View source for Oakland, California

{{Short description|City in California, United States}}
{{Redirect2|Oakland|City of Oakland|other uses|Oakland (disambiguation)|and|Oakland City (disambiguation){{!}}Oakland City}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See the table at Template:Infobox settlement for all fields and descriptions of their usage. -->
| name                   = Oakland
<!-- Images and maps ------>
| settlement_type        = [[List of municipalities in California|City]]
| image_skyline            = {{multiple image
| border                   = infobox
| total_width              = 290
| image_style              = border:1;
| perrow                   = 1/3/2/2/1
| caption_align            = center
 |image1 = OAKLAND, CA, USA - Skyline and Bridge (cropped).JPG
 |caption1 = Skyline of [[Downtown Oakland]], with the [[San Francisco Bay]] in the background
 |image2 = Alameda County Superior Court (cropped).jpg
 |caption2 = [[René C. Davidson Courthouse|Davidson Courthouse]]
 |image3 = Fox Oakland Theatre.jpg
 |caption3 = [[Fox Oakland Theatre]]
 |image4 = Downtown Oakland Historic District-6 (cropped).jpg
 |caption4 = [[Tribune Tower (Oakland)|Tribune Tower]]
 |image5 = Eastern Span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge at night, seen from Yerba Buena Island.jpg
 |caption5 = Eastern span of the [[San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge|Bay Bridge]]
 |image6 = Mormon Temple, Oakland.jpg
 |caption6 = [[Oakland Temple]]
 |image7 = Grand Avenue side of Lake Merritt, Oakland.jpg
 |caption7 = [[Lake Merritt]]
 |image8 = Oakland Coliseum aerial view 2024.jpg
 |caption8 = [[Oakland Coliseum]]
}}
| image_flag             = Flag of Oakland, California.svg
| flag_size              = 110px
| image_seal             = Seal of Oakland, California.png
| seal_size              = 90px
| image_blank_emblem     = Logo of Oakland, California.svg
| blank_emblem_type      = Logo
| blank_emblem_size      = 150px
| nicknames               = "Oaktown",<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-11-22-ca-1810-story.html|title=The New Motown : Call it 'Oaktown.' It's funky, it's thriving. It's definitely not L.A. or New York. And it just may be the Hip-Hop Capital of America|first=TOM|last=SCANLON|date=November 22, 1992|newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> "The Town"
| motto                  = "Love life"<ref>{{cite web|last1=Swan |first1=By Rachel |url=http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Debate-over-Oakland-motto-exposes-racial-divide-7252045.php|title=Debate over Oakland motto exposes racial divide, identity crisis|date=April 16, 2016|work=sfchronicle.com}}</ref>
| image_map              = {{Maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-width=300|frame-align=center|type=shape|fill=#ffffff|fill-opacity=0|stroke-width=3|title=Oakland}}
| mapsize                = 
| map_caption            = Interactive map outlining Oakland
| pushpin_map            = California#USA
| pushpin_map_caption    = Location in California##Location in the United States
| pushpin_label          = Oakland
| pushpin_relief         = yes
<!-- Location ------------->
| coordinates            = {{coord|37|48|16|N|122|16|15|W|region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type       = Country
| subdivision_name       = {{flag|United States}}
| subdivision_type1      = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_type2      = [[List of counties in California|County]]
| subdivision_name1      = {{flag|California}}
| subdivision_name2      = [[Alameda County, California|Alameda]]
<!-- History -------------->
| established_title      = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date       = {{Start date and age|1852|5|4|p=fy}}<!-- Either May 4, 1852 (incorporation passed), or March 25, 1854 (incorporation approved) --><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.calafco.org/docs/Cities_by_incorp_date.doc
|title=California Cities by Incorporation Date
|format=Word
|publisher=California Association of [[Local Agency Formation Commission]]s
|access-date=March 27, 2013 |url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130221091414/http://www.calafco.org/docs/Cities_by_incorp_date.doc
|archive-date=February 21, 2013 }}</ref><ref name="baker_incorporation_date"/>
| named_for              = The large [[oak forest]] that originally covered the area<ref name="ancestry1932"/>
<!-- Government ----------->
| government_type        = [[Mayor-council government|Strong mayor]]<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/ElectedOfficials/index.htm
| title = Elected Officials
| publisher = City of Oakland, California
| access-date = January 31, 2015
| archive-date = January 31, 2015
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150131221100/http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/ElectedOfficials/index.htm
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>
| governing_body         = [[Oakland City Council]]
| leader_title           = [[List of mayors of Oakland, California|Mayor]]
| leader_name            = [[Barbara Lee]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
| leader_title1          = [[Vice Mayor]]
| leader_name1           = Vacant
| leader_title2          = [[California's 7th State Senate district|State senator]]
| leader_name2           = {{Representative|casd|7|fmt=sleader}}<ref name=SSenate>{{cite web
|url=http://senate.ca.gov/senators
|title=Senators
|access-date=March 18, 2013
|publisher=State of California}}</ref>
| leader_title3          = [[California State Assembly|Assemblymembers]]
| leader_name3           = {{Representative|caad|14|fmt=sleader}} and<br />{{Representative|caad|18|fmt=sleader}}<ref name=SAssembly>{{cite web
|url=http://assembly.ca.gov/assemblymembers
|title=Members Assembly
|access-date=March 18, 2013
|publisher=State of California}}</ref>
| leader_title4          = [[California's 12th congressional district|U. S. rep.]]
| leader_name4           = {{Representative|cacd|12|fmt=usleader}}<ref name="California">{{Cite GovTrack|CA|12|access-date=March 9, 2013}}</ref>
| unit_pref              = Imperial
| area_footnotes         = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2021">{{cite web|title=2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2021_Gazetteer/2021_gaz_place_06.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 5, 2021}}</ref>
| area_total_sq_mi       = 78.03
| area_total_km2         = 202.10
| area_land_sq_mi        = 55.93
| area_land_km2          = 144.86
| area_water_sq_mi       = 22.10
| area_water_km2         = 57.24
<!-- Elevation ------------>
| elevation_footnotes    = <ref>{{Cite GNIS|277566|Oakland}}</ref>
| elevation_ft           = 43
<!-- Population ----------->
| population_total       = 440646
| population_as_of       = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes   = <ref name="QuickFacts">{{cite web |title=QuickFacts: Oakland city, California |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/oaklandcitycalifornia/POP010220 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=September 7, 2021}}</ref>
| population_rank        = [[Alameda County, California|1st]] in Alameda County<br />[[List of largest cities in California by population|8th]] in California<br />[[List of United States cities by population|45th]] in the United States
| population_density_sq_mi = 7878.53
| population_density_km2 = 3041.87
| population_demonym     = Oaklander
<!-- Time zones ----------->
| postal_code_type       = [[ZIP Code]]s
| postal_code            = 94601–94615, 94617-94624, 94649, 94659–94662, 94666<ref>{{cite web |title=Zip Code Lookup |url=https://tools.usps.com/zip-code-lookup.htm?bycitystate |website=USPS |access-date=April 11, 2020}}</ref>
| area_code              = [[Area codes 510 and 341|510/341]]
| area_code_type         = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area codes]]
| website                = {{URL|https://www.oaklandca.gov/|oaklandca.gov}}
<!-- Area------------------>
| timezone               = [[Pacific Time Zone|PST]]
| utc_offset             = −08:00
| timezone_DST           = [[Pacific Daylight Time|PDT]]
| utc_offset_DST         = −07:00
<!-- Codes ---------------->
| blank_name             = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS]] code
| blank_info             = {{FIPS|06|53000}}
| blank1_name            = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature IDs
| blank1_info            = {{GNIS4|277566}}, {{GNIS4|2411292}}
}}

'''Oakland''' is a city in the [[East Bay]] region of the [[San Francisco Bay Area]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[California]]. It is the [[county seat]] of and the most populous city in [[Alameda County, California|Alameda County]], with a population of 440,646 in 2020.<ref name="QuickFacts" /> A major [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] port, Oakland is the most populous city in the East Bay, the third most populous city in the Bay Area, and the eighth most populous city in California. It serves as the Bay Area's trade center: the [[Port of Oakland]] is the busiest port in [[Northern California]], and the fifth- or sixth-busiest in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.portofoakland.com/port/history/ |title=Port of Oakland – History |work=Port of Oakland |access-date=January 31, 2018 |publisher=[[Port of Oakland]]}}</ref> A [[charter city]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oaklandcityattorney.org/PDFS/city_b_day_may_2002.pdf|title=Legal Briefs|publisher=City of Oakland Office of the City Attorney|access-date=March 19, 2015|date=May 2002|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924054030/http://www.oaklandcityattorney.org/PDFS/city_b_day_may_2002.pdf|archive-date=September 24, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> Oakland was [[municipal corporation|incorporated]] on May 4, 1852, in the wake of the state's increasing population due to the [[California gold rush]].<ref name="baker_incorporation_date">{{cite book |author=Joseph Eugene Baker |title=Past and present of Alameda County, California |volume=1 |date=1914 |publisher=S.J. Clarke |pages=55,65,358,360–361}}</ref>

