Alameda ( ; ; Spanish for "
tree-lined path") is a city in
Alameda County, California
Alameda County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,682,353, making it the 7th-most populous county in the state and 21st most populous nationally. The county seat is Oakland. Al ...
, located in the
East Bay
The East Bay is the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area and includes cities along the eastern shores of the San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay. The region has grown to include inland communities in Alameda and Contra Costa countie ...
region of the
Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...
. The city is primarily located on
Alameda Island
Alameda Island is an island located in the San Francisco Bay in California. It is south and west of, and adjacent to, Oakland, California, Oakland, and across the bay eastward from San Francisco. Located on the island is most of the city of Ala ...
, but also spans
Bay Farm Island and
Coast Guard Island, as well as a few other smaller islands in
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the big cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland.
San Francisco Bay drains water from a ...
. The city's estimated population in 2019 was 77,624.
History
Spanish & Mexican era
![Peralta Family](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Peralta_Family.jpg)
Alameda occupies what was originally a
peninsula
A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...
connected to Oakland. Much of it was low-lying and marshy. The higher ground nearby and adjacent parts of what is now
downtown Oakland
Downtown Oakland is the central business district of Oakland, California, United States; roughly bounded by both the Oakland Estuary and Interstate 880 on the southwest, Interstate 980 on the northwest, Grand Avenue on the northeast, and Lake ...
were the site of one of the largest coastal oak forests in the world. Spanish colonists called the area ''Encinal'', meaning "forest of evergreen oak". ''Alameda'' is Spanish for "grove of poplar trees" or "tree-lined avenue." It was chosen as the name of the city 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
The Ohlone, formerly known as Costanoans (from Spanish meaning 'coast dweller'), are a Native American people of the Northern California coast. When Spanish explorers and missionaries arrived in the late 18th century, the Ohlone inhabited the ...
tribe. The peninsula was included in the vast
Rancho San Antonio granted in 1820 to Luis Peralta by the Spanish king who claimed California. The grant was later confirmed by the
Republic of Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
upon its independence in 1821 from Spain.
Over time, the place became known as Bolsa de Encinal or Encinal de San Antonio.
Post-Conquest era
![Joseph Lee painting Alameda Shore (1868)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Joseph_Lee_painting_Alameda_Shore_%281868%29.jpg)
The city was founded on June 6, 1853, after the United States acquired California following the
Mexican-American War of 1848. The town originally contained three small settlements. "Alameda" referred to the village at Encinal and High streets, Hibbardsville was located at the North Shore ferry and shipping terminal, and
Woodstock
Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...
was on the west near the ferry piers of the
South Pacific Coast Railroad
The South Pacific Coast Railroad (SPC) was a narrow gauge steam railroad running between Santa Cruz, California and Alameda, with a ferry connection in Alameda to San Francisco. The railroad was created as the Santa Clara Valley Railroad, founde ...
and the
Central Pacific. Eventually, the Central Pacific's ferry pier became the
Alameda Mole
{{coord, 37.796, -122.329, region:US, display=title
The Alameda Mole was a transit and transportation facility in Alameda, California for ferries landing in the East Bay of San Francisco from 1878 to the 1930s. It was located on the west end o ...
. The borders of Alameda were made coextensive with the island in 1872, incorporating Woodstock into Alameda.
In his autobiography, writer
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...
described Alameda as "The Garden of California."
The first post office opened in 1854.
The first school, Schermerhorn School, was opened in 1855 (and eventually renamed as Lincoln School). The
San Francisco and Alameda Railroad
The San Francisco and Alameda Railroad (SF&A) was a short-lived railroad company in the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay Area. The railroad line opened 1864–1865 from Alameda Terminal on Alameda Island to Hayward, California, with ferry ...
opened the Encinal station in 1864.
Encinal's own post office opened in 1876, was renamed West End in 1877, and closed in 1891.
On September 6, 1869, the
Alameda Terminal
Alameda Terminal (a.k.a. Alameda Wharf) was a railroad station and ferry wharf at the foot and west of present-day Pacific Avenue and Main Street in Alameda, California, on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay with ferry service to San Franci ...
made history; it was the site of the arrival of the first train via the
First transcontinental railroad
North America's first transcontinental railroad (known originally as the "Pacific Railroad" and later as the " Overland Route") was a continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U.S. rail netwo ...
to reach the shores of
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the big cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland.
San Francisco Bay drains water from a ...
,
thus achieving the first coast to coast transcontinental railroad in North America.
The
Croll Building
The Croll Building, in Alameda, California, was the site of Croll's Gardens and Hotel, famous as training quarters for some of the greatest fighters in boxing history from 1883 to 1914. James J. Corbett, Bob Fitzsimmons, Jim Jefferies, Jack Jo ...
, on the corner of Webster Street and Central Avenue, was the site of Croll's Gardens and Hotel, used as training quarters for some of the most popular fighters in boxing from 1883 to 1914.
Jack Johnson and several other champions all stayed and trained here.]
The need for expanded shipping facilities and increased flow of current through the
estuary
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...
led to the dredging of a tidal canal through the marshland between Oakland and Alameda. Construction started in 1874, but it was not completed until 1902, resulting in Alameda becoming an island.
