Oakland, California

"Oakland" redirects here. For other uses, see Oakland (disambiguation).

Oakland, CA
Nickname:  see Nicknames
Location in Alameda County and the state of California
Country	United States
State	California
County	Alameda
Government
• Mayor	Ron Dellums
Area
• City	78.2 sq mi (202.4 km2)
• Land	56.1 sq mi (145.2 km2)
• Water	22.1 sq mi (57.2 km2)
Elevation	3 ft (1 m)
Population  (2006)
• City	415,492
• Density	7,126/sq mi (2,751.4/km2)
• Metro	over 7 million
Time zone	UTC-8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
Area code	510
Website	http://www.oaklandnet.com

Oakland (IPA: [oʊklɛnd]), founded in 1852, is the eighth-largest city in the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Alameda County. Oakland is located in Northern California in the San Francisco Bay Area, the sixth most populous metropolitan area in the United States. Based on 2006 statistical data, Oakland is the 44th-largest city in the United States.

Oakland is a major West Coast port, and is home to several Fortune 500 companies including Kaiser Permanente and Clorox, as well as corporate headquarters for national retailers like Dreyer's and Cost Plus World Markets.

Rand McNally named Oakland as having the best weather in the United States, as Oakland averages sunshine 73% of all daylight hours. According to the U.S. 2000 census, Oakland and Long Beach, California are the most ethnically diverse cities in the United States, with over 150 languages spoken in Oakland. Attractions include Jack London Square, the Oakland Museum of California, Lake Merritt and Chinatown.

History

Depiction of Oakland in 1900.

The earliest recorded inhabitants were the Huchiun tribe, belonging to a linguistic grouping later called the Ohlone (a Miwok word meaning "western people"). In Oakland, they were heavily concentrated around Lake Merritt and Temescal Creek, a stream which enters the San Francisco Bay at Emeryville.

Oakland, along with the rest of California, was claimed for the Spanish king by explorers from New Spain in 1772. In the early 19th century, the area which later became Oakland (along with most of the East Bay), was granted to Luís María Peralta by the Spanish royal government for his Rancho San Antonio. The grant was confirmed by the successor Mexican republic upon its independence from Spain. The area of the ranch that is today occupied by the downtown and extending over into the adjacent part of Alameda (originally not an island, but a peninsula), included a woodland of oak trees. This area was called encinal by the Peraltas, a Spanish word which means "oakland", the origin of the later city's name. Upon his death in 1842, Peralta divided his land among his four sons. Most of Oakland fell within the shares given to Antonio Maria and Vicente. They would open the land to settlement by American settlers, loggers, European whalers, and fur-traders.

Full-scale settlement and development occurred following California being conquered by the United States during the Mexican-American War, and the California Gold Rush in 1848. The original settlement in what is now the downtown was initially called "Contra Costa" and was included in Contra Costa County before Alameda County was established on March 25, 1853. The California state legislature incorporated the town of Oakland on May 4, 1852.

The town and its environs quickly grew with the railroads, becoming a major rail terminus in the late 1860s and 1870s. In 1868, the Central Pacific constructed the Oakland Long Wharf at Oakland Point, the site of today's Port of Oakland. The Long Wharf served as both the terminus of the Transcontinental Railroad as well as the local commuter trains of the Central (later, Southern) Pacific. The Central Pacific also established one of its largest rail yards and servicing facilities in West Oakland which continued to be a major local employer under the Southern Pacific well into the 20th century. The principal depot of the Southern Pacific in Oakland was the 16th Street Station located at 16th and Wood which is currently (2006–7) being partially restored as part of a redevelopment project.

A number of horsecar and cable car lines were constructed in Oakland in the latter half of the 1800s. The first electric streetcar set out from Oakland to Berkeley in 1891, and other lines were converted and added over the course of the 1890s. The various streetcar companies operating in Oakland were acquired by Francis "Borax" Smith and consolidated into what eventually became known as the Key System, the predecessor of today's publicly owned AC Transit. In addition to its system of streetcars in the East Bay, the Key System also operated commuter trains to its own pier and ferry boats to San Francisco, in competition with the Southern Pacific. Upon completion of the Bay Bridge, both companies ran their commuter trains on the south side of the lower deck direct to San Francisco. The Key System in its earliest years was actually in part a real estate venture, with the transit part serving to help open up new tracts for buyers. The Key's investors (incorporated as the "Realty Syndicate") also established two large hotels in Oakland, one of which survives as the Claremont Resort. The other, which burned down in the early 1930s, was the Key Route Inn, located at what is now West Grand and Broadway. From 1904 to 1929, the Realty Syndicate also operated a major amusement park in north Oakland called Idora Park.

