprises. West Alameda is a hub of movement and growth, attracting locals and visitors from around the Bay Area and other parts of California.

The West End has Rock Wall & Rosenblum Wineries with stellar views of the Bridges and Bay, Marina Village, Alameda Point, Crab Cove, Home to America's Cup fleet Artemis, Hawthorn Suites, Wescafe, A brand new Target and coming soon Safeway then there is Neptune Plaza and more shops and housing coming soon.

We love our island city and welcome you to come to stay or visit.
Pros
  • Great High School with award winning athletic and music program
  • Main St. USA feeling with Great Food, Bars, Dessert, Lots of nice Art and music
  • Awesome cafes
  • Nice Older Homes
Cons
  • Hard to get rid of the old stigma of being the bad side of town
Recommended for
  • Professionals
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
  • Tourists
  • Hipsters
  • Students
  • Beach Lovers
3/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 3/5
  • Safe & Sound 3/5
  • Clean & Green 2/5
  • Pest Free 3/5
  • Peace & Quiet 3/5
  • Eating Out 3/5
  • Nightlife 2/5
  • Parks & Recreation 2/5
  • Shopping Options 3/5
  • Gym & Fitness 3/5
  • Internet Access 5/5
  • Lack of Traffic 3/5
  • Parking 4/5
  • Cost of Living 3/5
  • Resale or Rental Value 3/5
  • Public Transport 2/5
  • Medical Facilities 3/5
  • Schools 3/5
  • Childcare 3/5
2yrs+

"A Big Older Neighborhood"

West End Alameda, of course, doesn’t have much to do with its namesake on the British Isles, beginning of course with the fact that not even the residents of this area of Alameda think of themselves as living in West End. At least, I have never heard anyone from this area say, “Yes, I live in West End.”

West End is a huge neighborhood stretching from one end of the island of Alameda to the other.

On the far northern end is the leftover homes of what looks to be the residential quarters for former officers of the Alameda Naval Air Base just to the west in now abandoned Alameda Point. The grass is now overgrown and the homes and the place is sort of a ghost town—frozen in time. (I don’t know if there is an effort to make this into part of the historical preservation zone that some want the former base to become.) There is also a shipyard up there that I used to see tugboats coming out of—perhaps a coast guard station?

Just to the south of that and surrounding Island High School is one of those planned communities with the houses that look almost exactly alike. Some of these have a worn grayish look to them, others have the brighter red tiles of their faux Mediterranean style. The homes have a nice classical quality to them, with very walkable streets. They keep this walkability by having traffic breaks midway through residential blocks where they place small squares of green space.

These newer homes on the northern section of this neighborhood run in the $800K range.

As you get south of Pacific, you get a lot of homes dating from before WWII. These old wood beam homes are a lot cheaper than those in West End overall (where the median home price is around $500 K). Here in this older section of West End, the median home price drops to $350 K. This is largely because of the dingy, worn out look of this area.

On the eastern end of West End, the older wooden houses give way to old bungalow style homes and walk-ups which also typify the pre-WWII period. This is only slightly better than its neighbor on the west but because these homes are better kept and on better streets, this neighborhood just seems a bit better. This is reflected in the prices as well, with the median price here climbing to $500 K. The feel in this location is not unlike the Berkeley flatlands, actually.

West End is also home to the College of Alameda, the local community college (part of the Peralta organization of colleges).
This is a complete community college offering a full range of classes.

As far as other conveniences, such as supermarkets and that sort of thing, you do have most of those locally, though you may have to go up to Marina Village area to get your groceries from a Lucky’s. Except for an Indian place that is pretty much where you have to go restaurants and that sort of thing as well.
Pros
  • Nice Older Homes
  • Some Walkable Streets
  • Okay Community College
Cons
  • Mediocre Schools
  • Some Very Dingy Areas on west end
  • Possible Crime Worries
Recommended for
  • Singles
  • Retirees
  • Hipsters
  • Students
3/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 3/5
  • Clean & Green 3/5
  • Peace & Quiet 2/5
  • Parking 2/5
  • Schools 2/5
2yrs+

"An assortment of homes and community college"

West End is a close-knit, middle to lower middle-class Alameda terrain. There is really nothing aesthetically pleasing about this neighborhood. It is a pretty dense residential community encompassing around 15,000 residents, living within 2.3 square miles of each other. Also, the residential demographic is a melting pot of white, asian, black and hispanic residents.

While a large body of land, West End is split between two distinct housing developments. One of them is located closer to the College of Alameda, and offers an intricate arrangement of close-knit, neo-Mission Revival housing. these homes (or condominiums) are fairly new, two-stories in size and tightly packed into streets. The area is accommodating to young families because of its family-friendly ambiance and its strong sense of community. However, it can be a bit noisy, with residents sharing walls, lawn space and backyards.