Modern era
In 1917, a private entertainment park called
Neptune Beach
Neptune Beach is a beachfront city east of Jacksonville in Duval County, Florida, United States. When the majority of Duval County communities consolidated with Jacksonville in 1968, Neptune Beach, along with Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach ...
was built in the area now known as Crab Cove, which became a major recreation destination in the 1920s and 1930s. Both the American
snow cone
Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes.
It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...
and the
popsicle were first sold at Neptune Beach. The
Kewpie doll
Kewpie is a brand of dolls and figurines that were conceived as comic strip characters by cartoonist Rose O'Neill. The illustrated cartoons, appearing as baby cupid characters, began to gain popularity after the publication of O'Neill's comic ...
became the original prize for winning games of chance at the beach – another Neptune Beach innovation. The park closed down in 1939.
The
Alameda Works Shipyard
The Alameda Works Shipyard, in Alameda, California, United States, was one of the largest and best equipped shipyards in the country. The only building remaining from the yard is the Union Iron Works Powerhouse, which is listed on the National R ...
was one of the largest and best-equipped shipyards in the country. Together with other industrial facilities, it became part of the defense industry buildup before and during World War II, which attracted many migrants from other parts of the United States for the high-paying jobs. In the 1950s, Alameda's industrial and shipbuilding industries thrived along the
Alameda Estuary.
In the early 21st century, the
Port of Oakland
The Port of Oakland is a major container ship facility located in Oakland, California, in the San Francisco Bay. It was the first major port on the Pacific Coast of the United States to build terminals for container ships. As of 2011 it was the f ...
, across the estuary, has become one of the largest ports on the West Coast. Its operators use shipping technologies originally experimented within Alameda. As of March 21, 2006, Alameda is a "Coast Guard City", one of seven then designated in the country. As of 2018, it is one of twenty-one within the country.
![Alameda, California 1936 Aerial Photo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Alameda%2C_California_1936_Aerial_Photo.jpg)
In addition to the regular trains running to the
Alameda Mole
{{coord, 37.796, -122.329, region:US, display=title
The Alameda Mole was a transit and transportation facility in Alameda, California for ferries landing in the East Bay of San Francisco from 1878 to the 1930s. It was located on the west end o ...
, Alameda was also served by local steam commuter lines of the Southern Pacific (initially, the Central Pacific). Alameda was the site of the Southern Pacific's West Alameda Shops, where all the electric trains were maintained and repaired. These were later adapted as the
East Bay Electric Lines
The East Bay Electric Lines were a unit of the Southern Pacific Railroad that operated electric interurban-type trains in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area.Tufveson.Ford (1977). Beginning in 1862, the SP and its predecessors opera ...
. The trains ran to both the
Oakland Mole and the Alameda Mole.
In the 1930s
Pan American Airways
Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...
established a
seaplane
A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tec ...
port along with the fill that led to the Alameda Mole, the original home base for the
China Clipper
''China Clipper'' (NC14716) was the first of three Martin M-130 four-engine flying boats built for Pan American Airways and was used to inaugurate the first commercial transpacific airmail service from San Francisco to Manila on November 22, 193 ...
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 Airdrome was closed in 1941 when its air traffic interfered with the newly built
Naval Air Station Alameda
Naval Air Station Alameda (NAS Alameda) was a United States Navy Naval Air Station in Alameda, California, on San Francisco Bay.
NAS Alameda had two runways: 13–31 measuring and 07-25 measuring . Two helicopter pads and a control tower were ...
(NAS Alameda).
In the late 1950s, the Utah Construction Company began a landfill beyond the ''Old Sea Wall'' and created ''
South Shore''.
On February 7, 1973, a USN
Vought
Vought was the name of several related American aerospace firms. These have included, in the past, Lewis and Vought Corporation, Chance Vought, Vought-Sikorsky, LTV Aerospace (part of Ling-Temco-Vought), Vought Aircraft Companies, and Vought Ai ...
A-7E Corsair II
The LTV A-7 Corsair II is an American carrier-capable subsonic light attack aircraft designed and manufactured by Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV).
The A-7 was developed during the early 1960s as replacement for the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. Its design was ...
fighter jet on a routine training mission from
Lemoore Naval Air Station suddenly caught fire above the
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the big cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland.
San Francisco Bay drains water from a ...
, crashing into the Tahoe Apartments in Alameda. Eleven people, including pilot Lieutenant Robert Lee Ward, died in the crash and fire.
Geography
![Zeppelin-ride-020100925-222 (5028835633)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Zeppelin-ride-020100925-222_%285028835633%29.jpg)
Alameda's nickname is "The Island City" (or simply "the island"). The current city occupies three 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 Alameda
Naval Air Station Alameda (NAS Alameda) was a United States Navy Naval Air Station in Alameda, California, on San Francisco Bay.
NAS Alameda had two runways: 13–31 measuring and 07-25 measuring . Two helicopter pads and a control tower were ...
(NAS Alameda) 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.
![Coast Guard Island May 2009](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Coast_Guard_Island_May_2009.jpg)
Not all of Alameda Island is part of the City of Alameda; a small portion of a dump site west of the former runway at Alameda Naval Air Station extends far enough into San Francisco Bay that it is over the county line and therefore part of the
City and County of San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
.
