Oakland hills

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Oakland hills is a common informal name for that section of the Berkeley Hills which extends along the eastern side of Oakland, California. In recent decades, it has become the more common popular term although it remains "officially" incorrect among geographers and gazetteers. Before the establishment of the University of California in Berkeley, the range was called the Contra Costa Hills.

To add confusion, the common usage often also includes another officially unnamed ridge which runs in front (west) of the Berkeley/"Oakland" Hills, as well as the linear valley enclosed between the two ridges in the Montclair District along State Highway 13. This other ridge, a shutter ridge created by the Hayward Fault, lends its informal name, "Rockridge", only to the district of Oakland at its northwest end, although it extends southeast to the junction of Highway 13 and I-580 in East Oakland and includes most of the small city of Piedmont, California.

[edit] Districts, Neighborhoods and Developments

The hill section within the City of Oakland includes a number of historically-named districts and neighborhoods, as well as more recently-named residential developments. The older districts include Claremont (which overlaps into the City of Berkeley), Montclair, Trestle Glen, Crocker Highlands, Broadway Terrace, Glenview and Rockridge. Newer developments include Hiller Highlands and Leona Heights.