Get to know Elmwood

Lush and leafy, Elmwood is a deeply beloved neighborhood in Berkeley. In the spring, front yards and gardens burst into bloom, with wisteria, lilacs, roses, and rhododendrons blanketing the stately houses around the neighborhood. Of course, Berkeley, with its Mediterranean climate, is a gardener’s dream, with greenery and native plants flourishing year-round. Elmwood was one of the original fashionable streetcar suburbs that sprang up in the Bay Area after the 1906 earthquakes. The houses here are mostly from the early twentieth century, dominated by a local vernacular architectural style: The Berkeley Brown Shingle. Designed for Cal professors and the Berkeley bohemian set of the early 1900s, these houses emphasize indoor-outdoor living. Even today, neighbors don’t always install fences, instead enjoying communal, connected backyards. Elmwood is close to U.C. Berkeley and downtown Berkeley, but with just enough distance from the campus’s hustle and bustle.

Nearby Neighborhoods:

Rockridge

Living in the East Bay

The East Bay is the sunny counterpart to foggy San Francisco, located just across the Bay Bridge, featuring a wide range of neighborhoods from funky downtowns to grand estates set amid rolling hills. Technically comprising Alameda County and Contra Costa County, the East Bay reaches from Albany in the north to Fremont in the south. The region is anchored by Oakland, known to locals as “The Town,” and quintessential college town Berkeley, as well as featuring smaller metropolises like the suburban cities of Walnut Creek and Pleasanton at its eastern borders. The East Bay has its own blend of charm, history, and microclimates that distinguishes it from its neighbors. Nature is always close by, with magnificent redwood groves growing amid urban centers and lakes surrounded with centuries-old oak and sycamore trees. The East Bay has a vibrant and diverse culture, reflected in all aspects of life, but particularly in its many famed and eclectic restaurants.