Alameda, California

For the community in Kern County with this name, see Alameda, Kern County, California.

City of Alameda
City
Flag of City of Alameda Flag Official seal of City of Alameda Seal
Nickname:  The Island City
Location in the state of California and Alameda County
Country	United States
State	California
County	Alameda
Government
• Mayor	Marie Gilmore (D)
• State Senate	Loni Hancock (D)
• State Assembly	Sandré Swanson (D)
• U. S. Congress	Pete Stark (D)
Area
• Total	22.960 sq mi (59.465 km2)
• Land	10.611 sq mi (27.482 km2)
• Water	12.349 sq mi (31.983 km2)  53.79%
Elevation	30 ft (10 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	73,812
• Density	6,956/sq mi (2,685.8/km2)
• Demonym	Alamedan
Time zone	UTC−8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
ZIP codes	94501-94502
Area code	510
FIPS code	06-00562
GNIS feature ID	2409669
Website	City of Alameda

Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Farm Island (a portion of which is also known as Harbor Bay) portion of the city is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. At the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 73,812. Alameda is a charter city, rather than a general law city, meaning that the city can provide for any form of government. Alameda became a charter city and adopted a council-manager government in 1916, which it retains to the present.

History

The island that Alameda occupies was originally a peninsula connected to Oakland. Much of the peninsula was low-lying and marshy, but on higher ground the peninsula and adjacent parts of what is now downtown Oakland were home to one of the largest coastal oak forests in the world. The area was therefore called Encinal, Spanish for "oak grove". Alameda is Spanish for "grove of poplar trees" or "tree-lined avenue", and was chosen in 1853 by popular vote.

The inhabitants at the time of the arrival of the Spanish in the late 18th Century were a local band of the Ohlone tribe. The peninsula became part of the vast Rancho San Antonio granted to Luis Peralta by the Spanish king who claimed California. The grant was later confirmed by the new Republic of Mexico upon its independence from Spain.

Over time, the place became known as Bolsa de Encinal or Encinal de San Antonio.

The city was founded on June 6, 1853, and originally three small settlements were located in the town. "Alameda" referred to the village at Encinal and High Streets, Hibbardsville was at the North Shore ferry and shipping terminal, and Woodstock was on the west near the ferry piers of the South Pacific Coast Railroad and the Central Pacific. Eventually, the Central Pacific's ferry pier became the Alameda Mole, featuring transit connections between San Francisco ferries and local trollies, Key System buses, and Southern Pacific (formerly Central Pacific) commuter lines.

The first post office opened in 1854. The San Francisco and Alameda Railroad opened the Encinal station in 1864. The Encinal area was also known as Fasskings Station in honor of Frederick Louis Fassking. Encinal's own post office opened in 1876, was renamed West End in 1877, and closed in 1891. The West End area was originally called Bowman's Point in honor of Charles G. Bowman, an early settler.

The Alameda Terminal was the site of the arrival of the first train via the First Transcontinental Railroad into the San Francisco Bay Area on September 6, 1869. The transcontinental terminus was switched to the Oakland Mole two months later, on November 8, 1869.

The borders of Alameda were made co-extensive with the island in 1872, incorporating Woodstock into Alameda.

In 1917, an attraction called Neptune Beach was built in the area now known as Crab Cove. Often compared to Coney Island, the park was a major attraction in the 1920s and 1930s. The original owners of the facility, the Strehlow family, partnered with a local confectioner to create tastes unique to Neptune Beach. It is not widely known that both the American snow cone and the popsicle were first sold at Neptune Beach. The Kewpie doll, handpainted and dressed in unique hand-sewn dresses, became the original prize for winning games at the beach – another Neptune Beach invention. The Strehlows owned and operated the beach on their own, even filling in a section of the bay to add an additional Olympic-size swimming pool and an exceptional roller coaster which must have given riders a tremendous view of the bay. The Cottage Baths were available for rent.