Oakland's territory covers what was once a mosaic of [[California coastal prairie|California coastal terrace prairie]], [[oak]] [[woodland]], and north [[coastal scrub]].<ref name="baker_oak_redwood">{{cite book |author=Joseph Eugene Baker |title=Past and present of Alameda County, California |volume=1 |date=1914 |publisher=S.J. Clarke |pages=49–51}}</ref> In the late 18th century, it became part of a large ''rancho'' grant in the colony of [[New Spain]], and was known for its plentiful [[live oak|oak tree]] stands. Its land served as a resource when its hillside oak and [[Sequoia sempervirens|redwood]] timber were logged to build [[San Francisco]].<ref name="baker_oak_redwood"/> The fertile flatland soils helped it become a prolific agricultural region. In the 1850s, what became the first campus of the [[University of California]] was founded in Oakland, and Oakland was selected as the western terminal of the [[First transcontinental railroad|Transcontinental Railroad]] in 1869.<ref name="baker_city_growth">{{cite book |author=Joseph Eugene Baker |title=Past and present of Alameda County, California |volume=1 |date=1914 |publisher=S.J. Clarke |page=365}}</ref> The following year, Oakland's [[Lake Merritt]] became the United States' first officially designated wildlife refuge, now a [[National Historic Landmark]]. Following the catastrophic [[1906 San Francisco earthquake]], many San Francisco citizens moved to Oakland, enlarging the population, increasing its housing stock, and improving its infrastructure. It continued to grow in the 20th century with its port, [[shipyard]]s, and manufacturing industry. In the 21st century, between 2019 and 2023, after the city and county refused requests for hundreds of millions of dollars in benefits to the privately owned teams, Oakland lost three teams of the [[Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada|major North American sports leagues]] within a span of five years.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Draper |first=Kevin |date=2024-08-24 |title=Teams Leave, but Oakland Still Finds Reasons to Cheer |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/24/business/oakland-sports-teams-roots-ballers.html |access-date=2024-08-25 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="OaklandExodus1">{{cite news|url=https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/oakland-pro-sports-team-loss-athletics-las-vegas-fan-reaction|title=Oakland unbelievably lost all three of its pro sports teams in just 5 years|author=Robert Zeglinski|newspaper=USA TODAY SPORTS|date=April 20, 2023|access-date=May 22, 2024}}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Oakland, California}}
{{For timeline}}

===Ohlone era ===
The earliest known inhabitants of the area were the Huchiun natives, who lived there for thousands of years. The Huchiun belonged to a linguistic grouping later called the [[Ohlone]] (a [[Miwok]] word meaning "western people").<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.nativecc.com/OhloneTribalMap.html/ |title = Ohlone Tribal Regions Map |access-date=April 15, 2007 |last=Milliken |first=Randall |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070813110544/http://www.nativecc.com/OhloneTribalMap.html/ <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = August 13, 2007}}</ref> In Oakland, they were concentrated around [[Lake Merritt]] and [[Temescal Creek (Northern California)|Temescal Creek]], a stream that enters the San Francisco Bay at [[Emeryville, California|Emeryville]].

===Spanish and Mexican eras===
[[File:Peralta Family.jpg|thumb|left|Oakland and much of the [[East Bay]] was part of [[Rancho San Antonio (Peralta)|Rancho San Antonio]], granted to [[Luís María Peralta]] in 1820. Here the Peralta family is pictured at their hacienda in Oakland, c. 1840.]]
In 1772, the area that later became Oakland was colonized, along with the rest of California, by Spanish settlers for the king of [[Spain]]. In the early 19th century, the Spanish crown granted the East Bay area to [[Luis María Peralta]] for his [[Rancho San Antonio (Peralta)|Rancho San Antonio]]. The grant was confirmed by the successor Mexican republic upon its independence from Spain.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://oakland-california.co.tv/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110411053608/http://oakland-california.co.tv/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 11, 2011 |title=Oakland-california.co.tv |publisher=Oakland-california.co.tv |access-date=April 19, 2012 }}</ref> Upon his death in 1842, Peralta divided his land among his four sons. Most of Oakland was within the shares given to Antonio Maria and Vicente.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oaklandcaliforniarealestate.biz/History.asp |title=A Brief History of Oakland, California |publisher=Oaklandcaliforniarealestate.biz |access-date=April 19, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324183040/http://www.oaklandcaliforniarealestate.biz/History.asp |archive-date=March 24, 2012 }}</ref> The portion of the parcel that is now Oakland was called ''Encinar'' (misrendered at an early date and carried forward as "encinal") &ndash; Spanish for "[[oak forest|oak grove]]" &ndash; due to the large oak forest that covered the area, which eventually led to the city's name.<ref name="ancestry1932">{{cite web|url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~npmelton/oakhist.htm |title=Oakland's Early History, Edson F. Adams, 1932 |publisher=Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com |access-date=November 26, 2013}}</ref>

According to [[Stanford University]] historian Albert Camarillo, the Peralta family struggled to keep their land after the incorporation of California into the United States after the [[Mexican–American War]]. Camarillo claims the family was the victim of targeted [[racial violence]]. He writes in ''Chicanos in California'', "They lost everything when squatters cut down their fruit trees, killed their cattle, destroyed their buildings, and even fenced off the roads leading to the rancho. Especially insidious were the actions of attorney [[Horace Carpentier]], who tricked Vicente Peralta into signing a 'lease' which turned out to be a mortgage against the 19,000-acre rancho. The lands became Carpentier's when Peralta refused to repay the loan he believed was fraudulently incurred. The Peraltas had no choice but to abandon the homesite they had occupied for two generations."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Camarillo |first1=Albert |title=Chicanos in California: A History of Mexican Americans in California |date=1979 |publisher=Boyd & Fraser |isbn=978-0878351282 |page=16 |edition=1 |url=https://archive.org/details/chicanosincalifo00albe |access-date=July 29, 2020}}</ref>

===City beginnings===
[[File:1857 U.S. Coast Survey Map of San Antonio Creek and Oakland, California (near San Francisco) - Geographicus - SanAntonioCreek-uscs-1857.jpg|thumb|left|1857 map of Oakland]]
In 1851, three men—[[Horace Carpentier]], Edson Adams, and Andrew Moon—began developing what is now downtown Oakland.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of the Port of Oakland: 1850–1934|url=http://www.waterfrontaction.org/learn/wpa_hist_%201-6.pdf|website=waterfrontaction.org|page=1|access-date=February 17, 2018|archive-date=June 21, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230621035026/http://www.waterfrontaction.org/learn/wpa_hist_%201-6.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1852, the Town of Oakland was incorporated by the state legislature.<ref>[https://clerk.assembly.ca.gov/sites/clerk.assembly.ca.gov/files/archive/Statutes/1852/1852.PDF#page=13 ''Statutes of California'', 1852, p.180]</ref> During this time, Oakland had 75–100 inhabitants, two hotels, a wharf, two warehouses, and only cattle trails. Two years later, on March 25, 1854, Oakland re-incorporated as the City of Oakland.<ref>[https://clerk.assembly.ca.gov/sites/clerk.assembly.ca.gov/files/archive/Statutes/1854/1854.PDF#page=17 ''Statutes of California'', 1854, pp.183–187]</ref> Horace Carpentier was elected the first mayor, though a scandal ended his mayorship in less than a year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1857 US Coast Survey & A D Bache Rare Antique Map Oakland Brooklyn & San Antonio Creek California |url=https://www.classicalimages.com/products/1857-a-d-buache-rare-antique-map-oakland-brooklyn-san-antonio-creek-california-1 |access-date=2024-05-19 |website=Classical Images |language=en |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519150528/https://www.classicalimages.com/products/1857-a-d-buache-rare-antique-map-oakland-brooklyn-san-antonio-creek-california-1 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1853, a preparatory academy was founded in Oakland that soon became the [[College of California]], and in 1869, the first campus of the [[University of California]]. The university moved just north to [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]] in the 1870s.<ref name="Marsden">{{cite book|last1=Marsden|first1=George M.|title=The Soul of the American University: From Protestant Establishment to Established Nonbelief|date=1994|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York|isbn=9780195106503|pages=134–40|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E9QOfEZrrLYC&pg=PA134}}</ref>

