Alameda · Neighborhood guide
Central Alameda
Central Alameda: older homes in the middle of the island, near downtown Park Street, the Alameda Theatre, and Jean Sweeney Park. A guide from Tanja Odzak.
Where is Central Alameda?
Central Alameda covers the middle of the main island. The city has no official neighborhood map, and local guides draw the lines a little differently, so think of it as the area between Webster Street's West End and the East End, with Park Street's downtown along its eastern side.
At a glance: In the 12 months through September 2026, the median sale price of a single-family home in Central Alameda was $1,137,500, across 36 sales. Homes sold for about 112.9% of their list price, and the middle sale took 14 days on the market.
Central Alameda on the Map
Where Central Alameda sits, with the streets and places around it.
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Homes for Sale in Central Alameda
Current listings in Central Alameda, updated from the MLS.
Central Alameda Single Family Home Prices
Sales through September 30, 2026
$1,137,500
Median sold price
16.7% down from the 12 months before
$1,370,556
Average sold price
0.9% up from the 12 months before
$3,300,000
Highest sold price
Sold November 17, 2025
36
Homes sold
Single-family homes
Median price by quarter
The middle sold price for each of the last eight full quarters. Each quarter is only about 10 sales, so a few homes can move it. Hover a dot for the quarter's sales count.
’24Q1
’25Q2
’25Q3
’25Q4
’25Q1
’26Q2
’26Q3
’26
Sale price vs. list price
The list price is what a home is advertised for. The sale price is what it sold for. Over 100% means homes sold for more than the list price. Last 12 months, 36 sales.
- $1,213,941
- Average list price
- $1,370,556
- Average sale price
- 23
- Average days on market
The middle sale took 14 days; a few slow ones pull the average up.
On average, homes sold for 12.9% above their list price.
How hot is the market?
How competitive buying is in Central Alameda right now, from how homes actually sold.
Market temperature
65Warm
Homes in Central Alameda sold for about 112.9% of their list price, and the middle sale took 14 days.
How it is scored: half comes from how far above list price homes sold (100% scores zero, 125% or more scores full) and half from how fast they sold (45 days scores zero, 5 days or fewer scores full). Both come from the MLS numbers on this page. It is a gauge we calculate, not an official industry score, and it changes as each month’s sales come in.
Price by number of bedrooms
Median sold price by bedroom count over the last 12 months.
Bigger bubble = more homes sold. The number inside is how many.
Homes sold by price range
Where the last 12 months of sales landed.
- Under $750K26%
- $750K to $1M514%
- $1M to $1.25M1542%
- $1.25M to $1.5M26%
- $1.5M and up1233%
Price range by number of bedrooms
The lowest and highest sold price for each bedroom count over the last 12 months, with the median marked between them. The bar runs from the cheapest sale to the most expensive, so condition, lot and street explain most of the spread.
2 bedrooms (9 sold)
Median $1.05M$730K to $1.15M
3 bedrooms (14 sold)
Median $1.14M$950K to $2.8M
4 bedrooms (4 sold)
Median $1.36M$870K to $1.86M
5+ bedrooms (9 sold)
Median $1.7M$655K to $3.3M
lowest sale highest sale median
These numbers count single-family homes only. Condos, townhouses and attached homes are left out. They are the single-family homes that closed in Central Alameda, from the MLS. A neighborhood this size can swing from one quarter to the next on a handful of sales, so these show where the market has been, not what your home will sell for. When doing neighborhood stats, it is imperative to use the correct boundaries, as overlapping into adjacent neighborhoods may skew results. These numbers cover only homes the MLS lists under Central Alameda. Want the numbers for your street? Ask Tanja.
Source: Bridge MLS, through IDX Broker. Based on closed sales listed under the Central Alameda area in the MLS. List price and days on market: Bridge MLS, for the same sales. Information is believed accurate but not guaranteed.
Living in Central Alameda
What it is like on the ground in Central Alameda: getting around, errands, nature and schools, from Local Logic.
What is Park Street?
Park Street is Alameda's downtown. The Park Street Historic Commercial District has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1982 and is a California Historical Landmark, with dozens of historic buildings along Park Street and its cross streets. Business grew up here in the 1860s and 1870s, drawn by a railroad station at Park Street and what is now Lincoln Avenue, and it has been a place of commerce since 1880. The Boehmer Building dates to 1870, the Masonic Temple and Lodge to 1891, and the old federal post office to 1912. Today the City counts more than 450 locally owned shops and places to eat downtown.
What is the Alameda Theatre?
The Alameda Theatre on Central Avenue is an Art Deco movie palace designed by Timothy Pflueger, the architect behind the Paramount in Oakland. It opened in the 1930s with more than 2,000 seats and was the last grand movie palace built in the Bay Area. It closed as a movie house in the 1980s and later served as a gymnastics studio, then was restored and expanded in 2008 and now anchors an eight-screen movie house.
What civic landmarks are in the middle of the island?
Alameda City Hall is on the National Register of Historic Places, and across the street stands the city's Carnegie library, built in 1902 and 1903 and listed on the National Register in 1982. The library moved in 2006 to a new main building on Oak Street. The Alameda Museum, on Alameda Avenue, covers the island's history, from Native American culture to Neptune Beach, the amusement park that once stood at Crab Cove.
What is Jean Sweeney Open Space Park?
Jean Sweeney Open Space Park opened in 2018 on Sherman Street. The land was once the rail yard of the Alameda Belt Line, a short railroad whose last major customer, a cannery, closed in 1998. When the land was sold to a developer, the City went to court to get it back under a clause in the original 1920s contract, and won. Local resident Jean Sweeney championed the effort, and the park that bears her name has trails for walking and biking, picnic areas, and a pavilion.