Neptune Beach's two huge outdoor pools hosted swimming races and exhibitions by famous swimmers such as Olympian Johnny Weismuller, who later starred as the original Tarzan, and Jack LaLanne, who started a chain of health clubs. The park closed down in 1939 because of the Great Depression, the completion of the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge, people circumventing paying the admission price and in general, the rise of car culture. Once the Bay Bridge was complete, the rail lines, which ran right past the entrance to Neptune Beach on the way to the Alameda Mole and the Ferry, lost riders in droves. People began using their cars to escape the city and the immediate suburbs like Alameda and traveling further afield in California. Alameda lost its resort status as more distant locations became more attractive to cash-rich San Francisco tourists. Youngsters in town became aware of ways to avoid paying the dime for admission to the park. Strong swimmers or even waders could sneak in on the bay side, just by swimming around the fence.

Some of the resort homes and buildings from the Neptune beach era still exist in present-day Alameda. The Croll Building, on the corner of Webster Street and Central Avenue, was the site of Croll's Gardens and Hotel, famous as training quarters for the some of the greatest fighters in boxing history from 1883 to 1914. James J. Corbett, Bob Fitzsimmons, Jim Jefferies, Jack Johnson, and many other champions all stayed and trained here. Today this beautiful preserved building is home to Croll's Pizza and the New Zealander Restaurant. Neptune Court, just a block away on the corner of Central Ave. and McKay Ave., provides another glimpse of what resort life was like in Alameda in the 1920s. A short walk near Crab Cove will reveal many more historic gems.

The vast majority of the Neptune Beach structures – the hand-carved carousel from the world-famed Dentzel Company, the Ferris wheel, the roller coaster, and other rides – were auctioned off in 1940 for mere pennies on the dollar of their original cost. Today, Alameda resident Michael Schiess seeks to preserve some of the historic artifacts from the Neptune Beach era at the Neptune Beach Amusement Museum. A consequence of the Neptune Beach closing around 1940 was a total dearth of quality, clean swimming facilities in town. A grass roots effort to create swimming pools at two high schools and two city parks would continue into the early 1960s.

When the railroad came to town in the 1860s Park Street developed into the major thoroughfare of the city and the location of the main Alameda train station, residents of Old Alameda pulled up stakes and moved across town to the new downtown. The street's location was chosen by two landowners who wished to attract tenants and development to their land. As a result they designated their mutual property line as Park Street.

The need for expanded shipping facilities led to the dredging of a canal through the marshland between Oakland and Alameda in 1902, turning Alameda into an island. Most of the soil from the canal was used to fill in nearby marshland. The area of Alameda called Bay Farm Island is no longer an island, but is attached by fill to Oakland. In his youth, author Jack London was known to take part in oyster pirating in the highly productive oyster beds near Bay Farm Island, today long gone. The Alameda Works Shipyard was one of the largest and best equipped shipyards in the country. In the 1950s, Alameda's industrial and ship building industries thrived along the estuary, where the world's first-ever, land-based, containerized shipping crane was used. Today, the Port of Oakland across the estuary serves as one of the largest ports on the West Coast, using the shipping technologies originally experimented with in Alameda. As of March 21, 2006, Alameda is a "Coast Guard City," one of seven in the country.

In addition to the regular trains running to the Alameda Mole, Alameda was also served by local steam commuter lines of the Southern Pacific (initially, the Central Pacific) which were later transformed into the East Bay Electric Lines. Southern Pacific's electrified trains were not streetcars, but full-sized railroad cars which connected to the mainland by bridges at Webster Street and Fruitvale (only the latter bridge survives today). The trains ran to both the Oakland Mole and the Alameda Mole. In fact, one line which ran between the two moles was dubbed the "Horseshoe Line" for the shape of the route on a map. Soon after the completion of the Bay Bridge, Alameda trains ran directly to San Francisco on the lower deck of the bridge, the ferries having been rendered unnecessary. Alameda was the site of the Southern Pacific's West Alameda Shops where all the electric trains were maintained and repaired.