During the 1850s, just as gold was discovered in California, Oakland started growing and further developing because land was becoming too expensive in [[San Francisco]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Hometown Chinatown : the history of Oakland's Chinese community|last=Armentrout Ma|first=L. Eve|isbn=9781138862791|location=New York|oclc=898926053|date = February 27, 2015}}</ref> People in China were struggling financially as a result of the [[First Opium War]], the [[Second Opium War]], and the [[Taiping Rebellion]], so they began migrating to Oakland, many of whom were recruited to work on railroads. However, the Chinese struggled to settle because they were discriminated against by the white community and their living quarters were burned down on several occasions.<ref name="Iris">{{Cite book|title=The Chinese in America : A Narrative History |last=Iris |first=Chang |date=March 2004 |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=9780142004173 |location=New York |oclc=55136302}}</ref>{{page needed|date=November 2022}}

The city and its environs quickly grew with the railroads, becoming a major rail terminal in the late 1860s and 1870s. In 1868, the [[Central Pacific Railroad|Central Pacific]] constructed the [[Oakland Long Wharf]] at Oakland Point, the site of today's [[Port of Oakland]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kqed.org/news/11745239/how-have-a-bunch-of-19th-century-victorians-survived-in-downtown-oakland|title=How Old Oakland's Historic Buildings Survived Decay (and Demolition)|last=Levi|first=Ryan|date=May 9, 2019|website=KQED|language=en-us|access-date=May 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190510034123/https://www.kqed.org/news/11745239/how-have-a-bunch-of-19th-century-victorians-survived-in-downtown-oakland|archive-date=May 10, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>

A number of [[horsecar]] and [[Cable car (railway)|cable car]] lines were constructed in Oakland during the latter half of the 19th century. The first electric [[streetcar]] set out from Oakland to [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]] in 1891, and other lines were converted and added over the course of the 1890s. The various streetcar companies operating in Oakland were acquired by [[Francis "Borax" Smith]] and consolidated into what eventually became known as the [[Key System]], the predecessor of today's publicly owned [[AC Transit]].

===1900–1950s===
[[File:Oakland ATSF station 1912 postcard.jpg|thumb|The [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway|Santa Fe]] rail station in 1912.]]
Oakland was one of the worst affected cities in California that was impacted by the [[San Francisco plague of 1900–1904]]. [[Quarantine]] measures were set in place at the Oakland ports requiring the authorities at the port to inspect the arriving vessels for the presence of infected rats.<ref name="QuarantineNYT">{{cite news|title=Quarantine Ordered Against Bubonic Rats|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1925/01/01/archives/quarantine-ordered-against-bubonic-rats-vessels-from-three.html|date=1925|work=[[The New York Times]]|id={{ProQuest|103474660}}}}</ref> Quarantine authorities at these ports inspected over a thousand vessels per year for plague and yellow fever. By 1908, over 5,000 people were detained in quarantine.<ref name="howcommercespread">{{Cite book|title=Contagion : How Commerce has Spread Disease|last=Harrison|first= Mark|date=2012|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=9780300123579|location=New Haven|oclc=785865143}}</ref> Hunters were sent to poison the affected areas in Oakland and shoot the squirrels, but the eradication work was limited in its range because the State Board of Health and the [[United States Public Health Service]] were only allotted about $60,000 a year to eradicate the disease. During this period Oakland did not have sufficient health facilities, so some of the infected patients were treated at home.<ref>{{Cite book|title=A piece of my mind : a new collection of essays from JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association|date=2000|publisher=AMA Press|editor=Young, Roxanne K.|isbn=9781579470821|location=Chicago|oclc=48003418|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/pieceofmymindnew0000unse}}</ref>

The State Board of Health along with Oakland also advised physicians to promptly report any cases of infected patients.<ref name=":0"/> Yet, in 1919 it still resulted in a small epidemic of [[Pneumonic plague]] which killed a dozen people in Oakland.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Kellogg|first=W. H.|title=The plague situation|journal=American Journal of Public Health and the Nation's Health|volume=25|issue=3|pages=319–322|doi=10.2105/ajph.25.3.319|year=1935|pmid=18014177|pmc=1559064}}</ref> This started when a man went hunting in Contra Costa Valley and killed a squirrel. After eating the squirrel, he fell ill four days later and another household member contracted the plague. This in turn was passed on either directly or indirectly to about a dozen others.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kellogg|first=W. H.|date=1920|title=An epidemic of pneumonic plague|journal=American Journal of Public Health|volume=10|issue=7|pages=599–605|doi=10.2105/ajph.10.7.599|pmid=18010342|pmc=1362744}}</ref> The officials in Oakland acted quickly by issuing death certificates to monitor the spread of plague.<ref name=":0"/>

==== Incorporation ====
[[File:Oakland Chevrolet factory c.1917.jpg|thumb|One day's output of 1917 automobiles at [[Chevrolet]]'s major [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] plant, now the location of [[Eastmont Town Center]]]]

At the time of incorporation in 1852, Oakland had consisted of the territory that lay south of today's major intersection of San Pablo Avenue, Broadway, and Fourteenth Street. The city gradually annexed farmlands and settlements to the east and the north. Oakland's rise to [[industrialization|industrial]] prominence, and its subsequent need for a seaport, led to the digging of a shipping and tidal channel in 1902. This resulted in the nearby town of [[Alameda, California|Alameda]] being made an island. In 1906, the city's population doubled with refugees made homeless after the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake]] and fire.

In 1908, the lawyer, former miner, and newspaper owner Homer Wood (1880–1976) suggested to his friend Frank Bilger of Blake and Bilger Rock Quarry and Paving Company that he organize a gathering to establish a [[Rotary Club]] east of the bay. On November 27, 1908, Homer took a ferry across the bay in a driving rainstorm and met for lunch with Frank and twenty three other businessmen at the Hotel Metropole at 13th and Jefferson. This gathering became the first meeting of the Tri-City Rotary Club, renamed in 1911 The Rotary Club of Oakland, the third Rotary Club in the world. This group established the tradition of weekly meetings, something most clubs worldwide follow today.<ref>Hamilton, Linda Parker, ''The Rotary Club of Oakland, A Century of Service and Friendship'', Stories to Last. {{ISBN|978-0-615-57936-8}}</ref>

In 1917, [[General Motors]] opened an automobile factory in [[Elmhurst, Oakland, California|East Oakland]] called [[Oakland Assembly]]. It produced [[Chevrolet]] cars and then [[GMC (automobile)|GMC]] trucks until 1963, when it was moved to [[Fremont, California|Fremont]] in southern Alameda County.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oaklandhistory.com/files/chev.html |title=Oakland History Room. 1917 promotional photograph of a day's output at the Chevrolet factory |publisher=Oaklandhistory.com |access-date=April 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323180032/http://www.oaklandhistory.com/files/chev.html |archive-date=March 23, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Also in 1916, the [[Fageol|Fageol Motor Company]] chose East Oakland for their first factory, manufacturing farming tractors from 1918 to 1923.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org/ca/traveler/2001-09/highway_nostalgia.html |work=The Traveler: The Newsletter of the Lincoln Highway Association—California Chapter |issue=Fall 2001 |author=Wes Hammond |title=Highway Nostalgia. Manufacturing Trucks Adjacent to the Lincoln Highway: Fageol Truck and Coach Company. Oakland, California, 1916–1938 |publisher=Lincolnhighwayassoc.org |access-date=April 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319152907/http://www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org/ca/traveler/2001-09/highway_nostalgia.html |archive-date=March 19, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://vintagetractors.com/Fageol.html |title=Vintage Tractors. 'Fageol' |publisher=Vintagetractors.com |date=January 7, 1919 |access-date=April 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120609092714/http://vintagetractors.com/Fageol.html |archive-date=June 9, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> By 1920, Oakland was the home of numerous manufacturing industries, including [[metals]], canneries, bakeries, [[internal combustion engines]], automobiles, and shipbuilding.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt7199q9d0/ |title=Photo collection: 'New or greatly enlarged industrial establishments of Oakland and East Bay cities.' by Oakland (Calif.) Chamber of Commerce. ca. 1917. Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room |publisher=Content.cdlib.org |date=February 24, 2007 |access-date=April 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723161041/http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt7199q9d0/ |archive-date=July 23, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> By 1929, when [[Chrysler]] expanded with a new plant there, Oakland had become known as the "[[Detroit]] of the West," referring to the major auto manufacturing center in Michigan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newspaperarchive.com/LandingPage.aspx?type=glp&search=oakland%20history%20eastmont%20automobile%20factory&img=\\na0037\6774012\31255565.html |title=Oakland Tribune, May 5, 1929. 'Chrysler plant' |publisher=Newspaperarchive.com |access-date=April 19, 2012 }}</ref>

[[File:Old oakland.jpg|thumb|Old Oakland neighborhood]]
Oakland expanded during the 1920s, as its population expanded with factory workers. Approximately 13,000 homes were built in the 3 years between 1921 and 1924,<ref>{{cite web|title=East Oakland Community Information Book 2001|url=http://www.acphd.org/AXBYCZ/Admin/DataReports/east_oakland.pdf|publisher=Alameda County Health Services Agency|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080910075351/http://www.acphd.org/AXBYCZ/Admin/DataReports/east_oakland.pdf|archive-date=September 10, 2008 }}</ref> more than during the 13 years between 1907 and 1920.<ref>Prentice, Helaine Kaplan, ''Rehab Right'', Ten-Speed Press. {{ISBN|0-89815-172-4}}</ref> Many of the large downtown office buildings, apartment buildings, and single-family houses still standing in Oakland were built during the 1920s; they reflect the architectural styles of the time.

