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Free Traveling Guides » States » California » Greater San Francisco
Telegraph Avenue
Voted by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the most interesting places to visit in Berkeley, Telegraph Avenue is a bustling neighborhood and is approximately 4.5 miles (7 km) long. It starts from the center of downtown district of Oakland and ends at the southern edge of the UC Berkeley campus, known as Sproul Plaza. The street is filled with some of the best music stores in the country, wonderful restaurants, book stores, used clothes stores and cafes as well as street vendors selling jewelry, clothing, pottery and other arts and crafts.
According to UC students, Telegraph Avenue is a four-block section located just south of the University and is situated between Bancroft Way and Dwight way. However, this street has an exhaustive history that dates back to 1858 when a telegraph line was constructed between Oakland and Martinez. The roads on either side of the telegraph line were named Telegraph Road. These roads merged over time into a single avenue. Neighborhoods started to come up along Telegraph Avenue when a transportation corridor came along this route during 1880s, thus transforming this area into a bustling township.
Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley had been a witness to a number of riots and protests that occurred during 1960s, including the conflict over People’s Park. However, this avenue is now a well-known destination for a diverse set of audience including tourists, students, street peddlers, pan handlers, runaways and homeless people.
With the advent of 20th century, Telegraph Avenue had witnessed several changes including replacement of locally owned business by an increased presence of chain stores, and emergence of various stores including restaurants, cafes and social clubs that have been set up by growing international community including Koreans, Ethiopians and Eritreans. Owing to its location besides the world-acclaimed UC Berkeley campus, this region has heavy foot traffic, due to which the portion near the campus has been designated as a one-way street.
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