Oakland, CA
You may think that the Bay Area climbing gym market is all sewn up. But if you visit the east bay you’d find that while the market is not wide open, it is in desperate need of a hip new bouldering gym. Over the last few years Oakland has been drawing hipsters, artists and young professionals that are attracted to the lower price of housing and the burgeoning arts and foodie scene.
These people want the communal energy of a bouldering gym and have the money to pay for it. The median income of Oaklanders is $50,500 per year; while not wallet-bursting this is a comfortable figure when you considers that almost 23% of the 516,000 Oakland and Berkeley residents are 16 – 27 year olds, compared with only 11% in San Fran. Since almost all commuters from the east side must go over the Bay Bridge, locating near the MacAuthor Maze freeway interchange could offer respite for commuters traveling back home after a hard days work.
Other cities to look at in the region:
Reno, NV
San Bernadino, CA
Sacramento, CA
Climbing Business Journal is an independent news outlet dedicated to covering the indoor climbing industry. Here you will find the latest coverage of climbing industry news, gym developments, industry best practices, risk management, climbing competitions, youth coaching and routesetting. Have an article idea? CBJ loves to hear from readers like you!
