Alameda County, California

Alameda County is a county in the U.S. state of California. It occupies most of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2000 census it had a population of 1,443,741 making it the 7th largest county in the state. The county seat is Oakland.

Alameda County currently has the highest sales tax rate in California, which is 8.75%.

History

The county was formed on March 25, 1853 from portions of Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties.

The word 'alameda' means 'a place where poplar trees grow', a name which originally was given to El Arroyo de la Alameda (Alameda Creek). The willow and sycamore trees along the banks of the river reminded the early explorers of a road lined with trees, also known as an 'alameda'.

The county seat at the time it was formed was located at Alvarado; it was moved to San Leandro in 1856 where it was destroyed by the devastating 1868 quake on the Hayward Fault. The county seat was then re-established in the town of Brooklyn from 1872-1875. Brooklyn is now part of Oakland, which has been the county seat since 1873.

Much of what is now considered an intensively urban region, with major cities, was developed as a trolley car suburb of San Francisco in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The historical progression from native American tribal lands to Spanish Land Grants, thence to farms, ranches, and orchards, suburbs and eventually cities, is shared with the adjacent Contra Costa County (see that article for an extensive history applicable to this county).

Events

The annual Alameda County fair is held at the fairgrounds in Pleasanton. The fair runs for 3 weekends from June to July. Attractions include horse racing, carnival, 4H exhibits, and live bands.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,127 km² (821 mi²). 1,910 km² (738 mi²) of it is land and 216 km² (84 mi²) of it (10.18%) is water.

The San Francisco Bay borders the county on the west. The crest of the Berkeley Hills form part of the northeastern boundary, and reach into the center of the county. A coastal plain several miles wide lines the bay, being home to Oakland and the most populated regions. Livermore Valley lies in the east part of the county.

The Hayward Fault, a major branch of the San Andreas Fault to the west, runs through the most populated parts of Alameda County, while the Calaveras Fault runs through the southeastern part of the county.

Adjacent Counties

* Santa Clara County, California - south
* San Mateo County, California - west
* San Francisco County, California - west
* Contra Costa County, California - north
* San Joaquin County, California - east

Demographics

Map Alameda of County, 1878 (Six Townships)

Supervisorial Map of Alameda County Today (14 cities and 6 unincorporated census-designated places)

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 1,443,741 people, 523,366 households, and 339,141 families residing in the county. The population density was 756/km² (1,957/mi²). There were 540,183 housing units at an average density of 283/km² (732/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 48.79% White, 20.45% Asian, 14.93% Black or African American, 8.94% from other races, 5.63% from two or more races, 18.97% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 0.63% Native American, and 0.63% Pacific Islander.

There were 523,366 households out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living within them, 47.00% married couples living together, 13.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.20% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.31.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.60% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 33.90% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 10.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 96.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $55,946, and the median income for a family was $65,857. Males had a median income of $47,425 versus $36,921 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,680. About 7.70% of families and 11.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.50% of those under age 18 and 8.10% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

**Presidential elections results**
Year	GOP! Dems
2004	23.3% 130,911	75.2% 422,585
2000	24.1% 119,279	69.4% 342,889
1996	23.1% 106,581	65.8% 303,903
1992	20.6% 109,292	63.0% 334,224
1988	34.0% 162,815	64.8% 310,283
1984	40.0% 192,408	58.7% 282,041
1980	38.0% 158,531	48.3% 201,720
1976	38.1% 155,280	57.9% 235,988
1972	42.8% 201,862	55.0% 259,254
1968	37.6% 153,285	53.9% 219,545
1964	33.5% 142,998	66.4% 283,833
1960	45.6% 183,354	54.0% 217,172

Arts

* Home to the Alameda County Arts Commission which serves the arts in Alameda County.
* Home to the Alameda Civic Ballet (ACB).
* Home to the Alameda Ballet Academy, official ballet school of the ACB.