Houses outside of this community are rather drab and unappealing. Most of them are old, dating back from WWII and are plotted on small, narrow properties. They are mostly just one-story (although there are a few two-story homes) in size and exceptionally small. In fact, they don’t even have garages nor much driveway and lawn space to appeal to young families. As a result, many residents have to park along the roads, which can make for difficult street parking during peak hours. For prospective residents, the median household income is around $55,000/year, a little less than the typical Alameda community. moreover, house values tend to cost around $500,000, but can rise to as much as $750,000.

This terrain is also, as you might expect, pretty boring. West End only has a few complimenting accommodations for residents. For one, the area lies adjacent to the Jack London Square tourist trap, offering plenty of dining amenities and entertainment. also, it encompasses the College of Alameda, a two-year community college for locals looking to gain access to the UC system that is so heavily praised in California.
Recommended for
  • Singles
  • Retirees
  • Students
gonetoalameda
gonetoalameda The West End is one of Alameda's best kept secrets; however, after the Nave Base closure, it's becoming more well known. It's close proximity to the ferry station (about 5 minutes) and about 5 minutes to the beach makes it a popular place to live while commuting to San Francisco for work. New developments are beginning to pop up all over not to mention the development of the old Navy Base --- called Alameda Point. Home to a number of urban wineries, St. George's Spirits distillery, and just recently a brewery, the West End has great potential and the old narrative is no longer true.
2yrs+
Add a comment...
4/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 3/5
  • Safe & Sound 3/5
  • Clean & Green 4/5
  • Pest Free 4/5
  • Peace & Quiet 5/5
  • Eating Out 4/5
  • Nightlife 3/5
  • Parks & Recreation 5/5
  • Shopping Options 3/5
  • Gym & Fitness 5/5
  • Internet Access 5/5
  • Lack of Traffic 5/5
  • Cost of Living 4/5
  • Resale or Rental Value 4/5
  • Public Transport 5/5
  • Medical Facilities 4/5
  • Schools 4/5
  • Childcare 5/5
2yrs+

"Good neighborhood in development, so much more potential"

West End Alameda is not the best neighborhood in Alameda. However, it's still Alameda, and much better than the neighboring towns of Oakland, San Leadro, etc. When compared to the east end alameda, the houses are smaller and cheaper, schools are not as good, and crime is higher. There are less smaller parks scattered across the west end. There is Washington park, a large park by the bay, with plenty of picnic areas and tennis courts and a dog walking park. There is fantastic Chinese food in the west end on Webster street. There are two dimsum restaurants that are always fantastic. So be sure to show up early on the weekends or be prepared to stand in line. There are also new houses in the area as well. Bayport development community is absolutely stellar, with some of the best new house communities in all of the SF Bay area.
Recommended for
  • Professionals
  • Singles
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
4/5
2yrs+

"Great Place to Live for Retires"

This is a great place to live, and its affordable too! The houses here looks new and they are big, mostly one story houses. It's a great place for singles and retirees to live. The streets are wide and clean, and there is a lot of green in this neighborhood too; with two big parks in this area, and one of them is Washington Park. It's a nice place to take a walk in or walk your dog on a sunny afternoon.
However, there are two downsides to living here. One, is that there isn't really any big malls or shopping centers to go to for shopping, and two is that the Bart don't pass through here, so traveling to and from the bay area is a bit troublesome.
Recommended for
  • Professionals
  • Singles
  • Retirees

Best Streets in West End

1

Coral Sea St

4/5
"newer, affluent neighborhood"
37.7825408535691 -122.284049050954
2

Dolphin Ct

4/5
"cute neighborhood, pretty homes"
37.784630184396 -122.282299351237
3

Lincoln Ave

4/5
"Perfectly Servicable Major Thoroughfare"
37.7751448389353 -122.277385730131
4

Pacific Ave

4/5
"Happy street, great vibes, terrific location, good walk score"
37.7763213858001 -122.280545966926
5

Santa Clara Ave

3.5/5
"Great access to parks, public transit, and conveniences w/ a friendly residential touch"
37.7733738662384 -122.280220078763

Unranked Streets in West End

"Ocean lovers dream location on the San Francisco Bay."
37.7703025552362 -122.287028257109
"Hidden gem in western Alameda"
37.7863265108575 -122.27645722454

Portola Ave

3.5/5
"Great Street For Any Family"
37.7686605040201 -122.271440278659

8th St

3.5/5
"High Traffic but really great street. "
37.7721755699666 -122.272768546552

Ansel Ave

4/5
"My quiet piece of suburban heaven"
37.7844308737884 -122.288303107451

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