[[File:The Parkway Theater.jpg|thumb|Historic 1920s-era Parkway Theater]]
[[File:Oakland tribune tower detail.jpg|thumb|upright|In 1924, the [[Tribune Tower (Oakland)|Tribune Tower]] was completed; in 1976, it was restored and declared an Oakland landmark. While it is no longer occupied by the ''[[Oakland Tribune]]'', its historic appearance is preserved.]]

Russell Clifford Durant established Durant Field at 82nd Avenue and East 14th Street in 1916.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aerofiles.com/_d.html |title=Aerofiles.com. 'Durant' |publisher=Aerofiles.com |access-date=April 19, 2012}}</ref> The first [[Airmails of the United States#Transcontinental Air Mail|transcontinental airmail]] flight finished its journey at Durant Field on August 9, 1920, flown by Army Capt. [[Eddie Rickenbacker]] and Navy [[lieutenant|Lt.]] [[Bertrand Blanchard Acosta|Bert Acosta]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Government_Role/1918-1924/POL3.htm |title=U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission. 'The U.S. Post Office Flies the Mail, 1918–1924' |publisher=Centennialofflight.gov |access-date=April 19, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106112000/http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Government_Role/1918-1924/POL3.htm |archive-date=January 6, 2012 }}</ref> Durant Field was often called Oakland Airport, though the current [[Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport]] was soon established {{convert|4|mi|abbr=out|spell=in}} to the southwest.<ref>[http://www.westernaerospacemuseum.org/oakland/oaklandairport.html Western Aerospace Museum. Oakland Airport Timeline.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016081833/http://www.westernaerospacemuseum.org/oakland/oaklandairport.html |date=October 16, 2015 }}</ref>

During World War II, the East Bay Area was home to many war-related industries. Oakland's [[Moore Dry Dock Company]] expanded its shipbuilding capabilities and built over 100 ships. Valued at $100&nbsp;million in 1943, Oakland's canning industry was its second-most-valuable war contribution after shipbuilding. The largest canneries were in the Fruitvale District, and included the Josiah Lusk Canning Company, the Oakland Preserving Company (which started the Del Monte brand), and the California Packing Company.<ref>{{cite web|title=H.G. Prince Employees [1918]|url=http://collections.museumca.org/qtvr_panos/qtvr7.html|publisher=Oakland Museum of California|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030626011504/http://collections.museumca.org/qtvr_panos/qtvr7.html|archive-date=June 26, 2003 |quote=Oakland's location, where rail and water transportation meet, made it an ideal site for canneries. Shippers brought produce from all over California for canning at several large plants—including the Josiah Lusk Canning Company, the Oakland Preserving Company (which developed the Del Monte brand), and the California Packing Company, which took over the H. G. Prince Company between 1925 and 1930. In 1943, the Oakland Tribune reported that the $100,000,000 canning industry in Oakland ranked second only to shipbuilding in value.}}</ref>

President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] called on defense industries with government contracts to integrate their workforces and provide opportunities for all Americans. Tens of thousands of laborers came from around the country, especially poor whites and blacks from the Deep South: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas, as well as Missouri and Tennessee. [[Henry J. Kaiser]]'s representatives recruited [[sharecroppers]] and [[tenant farmers]] from rural areas to work in his shipyards. African Americans were part of the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]] by which five million persons left the South, mostly for the West, from 1940 to 1970. White migrants from the [[Jim Crow]] South carried their racial attitudes, causing tensions to rise among black and white workers competing for better-paying jobs in the Bay Area. The racial harmony Oakland African-Americans had been accustomed to prior to the war evaporated.<ref name="sfgate.com">{{cite news| url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/26/MNFUSA80E.DTL&hw=Betty+Reid+Soskin&sn=003&sc=552 | title=WWII meant opportunity for many women, oppression for others | first=Carolyne | last=Zinko | date=September 26, 2007 | work=The San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref> Also migrating to the area during this time were many [[Mexican Americans]] from southwestern states such as [[New Mexico]], [[Texas]], and [[Colorado]]. Many worked for the [[Southern Pacific Railroad]], at its major rail yard in West Oakland. Their young men encountered hostility and discrimination by Armed Forces personnel, and tensions broke out in "[[zoot suit riots]]" in downtown Oakland in 1943 in the wake of a major disturbance in Los Angeles that year.<ref>Ruben Llamas, ''Eye from the Edge: A Memoir of West Oakland, California''</ref>

[[File:Merrittview.jpg|thumb|left|View of [[Lake Merritt]] looking southwest toward the [[René C. Davidson Courthouse|Alameda County Courthouse]]]]

In 1946, [[National City Lines]] (NCL), a General Motors [[holding company]], acquired 64% of [[Key System]] stock; during the next several years NCL engaged in the [[General Motors Streetcar Conspiracy|conspiratorial dissolution]] of Oakland's electric [[streetcar]] system. The city's expensive electric streetcar fleet was converted to cheaper diesel buses.<ref name="7th">[http://www.altlaw.org/v1/cases/770576 UNITED STATES, v. NATIONAL CITY LINES, Inc., et al.—186 F.2d 562—AltLaw] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091116082744/http://www.altlaw.org/v1/cases/770576 |date=November 16, 2009 }}</ref> The state Legislature created the Alameda and Contra Costa Transit District in 1955, which operates today as [[AC Transit]], the third-largest bus-only transit system in the nation.<ref name="journalism.berkeley.edu">{{cite web |url=http://journalism.berkeley.edu/projects/actransit/conis_feature.html |title=From Horses to Hybrid: A Century of East Bay Transport |author=Elena Conis |date=2002 |publisher=Journalism.berkeley.edu |access-date=April 19, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309112953/http://journalism.berkeley.edu/projects/actransit/conis_feature.html |archive-date=March 9, 2012 }}</ref>

After the war, as Oakland's shipbuilding industry declined and the automobile industry went through restructuring, many jobs were lost.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Walker |first=Richard |date=2005 |title=Oakland Rising: The Industrialization of Alameda County |url=https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=Oakland_Rising:_The_Industrialization_of_Alameda_County |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=FoundSF}}</ref> In addition, labor unrest increased as workers struggled to protect their livelihoods. Oakland was the center of a [[1946 Oakland General Strike|general strike]] during the first week of December 1946, one of six cities across the country that had such a strike after World War II.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://libcom.org/library/oakland-general-strike-stan-weir |title=1946: The Oakland General Strike |first=Stan |last=Weir |publisher=libcom.org |date=November 22, 2005 |access-date=December 31, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111230100145/http://libcom.org/library/oakland-general-strike-stan-weir |archive-date=December 30, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[Mary's First and Last Chance]] in Oakland was a lesbian bar, once the focus of the 1950s [[California Supreme Court]] lawsuit Vallerga v. Dept. Alcoholic Bev. Control, when the bar challenged a state law for the right to serve gay patrons and won in 1959.<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |title=Vallerga v. Dept. Alcoholic Bev. Control - 53 Cal. 2d 313, 347 P.2d 909, 1 Cal. Rptr. 494 - Wed, 12/23/1959 |url=https://scocal.stanford.edu/opinion/vallerga-v-dept-alcoholic-bev-control-29822 |access-date=June 21, 2023 |website=California Supreme Court Resources, Stanford Law School}}</ref><ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Boyd |first=Nan Alamilla |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xZ4lDQAAQBAJ |title=Wide-Open Town: A History of Queer San Francisco to 1965 |date=May 23, 2003 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-20415-7 |pages=182–183 |language=en}}</ref>

===1960–1999===

In 1960, Kaiser Corporation opened its new headquarters; it was the largest skyscraper in Oakland, as well as "the largest office tower west of [[Chicago]]" up to that time.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FrMj_wenLdcC&pg=PA72|title=The furniture of Sam Maloof |access-date=April 19, 2012|isbn=978-0-393-73080-7|year=2001|last1=Adamson |first1=Jeremy Elwell |last2=Maloof |first2=Sam |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company }}</ref> In the postwar period, suburban development increased around Oakland, and [[white flight|wealthier residents moved to new housing]]. Despite the major increases in the number and proportion of African Americans in the city, in 1966 only 16 of the city's 661 police officers were black. Tensions between the black community and the largely white police force were high, as expectations during the civil rights era increased to gain social justice and equality before the law. Police abuse of black people was common.<ref name="INSIDE THE PANTHER REVOLUTION p. 302">''Inside the Panther Revolution'', Robyn Cean Spencer, Chapter 13, p. 302</ref><ref>monthlyreview.org</ref>