In the 1930s Pan American Airways established a seaplane port along the fill that led to the Alameda Mole. This was the original home base for the famous China Clipper flying boat. In 1929, the University of California established the San Francisco Airdrome located near the current Webster Street tube as a public airport. The Bay Airdrome had its gala christening party in 1930. The airfield was a busy place, as an early home base for Coastal Air Freight, Varney Air Lines, West Coast Air Transport, Western Air Express, the transbay Air Ferries, and Boeing's Pacific Air Transport. The Airdrome was closed in 1941 when its air traffic interfered with the newly built Naval Air Station. With the advent of World War II, a vast stretch of the marshy area southwest of the Alameda Mole was filled and the Naval Air Station Alameda established. This major Naval facility included a large airfield, as well as docks for several aircraft carriers. It closed in 1997.

In the late 1950s the Utah Construction Company began a land fill beyond the Old Sea Wall and created South Shore.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 23.0 square miles (60 km²), of which, 10.6 square miles (27 km²) of it is land and 12.3 square miles (32 km²) (53.79%) is water.

Although Alameda's nickname is "The Island City" (or simply "the island"), the current city occupies two islands as well as a small section of the mainland. Today, the city consists of the main original section, with the former Naval Air Station (NAS) at the west end of Alameda Island, "Southshore" along the southern side of Alameda Island, and Bay Farm Island, which is part of the mainland proper. The area of the former NAS is now known as "Alameda Point." The Southshore area is separated from the main part of Alameda Island by a lagoon; the north shore of the lagoon is located approximately where the original south shore of the island was. Alameda Point and Southshore are built on bay fill.

Not all of Alameda Island is part of the City of Alameda. Although nearly all of the island is in Alameda city limits, a small portion of a dump site west of the former runways at Alameda Point pokes out far enough into San Francisco Bay that it is over the county line and part of the City and County of San Francisco.

Coast Guard Island which is a small island between Alameda Island and Oakland is also part of Alameda and is the home of Integrated Support Command Alameda

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	5,708		—
1870	11,165		95.6%
1880	16,464		47.5%
1890	23,393		42.1%
1900	28,806		23.1%
1910	35,033		21.6%
1920	36,256		3.5%
1930	64,403		77.6%
1940	63,855		−0.9%
1950	64,430		0.9%
1960	63,855		−0.9%
1970	70,986		11.2%
1980	63,852		−10.0%
1990	74,459		16.6%
2000	72,259		−3.0%
2010	73,812		2.1%

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Alameda had a population of 73,812. The population density was 3,214.9 people per square mile (1,241.3/km²). The racial makeup of Alameda was 37,460 (50.8%) White, 4,759 (6.4%) African American, 426 (0.6%) Native American, 23,058 (31.2%) Asian, 381 (0.5%) Pacific Islander, 2,463 (3.3%) from other races, and 5,265 (7.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8,092 persons (11.0%).

The Census reported that 72,316 people (98.0% of the population) lived in households, 857 (1.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 639 (0.9%) were institutionalized.

There were 30,123 households, out of which 9,144 (30.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 13,440 (44.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 3,623 (12.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,228 (4.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,681 (5.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 459 (1.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 9,347 households (31.0%) were made up of individuals and 2,874 (9.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40. There were 18,291 families (60.7% of all households); the average family size was 3.06.

The population was spread out with 15,304 people (20.7%) under the age of 18, 5,489 people (7.4%) aged 18 to 24, 21,000 people (28.5%) aged 25 to 44, 22,044 people (29.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 9,975 people (13.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.7 years. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.