Coast Guard Island, a small island between Alameda Island and Oakland, is also part of Alameda and is the home of
Integrated Support Command Alameda
Integrated Support Command Alameda (ISC Alameda) is a large operating base of the United States Coast Guard, located on Coast Guard Islandin Alameda, California Now known as Base Alameda
ISC Alameda provides a wide variety of services in direct s ...
.
Ballena Isle, an even smaller island, is also part of Alameda.
Climate
This region experiences warm (but not hot), dry summers, and cool (but not cold), wet winters. According to the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, Alameda has a
warm-summer Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps. Annual precipitation is about , all rain (snow is extremely rare at sea level in the San Francisco Bay Area).
Hazards
The low-lying island has seen sea-level and groundwater level rise threaten its infrastructure and people not just through flooding events, but through the increased
liquefaction risk from more saturated soils. The locations of increasing groundwater-induced risks and flooding risks (such as from another
megaflood
In geomorphology, an outburst flood—a type of megaflood—is a high-magnitude, low-frequency catastrophic flood involving the sudden release of a large quantity of water. During the last deglaciation, numerous glacial lake outburst floods were ...
) may be most precise in private insurance company maps.
Demographics
2010
![USA-Alameda-First Presbyterian Church-3 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/USA-Alameda-First_Presbyterian_Church-3_%28cropped%29.jpg)
The
2010 United States Census
The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...
reported that Alameda had a population of 73,812. (2015 census estimates place the population at 78,630)
The population density was . The racial makeup of Alameda was 37,460 (50.8%)
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 23,058 (31.2%)
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 4,759 (6.4%)
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 426 (0.6%)
Native American, 381 (0.5%)
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 2,463 (3.3%) from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 5,265 (7.1%) from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
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 same-sex 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
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...
(60.7% of all households); the average family size was 3.06.
The age distribution of the population shows 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.
Per capita annual income (in 2013 dollars) in 2009–2013 was $41,340 per the US Census. Median household income in 2009–2013 was $74,606 per the US Census.
There were 32,351 housing units at an average density of , of which 30,123 were occupied, 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
![Alameda Twin Towers (1) (9370088388)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Alameda_Twin_Towers_%281%29_%289370088388%29.jpg)
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/km (6,693.4/mi
2). There were 31,644 housing units at an average density of 1,131.3/km (2,931.2/mi
2). The racial makeup of the city was 56.95%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 6.21%
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
or
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.67%
Native American, 26.15%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.60%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 3.29% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 6.13% from two or more races. 9.31% of the population were
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
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. Of all households, 32.2% 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 age distribution of the population shows 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
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $30,982. About 6.0% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.
There is a large
Filipino
Filipino may refer to:
* Something from or related to the Philippines
** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines.
** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
community; and also a major
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
community, from which
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
' mother came and where
Lyndsy Fonseca
Lyndsy Marie Fonseca (born January 7, 1987) is an American actress. She began her career by appearing as Colleen Carlton on the CBS daytime soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'', on which she starred between 2001 and 2005. Thereafter, she ...
was raised for some time. Alameda also has a historic
Japanese American
are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...
community and had a small Japanese business district on a portion of Park Street before 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.
Economy
Naval Air Station Alameda
Naval Air Station Alameda (NAS Alameda) was a United States Navy Naval Air Station in Alameda, California, on San Francisco Bay.
NAS Alameda had two runways: 13–31 measuring and 07-25 measuring . Two helicopter pads and a control tower were ...
(NAS) which was decommissioned in 1997, has been turned over to the City of Alameda for civilian development, today known as
Alameda Point
Alameda Point is the name given to the lands of the former Naval Air Station Alameda in the City of Alameda, California. Alameda Point consists of of land area at the western end of the island of Alameda.''Alameda Point''NAVFAC website/ref> Most o ...
.
Following the exit of the former
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
, the
Oakland Roots of the
USL Championship
The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...
have a license agreement for the former Raiders performance center with the City of Oakland and the County of Alameda.
A cluster of artisan distilleries, wineries, breweries and tasting rooms along Monarch Street at Alameda Point is now referred to by the City of Alameda as "Spirits Alley". These business include Rock Wall Winery, Building 43 Winery,
Hangar 1,
St. George Spirits and Faction Brewing. In 2017, Admiral Maltings opened at Alameda Point.
Designed to supply craft brewers and whisky producers, it is the first craft malting house in California.
The
aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...
, a
museum ship
A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...
, has been moored at the former Naval Air Station as the
USS ''Hornet'' Museum since 1998.
;Top employers
According to the city's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
Arts and culture
![Alameda Theater (50842809421)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Alameda_Theater_%2850842809421%29.jpg)
The Alameda Arts Council (AAC) serves as the local Alameda City
arts council. The
Alameda Civic Ballet is the ballet troupe of the city. The
Alameda Museum features displays on the history of Alameda.
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. An annual benefit, Circus for Arts in the Schools, was started by clown artist
Jeff Raz Jeff Raz is an American clown, actor, teacher, and director. He founded and served as director of the Clown Conservatory in San Francisco, California, the country's only remaining professional clown training program from 2000 to 2010. As a perfor ...
in 2004. Photo-realist
Robert Bechtle
Robert Alan Bechtle (May 14, 1932 – September 24, 2020) was an American painter, printmaker, and educator. He lived nearly all his life in the San Francisco Bay Area and whose art was centered on scenes from everyday local life. His paintings ar ...
