A Tale of Two Sides

UC Berkeley senior Trevor Nguyen was sleepless on Southside. For the six months he lived in an apartment on College Avenue and Channing Way, he was kept up by noisy parties and rowdy crowds.

But today, the reason Nguyen loses sleep is because of impending midterms. The psychology major decided to move to Northside, the quieter counterpart to Southside's bustling environment.

"I did not like living next to the frats," says Nguyen. "They were loud and I couldn't fall asleep at night. It's rare for someone to be having a party on Northside."

The UC Berkeley campus divides the city of Berkeley into what students refer to as Southside and Northside, two areas considered by many to be polar opposites.

Northside, home to Tilden Park and Euclid Avenue, is known as a quiet residential area populated by studious types jaded by the party scene. Meanwhile, Southside is known for its social scene, complete with fraternities, sororities, Telegraph Avenue, People's Park and cheap eateries.

For many students, their choice of major plays a role in which side of campus they plan to live. Many math and science students gravitate towards Northside, which is closer to most math, science and technology buildings.

"(Another) reason why I moved to Northside is because it's close to Tolman," Nguyen says. "You can find most people studying (on Northside) because it is where the engineering and computer science buildings are located."

But while Northside is an ideal place for students who like a quieter atmosphere, many agree that there are drawbacks. It lacks Southside's accessible shopping districts and more frequent public transport networks.

On Southside, buses run more often, and the lines of people waiting to board the buses tend to be shorter than those on Northside, says UC Berkeley junior Sajiv Chandradas.

"And because of the lack of demand on Northside, buses (there) tend to be less on time," he says.

Southside is also more heavily populated, housing almost twice as many residents as Northside, according to city records in 2003.

"I've lived on Southside for two years," says Christine Yang, a UC Berkeley junior. "And I like it because it's closer to where everyone else lives."

With almost double the population, crimes are twice as likely to occur on Southside than on Northside. In 2003, 3.3 percent of all major crimes happened on Northside, from Hearst Avenue to Cedar Street. In comparison, 7.2 percent of all major crimes in the city occurred on Southside, below College between Bancroft and Dwight ways.

But a more well-known distinction between Northside and Southside lies in the cultural and food offerings of each.

Southside is famous for its plethora of mom-and-pop eating establishments like Cafe Intermezzo and Berkeley Thai House. Many students say they prefer eating on Southside because it better fits their schedules and budgets, often offering cheaper menus and staying open until early morning hours.

"The only place you can get food over here (Northside) is at the Northside Asian Ghetto, and they are only open until eight or nine in the evening," says Nguyen. "Most of my friends and I make the trip over to Southside to get food."

From the food to the noise levels, most students agree that both Northside and Southside each have their good and bad qualities, and it comes down to individual preferences when deciding on which area they prefer to reside.

"You can't really say that Southside is better then Northside because it depends on the person," Chandradas says.

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