There were 32,351 housing units at an average density of 1,409.0 per square mile (544.0/km²), of which 14,488 (48.1%) were owner-occupied, and 15,635 (51.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.7%. 37,042 people (50.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 35,274 people (47.8%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the censusTemplate:Geographic reference of 2000, there were 72,259 people, 30,226 households, and 17,863 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,583.3/km² (6,693.4/mi²). There were 31,644 housing units at an average density of 1,131.3/km² (2,931.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 56.95% White, 6.21% Black or African American, 0.67% Native American, 26.15% Asian, 0.60% Pacific Islander, 3.29% from other races, and 6.13% from two or more races. 9.31% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 30,226 households out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.7% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.9% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 33.6% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $56,285, and the median income for a family was $68,625. Males had a median income of $49,174 versus $40,165 for females. The per capita income for the city was $30,982. About 6.0% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

There is a large Filipino community; and also major Portuguese community, from which Tom Hanks' mother came and where Lyndsy Fonseca was raised for some time. Alameda also has a historic Japanese American community and had a small Japanese business district on a portion of Park Street prior World War II, when the city's Japanese population was interned. A Japanese Buddhist church is one of the few remaining buildings left of Alameda's pre-war Japanese American community.

Transportation

Vehicle access to Alameda Island is via three bridges from Oakland (Park Street, Fruitvale Avenue, and High Street Bridges), as well as the two one-way Posey and Webster Street Tubes leading into Oakland's Chinatown. Connections from Alameda to Bay Farm Island is provided via the Bay Farm Island Bridge for vehicular traffic as well as the Bay Farm Island Bicycle Bridge (the only pedestrian/bicycle-only drawbridge in the United States),. California State Route 61 runs down city streets from the Posey and Webster Street Tubes, across the Bay Farm Island Bridge, and south to the Oakland Airport.

Public transportation includes the AC Transit buses (which include express buses to San Francisco) and two ferry services — the Alameda/Oakland Ferry and the Alameda Harbor Bay Ferry. Both ferry services may soon be transferred to the Water Transit Authority. The island is also close to the BART train service, with the closest stations being Lake Merritt, near the exit to the Posey Tube, and Fruitvale, near the Fruitvale Bridge.

Even though the island is just minutes off Interstate 880 in Oakland, the speed limit for the city is 25 mph (40 km/h) on almost every road. Many unaware drivers fail to slow down after exiting the highway. Groups like Pedestrian Friendly Alameda and BikeAlameda advocate stronger enforcement of speeding laws.

Alameda has also featured prominently on automotive blog Jalopnik, with their "Down on The Street" segment consisting of cars found on the streets of Alameda. Jalopnik has nicknamed it "The Island That Rust Forgot".

Attractions

File:Vichouse.jpg

Victorian house in Alameda

Due to its proximity to the Bay, wind surfers and kite surfers can often be seen along Crown Memorial State Beach and Shoreline Drive. From the beach there are also views of the San Francisco skyline and the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge.

One of the recent attractions is the aircraft carrier USS Hornet, a museum ship now moored at the former Naval Air Station as the USS Hornet Museum. This ship was originally named the USS Kearsarge, but was renamed in honor of the previous Hornet CV-8 (famous for the Doolittle raid), which was lost in October 1942.

Alameda is known for its Victorian houses; 9% of all single-family houses (1500) in Alameda are Victorian, and many more have been divided into two to four-unit dwellings. It is said that Alameda has more pre-1906 earthquake era homes than any other city in the Bay Area.

Alameda is home to the official offices and training facility of the Oakland Raiders American football team, which is located on Bay Farm Island. The facility is also home to The Raider Image, the merchandise arm of the franchise, which the public can visit.

At the turn of the 19th century, the city of Alameda took a large chunk of Charles Froling's land away to build a street. Froling had planned to build his dream house on the plot of land he received through inheritance. To spite the city and an unsympathetic neighbor, Froling built a house 10 feet (3.0 m) wide, 54 feet (16 m) long and 20 feet (6.1 m) high on the tiny strip of land left to him. The Froling spite house is still standing and occupied.

Alameda is also known for its Fourth of July parade, which is advertised as the second oldest and second longest Fourth of July parade in the United States. It features homemade floats, classic cars, motorized living room furniture, fire-breathing dragons, marching bands, and large crowds. The parade route is about 3 miles (5 km) long.