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.
Theaters
![Veterans Memorial Building (Alameda, CA) 2 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Veterans_Memorial_Building_%28Alameda%2C_CA%29_2_%28cropped%29.JPG)
The city restored the historic
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
city landmark
Alameda Theatre, expanding it to include a theater multiplex. The public opening was May 21, 2008.
The Altarena Playhouse, which performs comedies, dramas, and musicals, was founded in 1938 and is the longest continuously operating community theater in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Festivals
The Fourth of July parade 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, and marching bands.
There are three major events when the street in Alameda's historic downtown district is closed to vehicular traffic. The ''Park Street Spring Festival'' takes place every May during the weekend of Mother's Day and attracts over 50,000 visitors. The ''Park Street Art & Wine Faire'' takes place the last weekend of every July and attracts over 100,000 visitors. The ''Park Street Classic Car Show'' is held on the second Saturday every October and displays over 400 vintage vehicles.
The annual Sand Castle and Sculpture Contest takes place in June at the Robert Crown Memorial State Beach. The first contest was held in 1967.
Government
![Alameda Free Library (Alameda, CA)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Alameda_Free_Library_%28Alameda%2C_CA%29.JPG)
According to the
California Secretary of State, as of February 10, 2019, Alameda has 48,609 registered voters. Of those, 27,323 (56.2%) are registered
Democrats, 5,240 (10.8%) are registered
Republicans, and 13,950 (28.7%) have
declined to state
Decline to State (DTS) was an affiliation designation on the California voter registration form that allows voters to register to vote without choosing a party affiliation. It is similar to what in other states would be called declaring oneself as ...
a political party.
Alameda Free Library
After two previous failures, voters in the city passed a ballot measure in 2000 authorizing a
bond measure
A municipal bond, commonly known as a muni, is a bond issued by state or local governments, or entities they create such as authorities and special districts. In the United States, interest income received by holders of municipal bonds is often, ...
for construction of a new main library to replace the city's
Carnegie Library, damaged during the
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The city also received state funds for the new main library and opened the doors to the new facility in November 2006.
There are three library locations: the Main Library in downtown Alameda and two library branches; the Bay Farm Island Library serving the Bay Farm and Harbor Bay communities and the West End Library serving the West End of Alameda.
Education
![03-bay-farm-island](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/03-bay-farm-island.jpg)
Public primary and secondary education in Alameda is the responsibility of the
Alameda Unified School District, which is legally separate from the City of Alameda government (as is common throughout California). The
College of Alameda
College of Alameda is a public community college in Alameda, California. It is part of the Peralta Community College District and was opened in 1968. Since 1970 the college has held classes on a 62-acre campus at the intersection of Webster Stre ...
, a two-year
community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior sec ...
in the West End is part of the
Peralta Community College District
The Peralta Community College District is the community college district serving northern Alameda County, California. The district operates four community colleges: Berkeley City College, Laney College and Merritt College in Oakland, and Coll ...
. The city has numerous private primary schools, and one private high school,
St. Joseph Notre Dame High School, a Catholic school.
Media
Alameda's first newspaper, the ''Encinal'', appeared in the early 1850s. Following the ''Encinal'', several other papers appeared along geographic lines, and the ''Daily Argus'' eventually rose to prominence. 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
The ''Alameda Times-Star'' was a newspaper in the city of Alameda, California. It was last owned by Bay Area News Group-East Bay (BANG-EB), a subsidiary of MediaNews Group, who bought the paper in 1986.
The newspaper was scheduled to close down, ...
'' 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
Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. Until it was bought by McClatchy on June 27, 2006, it was the second largest newspaper publisher in the United States, with 32 daily newspaper brand ...
. In 2001, a new locally based newspaper, the ''Alameda Sun'', was founded.
The Alameda community is currently served by two weekly newspapers, the
Alameda Journal
The ''Alameda Journal'' is an American weekly paid newspaper which serves the city of Oakland and surrounding Alameda County, California. The ''Alameda Journal'' is now published under the name ''East Bay Times.''
It is published weekly on Friday ...
and th
Alameda Sun and an non-profit online news outlet called th
Alameda Post
Transportation
![Snapshot 2022-06-23-22h38m35s259](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Snapshot_2022-06-23-22h38m35s259.png)
Vehicle access to Alameda Island is via three bridges from Oakland (
Park Street,
Fruitvale Avenue, and
High Street Bridge
The High Street Bridge is a double-leaf bascule drawbridge spanning 296 feet of the Oakland Estuary in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States. It links the cities of Oakland and Alameda. The bridge is opened approximately 1,400 ti ...
s), as well as the two one-way
Posey and Webster Street Tubes leading into
Oakland's Chinatown. Connections from Alameda to Bay Farm Island are provided via the
Bay Farm Island Bridge
The San Leandro Bay Bridge, better known as the Bay Farm Island Bridge, is a single-leaf bascule drawbridge spanning the San Leandro Channel, the inlet of San Leandro Bay within the San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States. It carries C ...
