The campus of the University of California dominates central Berkeley, and is the city’s largest employer and a major customer for many Berkeley businesses. The UC’s museums, galleries and other cultural and academic offerings provide stimulation for students and residents alike.

The Berkeley neighborhoods just to the north and west of the university include an eclectic mix of architectural styles from stucco cottages to apartment buildings to Craftsman bungalows and picturesque Victorians along tree-lined streets. On Shattuck Avenue, between Hearst and Rose, is the Gourmet Ghetto—a stretch that includes the Cheese Board collective which serves up pizza and baked goods daily, Saul’s Deli, known for its pastrami and kishke, the original Peet’s Coffee (at Walnut and Vine) and the world-renowned restaurant Chez Panisse, where Alice Waters founded the fresh, local foods movement. A few blocks south on Shattuck is the hub of the performing arts district with four movie theaters, numerous jazz clubs and the Berkeley Repertory’s new Roda Theater.

Berkeley's Westbrae neighborhood, bordering Albany to the north, is an older, peaceful neighborhood with Craftsman bungalows, Mediterranean cottages, and ranch homes interspersed with Victorians and farm houses. The three-acre Cedar-Rose Park offers tennis, a children’s playground and picnic areas, as well as a bike trail linking North Berkeley BART with the Ohlone Greenway, a bike and pedestrian trail running through Albany, El Cerrito and Richmond.

Further east, is the Northbrae neighborhood, a planned development from the early 20th century. Nestled along the Berkeley foothills with curving streets to mimic the natural landscape, Northbrae is home to the Monterey Market a 30-year institution much like an indoor farmers’ market and the North Branch Library housed in a Julia Morgan-designed building.

Learn more in local newspapers: Berkeley Voice, Berkeley Daily Planet, East Bay Express.