Economic development

After two previous failures, voters in the city passed a ballot measure in 2000 authorizing a bond measure for construction of a new library to replace the city's Carnegie library, damaged during the Loma Prieta earthquake. The city also received state funds for the new library and opened the doors to the new facility in November 2006.

Alameda Point

Naval Air Station Alameda (NAS) was decommissioned in 1997, and is in process of being turned over to the City of Alameda for civilian development. The area of the former NAS is now known as Alameda Point. In late July 2006, the City of Alameda announced a deal with the Navy that would turn the land over to the city for $108M. The transfer process was initially slowed down by disputes between the Navy and the city regarding payment for environmental cleanup of the land.

In September 2010 the US Veterans Administration proposed construction of a $209 million state-of-the-art facility at Alameda Point that would provide primary care, specialty care, and mental health, substance abuse and other services. [1] The VA received Congressional $17.33 million in budget authority for the project in 2011. But concerns over the proximity to a nesting site for an endangered bird, the California Least Tern, have led to delays in moving the project forward. The VA’s 2012 and 2013 budget requests to Congress contain no funding requests for Alameda Point. [2]

In September 2011 Alameda and the Navy reached an agreement on the terms of a no-cost conveyance for the entire 918 acres at Alameda Point. [3]

America's Cup

The 33rd America's Cup Race was won by Golden Gate Yacht Club racing team BMW Oracle, founded by Larry Ellison. One possible use of the air station would be an alternate or partnered site with San Francisco for 34th America's Cup. Within 2 weeks of the Golden Gate Yacht Club winning the America's Cup, Alameda city council with local support sent a unanimous letter of support to hold AC 34 in San Francisco Bay Area.

Wine and spirits production

Rosenblum Cellars Winery and St. George Spirits are located at Alameda Point. In 1978, Alameda veterinarian Dr. Kent Rosenblum and his wife Kathy founded Rosenblum Cellars. In 2008, the company was purchased by Diageo Estates.

In December, 2007, St. George Absinthe Verte, produced by St. George Spirits became the first brand of American-made absinthe to be legally produced in the United States since a ban was enacted in 1912.

Theaters

The Alameda Theatre in 2006 prior to expansion and restoration

City officials continue to seek ways to spur economic development on the island, including the restoration of the historic Art Deco city landmark Alameda Theatre. The theater restoration project included a multiplex to make the project financially feasible and a parking structure to accommodate patrons of the theater and avoid excessive impact on parking in the Park Street area. Following some setbacks during construction the public opening was May 21, 2008, with a gala event.

The South Shore Mall Twin Cinema opened in 1969 and served as a prominent theater on the island until its closure in 1998. In 2002, the building was demolished and its former site is now a parking lot.

Alameda also had one other operating movie theater, Central Cinema. The theater opened in December 2004 and closed in June 2008. It was a 42-seat house at 842 Central Avenue (near the western end of Webster Street). The building had previously been both a community center and a mortuary, and the operator of the movie theater was able to use a quirk of the site zoning to legally operate a movie theater. The theatre had only one screen, but featured couches and armchairs for seating.

Top employers

According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	United States Coast Guard	2,200
2	Alameda Unified School District	1,068
3	Abbott Diabetes Care	900
4	Alameda Hospital	692
5	City of Alameda	400
6	Wind River Systems	620
7	Bay Ship & Yacht	370
8	College of Alameda	358
9	Safeway	345
10	Celera	330

Local newspapers and magazines

Alameda's first newspaper, the Encinal, appeared in the early 1850s and the paper's editor was instrumental in the movement to incorporate the city. Following the Encinal, several other papers appeared along geographic lines, and the Daily Argus eventually rose to prominence. A young Alameda native, Joseph R. Knowland, wrote political and historical articles for the Alameda papers. Later, Knowland owned the powerful Oakland Tribune. Around 1900, the Daily Argus began to fade in importance and east and west papers The Times and The Star combined to take the leading role as the Alameda Times-Star in the 1930s. The Times-Star was sold to the Alameda Newspaper Group in the 1970s.