The original extent of Oakland upon its incorporation lay south of today's major intersection of San Pablo Avenue, Broadway and 14th Street. The city gradually annexed farmlands and settlements to the east and north. Oakland's rise to industrial prominence and its subsequent need for a seaport led to the digging of a shipping and tidal channel in 1902, creating the "island" of nearby town Alameda. In 1906, its population doubled with refugees made homeless after the San Francisco earthquake and fire who had fled to Oakland. In 1915, a Chevrolet plant was opened at the southern border of Oakland. By 1920, Oakland was the home of numerous manufacturing industries, including metals, canneries, bakeries, automobiles, and shipbuilding.

1920s

The 1920s were economic boom years in the United States as a whole, and in California especially. Economic growth was fueled by the general post-war recovery, as well as oil discoveries in Los Angeles, and the widespread introduction of the automobile. Oakland grew significantly in the 1920s. According to the Oakland Tribune yearbook for 1925, more houses were built from 1921 to 1924 than in the period 1907 to 1920. Many of the single-family houses still standing in Oakland were built in the 1920s. Many large office buildings downtown were built in the 1920s, and reflect the architectural styles of the time.

World War II

During World War II, the East Bay Area was home to many war-related industries. Among these were the Kaiser Shipyards in nearby Richmond whose medical system for shipyard workers became the basis for the giant Kaiser Permanente HMO, which has a large medical center at MacArthur and Broadway, the first to be established by Kaiser. Oakland's Moore Dry Dock Company expanded its shipbuilding capabilities and built over 100 ships.

The war attracted large numbers of laborers from around the country to Oakland, many of whom were African Americans from the western South (Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas), who enjoyed great prosperity during the war years. but still had to confront Jim Crow racial discrimination.

Post-WWII (1940s and 1950s)

View of Lake Merritt looking toward downtown Oakland and the Alameda County Courthouse.

Soon after the war, the shipbuilding and automobile industries virtually evaporated, as did the jobs that came with it. Many who came to the city did not leave and decided to settle in their new home of Oakland. Meanwhile, many of the city's more affluent residents left the city after the war in order to move into newly developing suburbs to the east of the hills while many blue-collar whites moved to adjacent cities such as San Leandro and Alameda, part of a nationwide phenomenon of white flight.

During this period, the freeway system was constructed and the Key System was dismantled. The largest high rise was constructed on the west side of Lake Merritt, the headquarters building of Kaiser Corporation (the industry, not the HMO). Also in this era, the seedy, rundown area at the foot of Broadway was transformed into Jack London Square.

Nonetheless, by the late 1960s, Oakland, which had been quite prosperous before the war, found itself with a population that was increasingly poor.

1960s and 1970s

In 1966, only 16 of the city's 661 police officers were black. Tensions between the poverty-stricken black community and the predominantly white police force were high, and killings of young boys in Harlem and San Francisco added fuel to the fire. In this charged atmosphere, the Black Panther Party was founded by Berkeley students Huey Newton and Bobby Seale as a response to police brutality.

During the 1960s the city was home to an innovative funk music scene which produced well-known bands like Sly & the Family Stone, Graham Central Station, Tower of Power, Cold Blood, and The Headhunters. Larry Graham, the bass player for both Sly & the Family Stone and Graham Central Station, is credited with the creation of the extremely influential slap and pop sound still widely used by bassists in many musical idioms today. It was also during the 1960s when the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club's Oakland Chapter, began to grow into a formidable organization. By the 1980s it was the most feared and respected of all Hells Angels chapters. Its Oakland Clubhouse still sits at 4019 Foothill Boulevard in East Oakland. In sports, the Oakland Athletics MLB club won three World Series in a row (1972, 1973, and 1974); the Golden State Warriors won the 1974–1975 NBA championship; and the Oakland Raiders of the NFL won Super Bowl XI in 1977.

1980s and 1990s

Starting in the early 1980s, the number of Latinos, mostly of Mexican origin, began to increase significantly in Oakland, especially in the Fruitvale district and spilling over into East Oakland. This district is one of the oldest in Oakland, growing up around the old Peralta estate (now a city park). It has always had a concentration of Latino residents, businesses and institutions, but increased immigration, which has continued right up to the 21st century has added greater numbers.

In the late 1980s and 1990s, Oakland featured prominently in rap music, both as the hometown for such artists as MC Hammer, Digital Underground, Spice 1, Hieroglyphics, Souls of Mischief, Del tha Funkee Homosapien, The Luniz and Too $hort, and for its featuring in the lyrics of several songs, such as Baby Got Back, California Love and I Got 5 On It. However, the most famous rapper to come from Oakland was the legendary Tupac Shakur. 2pac, who grew up in Baltimore, New York, and later Marin City, moved to Oakland in January 1989 at the age of 17 and lived there longer than in any other city. He began his career as a roadie and dancer for Digital Underground. Tupac mentions Oakland in several of his songs and what it was like living there. Outside of the rap scene, Grammy award winning artists Green Day, En Vogue and Tony! Toni! Tone! (headed by Raphael Saadiq) also emerged from Oakland.