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
State Route 61 (SR 61) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California, running along the eastern edge of Oakland International Airport and through Alameda. Two additional "hidden" state highways, State Route 112 (SR 112) and State Route 260 (S ...
runs down city streets from the Posey and Webster Street Tubes, across the Bay Farm Island Bridge, and south to the Oakland Airport. 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.
Public transportation options include:
*
AC Transit
AC Transit (Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District) is an Oakland-based public transit agency serving the western portions of Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. AC Transit also operates "Transbay" ro ...
buses, which range from local connections to Oakland and Berkeley to express service to San Francisco
* Ferry services – In addition to the
Alameda/Oakland Ferry and the
Alameda Harbor Bay Ferry
San Francisco Bay Ferry is a public transit passenger ferry service in the San Francisco Bay, administered by the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA). In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday a ...
routes, San Francisco Bay Ferry also provides service between Alameda Main Street Station and South San Francisco. All ferry services are operated by the
Water Transit Authority.
* The closest
BART
Bart is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive of Bartholomew, sometimes of Barton, Bartolomeo, etc.
Bart is a Dutch and Ashkenazi Jewish surname, and derives from the name ''Bartholomäus'', a German form of the biblical name ''Barthol ...
stations are
Lake Merritt
Lake Merritt is a large tidal lagoon in the center of Oakland, California, just east of Downtown. It is surrounded by parkland and city neighborhoods. It is historically significant as the United States' first official wildlife refuge, designate ...
and
12th Street, near the exit to the Posey Tube, and
Fruitvale, near the Fruitvale Bridge. BART's long-term plans for a
second tunnel include Alameda as a candidate for the first stop on a new East Bay line.
Notable people
*
Albert Arents, a mining engineer who helped develop mineral resources of the Rocky Mountains.
*
John Baker, MLB catcher for
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...
and
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
, was born in Alameda.
*
Hester A. Benedict
Hester A. Benedict (, Baldwin; after first marriage, Benedict; after second marriage, Dickinson; October 2, 1838 – December 28, 1921) was an American poet and writer. She had a literary reputation in the East before her removal to California whe ...
(1838-1921), president,
Pacific Coast Women's Press Association
Pacific Coast Women's Press Association (PCWPA; September 27, 1890 - 1941) was a press organization for women located on the West Coast of the United States. Discussions were not permitted regarding politics, religion, or reform. The members of the ...
*
Shirley Temple Black
Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple;While Temple occasionally used "Jane" as a middle name, her birth certificate reads "Shirley Temple". Her birth certificate was altered to prolong her babyhood shortly after she signed with Fox in ...
, actress and former U.S. ambassador
*
Mike Brisiel
Michael Scott Brisiel (born March 14, 1983) is a former American football Guard (American football), guard. He played college football at Colorado State Rams football, Colorado State and was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free age ...
, an offensive guard for
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
.
*
Virginia Lee Burton, Caldecott-winning children's author and illustrator.
*
Harold Camping
Harold Egbert Camping (July 19, 1921December 15, 2013) was an American Christian radio broadcaster and evangelist. Beginning in 1958, he served as president of Family Radio, a California-based radio station group that, at its peak, broadcast to ...
, television and radio personality, president and general manager of
Family Stations, Inc.
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
*
Phyllis Diller
Phyllis Ada Diller (née Driver; July 17, 1917 – August 20, 2012) was an American stand-up comedian, actress, author, musician, and visual artist, best known for her eccentric stage persona, self-deprecating humor, wild hair and clothes, and e ...
, television comedian, attended Sunday school at First Presbyterian, married and lived in Alameda at the start of her comedy act in San Francisco in the 1950s.
*
General James Doolittle, who received the Medal of Honor for his bombing of Japan during World War II; Doolittle was born in Alameda in 1896.
*
Garrett Eckbo
Garrett Eckbo (November 28, 1910 – May 14, 2000) was an American landscape architect notable for his seminal 1950 book '' Landscape for Living''.
Youth
He was born in Cooperstown, New York to Axel Eckbo, a businessman, and Theodora Munn Eck ...
, landscape architect who lived in Alameda as a child, later forming the Bay Area firm of Eckbo, Royston, Williams with
Robert Royston
Robert N. Royston (1918 – September 19, 2008) was one of America's most distinguished landscape architects, based in the San Francisco Bay Area of California in the United States. His design work and university teaching in the years followi ...
and Edward Williams.
*
Leif Erickson, actor, born in Alameda in 1911.
*
Larry Eustachy
Larry Robert Eustachy (born December 1, 1955) is an American college basketball coach, most recently the head coach of the Colorado State Rams He was previously the head coach at Idaho and
Eustachy was the AP Coach of the Year in 2000 af ...
, college basketball coach, born in Alameda.
*
Debbi Fields, founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies, attended Alameda High School, where she was a cheerleader.
*
Albert Ghiorso
Albert Ghiorso (July 15, 1915 – December 26, 2010) was an American nuclear scientist and co-discoverer of a record 12 chemical elements on the periodic table. His research career spanned six decades, from the early 1940s to the late 1990s.
Biog ...
, nuclear scientist, co-discoverer of 12 chemical elements on the periodic table; in
Guinness Book of World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
for Most Elements Discovered.