Students [[Huey Newton]] and [[Bobby Seale]] founded the [[Black Panther Party]] at [[Merritt College]] (then located at a former high school on Grove Street, now occupied by [[Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute]]), which emphasized [[Black nationalism]], advocated armed self-defense against police, and was involved in several incidents that ended in the deaths of police officers and other Black Panther members. Among their social programs were feeding children and providing other services to the needy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://abc7news.com/entertainment/oakland-museum-of-ca-celebrates-50th-anniversary-of-black-panthers/1561793/|title=Oakland Museum of CA celebrates 50th anniversary of Black Panthers|first=Carolyn|last=Tyler|date=October 19, 2016|work=abc7news.com}}</ref>

As in many other American cities during the 1980s, [[crack cocaine]] became a serious problem in Oakland. Drug dealing in general, and the dealing of crack cocaine in particular, resulted in elevated rates of violent crime, causing Oakland to consistently be listed as one of America's most crime-ridden cities.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Craig Reinarman|author2=Harry G. Levine|title=Crack In America: Demon Drugs and Social Justice|url=https://archive.org/details/crackinamericade00rein|url-access=registration|year=1997|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-20242-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/crackinamericade00rein/page/41 41]}}</ref>

In 1980, Oakland's Black population reached its 20th-century peak at approximately 47% of the overall city population.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/cities/Oakland70.htm|title=Bay Area Census – City of Oakland – 1970–1990 Census data|website=www.bayareacensus.ca.gov|access-date=October 22, 2019|archive-date=October 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026211623/http://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/cities/Oakland70.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The 6.9 {{M|w|link=y}} [[1989 Loma Prieta earthquake|Loma Prieta earthquake]] occurred on October 17, 1989. The rupture was related to the San Andreas fault system and affected the entire San Francisco Bay Area with a maximum [[Mercalli intensity scale|Mercalli intensity]] of IX (''Violent''). Many structures in Oakland were badly damaged including the double-decker portion of Interstate 880 that collapsed. The eastern span of the [[San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge]] also sustained damage and was closed to traffic for one month.

On October 20, 1991, a massive [[1991 Oakland firestorm|firestorm]] swept down from the [[Berkeley Hills|Berkeley]]/Oakland hills above the Caldecott Tunnel. Twenty-five people were killed, 150 people were injured, and nearly 4,000 homes destroyed. With the loss of life and an estimated economic loss of {{USD}}1.5&nbsp;billion, this was the worst urban firestorm in American history, until 2017.<ref name="autogenerated292">''Catastrophe: The 100 Greatest Disasters of All Time'', Stephen J. Spignesi, Citadel, 2004, pp 292–94</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/disasters/some-faults-revealed-firestorm-remain-uncorrected/nFR7N/ |title=Some faults revealed by firestorm remain uncorrected |publisher=www.ktvu.com |access-date=July 24, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120122005103/http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/disasters/some-faults-revealed-firestorm-remain-uncorrected/nFR7N/ |archive-date=January 22, 2012 }}</ref>

During the mid-1990s, Oakland's economy began to recover as it transitioned to new types of jobs. In addition, the city participated in large development and urban renewal projects, concentrated especially in the downtown area, at the [[Port of Oakland]], and at the [[Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1997/02/16/SPECIAL6815.dtl |title=On the road to economic success, where we work |newspaper=[[San Francisco Examiner]] |author= Edward Iwata, of the examiner staff |date=February 16, 1997}}</ref>

===21st century===
[[File:Oakland Skyline Telephoto.jpg|thumb|300px|Port of Oakland and downtown, with the Oakland and Berkeley Hills in the background]]
After his 1999 inauguration, Oakland Mayor [[Jerry Brown]] continued his predecessor [[Elihu Harris|Elihu Harris']] public policy of supporting downtown housing development in the area defined as the Central Business District in Oakland's 1998 General Plan.<ref>{{cite news|last=Gammon |first=Robert |title=Inflating the Numbers, The Brown administration came very close on the 10K Plan. So why the grade inflation? |newspaper=[[East Bay Express]] |date=January 3, 2007 |url=http://www.eastbayexpress.com/news/inflating_the_numbers/Content?oid=323334 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081230101059/http://www.eastbayexpress.com/news/inflating_the_numbers/Content?oid=323334 |archive-date=December 30, 2008 }}</ref> Brown's plan and other redevelopment projects were controversial due to potential rent increases and [[gentrification]], which would displace lower-income residents from downtown Oakland into outlying neighborhoods and cities.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Salazar |first=Alex |title=Designing a Socially Just Downtown |journal=National Housing Institute |issue=145 |date=Spring 2006 |url=http://www.nhi.org/online/issues/145/designingdowntown.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061212172017/http://www.nhi.org/online/issues/145/designingdowntown.html |archive-date=December 12, 2006 }}</ref>

Due to [[Celeste Guap|allegations of misconduct by the Oakland Police Department]], the City of Oakland has paid claims for a total of {{USD}}57&nbsp;million during the 2001–2011 timeframe to plaintiffs claiming police abuse; this is the largest sum paid by any city in California.<ref>KTVU – [http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/investigation-reveals-east-bay-city-paying-out-ext/nFdWy/ Investigation reveals East Bay city paying out extraordinary police abuse settlements] November 14, 2011 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140802014527/http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/investigation-reveals-east-bay-city-paying-out-ext/nFdWy/ |date=August 2, 2014 }}</ref> On October 10, 2011, protesters and civic activists began "[[Occupy Oakland]]" demonstrations at [[Frank Ogawa]] Plaza in [[Downtown Oakland]].<ref name="businessweek">[http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9Q4CNR81.htm "Wall Street protesters: We're in for the long haul"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202190410/http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9Q4CNR81.htm |date=February 2, 2016 }}, ''Bloomberg Businessweek''. Accessed: October 3, 2011.</ref><ref name="lessighp">{{cite news|last=Lessig|first=Lawrence|title=#OccupyWallSt, Then #OccupyKSt, Then #OccupyMainSt|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lawrence-lessig/occupywallst-then-occupyk_b_995547.html|access-date=October 6, 2011|work=Huffington Post |date=October 5, 2011|author-link=Lawrence Lessig}}</ref>

African-Americans dropped to 28% of Oakland's population in 2010, from nearly half in 1980, due to fast-rising rents and an extreme housing crisis in the region.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jun/01/from-black-panthers-to-bbq-becky-the-displacement-of-black-oakland | title='We're being pushed out': The displacement of black Oakland| newspaper=The Guardian| date=June 2018| last1=Levin| first1=Sam}}</ref>

The city inspected warehouses and live/work spaces after [[Ghost Ship warehouse fire|a fire broke out in the Ghost Ship warehouse]], killing 36 people in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|date=May 16, 2019|title=Update: Fire Chief Defends Response To Deadly Ghost Ship Fire|url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/Update-Fire-Chief-Defends-Response-To-Deadly-13849101.php|access-date=January 9, 2021|website=SFGATE|language=en-US}}</ref>

Oakland is the second U.S. city, after [[Denver]], to decriminalize [[psilocybin mushrooms]]. In June 2019, the City Council passed the resolution in a unanimous vote ending the investigation and imposition of criminal penalties for use and possession of [[Entheogen|natural entheogens]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-oakland-magic-mushroom-legal-20190605-story.html|title=Oakland becomes 2nd U.S. city to decriminalize magic mushrooms|last=Shalby|first=Colleen|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=June 5, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-oakland-decriminalize-mushrooms-psychedelic-plants-20190622-story.html|title=How a trip on magic mushrooms helped decriminalize psychedelic plants in a California city|last=Branson-Potts|first=Hailey|date=June 22, 2019|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=June 23, 2019}}</ref>