The Loma Prieta earthquake occurred on October 17 1989, in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, measuring 7.1 on the Richter magnitude scale. Several structures in Oakland were badly damaged. The double-decker portion of the Cypress Viaduct freeway (Interstate 880) structure, located in Oakland, collapsed, killing 42. The eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge also sustained significant damage and was closed to traffic for one month. Throughout the 1990s, buildings throughout Oakland were retrofitted to better withstand earthquakes.

On October 20 1991, a massive fire (see 1991 Oakland firestorm) swept down from the Berkeley Hills above the Caldecott Tunnel. 25 were killed and 150 injured and over 2,000 homes were destroyed. The economic loss has been estimated at $1.5 billion. Many homes were rebuilt much larger than they originally were.

In late 1996, Oakland was the center of a controversy surrounding Ebonics (African American Vernacular English), an ethnolect the outgoing Oakland Unified School District board voted to recognize on December 18.

2000s

View of downtown Oakland looking west across Lake Merritt.

Jerry Brown, who was elected mayor of Oakland in 1998, initiated a plan to bring an additional 10,000 residents to downtown Oakland. The plan has resulted in several redevelopment projects near Lake Merritt, Jack London Square, and other neighborhoods just outside of downtown. These redevelopment projects have been controversial as many residents see these projects as gentrification, resulting in the loss of lower-income and minority residents in downtown Oakland. Additionally, the weakening of the Bay Area economy in 2000 and 2001 resulted in low occupancy of the new housing and slower growth and economic recovery than expected. In recent years demand for high-rise condos and towers has surged, as in San Francisco; there are currently many proposals for high-rise buildings, including a 63 floor, 827 ft. (252 m) tower that will rival the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco. The developer says that the height could be pushed up to beat out the Transamerica Pyramid, possibly giving Oakland a considerable skyline as well.

Additionally, the Oakland Athletics have long been searching for a site to build a new baseball stadium. A site the A's found desirable was found near Telegraph Avenue and 20th Street in downtown Oakland, but was instead slated for a housing development. The site was favored by the Athletics for a new stadium as it was accessible by public transit and nearby freeways. Finally in 2006, the A's announced a deal to build a new stadium in Fremont, California, to be called Cisco Field.

In February 2006, the Oakland Ballet closed due to financial problems and the closure of their performance facility, the Calvin Simmons Theater at the Kaiser Convention Center. The Oakland Ballet had been performing in Oakland since 1965. In 2007, however, founder Ronn Guidi announced the revival of the Oakland Ballet. A performance of The Nutcracker is scheduled for December, 2007, including members of the Oakland Ballet Academy, which Guidi presides over. A new use for the Kaiser Convention Center was proposed in 2006: a redevelopment designed to nucleate a cultural and educational district with the nearby Oakland Museum of California and Laney College. In July 2006, the Oakland City Council approved a bond measure to expand the city's library system and convert the closed Center into a replacement for the city's aging main library, but Oakland voters defeated the library bond measure in the November 2006 election.

Ron Dellums, a former Berkeley city council member and U.S. Representative, was elected mayor in June 2006. The mayoral election race was contentious between Dellums and other candidates, including Oakland city council president Ignacio de la Fuente and councilmember Nancy Nadel. Each candidate had different visions of Oakland's future and different ideas about how to combat crime, encourage appropriate urban development, and foster successful public schools. In what was essentially a three-way race, Dellums barely won the required majority of votes needed to win without a runoff election in November.

Geography

Oakland is located around 37°48' North, 122°15' West (37.8, -122.25),Template:GR in the longitudinal middle of California, on the east side of San Francisco Bay.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 78.2 mi² (202.4 km²). 56.1 mi² (145.2 km²) of it is land and 22.1 mi² (57.2 km²) of it (28.28 percent) is water.

Oaklanders most broadly refer to their city's terrain as "the flatlands" and "the hills," which up until recent waves of gentrification have also been a reference to Oakland's deep economic divide, with "the hills" being more affluent communities. About two-thirds of Oakland lies within the flat plain of the San Francisco Bay, with one-third rising into the foothills and hills of the East Bay range.

One of Oakland's most notable features is its downtown Lake Merritt, the largest urban saltwater lake in the United States. (In fact, Lake Merritt is technically an estuary of San Francisco Bay, not a lake.)

Neighborhoods

Aerial view looking west over downtown Oakland, Lake Merritt and the Port of Oakland.

The city of Oakland stretches from the San Francisco Bay up into the East Bay hills. The character of these neighborhoods continues to change as waves of migrants from within the United States and from other countries relocate here. The changing economy has also lured more workers with information technology and biotechnology skills to Oakland.

The common large neighborhood divisions in the city are Downtown Oakland, East Oakland, North Oakland, and West Oakland. East Oakland actually encompasses more than half of Oakland's area, stretching from Lake Merritt southeast to San Leandro. North Oakland encompasses the neighborhoods spread between downtown and Berkeley and Emeryville. West Oakland is the area between downtown and the Bay, partially surrounded by the Oakland Point encompassing the Port of Oakland.

