Solano Avenue Association
About Us :
The SAA is a non-profit organization whose membership is open to business professionals, merchants, organizations and residents with a physical address within one adjacent block of Solano Avenue in Albany or Berkeley who cooperatively promote the Solano Avenue neighborhood.
Since 1974, the association has worked to promote the business district and build community spirit through promotions, art projects and events. Highlights include: The Street Banner Community Art Project, Winter Holiday Festivities, The Chocolate & Chalk Art Festival and The Solano Stroll and Parade.
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 and pocket parks.
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.
