About Oakland, CA

Oakland California’s history goes back as far as the establishment of a settlement by three men named Andrew Moon, Edson Adams, and Horace Carpentier during the 1800’s. Oakland is located in of Alameda, California. The region currently known as Oakland has been inhabited for thousands of year, although the settlement didn’t experience significant growth didn’t occur until the Industrial revolution. The year 1852 brought the incorporation of Oakland as a town.

Originally, the Costanoan Indian tribe inhabited the region that is currently known as Oakland. The reason they selected this area was because of the abundant supply of water in the region. Spanish explorers elected to explore what is currently known as California, which made them the first white people to arrive in the region during the early 1770’s.

A Spanish soldier named Luis Maria Peralta requested and was granted some property that was is somewhat close proximity to the current East Bay region in 1820. However, the United States took over the region currently known as California, shortly after the Mexican War ended.

The simple mining for minerals for common minerals started shortly after California became a state. However, in 1848, when gold was discovered, the next year, numerous white pioneer as well as prospectors looking to strike it rich, arrived in the region. For many who arrived and were ready for the hard work of searching for gold, this fantasy became a realization. A local government and system of laws had to be established as the result of the sudden influx of people. In 1854, this also allowed the town of Oakland to become a city.

Oakland was thriving with numerous local businesses in the region, probably as the result of its closeness to San Francisco. Both cities were located in the edge of a bay, which made them ideal to play the host for several shipping companies. Oakland benefited greatly from this arrangement as time went by, and went on to become a primary pot for Oakland as well as San Francisco. Oakland is now one of the busiest ports for container ships in the world.

The environment in and around Oakland has numerous attractions in addition to several natural features that attract visitors from all over the country. Lake Merritt in Oakland is one of the most prominent features, which is very well-known for its location directly in the middle of the city. Lake Merritt is home to much of the recreation in the city and provides its name to the oldest sanctuary of this kind in that nation that dates back to 1870, and is known as the Lake Merritt Wild Fowl Sanctuary.

Oakland is also the home of numerous public performances that are provided by the Oakland Civic Ballet, as well as the Oakland Symphony Orchestra, in addition to this magnificent lake. Oakland also is home to the Knowland State Park and Arboretum, which is located within the Oakland Zoo, as well the Oakland Museum.

In addition, the Oakland region is the home of various education institutions that include Patten College, Mills College, Holy Names College, as well as the California College of the Arts and Crafts.

The mayor of Oakland named Jerry Brown continued the public policy of his predecessor, named Elihu Harris, of providing support for the downtown housing development project after his inauguration in1999. This project provides support and is part of the 1998 General Plan for the Business District in Oakland. It was known as the 10K plan because it was the objective of Mayor Brown to add 10,000 more residents to downtown Oakland. The result was the redevelopment project in the Jack London District, where Mayor Brown bought and then sometime later sold an industrial warehouse, which was used by Mayor Brown as his personal home. It also resulted in the District of the Lakeside Apartments project close to Lake Merritt, where two filling projects were approved. The 10K plan helped the downtown area, the Uptown district, the Chinatown district, as well as the historic Old Oakland district. Other redevelopment projects in addition to the 10K plan were somewhat controversial as the result of gentrification and the possibility of increases in rent. This could possibly displace some of the lower income residents from outlying cities and neighborhoods, as well as from downtown Oakland. There was also additional controversy as the result of the development proposals because of the fear that, in 2000, they might weaken the national economy, and more especially weaken the economy of the Bay. These fears were made more feasible as the result the 2008 recession and the credit crunch. These downturns resulted in slower economic recovery and growth than expected, the lack of occupancy of the new housing, and lower rentals and sales.

The baseball club, known as the Oakland Athletics have wanted to have a new baseball stadium constructed for a long time. In 2006, a deal was announced that a new baseball stadium would be built in Fremont, California, which would be known as Cisco Field. However, some three years later the project was stopped because of resistance from local residents and businesses. Both city politicians and fans have put forth local efforts in order to retain the Oakland Athletics, that included three possible locations close to the Oakland waterfront and the downtown area.