Another broad geographical distinction is between "the hills" and "the flatlands" (or "flats"). The flatlands are the historically working-class neighborhoods located relatively closer to San Francisco Bay, and the hills are the more upper-middle/upper-class neighborhoods along the northeast side of the city which include the Montclair and Rockridge neighborhoods. This hills/flats division is not only a characteristic of the City of Oakland, but extends beyond Oakland's borders into neighboring cities in the East Bay's urban core. Downtown and West Oakland are located entirely in the flatlands, while North and East Oakland incorporate both hills and flatlands neighborhoods.

Downtown and Lake Merritt

Adams Point

• Adams Point
• Chinatown
• City Center
• Grand Lake
• Haddon Hill
• Jack London Square/Waterfront
• Lakeside Apartments District
• Montclair
• Oak Center
• Old Oakland
• Pill Hill
• Port of Oakland
• Rockridge
• Trestle Glen
• West Lake
• Campbell Village

East Oakland

Main Article, East Oakland

• Brookfield Village
• Deep East Oakland
• Dimond District
• Crestmont
• Eastmont
• Elmhurst
• Fruitvale
• Glenview
• Grass Valley
• Havenscourt
• Jingletown
• Laurel
• Longwood Gardens
• Lincoln Heights
• Maxwell Park
• Melrose
• Millsmont
• Oak Knoll
• Oakmore
• Redwood Heights
• Ridgemont
• San Antonio District
  • Eastlake
• Seminary
• Sequoyah Heights
• Sheffield Village
• Sobrante Park
• Woodminster
• International

North Oakland, California

West Oakland

• West Oakland
• Oakland Point
• Port of Oakland

Climate

Oakland's climate is typified by the temperate and seasonally arid Mediterranean climate. More specifically, it has features found in both nearby coastal cities such as San Francisco and inland cities such as San Jose, so it is warmer than San Francisco and cooler than San Jose. While it does not abut the Pacific Ocean proper, its position on San Francisco Bay directly across from the Golden Gate means that the city gets significant cooling maritime fog during the summer. It is far enough inland, though, that the fog often burns off by midday, allowing it to have stereotypically sunny California days.

The National Weather Service has two official weather stations in Oakland: Oakland International Airport and the Oakland Museum (established 1970).

Climate data for Oakland, California
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Source: Weather.com – Monthly Averages for Oakland

Demographics

City of Oakland Population by year
1880: 34,555	1950: 384,575
1890: 48,682	1960: 367,548
1900: 66,960	1970: 361,561
1910: 150,174	1980: 339,337
1920: 216,261	1990: 372,242
1930: 284,063	2000: 399,484
1940: 302,163	2007: 415,492

In early 2007, Oakland's population reached 415,492. In the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 399,484 people, 150,790 households, and 86,402 families residing in the city. The population density was 7,126.6/mi² (2,751.4/km²). There were 157,508 housing units at an average density of 2,809.8/mi² (1,084.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 35.66 percent African American, 23.52 percent White, 0.66 percent Native American, 15.23 percent Asian American, 0.50 percent Pacific Islander, 11.66 percent from other races, and 4.98 percent from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 21.89 percent of the population.

The US Census Bureau 2005 estimates show 31.00 percent African American, 26.10 percent White, 0.60 percent Native American, 16.40 percent Asian American, 0.90 percent Pacific Islander, 14.00 percent from other races, and 4.80 percent from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25.00 percent of the population.

File:Black oakland1.gif

African American population. More maps at Maps of Oakland, California for racial and ethnic groups, age and sex, housing, and economy distribution

The African American population has been shrinking since the mid-80s, while the Latino population has been growing. Oakland is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the country.

Out of 150,790 households 28.6 percent had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.0 percent were married couples living together, 17.7 percent had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.7 percent were non-families. 32.5 percent of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6 percent had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.38.

An analysis by the Urban Institute of U.S. Census 2000 numbers showed that Oakland has the third-highest concentration of gays and lesbians among the 50 largest U.S. cities, behind San Francisco and Seattle. Same-sex couples are three times as likely to live in Oakland as in the typical American city. Census 2000 data show that, among incorporated areas that have at least 500 female couples, Oakland has the nation's largest percentage per capita. In 2000, Oakland counted 2650 lesbian couples; one of every 41 Oakland couples listed themselves as a same-sex female partnership.

