Alameda, California
City
official_name = City of Alameda, California | nickname = The Island City | image_flag = Alameda_city_flag.gif | image_seal = Alamedaseal.gif | image_map = Alameda_in_Alameda_County.png | map_caption = Location in the state of California and Alameda County | subdivision_type = County | subdivision_name = Alameda | leader_title = Mayor | leader_name = Beverly Johnson (D) | area_note = | area_magnitude = 1 E9 | area_total = 59.5 | area_land = 28.0 | area_water = 31.5 | population_as_of = 2000 | population_total = 72,259 | population_density = 1,131.3 | timezone = PST | utc_offset = −8 | timezone_DST = PDT | utc_offset_DST = −7 | latitude = 37°45'50" N | longitude = 122°15'25" W | website = City of Alameda | footnotes = }} Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is a city on a small island of the same name next to Oakland, California in the San Francisco Bay. An additional part of the city is Bay Farm Island, which is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. The city has a small town feel with its Victorian homes and tree lined neighborhoods. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 72,259.The city was founded on June 6, 1853. Alameda was not originally on an island; rather, it was a peninsula off Oakland, with the area between the estuary and San Leandro Bay low-lying and marshy. Aside from the salt marshes, the peninsula was home to one of the largest coastal oak forests in the world. Original inhabitants were the Coastanoan Indian tribe. The peninsula was part of the Mexican land grant to Don Peralta and the early Mexican inhabitants referred to the land mass as "the purse." Early European settlers at the onset of the Gold Rush in the 1850s included French lumberjacks supplying lumber to the quickly expanding San Francisco and Chipman and Auginbaugh, major landowners who founded the village of Alameda near the corner of Encinal Avenue and High Street in Alameda. Originally three small settlements grew in town "Old Alameda" which was the village at Encinal and High, Hibbardsville at the North Shore ferry and shipping terminal, and Woodstock on the west end where the railroad terminus met the Ferry at the Alameda Mole. Eventually as Park Street developed as 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 need for expanded shipping facilities in the late 19th century in both cities led to a shipping and tidal channel that was dug between the two cities in 1902, extending and deepening the natural estuary, which resulted in Alameda becoming an "island" with most of the dug up soil used to fill in some sections of the nearby marsh land. Bay Farm Island was originally a small island which was enlarged and connected to the mainland by filling. 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. 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. [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20060322/ai_n16140812] | Location of Alameda, California |
Alameda is located at 37°46' North, 122°15' West .
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 59.5 km² (23.0 mi²). 28.0 km² (10.8 mi²) of it is land and 31.5 km² (12.2 mi²) of it (52.98%) is water.
Today the city consists of the main original section, with the former Naval Air Station 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 artificial fill.As of the census 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.Vehicle access to the island is via three bridges to Oakland, a bridge to Bay Farm Island, and two one-way tunnels leading into Oakland's Chinatown. Bridges at Fruitvale Avenue, High Street, and Park Street, and the tunnels at Webster Street and Harrison Street (the latter called the Posey Tube) connect Alameda and Oakland. Public transportation includes the AC Transit buses (which include express buses to San Francisco) and two ferry services--the Alameda-Oakland Ferry and the Harbor Bay Ferry. Both ferry services may be transferred to the Water Transit Authority shortly. 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, 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 a reputation for vigorous enforcement of the 25mph speed limit.[http://www.speedtrap.org/speedtraps/ste.asp?state=CA&city=Alameda] | 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.
Alameda is also known for its large stock of Victorian houses; 9% of all single-family houses (1500) in Alameda are Victorians, and many more have been divided into 2 to 4-unit dwellings.[http://www.eastbayexpress.com/bestof/award.php?oid=oid:18492§ion=oid:17192&year=2002] | The (old) Alameda Theater |
The Naval Air Station at Alameda was decommissioned 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". Portions of Alameda Point are now in commercial use, but the transfer process has been slowed down by disputes between the Navy and the City regarding payment for environmental cleanup of the land. Development of the base is also opposed by a vocal minority in the City who object to modifications to a ballot measure passed in the 1970's that intended to stop a practice then popular in the City of tearing down the island's beautiful, historical Victorian homes and replacing them with apartment complexes.
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 that was damaged during the Loma Prieta earthquake. The City also received state funds for the new library and it is currently under construction near the City's Park Street business district and will open in the fall of 2006.
City officials continue to seek ways to spur economic development on the Island including the reconstruction of the City's shopping mall and restoration of the historic art deco city landmark Alameda Theater. The theater restoration project is currently the subject of much controversy in the City, pitting the City's pro-development and anti-development factions against each other once again.Alameda's first newspaper the Encinal (meaning Oak Forest) appeared on the scene 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, but the Daily Argus would eventually rise to prominence. Around 1900 the 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. Under the ownership of the Kofman family, the Times-Star thrived until selling to the Alameda Newspaper Group (an out-of-town news corporation) in the 1970s.
As a direct response to the lack of a local news source, Alameda realtors John Crittenden and John McNulty decided to combine their two publishing efforts into a new East End voice, Alameda Journal, in 1987. Crittenden had published a real estate shopper while McNulty was known for the Island Journal, a provincial publication focused on local restaurant reviews. The new paper found itself the hometown paper of choice until it sold to the Hills Newspaper chain owned by Chip and Mary Brown. The Browns, Oakland residents, had assembled a chain of five East Bay weeklies or biweeklies: The biweekly Alameda Journal, The biweekly Montclarion (serving the Montclair district of Oakland), The Piedmonter (Piedmont, CA), The Berkeley Voice, and The Albany/El Cerrito Journal.
