[1][2] Ranked fifteenth on Time Out's coolest neighborhoods in the world list in 2020,[3] the community is known for its violence and blight.
Ghost Town Farms, one of the more successful expressions of urban agriculture activity in Oakland is located in the heart of the district at 2727 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, between 27th and 28th Streets.
"[7] Brown made attempts to turn around the blighted West Oakland neighborhood after 60 Minutes featured it in a television profile.
[9] Both the Hoover-Foster Historic District (Ghosttown) and Sobrante Park, were targeted for youth intervention programs by the city of Oakland in their "Measure Y" campaigns.
Its strategy, according to the Human Services Department, is "based on best practices, has community builders going door-to-door to support and encourage neighbors to address their issues (e.g., typically truant youth, blight, and loitering) and help them ultimately to organize (e.g., Friends of Durant Park, West Oakland Mini-Grant Committee, Resident Action Council, Block captains, neighborhood watches, Home Alert, Renters or Home Owners' Associations) and take ownership of their communities.