In 2000, Oakland's population was reported as 25.0 percent under the age of 18, 9.7 percent from 18 to 24, 34.0 percent from 25 to 44, 20.9 percent from 45 to 64, and 10.5 percent who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,055, and the median income for a family was $44,384. Males had a median income of $37,433 versus $35,088 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,936. About 16.2 percent of families and 19.4 percent of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.9 percent of those under age 18 and 13.1 percent of those age 65 or over. 0.7% of the population is homeless. Home ownership is 41% and 14% of rental units are subsidized. Unemployment is 8.4%

Crime

Though substantial gains have been made as evidenced from the Uniform Crime Reports published by the FBI, the city still ranks high in California for most categories of crime. In the 2006 Morgan Quitno crime rankings, Oakland is ranked the eighth most dangerous city nationwide and the second most dangerous in California. In 2006, Oakland had 148 murders the highest amount in ten years and the third highest amount since the early 1990s. The murder rate increased 57 percent from only 94 murders in 2005. The highest peak was 175 homicides in 1992—which was at a time when an average of 160 murders a year occurred in the 1990s (1999 saw the lowest count at 68). The majority of the crimes being committed occur in the flatlands of the city in between I-580 and I-880. Besides homicides, Oakland has significant problems with other crimes of violence and property crimes.

Oakland recorded 87 homicides during the first eight months of 2007, compared to 97 slayings during the same period in 2006. There was an increase in the number of rapes, armed robberies, and aggravated assaults of varying degrees during the first half of 2007.

Current mayor Ron Dellums is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, an organization formed in 2006 and co-chaired by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston mayor Thomas Menino.

Economy

Oakland is a major West Coast port, and is home to several Fortune 500 companies including Kaiser Permanente and Clorox, as well as corporate headquarters for national retailers like Dreyer's and Cost Plus World Markets.

Revitalization

Oakland has experienced an increase of both its population and of real-estate prices in the past decade, attributable to economic recovery and former mayor Brown's "10k Plan," which resulted in large amounts of new multi-family housing and development. In addition, Oakland's weather, location, and hillside neighborhoods with views of San Francisco and the Bay provide an attractive alternative to the high rents and home prices in nearby San Francisco. Because of its size, Oakland offers a substantial number of shopping districts and restaurants representing many American and international cuisines.

Gentrification

The West Oakland Community Land Trust, Inc. and The Institute for Community Economics have found ways to keep people in West Oakland. Since 1999, there has been a fall in crime, several ownership changes of land parcels, and much more community cohesiveness due to the redevelopment projects taking place in the West Oakland Community. With developers interested in a "village community" with the West Oakland BART station as its center, West Oakland has seen an influx of new residents, some blue-collar and many white-collar workers. However, some feel displacement is inevitable unless programs are instituted and the community of renters and owners come together. One such program is the Anti-Displacement Network. This program's purpose is to assist in the stabilization of costs for owners and especially renters in West Oakland who may face hardships due to the rising cost of rent.

Redevelopment proponents believe that by 2015, the redevelopment projects under way in West Oakland may provide employment, health services, recreational facilities, special placement facilities, and additional housing (with buyer options) for new and current renters. The success of this project may serve as the spark the city needs to change Oakland's reputation for high crime rates.

Nicknames

Oakland is known by several nicknames. The most commonly-heard one is "Oaktown". It was referred to as Bump City for a short period and is sometimes called the "Sunny Side of the Bay", due to its 73% average annual brightness and lower fog levels as compared to San Francisco. Another nickname is "O-town" which is a common nickname for a city beginning with the letter 'O'. "The Town" is a more contemporary nickname used for the city which some believe contrasts directly with San Francisco's most common nickname "The City" as Oakland is a smaller subordinate of San Francisco. O-town and The Town are particularly common among young people in the hip hop subculture and have been used in lyrics of the local hyphy variety rap music.

Oakland is also known in the Bay Area as the home of "hyphy," a word coined by the Oakland rapper Keak Da Sneak. Oakland is dubbed "Land of the Sideshow" by the Bay and is significant in Bay Area hip hop culture.

"There's no there there"

The HERETHERE sculpture on the Oakland/Berkeley border.

Many Oaklanders have been frustrated by the misuse of this famous quote about Oakland. "There's no there there," writer Gertrude Stein declared upon learning as an adult that her childhood Oakland home had been torn down. Contrary to popular belief, the comment was not meant to disparage the city, but rather to express a sentiment similar to "you can't go home again."

Modern-day Oakland has turned the quote on its head, with a statue downtown simply titled "There." Additionally, in 2005 a sculpture called HERETHERE was installed by the City of Berkeley on the Berkeley-Oakland border at Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The sculpture consists of eight-foot-tall letters spelling "HERE" and "THERE" in front of the BART rapid transit tracks as they descend from their elevated section in Oakland to the subway through Berkeley.