What kind of homes are in Central Alameda?
Like much of the main island, Central Alameda is largely older homes on a regular street grid, part of the housing stock that gives Alameda its character: the City counts more than 10,000 buildings in Alameda built before 1930.
What should you look for in a Central Alameda home? Old homes come with old-home issues, so read the inspection reports closely. The electrical panel and wiring may not have been updated, or fully updated, over the years, and some older homes still have knob and tube wiring. Many older homes here were built without a garage or off-street parking, so it's worth checking what the lot offers. If you're planning a big remodel of an older home, check the City's historic rules first: for buildings from before 1942, tearing down, or a remodel or second-story addition that removes 30% of the structure's value, needs a Certificate of Approval and a hearing before the Historical Advisory Board.
What schools are in Central Alameda?
Alameda High School is on Central Avenue, and Love Elementary School on Santa Clara Avenue, Franklin Elementary School on San Antonio Avenue, and Will C. Wood Middle School on Sandcreek Way are close by. Private schools here include St. Joseph Notre Dame High School on Chestnut Street, for grades 8 through 12, St. Joseph Elementary School on San Antonio Avenue, and The Phillips Academy on Central Avenue. All of Alameda's public schools are part of the Alameda Unified School District. School boundaries don't follow neighborhood names, so check the district's boundary map for any address you're considering. The Alameda page lists the public and private schools across the city.
What should sellers in Central Alameda know about the sewer lateral?
Alameda is in the East Bay regional private sewer lateral program, and a sale requires a compliance certificate or a time extension certificate from EBMUD before escrow closes. Depending on the line, it may need repair or replacement. Compliance is negotiable between the seller and the buyer, and either may take on responsibility. If the buyer takes it on, they pay a $4,500 refundable deposit and have about six months to complete the work. My Alameda home selling page covers the rest of the process.
How do you get around from Central Alameda?
Alameda's flat streets make biking easy, and the island's speed limit is 25 miles per hour on almost every road. The Posey and Webster Street Tubes lead to downtown Oakland and the Lake Merritt and 12th Street BART stations, and the Park Street Bridge crosses to Oakland. AC Transit buses run across the island and on to Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco, and the Main Street ferry is a short drive to the west.
What draws buyers to Central Alameda?
Buyers who look at Central Alameda usually want an older home on a flat, gridded street, close to downtown's shops, restaurants, and movie theater, with parks and the civic center nearby and easy routes off the island.
Why do homeowners sell in Central Alameda?
Homeowners move on for all kinds of reasons including (but not limited to): upsizing to a second or third home, divorce, relocating for work, or the passing of a family member.
Work with an agent who knows Alameda's older homes
Tanja Odzak knows what to check in an older home, from the panel to the sewer line, and how an Alameda sale works. If you're weighing a move to Central Alameda, that's worth a conversation.
What is Central Alameda?
Tanja Odzak is a Top East Bay Realtor with eXp Realty, helping buyers and sellers in Alameda and across the East Bay. Central Alameda is the middle of Alameda Island, a stretch of older homes on a flat street grid between the West End and the East End. It sits close to the city's civic heart and its historic downtown along Park Street. Alameda High School is on Central Avenue.
Ready to find your next home?
Tell me what you're looking for and I'll get you real options.
Start Your Home SearchOr call/text (415) 722-0472
Ready to find your next home?
Tell me what you're looking for and I'll get you real options.
Start Your Home SearchOr call/text (415) 722-0472
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median home price in Central Alameda?
In the 12 months through September 2026, the median sale price of a single-family home in Central Alameda was $1,137,500 and the average was $1,370,556, based on 36 sales. The highest sale was $3,300,000. These numbers count single-family homes only, with no condos, townhouses or attached homes.
How fast do homes sell in Central Alameda?
Single-family homes in Central Alameda that sold in the 12 months through September 2026 spent an average of 23 days on the market, and the middle sale took 14 days.
Do homes in Central Alameda sell above the list price?
In the 12 months through September 2026, single-family homes in Central Alameda sold for about 112.9% of their list price on average, which is 12.9% above the list price. The average list price was $1,213,941 and the average sale price was $1,370,556.
Is Central Alameda a competitive market?
Our market temperature for Central Alameda is 65 out of 100, which reads "Warm". It combines how far above list price homes sold with how fast they sold, in the 12 months through September 2026.
What part of Alameda Island is Central Alameda?
Central Alameda is the middle of Alameda Island, between the West End and the East End, with downtown's Park Street along its eastern side.
What is the Park Street Historic Commercial District?
It is Alameda's downtown, listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1982 and a California Historical Landmark.
Who designed the Alameda Theatre?
Timothy Pflueger designed the Alameda Theatre, an Art Deco movie palace that was restored and expanded in 2008.
What was Jean Sweeney Open Space Park before it was a park?
The park was once the rail yard of the Alameda Belt Line, a short railroad that served the island's industry into the late 1990s.
Does an Alameda home need a sewer lateral certificate to sell?
Yes, Alameda is in the East Bay regional program, so a sale needs a compliance certificate or a time extension certificate from EBMUD before escrow closes, and who takes it on is negotiable between the seller and the buyer.
Does Alameda have historic rules for older homes?
Yes, for buildings from before 1942, demolition, or a remodel or second-story addition that removes 30% of the structure's value, needs a Certificate of Approval and a hearing before the City's Historical Advisory Board.
Which schools are closest to Central Alameda?
Alameda High School is on Central Avenue, with Love Elementary, Franklin Elementary, and Will C. Wood Middle School close by.