*
Brad Gillis
Bradley Frank Gillis (born 15 June 1957) is a guitarist most famous for playing with the band Night Ranger. He was in the band Rubicon during the 1970s before Night Ranger. Since forming in 1979, Gillis and drummer Kelly Keagy are the only membe ...
, guitarist with Night Ranger, a San Francisco rock band formed in the 1980s.
*
Katharine Graham
Katharine Meyer Graham (June 16, 1917 – July 17, 2001) was an American newspaper publisher. She led her family's newspaper, ''The Washington Post'', from 1963 to 1991. Graham presided over the paper as it reported on the Watergate scandal, whi ...
, the late publisher of ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'', lived in Alameda as a child, according to ''Personal History'', her autobiography.
*
Tim Hardaway Jr.
Timothy Duane Hardaway Jr. (born March 16, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines and declared for th ...
, a professional basketball player, was born in Alameda.
*
Horace Heidt
Horace Heidt (May 21, 1901 – December 1, 1986) was an American pianist, big band leader, and radio and television personality. His band, Horace Heidt and his Musical Knights, toured vaudeville and performed on radio and television during the 19 ...
, bandleader and radio personality, born in Alameda on May 21, 1901.
*
Emily Heller
Emily Elizabeth Heller (born October 5, 1985) is an American comedian, writer, actor and podcast host. Her stand-up comedy career includes two Comedy Central specials, two albums, and guest appearances on '' Conan'', ''Late Night with Seth Meye ...
, comedian
*
Marielle Heller
Marielle Stiles Heller (born October 1, 1979) is an American writer, director, and actress. She is best known for directing the films '' The Diary of a Teenage Girl'' (2015), ''Can You Ever Forgive Me?'' (2018), and ''A Beautiful Day in the Nei ...
, actress and director
*
Bruce Henderson
Bruce Doolin Henderson (April 30, 1915 – July 20, 1992) was an American businessman and management expert. He founded Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in 1963 in Boston, Massachusetts and headed the firm as the president and CEO until 1980. He c ...
, author, grew up in Alameda, according to his book ''Hero Found: The Greatest POW Escape of the Vietnam War''.
*
Benjamin Jealous
Benjamin Todd Jealous (born January 18, 1973) is an American civil rights leader and social impact investor. He served as the president and chief executive officer of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) from 200 ...
, former President of the NAACP, lived in Alameda.
*
Joseph R. Knowland, congressman and Alameda native, was editor and publisher of the ''Oakland Tribune''.
*
William Fife Knowland
William Fife Knowland (June 26, 1908 – February 23, 1974) was an American politician and newspaper publisher. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States Senator from California from 1945 to 1959. He was Senate Majority Le ...
, U.S. Senator, was student body president at Alameda High School.
*
Robert L. Lippert, theater chain owner and film producer, was an Alameda native.
*
Paul Mantz
Albert Paul Mantz (August 2, 1903 – July 8, 1965) was a noted air racing pilot, movie stunt pilot and consultant from the late 1930s until his death in the mid-1960s. He gained fame on two stages: Hollywood and in air races.
Early years
Ma ...
, air racer and Hollywood stunt pilot, was born in Alameda in 1903.
*
Louis A. McCall Sr., drummer and musician known as the co-founder of
Con Funk Shun
Con Funk Shun (formerly known as Project Soul) is an American R&B and funk band whose popularity began in the mid-1970s and ran through the 1980s. They were influenced by funk legend James Brown and Sly and the Family Stone. Signed to Mercury R ...
.
*
Margaret McNamara
Margaret Craig McNamara (August 22, 1915 – February 3, 1981) was the founder of the nonprofit children's literacy organization Reading is Fundamental and the wife of the United States Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara.
Life and work
McNamara ...
, founder of
Reading is Fundamental
Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF) is the oldest and largest non-profit children's literacy organization in the United States. RIF provides books (print and digital) and reading resources to children nationwide with supporting literacy resourc ...
, and wife of
Robert McNamara
Robert Strange McNamara (; June 9, 1916 – July 6, 2009) was an American business executive and the eighth United States Secretary of Defense, serving from 1961 to 1968 under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He remains the Lis ...
, grew up in Alameda.
*
George P. Miller
George Paul Miller (January 15, 1891 – December 29, 1982) was an American veteran of World War I who served 14 terms as a U.S. Representative from California from 1945 to 1973.
Early life
George Paul Miller was born in San Francisco, Califo ...
, a congressman from 1945 to 1973.
*
Jack Mingo
Jack Mingo (born 1952) is an American author, journalist and beekeeper. He has written ''Bees Make the Best Pets'', ''The Juicy Parts'', and ''The Couch Potato Handbook''. He and a small group of media hoaxers trademarked and popularized the term ' ...
, author
*
Hugo Wilhelm Arthur Nahl
Arthur Nahl (1 September 1833 – 1 April 1889) was a German-born artist, daguerreotyper, engraving, engraver, portraitist, and landscape painting, landscape painter. Nahl was a painter known for his American Old West paintings of California. ...
, designer of the
Seal of California
The Great Seal of the State of California was adopted at the California state Constitutional Convention of 1849 and has undergone minor design changes since then, the last being the standardization of the seal in 1937. The seal shows Athena in ...
.
