Solano Avenue is a charming, tree-lined boulevard with convenient parking for shopping. Good lighting and safe neighborhoods make it delightful for window-shopping after dinner or the movies.
Spanning 1 1/4 miles through two cities, Solano Avenue hosts over 500 businesses which include 75 restaurants, 150 retail shops, two theaters, two pocket parks, and a myriad of professional services.
Solano became a business district early in Berkeley's history. According to Malcolm Margolin in Berkeley Inside Out, “John Hopkins Spring, a large landowner, developed Thousand Oaks and the shopping district along Solano Avenue shortly after the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906.” In 1911, the Southern Pacific Railway brought trains in to connect Thousand Oaks in Berkeley with Oakland and the ferry depots and ran tracks the length of Solano Avenue which provided passenger service. In 1912, the Key System's local street car line connected Solano Avenue to downtown Berkeley via The Alameda.
Add your email address to our Association's "Events" email list: .
We will notify you in May when Stroll applications become available, and we will send you additional emails throughout the year letting you know what is happening on Solano.
We will be easy on your "in box". We send out about a half dozen emails a year.
We send our mail with the addresses "info at SolanoAvenue.org" and “info at SolanoStroll.org”. Please "green list" these addresses and/or check your "SPAM" file/box frequently.A free directory of restaurants, shops and services on Solano Avenue is available on our website, or by calling 510-527-5358 or by e-mail to
Solano Avenue Gift Certificates are a great way to give a gift that can be chosen from over 24 businesses on Solano. They make great stocking stuffers and gifts for teachers or coaches.
New! Does your school or organization sell scrip for a fundraiser? The Solano Avenue Association is now able to offer you Solano Avenue Gift Certificates at an introductory 8% discount to your school or non-profit organization.
