9. Oakland, CA

Stepping out of the Shadows

Once Oakland gets its crime rate under control, it could be as desirable a place to live as its cross-bay neighbor, San Francisco. Residents of the ethnically diverse port city enjoy sunny days, clean air (thanks to Pacific breezes), locally-produced food, and public transportation ridership of over 20 percent. Since Mayor Ron Dellums took office in January of 2007, the city has also adopted a "Zero Waste by 2020" plan, launched an "Oil Independence Oakland by 2020" task force, and banned plastic bags and styrofoam takeout containers. Oakland has one of the highest solid waste diversion rates in the country and an energy matrix that’s more than ten percent renewable. The city has partnered with the University of California Berkeley to source 30 percent of its food locally, and it's part of an alliance with San Francisco, Berkeley, and other Bay Area communities to jointly get half of their energy from renewable sources by 2017. Two areas that still need work? Congestion and housing affordability.

(Photo by Ingrid Taylar)

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Stories and Perspectives

The Grocery Gap

Getting a six pack of beer or a bottle of whiskey is no problem for the residents of West Oakland, Ca. Getting a dozen eggs or a quart of milk? That’s a different story altogether. Bluntly stated, there are no grocery stores in West Oakland, but there are a total of 57 liquor stores—for just 30,000 residents. Among these residents, the diabetes rate is three times higher than in the rest of Alameda county, hypertension rates are elevated, and mortality rates rival those of nations in the developing world. “We see a real problem when Cheetos are a choice for breakfast,” says Brahm Ahmadi, co-founder and executive director of the People’s Grocery, an organization aiming to address the lack of access to--and lack of knowledge of--healthy food in the West Oakland community.more »

How Do you Spell Releaf?

First, the bad news: If you live in West Oakland, pinned between three freeways and a large, dirty port, you’re a lot more likely to develop cancer than people living in many other parts of the country. In fact, a recent study found that exposure to diesel fumes from cars and ships leads to 1,200 “excess cancers” (above the national average) for every one million people. And as though this weren’t alarming enough, another study shows that residents in the area have life spans about two decades shorter than their neighbors in Berkeley. West Oakland families are also beset with asthma and diabetes.more »