In 1997, the Hills Newspaper chain sold out to 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 now included all 5 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 California State Attorney General as of June 2006 has been investigating the sale of the former Knight Ridder properties to MediaNews in the event of a potential breach of anti-trust laws. The upshot of the sale to MediaNews would be the original victor of Alameda's newspaper wars losing in the end, being bought out by the newspaper company once considered vanquished.Unlike surrounding communities, Alameda has a municipal power and telecommunications service (Alameda Power and Telecom) that delivers services directly to consumers.
There have been proposals by the power producer to produce energy from waste, but not within the city of Alameda. Instead this energy would be produced at a waste transfer station located in neighboring (and downwind) San Leandro. Owing to the expected release of toxic emissions from what is essentially a garbage incinerator, the mayor and city council of San Leandro rejected the proposal. The mayor vowed to fight this proposal, suggesting that Alameda could instead place this near their municipal golf course.
Also, unlike the three major power producers in California, as a municipal utility, Alameda is not required to establish net metering for home photovoltaic power producers, so the city currently lags far behind other communities in producing truly "green" energy, even though they have a potentially productive site for supplemental wind energy on the western edge of the former naval air station.The Alameda Arts Council (AAC) is the Alameda City arts council serving the arts in the Alameda area."Art In the Park"Art In the Park is an annual event that takes place in Jackson Park (Encinal and Park Ave) and is produced by the management and staff of the Alameda Recreation & Parks department [1]. This event is held in the late summer and features over 100 local artists, two music areas, a children's activity area, food, poetry readings and art demonstrations. This event is free to the public."Shining Stars In The Arts"Shining Stars In The Arts is an evening event that celebrates the community members in Alameda who have made an outstanding contribution in the Arts in the city. Features a fundraising silent art auction, food and music concludes in an award ceremony for the Shining Star Honorees. Held in May."Sister City"Alameda participates in a Town twinning with Wuxi, China. Established in 2004 by Workgroup Organizer Stewart Chen, the goal is to foster economic and cultural ties between the two cities.* The Posey tube was used, along with other Bay Area tunnels, in the filming of the 1970 version of THX-1138. It was also used in the filming for The Matrix Reloaded. | Alameda High was renamed to Clearview High in the Animatrix episode: Kid's Story |
* Hall of Famer Willie Stargell, Rookie of the Year Dontrelle Willis, and All-Star Jimmy Rollins all attended Encinal High School.
* 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.
* One of Alameda's most famous natives was General James Doolittle, who won the medal of honor for his bombing of Japan during WWII.
* Because of its former naval base, many people in naval families, such as Tom Hanks and Jim Morrison, lived in Alameda briefly during their lives.
* Don Perata, the current President Pro Tempore of the California State Senate, lives in Alameda and once taught at Encinal High and Alameda High, among other Alameda County schools.
* Alameda Terminal was the western terminus of the First Transcontinental Railroad. It is located at the end of pier 2 of the former Naval Air Station Alameda, now Alameda Point.
* Noted photographer John Harrington (photographer, author) was born and raised in Alameda.Private Schools* Children's Learning Center Alameda Special Education, K-12
* Peter Pan School (The Academy), K-5
* Rising Star Montessori School K-5
* Alameda Christian School K-8
* St. Barnabas School K-8
* St. Philip Neri School K-8
* St. Joseph Elementary School 1-8
* St. Joseph Notre Dame High School 9-12Continuing education* Alameda Adult School
* Woodstock Child Development CenterHigh schools* Alameda High School
* Alameda Community Learning Center
* Alameda Science & Technology Institute
* Encinal High School
* Island High SchoolMiddle schools* Chipman Middle School
* Lincoln Middle School
* Wood Middle SchoolElementary schools* Ruby Bridges Elementary School
* Bay Farm Elementary School
* Amelia Earhart Elementary School
* Edison Elementary School
* Franklin Elementary School
* Henry Haight Elementary School
* Longfellow Elementary School
* Donald D. Lum Elementary School
* Miller Elementary School
* Frank Otis Elementary School
* Paden Elementary School
* Washington Elementary School
* Woodstock Elementary School* Islands of San Francisco Bay
* Bay Farm Island* City of Alameda official web page
* Alameda Recreation and Parks
* Alameda Power and Telecom
* Together We Prepare - A Disaster Resistant Alameda
* Alameda High School Sports
* Encinal High School Sports
* Alameda Babe Ruth League Info
* Alameda Info
* Alameda Chamber of Commerce
* First Presbyterian Church of Alameda
* BikeAlameda web site
* Bayfarm Community Church
* Non-Profit Community Centered Coffeehouse
* Harbor Bay Business Park Association web page
* Pedestrian Friendly Alameda web site
* USS Hornet Museum web site
* Alameda Civic Light Opera
* AlamedaWireless - free wireless network
* Temple Israel, a Jewish community and synagogue in Alameda
* Park Street businesses
* Walking Alameda
* Postcards, Photos & Antique Maps of Alameda
* Alameda Sun, Local Community Newspaper
* Greater Alameda Business Association
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