In 1997, the Hills Newspaper chain was bought by Knight Ridder, at the time, the second-largest newspaper chain in the U.S. Following the buyout, former Hills Newspapers employees recognized the lack of a local community voice in Alameda, and again formed a new locally-based newspaper, the Alameda Sun, in 2001. In 2006, Knight Ridder announced its impending sale to McClatchy Corp., a Sacramento-based publishing firm. McClatchy Corp. has put the Contra Costa Times, which under the Knight Ridder reorganization included all five of the original Hills Newspapers, up for sale. The current owners of the Alameda Times-Star, MediaNews, Inc., based in Colorado, have announced a strong interest in buying both the Contra Costa Times chain and the San Jose Mercury News, consolidating the daily newspaper market of the East Bay, effectively under one owner.

The Alameda community is currently served by two weekly newspapers, the Alameda Journal, owned by the MediaNews Group, and the Alameda Sun.

Alameda Municipal Power

Unlike surrounding communities, Alameda has a municipal power service, Alameda Municipal Power (AMP), that delivers services directly to consumers. AMP sold the majority of its telecommunications business to Comcast in 2008 but continues to provide telecommunication service at Alameda Point.

During the California electricity crisis of 2000 and 2001, Alameda Municipal Power did not raise electricity rates, while residents in most of the state endured significant price increases.

Arts and culture

The Alameda Arts Council (AAC) serves as the local Alameda City arts council.

The Alameda Museum, on Alameda Avenue near Park Street, features displays on the history of Alameda. There is also an active monthly lecture series on topics of local interest.

Alameda Women Artists holds yearly shows at the Alameda Museum and has many active artists exhibiting around the Island City.

Rhythmix Cultural Works, founded by Janet Koike, is located on Blanding Avenue. It is a combination live/work studio, gallery, and performance space and has hosted events from musical and theatrical productions to religious services and birthday parties. According to Rhythmix' web site, "Rhythmix Cultural Works (RCW) opened its doors (on June 2), 2007. The 501(c) (3) was established in 1999 as the umbrella for RhythMix world music ensemble and RCW cultural exchange programs. From 1999-2002, RCW coordinated six successful cultural exchange trips to Cuba and Japan. During this same period, the RhythMix ensemble (now Maze Daiko) reached thousands of children through San Francisco Symphony Adventures in Music, Young Audiences and Bread & Roses programs. Inspired by these experiences, Artistic Director-Janet Koike, spent five years renovating an industrial space in Alameda to provide a home for RCW..."

The Frank Bette Center for the Arts defines its mission as "... a place for meetings, readings, showings, and other creative doings," based on the late artist/poet Frank Bette's intention to have his home become an art center after his death. The FBCA offers classes, poetry reading events, and a rotating "Endless Call for Art" that encourages creatives of many disciplines to display and market their work. Events and classes include figure drawing, watercolor, beading, photography, Artist Trading Card swaps, poetry for teens, poetry readings and slams, and more. The FBCA is home to an annual "Plein Air Paint-Out" hosting plein-air artists from all over the world, who are invited to paint outdoors in Alameda's amazing range of light and temperate climate. The FBCA is also home to the West Coast's only regularly scheduled Body Art Jam. Professional and amateur body artists - including body painters and henna artists - from all over the San Francisco Bay Area come to practice and share knowledge at these jams, held the 2nd Wednesday monthly.

The Alameda Art Association has about 80 members as of January 2011, and has a gallery space at South Shore Center mall. The Association began in 1944.

Bridgehead Studios, located on Blanding Avenue, hosts the monthly Estuary Art Attack gallery crawl on the second Friday of every month. Helmed by photographer Chuck diGuida, Bridghead Studios is housed in a repurposed propellor factory. The facility is divided into small and large studio spaces used by photographers, artists, fashion designers, and at one time, a shark-diving expedition company.