Arts and culture

Annual cultural events

Many annual events celebrate the diverse cultures of Oakland:

• Cinco de Mayo Fruitvale Festival & Parade (weekend nearest May 5)
• Oakland Greek Festival (mid-May)
• Chinatown Streetfest (late August)
• Art & Soul Festival (Labor Day weekend)
• Montclair Jazz & Wine Festival (mid-September)
• Black Cowboy Parade (early October)
• Oakland International Film Festival (September or October)
• Fruitvale Dia de los Muertos Festival (Sunday before November 1)
• Oakland Holiday Parade (early December)

Attractions

• Chabot Space and Science Center
• Children's Fairyland
• Chinatown
• Dunsmuir House
• Jack London Square
• McAfee Coliseum, home of baseball’s Oakland Athletics, and the Oakland Raiders of the NFL.
• Mountain View Cemetery, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and resting place of many famous Californians
• Oakland Museum of California
• Oakland Public Library
• Oracle Arena, directly adjacent to McAfee Coliseum, home to the Golden State Warriors of the NBA
• Paramount Theater
• Pardee Home
• USS Potomac, Franklin Delano Roosevelt's presidential yacht

Nightlife

Downtown Oakland has an assortment of bars and nightclubs. They range from punk-rock makeovers of dive bars, such as The Stork Club and the Ruby Room, to modern bistros and dance clubs, such as Luka's Taproom and Lounge, @17, Roy's 19th. st. Station, and The Oasis, to hipster spots such as Radio, Geoffreys, Karribean City, and art and jazz bar Cafe van Kleef.

Oakland is home to a world-class jazz venue, Yoshi's, near Jack London Square. Jack London Square is a nighttime destination because of its movie theaters, restaurants, and clubs.

Recent months have seen the growth of the "Oakland Art Murmur" event, occurring in the Uptown neighborhood the first Friday evening of every month, which features concurrent art openings from many galleries including 21 Grand, Boontling Gallery, Ego Park, Mama Buzz, and Rock Paper Scissors.

The Rockridge area around the Rockridge BART station is known for its restaurants and bars. It stretches along College Ave from Broadway to Alcatraz Ave.

Sports

Oakland has teams in three professional sports—basketball, baseball, and football.

Club	Sport	Founded	League	Venue
Oakland Athletics	Baseball	1901 (in Oakland since 1968)	Major League Baseball: American League	McAfee Coliseum
Oakland Raiders	American Football	1960 (in Los Angeles from 1982–1994)	National Football League: American Conference. AFC West	McAfee Coliseum
Golden State Warriors	Basketball	1948 (In Oakland since 1971)	National Basketball Association: Western Conference.	Oracle Arena
Oakland Slammers	Basketball	2005	International Basketball League (2005-):	Merritt College

McAfee Coliseum, home of the Oakland Athletics baseball and Oakland Raiders football teams

Former teams:

• Oakland Oaks, Pacific Coast League of Baseball, 1903–1955. (The Oaks played at Oaks Park in Emeryville after 1912.)
• Oakland Oaks, American Basketball League, 1962.
• Oakland Oaks, American Basketball Association, 1967–1969.
• Oakland Seals, National Hockey League, 1967–1976.
• Oakland Clippers, North American Soccer League, 1968.
• Oakland Stompers, North American Soccer League, 1978.
• Oakland Invaders, United States Football League, 1983–1985.
• Oakland Skates, Roller Hockey International, 1993–1996.

Parks and recreation

• Joaquin Miller Park
• Knowland State Park Arboretum, home of the Oakland Zoo
• Lake Merritt
• Morcom Rose Garden best from July through October
• William Joseph McInnes Botanic Garden and Campus Arboretum, located on the Mills College campus

Additionally, the following seven East Bay Regional Parks are located entirely or partially in the city of Oakland:

• Anthony Chabot Regional Park
• Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve
• Leona Canyon Regional Open Space Preserve
• Redwood Regional Park
• Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve
• Roberts Regional Recreation Area
• Temescal Regional Park

Government

Oakland is a mayor-council government (weak mayor form). The mayor is elected for a 4-year term. The council has 8 council members representing 7 districts in Oakland with one member elected at-large; council members serve staggered 4-year terms. The mayor appoints a city administrator, subject to the confirmation by the City Council, who is the chief administrative officer of the city. Other city officers include: city attorney (elected), city auditor (elected), and city clerk (appointed by city administrator).

See also List of mayors of Oakland, California

Education

Primary and secondary education

Most public schools in Oakland are operated by the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), which covers the entire city of Oakland; due to financial troubles and administrative failures, it has been in receivership by the state of California since 2002. The Oakland Unified School District (2006-2007) includes 59 elementary schools, 23 middle schools, 19 high schools, with 9 alternative education schools and programs, 4 adult education schools and early childhood education centers at most of the elementary schools There are 46,000 K-12 students, 32,000 adult students, and 6,000 plus employees.

Overall, OUSD schools have performed poorly for years. In the 2005 results of the STAR testing, over 50 percent of students taking the test performed "below basic," while only 20 percent performed at least "proficient" on the English section of the test. Some individual schools have much better performance than the city-wide average, for instance, in 2005 over half the students at Hillcrest Elementary School performed at the "advanced" level in the English portion of the test, and students at Lincoln Elementary School performed at the "advanced" level in the math portion.

Several factors have been blamed for poor performance, including an inefficient top-heavy administrative structure and a student body that is often poor or from a background of limited English proficiency.