*
Don Perata
Don Richard Perata (born April 30, 1945) is a California lobbyist
and former Carl Ravazza
Carl Ravazza (July 21, 1910 – July 28, 1968), also known professionally as Carl Ravell, was an American violinist, vocalist and bandleader.
Born in Alameda, California, Ravazza was a violinist who also started singing when he was in the Anson ...
, bandleader, born in Alameda, 1910.
*
Bill Rigney
William Joseph Rigney (January 29, 1918 – February 20, 2001) was an American infielder and manager in Major League Baseball. A 26-year big-league veteran, Rigney played for the New York Giants from to , then spent 18 seasons as the skipper o ...
, Major League Baseball player and manager, was born in Alameda.
*
Dutch Ruether
Walter Henry Ruether (September 29, 1893 – May 16, 1970) was an American baseball player who pitched for five different major league teams. In his 11-year career, Ruether played for the Chicago Cubs, the Cincinnati Reds, the Brooklyn Rob ...
, pitcher for 1927
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
, was born in Alameda.
*
Jane Sibbett
Jane Moore Sibbett is an American actress. Her most notable roles include Heddy Newman on the Fox television series ''Herman's Head'' and Carol Willick on the television series ''Friends''.
Early life
Sibbett was born in Berkeley, California, th ...
, actress and comedian, grew up in Alameda.
*
Opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
tic
mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...
Frederica Von Stade
Frederica von Stade OAL (born June 1, 1945) is a semi-retired American opera singer. Since her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1970, she has performed in operas, musicals, concerts and recitals in venues throughout the world, including La Scala, th ...
has lived in Alameda since 1992.
*
Sharon Tate
Sharon Marie Tate Polanski (January 24, 1943 – August 9, 1969) was an American actress and model. During the 1960s, she played small television roles before appearing in films and was regularly featured in fashion magazines as a model and cover ...
, actress, resident in early to late-1960s.
*
Charles Lee Tilden
Charles Lee Tilden (July 17, 1857 – November 12, 1950) was an attorney and businessman in the San Francisco Bay Area who served on the first Board of Directors of the East Bay Regional Park District. One of the first three parks in the Dist ...
, for whom
Tilden Regional Park
Charles Lee Tilden Regional Park, also known as Tilden Park or Tilden, [], is a regional park in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. It is between the Berkeley Hills and San Pablo R ...
is named, was a longtime resident of Alameda; Tilden Way at the southeast end of the city is named for him.
*
Baseball Hall of Famer
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-re ...
Willie Stargell
Wilver Dornell Stargell (March 6, 1940 – April 9, 2001), nicknamed "Pops" later in his career, was an American professional baseball left fielder and first baseman who spent all of his 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) ( 1962– 1982 ...
,
MLB
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
player
Tommy Harper
Tommy Harper (born October 14, 1940) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder and third baseman. He played with the Cincinnati Reds (1962–67), Cleveland Indians (1968), Seattle Pilots / Milwaukee Brewers (1969–71), Boston Red S ...
, MLB player
Curtell Howard Motton, 2003
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
Rookie of the Year Dontrelle Willis
Dontrelle Wayne Willis (born January 12, 1982), nicknamed "The D-Train", is an American former left-handed professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinn ...
, 2007
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
Most Valuable Player
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
Jimmy Rollins
James Calvin Rollins (born November 27, 1978), nicknamed "J-Roll", is an American former professional baseball shortstop, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies (–), Los Angeles Dodgers (), and Chicago White S ...
,
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
player
J.R. Rider
Isaiah Rider Jr., nicknamed J.R. (born March 12, 1971), is an American former professional basketball player who played 9 seasons in the NBA.
Rider was born in Oakland, California, and was raised in nearby Alameda, California, Alameda. He starred ...
, and
NFL players
Melvin Carver and
Junior Tautalatasi
Taivale "Junior" Tautalatasi Jr. (born March 24, 1962) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Washington State and in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.
Early yea ...
all attended
Encinal High School
Encinal High School is a co-educational public high school serving grades 6-12. It is located in Alameda, California, United States, and is part of the Alameda Unified School District.
Threatened closure
The school was one of several in the Ala ...
.
*
Jason Kidd
Jason Frederick Kidd (born March 23, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Regarded as one of the greatest point guards ...
(NBA player and coach) and
Joe Nelson
Joseph George Nelson (born October 25, 1974) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher.
High school
Nelson attended St. Joseph's High School in Alameda, California. At St. Joseph, Nelson played basketball with NBA star Jason Kidd.
Colle ...
(MLB pitcher) attended
St. Joseph Notre Dame High School in Alameda.
*
MLB
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
players
Ray French
Raymond James French, MBE (born 23 December 1939) is an English former rugby league and rugby union footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. French played at international level in both codes. He won four caps for England in rugby union ...
,
Johnny Vergez
Jean Louis Vergez (July 9, 1906 – July 15, 1991) was an American professional baseball player. A third baseman, his career lasted for 18 seasons (1926–43) and included all or parts of six years (1931–36) in Major League Baseball and extensiv ...
,
Andy Carey
Andrew Arthur Carey (born Andrew Arthur Hexem, October 18, 1931 – December 15, 2011) was an American professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees (1952–1960), Kansas City Athletics (1960–1 ...