The annual benefit, Circus for Arts in the Schools, is held at Kofman Auditorium on Central Avenue. The brain child of acclaimed clown Jeff Raz, this circus is a professional-level display of humor, silliness, skilled movement, and acrobatics that has delighted audiences since its first performance in April 2004. The Circus has raised thousands of dollars to bring teaching artists into classrooms in the Alameda Unified School District.

Alameda has been home to many movie sets. Some of the movies filmed on the island have included Bicentennial Man, The Net, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix: Revolutions, Bee Season, the original 1968 Your, Mine and Ours and the movie musical Rent. Parts of Alameda High School were animated for the Animatrix episode "Kid's Story". A massive hangar at the former Naval Air Station Alameda was used to film special scenes requiring computer-generated imagery for movies such as Bicentennial Man, Flubber, What Dreams May Come, Mission: Impossible II and many scenes from the Matrix trilogy, including the signature bullet time scene. The open space of the decommissioned naval base often hosts MythBusters' more dangerous experiments.

Photo-realist Robert Bechtle has painted numerous Alameda subjects, including "Alameda Gran Torino," which was acquired by SFMOMA in 1974 and remains one of Bechtle's most famous works.

Alameda was briefly the home of Robert Louis Stevenson. Benjamin Reed's novel The Bow Tie Gang takes place almost entirely in Alameda circa 1961.

Alameda Civic Light Opera

The Alameda Civic Light Opera, which performed Broadway-style musical productions was founded in 1996. It closed in 2010.

The Altarena Playhouse

The Altarena Playhouse, which performs comedies, dramas and musicals, was founded in 1938 and is the longest continuously operating community theatre in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Dance Arts Project

Dance Arts Project was founded by noted instructor and choreographer Michaela Lynch and has offered classes and performance opportunities for Alameda's children for 20 years. Still under the direction of Ms. Lynch, Dance Arts Project has become a fixture in the community and the premier locality for performance arts training in Alameda. In 1992, Miss Michaela Lynch debuted Dance Arts Project at Harbor Bay Club in Alameda. In that first year, the school had one teacher and an enrollment of 50 dancers. With those 50 students, in July 1993, Dance Arts Project had its grand opening on Chestnut Street, where it still operates today. Dance Arts Project has always offered ballet, children’s creative movement and modern dance. Recently, the school added classes in ballroom dance. In 2002, Dance Arts Project expanded its facility to include a second studio, Deux. Today, Dance Arts Project has six teachers working with hundreds of dancers every day, inspiring and encouraging self-esteem, creativity and the love of dance.

Sister cities

Since 2004, Alameda participates in a friendship city agreement with Wuxi, China; sister city with Jiangyin, China. Also, the city participates in a sister city with Arita, Japan.

Another sister city is Lidingö, Sweden. The initiative came from Alameda in 1959 and was part of President Eisenhower's people-to-people-movement, whose purpose was to develop better understanding among people from different countries after World War II. Both Alameda and Lidingö are islands with a bridge connecting them to a big city.

Festivals on Webster Street

Webster Street in Alameda has long been the host of many arts, crafts and holiday festivals. During these festivals the city of Alameda will block of a portion of Webster St. for the entertainment of festival goers. Festivals such as the Peanut Butter Jam Festival brings a lot of local and outside visitors to Alameda to enjoy the fun, food and games.

Festivals on Park Street

Spring Fling is in April. Park street Art & Wine fair that is the end of every July.