The three largest high schools are Oakland High School, Oakland Technical High School, and Skyline High School.

There are 25 public charter schools with 5,887 students which operate outside the domain of OUSD. These include the Oakland Military Academy, Oakland School for the Arts, Unity High School, and Oakland Charter Academy.

There are several private high schools. Notables include the secular The College Preparatory School and Head-Royce School, both with tuitions around $25,000 per year and the Catholic Bishop O'Dowd High School, Holy Names High School and St. Elizabeth High School. Catholic schools in Oakland are operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland also include 8 K-8 schools (plus 1 in Piedmont on the Oakland city border).

Julia Morgan School for Girls is a private middle school for girls housed on the campus of Mills College.

Colleges and universities

Colleges and universities include:

• Peralta Community College District
  • Laney College
  • Merritt College
• Pacific Oaks College (Self-paced and Cohort Degree Programs are housed in the historic Downtown Oakland Y.W.C.A. building)
• California College of the Arts (formerly the California College of Arts and Crafts)
• Holy Names University (formerly Holy Names College)
• Mills College
• Samuel Merritt College (a health science college)
• The University of California, Berkeley campus is located partially within the Oakland city limits.
  • UCB Extension has classes in the Oakland Professional Development and Conference Center in downtown.
• Cal State East Bay's Oakland Professional Development and Conference Center is located in downtown.

Oakland is also the home of the headquarters of the University of California system.

Media

Main article: List of television stations in the San Francisco Bay Area

Oakland is served by major television stations broadcasting out of San Francisco and San Jose mostly. The region's Fox affiliate, KTVU, is based in (and licensed to) Oakland at Jack London Square along with independent station KICU-TV (licensed to San Jose). In addition, the city is served by various AM and FM radio stations as well; AM stations KMKY, KNEW and KQKE are licensed to Oakland.

The Oakland Tribune published its first newspaper on February 21 1874. The Tribune Tower, which sports a clock, is one of Oakland's landmarks. At key times throughout the day (8:00 am, noon and 5:00 pm), the clock tower carillon plays a variety of classic melodies, which change on a daily basis. In 2007, the Oakland Tribune announced they were leaving the Tribune tower (where they had actually been a tenant for several years) for a new location in East Oakland outside the downtown core.

The East Bay Express, a locally-owned free weekly paper, is based in Emeryville near North Oakland and distributed throughout the East Bay.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Freeways, bridges, and tunnels

Oakland is served by several major highways: Interstate 80 (Eastshore Freeway), Interstate 580 (MacArthur Freeway), Interstate 880 (Nimitz Freeway), Interstate 980, California State Route 13 (Warren Freeway) and California State Route 24 (Grove Shafter Freeway). A stub of a planned freeway was constructed at the High Street exit from the Nimitz Freeway, but that freeway extension plan was abandoned.

Portion of the collapsed Cypress Viaduct in Oakland.

In 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake caused the Cypress Street Viaduct double-deck segment of the Nimitz Freeway I-880 to collapse, killing 42 people. The old freeway segment had passed right through the middle of West Oakland, forming a barrier between West Oakland neighborhoods. Following the earthquake, this section of the Nimitz Freeway was rerouted around the perimeter of West Oakland and rebuilt in 1997. The east span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge also suffered damage from the quake when a 50-foot (15-meter) section of the upper deck collapsed onto the lower deck; the damaged section was repaired one month after the earthquake. As a result of the earthquake, a significant seismic retrofit was performed on the western span of the Bay Bridge, and the eastern span is scheduled for replacement, with the new span projected to be completed in 2014.

Two underwater tunnels, the Webster and Posey Tubes, connect the main island of Alameda to Downtown Oakland, coming above ground in Chinatown. In addition, the Park Street, Fruitvale, and High Street Bridges connect Alameda to East Oakland over the Oakland Estuary.

In the hills, the Leimert Bridge crosses Dimond Canyon, connecting the Oakmore neighborhood to Park Boulevard. The Caldecott Tunnel carries Highway 24 through the Oakland Hills, connecting central Contra Costa County to Oakland. The Caldecott has three bores, with a fourth one planned.

Mass transit

The metropolitan area is served by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) from eight convenient stations for Oakland commuters. The system has headquarters in Oakland, with major transfer hubs at MacArthur and Oakland City Center/12th Street stations. BART's headquarters was located in a building above the Lake Merritt Station until 2006, when it relocated to the Kaiser Center over seismic safety concerns.

Public bus service is provided by AC Transit, which was created from the old privately owned Key System. The Alameda / Oakland Ferry operates ferry service from Jack London Square to Alameda, San Francisco, and Angel Island.

Air

Main article: Oakland International Airport

Oakland is served by the Oakland International Airport, one of three international airports in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is located 4 miles (6 km) south of downtown Oakland. Airlines serving Oakland International provide service to numerous destinations in the United States, as well as Mexico. Serving most low-cost air travelers to other major cities, the airport has proven a popular alternative to San Francisco International, thanks largely to a heavy Southwest Airlines presence. Right now it is served by AirBART, which links the airport to the Coliseum BART Station, and a rail connector is tentatively in the works.

