If you’ve been seeking the perfect California special education job, picture yourself in the city of Oakland. Whether you’re an occupational therapist, speech-language pathologist, special education teacher, school psychologist, school counselor, or school nurse, Oakland, California, has a world of opportunity waiting for you.
Oakland, nicknamed the Bright Side of the Bay for it’s balmy weather, has earned its share of accolades. It has been voted the top North American City to Visit, 16th in America’s Coolest Cities, one of America’s Top Twelve Art Places, and first in America’s Most Exciting Cities. Oakland is known for its diverse and rapidly growing restaurant, arts, and entertainment scene with plenty of bars, cafes, music venues, and night clubs.
Oakland has a rich history, from habitation by the Costanoan people to occupation by the Spanish, the frenzy of the American Gold Rush, construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, founding of the Black Panthers, building of the Oakland Coliseum, and establishment of several colleges. The city covers 78 square miles, is home to nearly 450,000 people, and has an average high summer temperature in the 70s – pretty nice!
If you’re into a place with beautiful redwood trees, tidal lagoons, city lakes, farmers’ markets, and urban parks, Oakland could be for you. Picture what your life would be like in Oakland as we explore some of the eats, the arts, and the adventures this vibrant city offers.
If you are looking for sunny weather, great views and eco-sustainability, search no longer. Oakland has many attractions and great cities in the Bay Area. If you are looking for an urban area with a picturesque backdrop of the Panoramic Way, Fairview Park can provide a downtown feel with the lure of nature through its various parks among various restaurants, bars, coffee shops and great schools. Lakeside is at the waterfront of Lake Merritt and is located in central downtown Oakland. Temescal is not only one of the oldest and best residential places to live in Oakland, but it features Temescal Creek, which is a significant and historical aspect for the area. A great mix of urban and suburban is Berkley, which has a teeming downtown area with picturesque sites throughout the city that include dramatic views, winding roads and public paths and stairways.
Are you a foodie? If so, you must visit the Eat Real Festival in Jack London Square, where you’ll not only be able to choose from sustainably sourced menus and an array of craft beers, but you’ll also find entertainment, demos, and even classes. Also, the Oakland Chinatown StreetFest won’t disappoint, with a variety of Asian cuisine from Thai barbecue to triple leaf tea.
Oakland’s top restaurants range from Shakewell, which offers Mediterranean delights like Spanish octopus, truffle flatbreads, and wood-oven roasted spiny lobster in a “warm service in a fun, casual dining room,” to Lena’s Soul Food Café, which features smothered porkchops, jumbalaya, and sweet potato pie and is “always fresh and delicious.”
If you are a wine connoisseur, join the wine club at Rosenblum Cellars, which specializes in Zinfandels and has been around since 1978. For beer-lovers, stop into Drake’s Dealership for your choice of craft beers – too many to count – including Foraging Raccoon India Pale Ale, Honey Nut Beerios Cream Ale, and Sizzle Fizz Double Brut IPA. Care for a spot o’ tea? Try Malaya Tea Room for some “British and Southeast Asia influenced canapes and sweet bites” along with your Malaysian Pull-Tea. If you’re into coffee, don’t miss Coloso Coffee, a sleek, stylish café at Swan’s Market with a sister shop in Tokyo.
If you find yourself in the mood for art, take a trip to the Oakland Museum. The museum houses 1.9 million objects and focuses on California’s history, ethnography, nature, migration, creativity, and innovation. As for street art, the city has over a thousand murals, making Oakland itself a museum.
For theatre, there’s the Paramount Theatre on Broadway, an Art-Deco building constructed in 1931. For comedy and improv, try the All Out Comedy Theater, where you can sign up for improv classes. The Sound Room is a non-profit community venue which has been voted top place in the nation to hear jazz. The Fox Theater brings all manner of shows to Oakland. It was built in 1928 and had decades of success. The theater was shut down in the 1970s but was refurbished after 40 years of being shuttered. Now restored to its original glory, the Fox has been hosting incredible acts since.
If you’re into nature, visit Redwood Regional Park and find serenity streamside in the shady, romantic, hidden forest. Other fun trips are a tour of the USS Potomac and of the USS Hornet Museum, a Smithsonian Museum affiliate, where you can take an engineering tour or play an espionage escape game. You can also take a day trip to San Francisco, drive over the Golden Gate Bridge, imagine life as a prisoner on Alcatraz Island, or soak up the sun on the California beaches.
This is just a glimpse into all there is to do in this fun city. Imagine how much you would enjoy living and working in Oakland! Explore our exciting Oakland teaching jobs and school support positions today and start your journey toward a life in the exciting city of Oakland, California.
