<p>cal is NOT in the ghetto</p>
<p>i live in the bay area, trust me</p>
<p>berkeley/telegraph is not south central la</p>
<p>but at the same time its not westwood</p>
<p>telegraph area is very very liberal
peoples park is right near cal
there are many many homeless people who live there
berkeley is a vibrant and eccentric place
it is a very liberal town
although i might have to disagree with the notion that the campus itself is THAT liberal
as it is such a huge campu with such a big student body, there are people from ALL walks of life
i have heard that there is a strong conservative representation (shocking i know)</p>
<p>but back to the location
just 5 minutes south of campus is the ashby area which is verrrry nice and verry expensive
in that area is also the claremont hotel, again very upscale</p>
<p>north of campus is the much more refined restaurant neighborhood
berkeley high is not that far from campus
thats not the best school around
but it is what it is</p>
<p>so in general
berkeley is a liberal ( ok i will say it, notoriously high) area
but by no means the ghetto
there is a large population of very wealthy people in that area
the berkeley hills (east of campus) is very upscale</p>
<p>very different vibes from either watts or bel air</p>