Yikes! I really don’t think you know Berkeley at all @MYOS1634. There is no Homewood/ Charles Village in Berkeley. Maybe you mean Elmwood, which is filled with very nice shops and restaurants, and where million dollar homes would be considered fixer uppers. If all people see of Berkeley is South Campus–the famous Telegraph Ave/People’s Park then they can’t really say they know Berkeley at all. It’s got amazing food, both high end and affordable student variety, lots of movies, theater, music venues, beautiful parks with hiking trails with vistas of the bay and three bridges. It’s not for anyone who wants a neat and tidy suburban atmosphere–it’s urban and in places a little gritty–but it’s lively and fun for young people and it has BART, a twenty minute ride to SF for even more variety and opportunities. Definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, though.