The birthplace of the free speech movement at the University of California at Berkeley in 1965. The epicenter of left wing politics in the 1960's and 1970's. A funky college town filled with aging hippies, university students and upwardly mobile young families. The location of the confrontation between police and protestors in People's Park in May 1969, where student protestor James Rector was shot and killed by police. The birthplace of new French and California cuisine through Alice Waters' Chez Panisse restaurant. The city where German film director Werner Herzog ate his shoe. The birthplace of the Acme Bread Company and Peets' Coffee & Tea, the coffeehouse chain that pioneered direct purchase of coffee beans from growers and would influence Starbucks and numerous other chains. Location of Moe's Books and Krishna Copy Center, the first photocopy center in the U.S.A.

A city in Northern California. First came on to the map because of its extreme liberal reputation and for being a Mecca for hippies in the 60's and 70's. *(this is my take on Beekeley after moving here form LA area 8mths ago)*

Berkeley is now classified by different sections.

Berkeley Hills:
The sole reason Subaru and rooftop-boxes are still in business. The Berkeley Hills now serve as an upscale retirement community for aged former hippies who, although raised on the hippie ideology of giving to the poor, they now seclude themselves in an upper class community far away from the poor(we) people downtown. If you're thinking about visiting this part of Berkeley, don't, the streets aren't wide enough for anything larger than a Prius.

Downtown Berkeley:
This section of Berkeley (including campus) is a more urban setting. Pedestrians will walk right in front of your car and give YOU The dirty look for being too close to them. Walk down Telegraph and you'll be asked for change more times than being backstage at a fashion show. Parking enforcement "officers" swarm this area like flies on shit or buzzards on a carcas, only grosser.

Berkeley Flats:
The flats of Berkeley are the only part of town that resemble some sort of normal living situation. Driveways, straight streets, less foot traffic and relatively middle class people in actual neighborhoods.

A hella liberal city in the bay area, filled with awesome people and hippies. Best city in California.

ire, iconoclasticism, the urge to question authority. When something gets my Berkeley up, I'm feeling feisty and considering activism -- usually, but not necessarily political.

A city in the San Francisco Bay Area. Populated mostly by hippies and yuppies. Berkeley rocks. Minus the yuppies.

Berkeley means highly intelligent,charismatic,very confident, strong-will,emotional,moody,complicated,yet easy to please,motivator,go-getter,sucessful,extrovert,quick thinker,people oriented,loner,intriguing ,very sexy,attentive,caregiver

The cutest girl there is. Everyone wants her. She be having all da boys running after her. She's popular and has the nicest eyes...

Once a beautiful little town with beautifully maintained houses that was absolutely destroyed in the sixties. The center of anarchy, flooded with smelly panhandlers, a city government run amuck, and a little University, who for a very brief period, had a good football team.

Once thought of as the center of creative, liberal thought, now a boring caricature of itself.

Home to the supression of free speech from anyone who believes in thoughtful dialog with reasoned arguments. Shouting and scull bashing is now the norm, with verbal discourse reminiscent of Year Zero In Cambodia, where "culture and traditions of a society must be completely destroyed or discarded".

A dull, cliquish, mean-spirited, self-important and increasingly dilapidated town in the East Bay of California. Populated by angry white people in late middle age, many probably in the early stages of dementia. Once a bastion of spirited and principled left-wing advocacy its politics have morphed into something approaching a lazy right-wing caricature of "those crazy liberals."