In November 2019, two homeless mothers and their children illegally occupied a vacant three-bedroom house in West Oakland. The group, calling themselves [[Moms 4 Housing]], said their goal was to protest what they said was a large number of vacant houses in Oakland owned by redevelopment companies while the city experienced a housing crisis.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/15/us/oakland-homeless-eviction.html|title=Homeless Mothers Are Removed From an Oakland House|last1=Cowan|first1=Jill|last2=Dougherty|first2=Conor|date=January 15, 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 15, 2020}}</ref> Two months later they were evicted from the house by three dozen sheriff's deputies, as hundreds of supporters demonstrated in favor of the women.<ref>{{cite news|date=January 15, 2020|title=Sheriff's deputies with guns drawn evict homeless moms from Oakland home|work=DTVU|url=https://www.ktvu.com/news/sheriffs-deputies-with-guns-drawn-evict-homeless-moms-from-oakland-home|access-date=January 15, 2020}}</ref> The incident received nationwide coverage.<ref name = Alaa>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/15/us/moms-4-housing-homeless-evicted-oakland-trnd/index.html|title=Homeless mothers with Oakland's 'Moms 4 Housing' have been forcibly evicted from a vacant home they were occupying|last=Elassar|first=Alaa|access-date=January 15, 2020|work=CNN}}</ref> The company that owns the house later said they would sell it to a nonprofit affordable housing group.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Deal-reached-to-sell-homeless-mothers-West-14989721.php#?&te=1&nl=california-today&emc=edit_ca_20200121?campaign_id=49&instance_id=15340&segment_id=20506&user_id=e9848bda5d7546386411f6e2fbdaf95e&regi_id=16153474_ca_20200121|title=Moms 4 Housing: Deal reached to negotiate sale of West Oakland house to nonprofit|last=Ravani|first=Sarah|date=January 20, 2019|work=San Francisco Chronicle|access-date=January 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200121112303/https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Deal-reached-to-sell-homeless-mothers-West-14989721.php#?&te=1&nl=california-today&emc=edit_ca_20200121?campaign_id=49&instance_id=15340&segment_id=20506&user_id=e9848bda5d7546386411f6e2fbdaf95e&regi_id=16153474_ca_20200121|archive-date=January 21, 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref> As of 2019, Oakland's per-capita homeless rate was higher than San Francisco and Berkeley. Between 2014 and 2020, Oakland strengthened its protections for tenants in order to reduce the displacement of its long-time residents. However, since 2019, the city of Oakland has reduced the number of approved housing permits by more than 80%, further worsening the housing shortage in Oakland.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Orenstein |first=Natalie |date=2024-05-23 |title=Housing construction slowed in Oakland in 2023 |url=https://oaklandside.org/2024/05/23/housing-element-oakland-construction-rhna/ |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=The Oaklandside |language=en-US}}</ref>

Between January 2020 and March 2022, Oakland suffered a disproportionate death toll from the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|COVID-19 pandemic]] and [[SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant|Delta]] [[SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant|cron]] hybrid variant within the San Francisco Bay Area.

In 2023, prior to and during the COVID pandemic, Oakland became the first city in American history to lose three professional major league sports teams to other cities within a span of five years.<ref name="OaklandExodus">{{cite news|url=https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/oakland-pro-sports-team-loss-athletics-las-vegas-fan-reaction|title=Oakland unbelievably lost all three of its pro sports teams in just 5 years|author=Robert Zeglinski|newspaper=USA TODAY SPORTS|date=April 20, 2023|access-date=April 20, 2023}}</ref>

==Geography==

[[File:Aerial view of city of Oakland 1.jpg|thumb|left|Aerial view of Downtown]]
[[File:Oakland by Sentinel-2, 2019-03-11.jpg|thumb|right|Satellite picture of the Oakland area in 2019]]
Oakland is in the eastern region of the [[San Francisco Bay]].

The [[United States Census Bureau]] says the city's total area is {{convert|78.0|sqmi|km2}}, including {{convert|55.8|sqmi|km2}} of land and {{convert|22.2|sqmi|km2}} (28.48 percent) of water.

Oakland's highest point is near Grizzly Peak Blvd, east of Berkeley, just over {{convert|1760|ft}} [[Above mean sea level|above sea level]] at about {{coord|37.8786|-122.2241|display=inline}}. Oakland has {{convert|19|mi}} of shoreline,<ref>{{cite web |title=Oakland and Alameda Waterfront Parks |publisher=Waterfront Action, Inc. |date=April 19, 2011 |url=http://www.waterfrontaction.org/map/legend_parks.htm |access-date=October 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002072607/http://www.waterfrontaction.org/map/legend_parks.htm |archive-date=October 2, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> but [[Radio Beach]] is the only beach in Oakland.

Oaklanders refer to their city's terrain as "the flatlands" and [[Oakland Hills, Oakland, California|"the hills"]]. Until recent waves of gentrification, these terms also symbolized Oakland's deep economic divide, with "the hills" being more affluent communities. About two-thirds of Oakland lies in the flat plain of the East Bay, with one-third rising into the foothills and hills of the East Bay range.

Ruptures along the nearby [[San Andreas Fault]] caused severe earth movement in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1906 and 1989. San Andreas quakes induces [[Aseismic creep|creep]] (movement occurring on earthquake faults) in the Hayward fault, which runs directly through Oakland, Berkeley, San Jose and other Bay Area cities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://seismo.berkeley.edu/annual_report/ar98_99/node22.html |title=Modeling surface creep on the Hayward fault using rate-and-state friction |first1=David |last1=Schmidt |first2=Roland |last2=Bürgmann |year=1999 |work=The Berkeley Seismological Laboratory |publisher=The Regents of the University of California |access-date=August 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927211802/http://seismo.berkeley.edu/annual_report/ar98_99/node22.html |archive-date=September 27, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{{panorama
|image   = OaklandPanorama2.140510.jpg
|height  = 180
|caption = Panorama of Oakland, California, from the top of Mountain View Cemetery
}}

===Neighborhoods===
{{Main|List of neighborhoods in Oakland, California}}

[[File:Oakland Adams Point.jpg|thumb|The north end of the [[Adams Point, Oakland, California|Adams Point]] district, as seen from Lakeshore Avenue on the east shore of the lake]]
[[File:Upper Rockridge in Oakland, CA.jpg|thumb|Upper [[Rockridge, Oakland, California|Rockridge]]]]

Oakland has more than 50 distinct neighborhoods. The city's greater divisions include downtown Oakland and its greater [[#Central business district|Central Business District]], [[Lake Merritt]], [[East Oakland, Oakland, California|East Oakland]], [[North Oakland, Oakland, California|North Oakland]], [[West Oakland, Oakland, California|West Oakland]], and the [[Oakland Hills, Oakland, California|Oakland Hills]]. East Oakland, which includes the East Oakland Hills, encompasses more than half of Oakland's land area, stretching from Lakeshore Avenue on the east shore of Lake Merritt southeast to the [[San Leandro, California|San Leandro]] border. North Oakland encompasses the neighborhoods between downtown and [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]] and [[Emeryville, California|Emeryville]]. West Oakland is the area between downtown and the Bay, partially surrounded by the [[Oakland Point, Oakland, California|Oakland Point]], and encompassing the [[Port of Oakland]]. In 2011, Oakland was ranked the tenth most walkable city in the United States by [[Walk Score]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/07/19/BUUK1KCC67.DTL#ixzz1SfOLM9sW |title=S.F., Oakland in top 10 most walkable U.S. cities |author=Said, Carolyn |date=July 20, 2011 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=August 8, 2011}}</ref>
[[File:China town oakland.jpg|thumb|Oakland's Chinatown district is one of the oldest in the nation.]]

Lake Merritt, an urban estuary near downtown, is a mix of fresh and salt water draining in and out from the Oakland Harbor at the San Francisco Bay and one of Oakland's most notable features.<ref>[http://www.lakemerrittinstitute.org/about_lake.htm Lake Merritt Institute]. Retrieved April 12, 2011. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150224063330/http://www.lakemerrittinstitute.org/about_lake.htm |date=February 24, 2015 }}</ref> It was designated the United States' first official wildlife refuge in 1870.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lakemerrittinstitute.org/abt_lake_history.htm |title=A Brief History |work=Lake Merritt Institute |access-date=August 24, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101109021730/http://www.lakemerrittinstitute.org/abt_lake_history.htm |archive-date=November 9, 2010 }}</ref> Originally a marsh-lined wildlife haven, Lake Merritt was dredged and bordered with parks from the 1890s to the 1910s. Despite this reduction in habitat, Oakland is home to a number of rare and endangered species, many of which are localized to [[serpentine soil]]s and bedrock. Lake Merritt is surrounded by residential and business districts, including [[downtown Oakland|downtown]] and [[Grand Lake, Oakland, California|Grand Lake]].

The city of [[Piedmont, California|Piedmont]], incorporated in Oakland's central foothills after the 1906 earthquake, is a small independent city surrounded by the city of Oakland.

===Climate===

Oakland has a [[warm-summer Mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Csb'', [[Trewartha climate classification|Trewartha]]: ''Csbl'') with an average of 260 sunny days per year. In general, the city features warm, dry summers, and cool, wet winters.

