POPULATION: 390,724 (total) | TIME ZONE: Pacific | CLIMATE: Mediterranean climate (dry, warm summers, mild, damp winters)
Oakland has a reputation as a progressive city with a rough and tumble past—which belies its beginnings as a little town in a forest. For a time in the 1800s, Oakland was called Encinal, the Spanish word for "oak grove." The oak forest that covered the area was eventually the inspiration for the city's English name. First incorporated in 1852, Oakland grew quickly, becoming a major rail terminal and port. Horsecar and cable car lines were built, then came electric streetcars, all of which were eventually updated and consolidated into what is today's public transit system, the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District. In 1906, Oakland’s population doubled virtually overnight as folks left homeless by the San Francisco earthquake and fires moved across the bay. In 1916, General Motors built Oakland Assembly, a plant that produced Chevy automobiles and, later, GMC trucks. Next came a Chrysler plant. Eventually, Oakland became known as the "Detroit of the West."
NICKNAME(S)
Oaktown
The Town Bump City
MOTTO(S)
Bright Side of The Bay
RANDOM SONG ABOUT THE CITY
Oakland Stroke by Tower Of Power
PRO SPORTS TEAMS
Oakland Raiders (NFL)
Oakland Athletics (MLB)
Golden State Warriors (NBA)
ALSO KNOWN FOR...
More sourdough bread production than anyplace else on earth
Dreyer’s Ice Cream
Better weather than San Francisco
The first wildlife refuge in the U.S.
The country’s oldest bonsai tree
Hundreds of secret staircases
The invention of The Wave at Oakland Coliseum
The world’s only city with a natural saltwater lake
The most ethnically diverse city in the U.S.
Children’s Fairyland, which inspired Disneyland
M.C. Hammer, Mark Hamill, Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks, Sonny Barger, Jerry Brown, Huey Newton, Earl Warren, Keyshia Cole, Isadora Duncan, Sheila E., En Vogue, John Lee Hooker, Earl Hines, The Pointer Sisters, Tupac Shakur, Tower of Power, Jack London, William Saroyan, Gertrude Stein