Notable residents

• Alameda native congressman Joseph R. Knowland was editor and publisher of the Oakland Tribune.
• US Senator William Fife Knowland was Student Body President at Alameda High.
• Baseball Hall of Famer Willie Stargell, MLB Baseball player Tommy Harper, MLB Baseball player Curtell Howard Motton, 2003 National League Rookie of the Year Dontrelle Willis, 2007 National League Most Valuable Player Jimmy Rollins, NBA Basketball player J.R. Rider, and NFL football players Melvin Carver and Junior Tautalatasi all attended Encinal High School.
• NBA Star Jason Kidd and MLB Pitcher Joe Nelson attended St. Joseph Notre Dame High School in Alameda.
• MLB players Ray French (baseball), "Rowdy Richard" Bartell, Johnny Vergez, Andy Carey, Billy Serena, Chris Speier, and Eric Schullstrum all attended Alameda High School.
• One of Alameda's most famous natives was General James Doolittle, who won the Medal of Honor for his bombing of Japan during WWII.
• Robert L. Lippert theatre chain owner and film producer was an Alameda native.
• Many people from naval families, including celebrities such as Ann Curry, Phyllis Diller, Tom Hanks, and Jim Morrison, have lived in Alameda.
• Don Perata, the former President Pro Tempore of the California State Senate, lives in Alameda and once taught at Saint Joseph Notre Dame High, Encinal High and Alameda High, among other Alameda County schools.
• Charles Lee Tilden, for whom Tilden Regional Park is named, was a longtime resident of Alameda. Tilden Way at the southeast end of the city is named for him.
• Operatic mezzo-soprano Frederica Von Stade still gives performances and supports the arts in local schools, but no longer lives in Alameda.
• Katharine Graham, the late publisher of the Washington Post, lived in Alameda as a child, according to Personal History, her autobiography.
• Benjamin Jealous, current President of the NAACP, lived in Alameda.
• Louis A. McCall Sr., american drummer and musician best known as the co-founder of Con Funk Shun.
• George P. Miller, congressman from 1945 to 1973.
• Sharon Tate, actress, resident in the mid-1950s.
• Debbi Fields, founder Mrs. Fields Cookies, attended Alameda High School and was a cheerleader
• Shirley Temple Black, actress and former U.S. ambassador, resident
• Steve Brye, MLB player for the Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers, and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• Jim Morrison, Lead singer of the Doors, attended Alameda High School in 1958
• Simon Rex, actor and former MTV VJ attended Alameda High School.
• John Baker, MLB catcher for the Florida Marlins.
• Harold Camping television and radio personality, president and general manager of Family Stations, Inc., and Doomsday Theorist.
• Hugo Wilhelm Arthur Nahl, designer of the Seal of California
• Albert Ghiorso, nuclear scientist who was a co-discoverer of 12 chemical elements on the periodic table who holds the Guinness Book of World Records for Most Elements Discovered.
• Carl Ravazza, bandleader, born in Alameda, 1910

Schools

Community College

• College of Alameda, a part of the Peralta Colleges

Public schools

Main article: Alameda Unified School District

Like almost all cities in California, the municipal government and the school administration are two separate entities. The Alameda Unified School District has the same boundaries as the City of Alameda, but has a separately elected board to oversee its operations, and its funding comes directly from the county and state governments without oversight by the city council. The AUSD educates approximately 10,000 students each year, in eight elementary schools, three middle schools, two traditional high schools, three alternative learning schools including ACLC, one continuation school - Island High, and one high school within the College of Alameda. The Elementary Schools include Bay Farm Elementary, Earhart Elementary, Edison Elementary, Haight Elementary, Lum Elementary, Otis Elementary, Paden Elementary, Ruby Bridges Elementary, and Washington Elementary. The Middle Schools are Lincoln Middle, Wood Middle, and Chipman Middle(Now Academy of Alameda, AOA.) Most high school students attend Encinal High or Alameda High. The district also operates an Adult School and a Child Development Center. Two elementary schools were closed at the end of the 2005–2006 school year. However, a new elementary school, Ruby Bridges, opened for the 2006–2007 school year.

Sister cities

• Jiangyin, China (friendship city: Wuxi, China)
• Arita, Japan
• Lidingö, Sweden

See also

• Islands of San Francisco Bay
• Bay Farm Island
• List of California public officials charged with crimes, Alameda
• Earl King, Ernest Ramsay, and Frank Conner, convicted of murdering a ship's officer in Alameda, 1936

References

• U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Alameda, California

External links

• City of Alameda official web page