Based on data gathered by the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]], Oakland is ranked No. 1 in climate among U.S. cities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oaklandchamber.com/relocation/facts.asp |title=Relocation information: Oakland Facts |publisher=Chamber of Commerce |access-date=July 13, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903163216/http://www.oaklandchamber.com/relocation/facts.asp |archive-date=September 3, 2011 }} As published in 1993 by Rand McNally.</ref> Oakland's climate is typified by the temperate and seasonal Mediterranean climate. Summers are usually dry and warm and winters are cool and damp. It has features found in both nearby coastal cities such as San Francisco and inland cities such as [[San Jose, California|San Jose]], making it warmer than San Francisco and cooler than San Jose. Its position on San Francisco Bay across from the [[San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge|Bay Bridge]] means the northern part of the city can have cooling [[San Francisco fog|maritime fog]]. It is far enough inland that the fog often burns off by midday, allowing it to have typically sunny California days. The hills tend to have more fog than the flatlands, as the fog drifts down from [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]].

The [[U.S. Weather Bureau]] kept weather records in downtown Oakland from October 4, 1894, to July 31, 1958. During that time, the record high temperature was {{convert|104|°F}} on June 24, 1957, and the record low temperature was {{convert|24|°F}} on January 23, 1949. Dry, warm offshore "Diablo" winds (similar to the [[Santa Ana winds]] of Southern California) sometimes occur, especially in fall, and raise the fire danger. In 1991, such an episode allowed the catastrophic Oakland Hills fire to spread and consume many homes.

[[File:Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020) - OAKLAND MUSEUM,CA.svg|thumb|right|Climate chart for Oakland]]
Oakland, like much of Northern California, is susceptible to winter rainstorms and [[Atmospheric river]]s. The wettest "rain year" was from July 1997 to June 1998 with {{convert|47.76|in|mm|1}} and the driest from July 2020 to June 2021 with {{convert|8.03|in|mm|1}}. The most rainfall in one month was {{convert|15.35|in|mm|0}} in January 1911. The most rainfall in 24 hours was {{convert|4.75|in|0|}} on December 31, 2022.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ca6332 |title=Oakland, California&nbsp;– Climate Summary |publisher=Wrcc.dri.edu |access-date=April 19, 2012}}</ref> Rainfall near the bayfront is only {{Convert|23|in}}, but is higher in the Oakland Hills to the east (up to {{Convert|30|in|disp=sqbr}}), with nearly all precipitation falling between November and April. While measurable amounts of snowfall in Oakland at sea level is very rare, light snow accumulates on the ground the higher elevations of the Oakland hills with more regularity.

Overnight lows are mild. Oakland seldom experiences warm nights with the warmest recorded night of {{convert|72|F|C}} in September 1971 and an average of {{convert|64|F|C}} for the annual warmest low.<ref name=OaklandNOAA>{{cite web|url=https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=mtr|title=NOWData, San Francisco, CA, NOAA forecast office|publisher=[[NOAA]]|access-date=July 26, 2022}}</ref> The coldest day of the year averages a mild {{convert|50|F|C}} and has never been recorded below {{convert|36|F|C}}.<ref name=OaklandNOAA/>

The [[National Weather Service]] today has two official weather stations in Oakland: [[Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport]] and the [[Oakland Museum]] (established 1970).

{{Weather box
|location = Oakland, California (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1970–present)
|single line = Y
|width = auto
|Jan record high F = 78
|Feb record high F = 82
|Mar record high F = 88
|Apr record high F = 97
|May record high F = 105
|Jun record high F = 106
|Jul record high F = 103
|Aug record high F = 100
|Sep record high F = 109
|Oct record high F = 103
|Nov record high F = 84
|Dec record high F = 75
|year record high F = 109
|Jan avg record high F = 68.6
|Feb avg record high F = 72.5
|Mar avg record high F = 76.7
|Apr avg record high F = 82.2
|May avg record high F = 84.2
|Jun avg record high F = 88.7
|Jul avg record high F = 86.0
|Aug avg record high F = 87.5
|Sep avg record high F = 90.6
|Oct avg record high F = 87.7
|Nov avg record high F = 77.1
|Dec avg record high F = 68.0
|year avg record high F = 92.6
|Jan high F = 59.8
|Feb high F = 62.4
|Mar high F = 64.7
|Apr high F = 66.8
|May high F = 68.6
|Jun high F = 71.8
|Jul high F = 71.6
|Aug high F = 72.8
|Sep high F = 74.6
|Oct high F = 72.7
|Nov high F = 65.8
|Dec high F = 59.7
|year high F = 67.6
|Jan mean F = 52.5
|Feb mean F = 54.7
|Mar mean F = 56.7
|Apr mean F = 58.5
|May mean F = 60.8
|Jun mean F = 63.4
|Jul mean F = 64.1
|Aug mean F = 65.2
|Sep mean F = 65.9
|Oct mean F = 63.7
|Nov mean F = 57.6
|Dec mean F = 52.4
|year mean F = 59.6
|Jan low F = 45.1
|Feb low F = 47.1
|Mar low F = 48.7
|Apr low F = 50.3
|May low F = 52.9
|Jun low F = 55.0
|Jul low F = 56.6
|Aug low F = 57.6
|Sep low F = 57.2
|Oct low F = 54.6
|Nov low F = 49.4
|Dec low F = 45.1
|year low F = 51.6
|Jan avg record low F = 37.9
|Feb avg record low F = 40.2
|Mar avg record low F = 42.4
|Apr avg record low F = 45.0
|May avg record low F = 49.4
|Jun avg record low F = 51.9
|Jul avg record low F = 54.0
|Aug avg record low F = 55.6
|Sep avg record low F = 53.6
|Oct avg record low F = 49.0
|Nov avg record low F = 41.7
|Dec avg record low F = 37.5
|year avg record low F = 36.4
|Jan record low F = 30
|Feb record low F = 29
|Mar record low F = 34
|Apr record low F = 37
|May record low F = 43
|Jun record low F = 48
|Jul record low F = 51
|Aug record low F = 50
|Sep record low F = 48
|Oct record low F = 43
|Nov record low F = 36
|Dec record low F = 26
|year record low F = 26
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 4.35
|Feb precipitation inch = 4.35
|Mar precipitation inch = 3.21
|Apr precipitation inch = 1.37
|May precipitation inch = 0.75
|Jun precipitation inch = 0.20
|Jul precipitation inch = 0.00
|Aug precipitation inch = 0.05
|Sep precipitation inch = 0.10
|Oct precipitation inch = 1.13
|Nov precipitation inch = 2.44
|Dec precipitation inch = 4.66
|year precipitation inch = 22.61
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 10.4
|Feb precipitation days = 10.0
|Mar precipitation days = 10.4
|Apr precipitation days = 5.9
|May precipitation days = 3.7
|Jun precipitation days = 1.1
|Jul precipitation days = 0.1
|Aug precipitation days = 0.3
|Sep precipitation days = 0.8
|Oct precipitation days = 3.0
|Nov precipitation days = 6.5
|Dec precipitation days = 10.5
|year precipitation days = 62.7
|source 1 = NOAA<ref name= NCDC >{{cite web
|url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=mtr
|archive-date = April 18, 2019
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190418234102/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=mtr
|url-status = dead
|title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data
|publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
|access-date = May 14, 2021}}</ref><ref name="Oakland Weatherbox NOAA txt">{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00046336&format=pdf
|title = Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|access-date = May 14, 2021
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230808013202/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00046336&format=pdf
|archive-date = 2023-08-08}}</ref>
}}

===Vegetation===
The higher rainfall in the hills supports woods of oak, madrona, pine, fir and a few redwood groves in the wetter areas. Before being logged in the 19th century, some of the tallest redwood trees in California (used for navigation by ships entering the Golden Gate) may have stood in the Oakland Hills. One old stump {{Convert|30|feet}} in diameter can be seen near Redwood Regional Park. Sunny, drier slopes are grassy or covered in scattered oaks and chaparral brush. [[Eucalyptus globulus|Australian eucalyptus trees]] have been extensively planted in many areas, as they come from a similar climate.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1860 = 1543
| 1870 = 10500
| 1880 = 34555
| 1890 = 48682
| 1900 = 66960
| 1910 = 150174
| 1920 = 216261
| 1930 = 284063
| 1940 = 302163
| 1950 = 384575
| 1960 = 367548
| 1970 = 361561
| 1980 = 339337
| 1990 = 372242
| 2000 = 399484
| 2010 = 390724
| 2020 = 440646
| estimate = 443554
| estyear = 2024
| estref=
| align-fn=center
| footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census by Decade|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=}}</ref><br> 1850–1870<ref name=1870CensusCA1>{{Cite web|title= 1870 Census of Population - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties - California - Almeda County to Sutter County |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1870/population/1870a-12.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref><ref name=1870CensusCA2>{{Cite web|title= 1870 Census of Population - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties - California - Tehama County to Yuba County  |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1870/population/1870a-13.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 1880-1890<ref name=1890CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 1890 Census of Population - Population of California by Minor Civil Divisions |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1890/bulletins/demographics/134-population-of-ca.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref><br> 1900<ref name=1900CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 1900 Census of Population - Population of California by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1900/bulletins/demographic/10-population-ca.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 1910<ref name=1910CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 1910 Census of Population - Supplement for California |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1910/abstract/supplement-ca.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 1920<ref name=1920CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 1920 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1920/bulletins/demographics/population-ca-number-of-inhabitants.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref><br> 1930<ref name=1930CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 1930 Census of Population - Number and Distribution of Inhabitants - California |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1930/population-volume-1/03815512v1ch03.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 1940<ref name=1940CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 1940 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1940/population-volume-1/33973538v1ch03.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 1950<ref name=1950CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 1950 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1950/population-volume-1/vol-01-08.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref><br> 1960<ref name=1960CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 1960 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1960/population-volume-1/vol-01-06-c.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref><ref name=1960CensusCA1>{{Cite web|title= 1960 Census of Population - General population Characteristics - California |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1960/population-volume-1/vol-01-06-d.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 1970<ref name=1970CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 1970 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California |url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1970a_ca1-01.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 1980<ref name=1980CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - California |url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1980a_caAB-01.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref><br> 1990<ref name=1990CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 1990 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California |url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/cen1990/cph2/cph-2-6.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
2000<ref name=2000CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2003/dec/phc-3-6.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 2010<ref name=2010CensusCA>{{Cite web|title= 2010 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/2010/cph-2/cph-2-6.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 
}}