,
Bill Serena
William Robert Serena (October 2, 1924 – April 17, 1996) was a professional baseball player who played infielder in the Major Leagues from to for the Chicago Cubs.
After his playing career was over, Serena worked as a baseball scout.
Refe ...
,
Erik Schullstrom
Erik Paul Schullstrom (born March 25, 1969) is a former professional baseball pitcher who played for the Minnesota Twins in its 1994 and 1995 seasons. Listed at , 220 pounds, Schullstrom threw and batted right-handed. He was born in San Diego, Ca ...
,
Dick Bartell
__NOTOC__
Richard William Bartell (November 22, 1907 – August 4, 1995), nicknamed "Rowdy Richard", was an American professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop from to . One of the ...
,
Duffy Lewis
George Edward "Duffy" Lewis (April 18, 1888 – June 17, 1979) was an American professional baseball left fielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees, and the Washington Senators from 1910 to ...
and
Chris Speier
Christopher Edward Speier (born June 28, 1950) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop, most notably for the San Francisco Giants and the Montreal Expos. He is known by the nickname " ...
all attended
Alameda High School
Alameda High School is a co-educational state high school serving grades 9–12. It is located in Alameda, California, United States, and is part of the Alameda Unified School District.
History
The suggestion to open a "Preparatory Department o ...
.
* Many people from naval families, including celebrities such as
Ann Curry
Ann Curry (born November 19, 1956) is an American journalist and photojournalist, who has been a reporter for more than 30 years, focused on human suffering in war zones and natural disasters. Curry has reported from the wars in Kosovo, Iraq, S ...
,
Brigette Lundy-Paine
Brigette Lundy-Paine (born August 10, 1994) is an American actor. They first came to prominence for portraying Casey Gardner on all four seasons of the Netflix comedy-drama ''Atypical'' (2017–2021). In 2020, Lundy-Paine achieved further recog ...
,
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
, and
Jim Morrison
James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, poet and songwriter who was the lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band the Doors. Due to his wild personality, poetic lyrics, distinctive voice, unpredicta ...
of
The Doors
The Doors were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential ro ...
, have lived in Alameda.
Sister cities
Alameda's relationships with Wuxi and Jiangyin were initiated in 2005, in part, by Stewart Chen, who then served on the City of Alameda Social Service and Human Relations board, and who went on to be elected to Alameda City Council in November 2012.
Wuxi, China, is a so-called friendship city, because the diplomacy organization
Sister Cities International
Sister Cities International (SCI) is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between communities in the United States and those in other countries, particularly through the establishment of "sister cities"â ...
does not recognize the relationship.
*
Jiangyin
Jiangyin (, Jiangyin dialect: ) is a county-level city on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, and is administered by Wuxi, Jiangsu province. Jiangyin is one of the most important transport hubs on the Yangtze River, it is also one of the most d ...
, China
*
Arita
Arita may refer to:
*Arita (surname)
*Arita, Saga, a town in Saga Prefecture, Japan
:* Arita ware, a kind of Japanese porcelain made in the area around the town
* ''Arita'' (skipper), a genus of butterflies in the grass skipper family
*Arita, a br ...
, Japan
*
Yeongdong-gun, South Korea
*
Lidingö
Lidingö, also known in its definite form ''Lidingön'' and as ''Lidingölandet'', is an island in the inner Stockholm archipelago, northeast of Stockholm, Sweden. In 2010, the population of the Lidingö urban area on the island was 31,561. It is ...
, Sweden. Initiated in 1959 as 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.
*
Dumaguete City
Dumaguete, officially the City of Dumaguete ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dumaguete; fil, Lungsod ng Dumaguete), is a 3rd income class component city and the capital of the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a p ...
of
Negros Oriental
Negros Oriental ( ceb, Sidlakang Negros; tl, Silangang Negros), officially the Province of Negros Oriental, is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Dumaguete. It occupies the southeaste ...
, Philippines
Friendship city
*
Wuxi
Wuxi (, ) is a city in southern Jiangsu province, eastern China, by car to the northwest of downtown Shanghai, between Changzhou and Suzhou. In 2017 it had a population of 3,542,319, with 6,553,000 living in the entire prefecture-level city ar ...
, China (
Friendship city
A sister city or a twin town relationship is International relations, a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.
While there are ...
since 2004)
See also
*
Alameda Island
Alameda Island is an island located in the San Francisco Bay in California. It is south and west of, and adjacent to, Oakland, California, Oakland, and across the bay eastward from San Francisco. Located on the island is most of the city of Ala ...
*
Bay Farm Island
*
Coast Guard Island
*
List of islands of California
This list of islands of California is organized into sections, generally arranged from north to south. The islands within each section are listed in alphabetical order.
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) lists 527 named islands in the ...
*
List of ships built in Alameda, California
This is a List of ships built in Alameda, California, commercial and military vessels built in the shipyards of Alameda, an historically important island naval base in the San Francisco Bay area of California.
A
*''USS Admiral C. F. Hughes (AP-1 ...
References
External links
*
*
*
{{authority control
1854 establishments in California
Cities in Alameda County, California
Incorporated cities and towns in California
Populated places established in 1854
Populated coastal places in California