Rail

The city has regional and long distance passenger train service provided by Amtrak, with a station located blocks from Jack London Square served by the Amtrak Capitol Corridor, Coast Starlight and San Joaquin train routes. Capitol Corridor trains also stop at a second, newer Oakland Coliseum station. Amtrak's California Zephyr has its western terminus at Emeryville station, just outside of Oakland's borders in the city of the same name.

Freight service, which consists primarily of moving shipping containers to and from the Port of Oakland, is provided today by the Union Pacific (which absorbed the Western Pacific in 1983 and the Southern Pacific in the 1990s), and to a lesser extent by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (which now shares the tracks of the Union Pacific between Richmond and Oakland).

• Historically, Oakland was served by several railroads. Besides the transcontinental line (the "overland") of the Southern Pacific, there was also the Santa Fe (whose Oakland terminal was actually in Emeryville), the Western Pacific Railroad (who built a pier adjacent to the SP's), and the Sacramento Northern Railroad (eventually absorbed by the Western Pacific which in turn was absorbed by UP in 1983).

Sea

As one of the three major ports on The American West Coast, the Port of Oakland is the largest seaport on San Francisco Bay and the fourth busiest container port in the United States. It was one of the earliest seaports to switch to containerization and to intermodal container transfer, thereby displacing San Francisco which never modernized its old waterfront. One of the earlier limitations to growth was the inability to transfer containers to rail lines, all cranes historically operating between ocean vessels and trucks. In the 1980s the Port of Oakland began the evaluation of development of an intermodal container transfer capability, i.e. facilities that now allow trans-loading of containers from vessels to either trucks or rail modes.

Utilities

• Water and sewage treatment are provided by East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD).
• Natural gas and electricity are provided by PG&E.
• Waste management is contracted to Waste Management, Inc. A four-week lockout by WMI left trash piling up on city streets in July 2007.
• Telephone service is provided primarily by AT&T.
• Cable television is provided by Comcast.

Healthcare

• Kaiser Permanente, a HMO started during World War II to provide medical care for Kaiser shipworkers, is based in Oakland and has a large medical center in the Piedmont neighborhood.
• Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, Oakland (Summit Campus, referred to as "Pill Hill") is a recent merger with the former Alta Bates Medical Center in Berkeley, California.
• Alameda County Medical Center is operated by the county and provides medical services to the medically indigent who do not have health insurance. Highland Hospital in Oakland also is the trauma center for the northern area of the East Bay.
• Children's Hospital Oakland is the primary medical center specializing in pediatrics in the East Bay.

Despite large tax breaks East Bay nonprofit hospitals receive for community service, public hospitals such as Highland devote a much larger portion of their operating expenses to charity care.

Mergers and closings

Summit Medical Center was a previous merger with Samuel Merritt Medical Center and Providence Medical Center in the 1990s. Peralta Hospital earlier had merged with Samuel Merritt Hospital. Oakland Hospital in the Fruitvale district closed in the 1990s. Oak Knoll Navy Hospital closed during the military Base Realignment and Closure of 1993.

Sister cities

Oakland, California has eight sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:

- Dalian (China) - Fukuoka (Japan) - Nakhodka (Russia) - Ocho Ríos (Jamaica)

- Sekondi Takoradi, (Ghana) - Santiago de Cuba (Cuba) - Agadir (Morocco) - Danang (Vietnam)

See also

• East Bay
• Books about Oakland, California
• Ebonics Issue in Oakland
• Hyphy
• List of people from Oakland, California

External links

• City of Oakland official web page

• Archaeology of Oakland
• Template:Wikitravelpar
• Interactive District Map: Oakland Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Galleries Map of Oakland
• Oaklandhistory.com images
• Oakland Heritage Alliance is a non-profit membership organization which advocates the protection, preservation, and revitalization of Oakland's architectural, historic, cultural and natural resources through publications, education, and direct action. Site includes images of Oakland postcards from 1900–1990,
• Oaklandish is an ongoing public arts & media campaign designed to illuminate the unique cultural legacy of Oakland,
• Oakland History on the Web from Oakland Public Library
• Oakland Collection Online of the Oakland Museum of California. Over 7,000 Oakland objects including historical photographs, paintings, documents, objects, all about Oakland. Explore Oakland's neighborhoods, walk the shoreline, stand atop city hall and look around.
• Oakland Neighborhoods Map at the Oakland Museum website.
• Oakland Photos The Claremont Hotel, Downtown Oakland, Jack London Square, Preservation Park, Port of Oakland
• Oakland Municipal Code
• Oakland schools Test scores, parent reviews and ratings for Oakland schools.
• Downtown Oakland Aerial Photographs from 1946 for Google Earth