See "East Bay: More Affordable, But Only Compared to Its Neighbors" (January 18, 2006) and "California's East Bay Area Offers Relative Bargains" (January 19, 2006).

SFist is always interested to read about bargains in the area, if only because they're rarer than a morning when there isn't a stall in the right lane on the Bay Bridge. We're also interested to read about the economic growth in the area, if only because it's a refreshing change of pace from dire stories about assorted bubbles popping. Witness:

The East Bay underwent a milder recession than San Francisco and Silicon Valley and is now on course for a quicker, stronger recovery than its counterparts, (Kenneth T. Rosen, chairman of the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics at the University of California, Berkeley) said. Living costs in the East Bay are 36% above the national average, though still lower than in San Francisco and San Jose, according to consulting firm Economy.com.

Image of the Oakland Postcard from the Curt Teich checklist of large letter linen postcards.

By SFist Lisa, contributing