Solano Avenue

Neighborhoods: Albany

With a population of about 18,000 people, and city limits that encompass no more than one square mile, Albany has a decidedly small town feel. But this little community, tucked between North Berkeley, El Cerrito, Kensington, and the Bay is anything but sleepy. Teeming with young families, it is a community that works hard to keep its schools top notch. And as a result, Albany is known as much for school test scores that consistently rank in the top percentiles as it is for its quiet streets of neatly kept homes where neighbors know each other.

Solano Avenue, its main street, is lined with a vast array of locally owned shops that reflect the diversity of the area, including many restaurants that run the gamut from Nepalese and Tibetan to Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, Italian, and California cuisine. For grocery shopping, you'll find everything you can imagine at one of the small family owned groceries that specialize in Italian, Middle Eastern, or Asian foods as well as at the local Safeway. Solano Avenue is also the site of an annual street fair that celebrates this unique street at the heart of the city.

Even though Albany has become more upscale over the years, its California bungalows, ranging in architectural styles from Mediterranean to MacGreggor, hearken back to its working class roots. There is a movie theater, a bowling alley, horse racing track, and a few bars along San Pablo Avenue that are enjoying a hip renaissance. In short, Albany enjoys a protected small town feel while it boasts the vibrancy of any major metropolitan destination.

City of Albany web site
Albany Unified School District web site
Solano Avenue Association