Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland, CA

Mountain View Cemetery dominates the landscape with 220 acres of rolling lawns, ornate mausoleums, and century-old monuments, but two small pockets of homes sit just outside its southern and southwestern gates. These houses—primarily 1920s cottages and mid-century bungalows—edge up to the cemetery’s stone walls, enjoying west-facing decks and a rare sense of uninterrupted greenery right across the street. For residents, the cemetery itself functions like an expansive private park. Paved lanes and mellow gravel paths lure joggers, stroller walks, and leashed dogs, while free docent tours trace Oakland history among towering redwoods and flowering magnolias. Coaches Field, tucked against the southern boundary, adds baseball diamonds and soccer turf for weekend league play. Grocery runs, cafés, and the lively Piedmont Avenue restaurant strip lie a few blocks southwest, and Rockridge BART is a five-minute bike ride down Pleasant Valley Road. The vibe along these two residential stretches is serene and slightly tucked away. Yards are modest but tidy, traffic is light, and sunsets over San Francisco Bay glow above the cemetery’s hilltop memorials. Neighbors often treat the grounds as their backyard trail system, giving this sliver of housing an uncommon blend of urban convenience and parklike calm.