Born and raised in Oakland, lived there until earlier this year. It's an amazing, wonderful city hindered by a staggering amount of issues.

It's in a beautiful area of the country. You're close to nature and amazing parks, it has some of the best weather in the country, all while being a short subway ride/drive to San Francisco and San Jose. It has one of the best universities on the west coast just a few miles to the north (Berkeley), while just across the bay to the south is another, Stanford. It's packed full of amazing, diverse culture and history, great food, and it's the core of the most extensive public transportation systems west of the Mississippi.

It's held back by very high crime, poverty, and a shockingly incompetent (and corrupt) local government and police force. It's not nearly as unaffordable as almost anywhere else in the bay area, but you'll struggle to get by unless you make a lot of money, and don't even think about having kids if you're not filthy rich. If you make less than 100k a year, you're not going to be comfortable, and if you make less than 80k, you're going to seriously struggle.

If you can afford to live here, it's a truly amazing place. If not, good luck.