The [[2020 United States census]]<ref name="census2020">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/oaklandcitycalifornia |title=2020 Census Quick Facts: CA – Oakland city |publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]] |access-date=August 12, 2021 }}</ref> reported Oakland had a population of 440,646. The population density was {{Convert|7898.30|PD/sqmi}}.

=== Religion ===
{{expand section|date=July 2023}}
[[File:Mormon Temple, Oakland.jpg|thumb|The [[Oakland Temple]]]] [[File:Oak_Cathdrl_1.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Cathedral of Christ the Light]]]]
34.95% of people in Oakland are affiliated with a religion, in a total of 417 congregations.<ref>{{cite report
 | first1=Hebah |last1=Farrag |first2=Richard |last2=Flory |first3=Brie |last3=Loskota
 | date        = November 9, 2012
| title       = Faithful Action: Working with Religious Groups in Disaster Planning, Response, and Recovery
 | url         = https://crcc.usc.edu/report/faithful-action-working-with-religious-groups-in-disaster-planning-response-and-recovery/appendix-geographic-profile-of-oakland/
 | publisher   = [[University of Southern California]] (USC)
 | format      =
 | edition     =
 | location    =
 | chapter     =
 | section     = 12 – Appendix: Geographic Profile of Oakland
 | page        =
 | pages       =
 | docket      =
 | access-date = July 29, 2023
| quote       =
}}</ref>

Major places of worship in Oakland include – {{columns-list|colwidth=50em|
* 31st Street Islamic Center, [[Islam]]
* Allen Temple Baptist Church, American Baptist Churches USA and the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.
* [[Ascension Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Oakland|Ascension Cathedral]], Greek Orthodox
* Beth Jacob Congregation, Modern Orthodox Judaism
* [[Cathedral of Christ the Light]], Roman Catholic
* [[Chinese Community United Methodist Church, Oakland, California|Chinese Community Church]], United Methodist
* Elmhurst Seventh-day Adventist Church, [[Seventh-day Adventist Church]]
* First Congregational Church of Oakland, United Church of Christ
* First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, Presbyterian
* [[First Unitarian Church of Oakland|First Unitarian Church]], Unitarian
* Green Pastures, Evangelistic Outreach Association
* His Gospel Christian Fellowship
* Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California, Islam
* Light-House Mosque, Islam
* Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, Jehovah's Witnesses
* [[Oakland California Temple]], [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]
* Oakland City Church
* Oakland Bahá'í Center
* Second Bethel Missionary Baptist Church
* St. Paul Lutheran Church, Lutheran
* St. Vartan Armenian Church, [[Armenian Apostolic Church]]
* Temple Beth Abraham, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
* [[Temple Sinai (Oakland, California)|Temple Sinai]], Reform Judaism}}

===Race and ethnicity===
The [[2020 United States census]]<ref name="census2020" /> reported that the racial makeup of Oakland was 156,429 (35.5%) [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 104,873 (23.8%) [[African American (U.S. census)|Black or African American]], 68,300 (15.5%) [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 2,643 (0.6%) [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 3,965 (0.9%) [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], and 30,404 (6.9%) multiracial (two or more races). There were 118,974 (27.0%) of [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] ancestry, of any race.

[[File:Race and ethnicity 2010- San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley (5560477152).png|thumb|Map of racial distribution in San Francisco Bay Area, 2010 U.S. Census. Each dot is 25 people: {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#ff0000|White}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#0000ff|Black}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#00ffaa|Asian}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#ffa600|Hispanic}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#ffff07|Other}}]]
{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="font-size: 90%;"
|-
! Historical racial composition  
!2022<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Oakland city, California |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/oaklandcitycalifornia/PST045222 |access-date=August 1, 2023 |website=www.census.gov |language=en}}</ref>!! 2020 !! 2010<ref name="census2010"/> !! 1990<ref name="census1">{{cite web |title=California – Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812191959/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |archive-date=August 12, 2012 }}</ref>!! 1970<ref name="census1"/> !! 1940<ref name="census1"/> 
|-
| [[White American|White]] 
|33.4%|| 30.0%  || 34.5% || 32.5% ||  59.1% || 95.3% 
|-
| —Non-Hispanic 
|28.6%|| 27.3% || 25.9% || 28.3% || 52.0%{{efn|name="fifteen"|From 15% sample}} || n/a
|-
| [[African American|Black or African American]] 
|22.0%|| 23.8% || 28.0% || 43.9% || 34.5% || 2.8%
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (of any race) 
|27.2%|| 27.0% || 25.3% || 13.9% || 7.6%{{efn|name="fifteen"}} || n/a
|-
| [[Asian American|Asian]] 
|15.7%|| 16.1% || 16.8% || 14.8% || 4.8% || –
|}

From the [[2010 United States census]]<ref name="census2010">{{cite web|last1=Star |first1=Indianapolis |title=2020 Census|url=https://data.indystar.com/census/total-population/total-population-change/oakland-city-california/160-0653000/|access-date=|website=Data IndyStar|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]}}</ref> the racial makeup of Oakland was 134,925 (34.5%) [[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic White 25.9%), 129,471 (28.0%) [[African American (U.S. census)|African American]], 3,040 (0.8%) [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 65,811 (16.8%) [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]] (8.7% [[Chinese American|Chinese]], 2.2% [[Vietnamese American|Vietnamese]], 1.6% [[Filipino American|Filipino]], 0.7% [[Cambodian American|Cambodian]], 0.7% [[Laotian American|Laotian]], 0.6% [[Korean American|Korean]], 0.5% [[Japanese American|Japanese]], 0.5% [[Indian American|Indian]], 0.1% [[Mongolian American|Mongolian]]), 2,222 (0.6%) [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]] (0.3% [[Tongan American|Tongan]]), 53,378 (13.7%) from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 21,877 (5.6%) from two or more races. There were 99,068 people of [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] ancestry, of any race (25.4%). 18.1% of the population were of [[Mexican American|Mexican]] descent, 1.9% [[Salvadoran American|Salvadoran]], 1.3% [[Guatemalan American|Guatemalan]], and 0.7% [[Puerto Ricans|Puerto Rican]].

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Oakland, California – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Oakland city, California|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=160XX00US0653000&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 26, 2024}}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Oakland city, California |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US0653000&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 26, 2024}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Oakland city, California |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US0653000&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 26, 2024}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|93,953
|101,308
|style='background: #ffffe6; |120,187
|23.52%
|25.93%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |27.28%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|140,139
|106,637
|style='background: #ffffe6; |91,561
|35.08%
|27.29%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |20.28%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|1,471
|1,214
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,371
|0.37%
|0.31%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.31%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|60,393
|65,127
|style='background: #ffffe6; |69,906
|15.12%
|16.67%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |15.86%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|1,866
|2,081
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,668
|0.47%
|0.53%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.61%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
|1,229
|1,213
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,964
|0.31%
|0.31%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.67%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|12,966
|14,076
|style='background: #ffffe6; |25,146
|3.25%
|3.60%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.71%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|87,467
|99,068
|style='background: #ffffe6; |126,843
|21.89%
|25.35%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |28.79%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''399,484'''
|'''390,724'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''440,646'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

===2022 United States Census Bureau American Community Survey estimates===
{| class="cx-linter-tag"
| valign="top" |
{{Pie chart
 | thumb   = left
 | caption = Racial Makeup of Oakland (2022)<ref name=CensusACS2022 />
 | label1 = White alone
 | value1 = 31.10| color2=#36A
 | label2 = Black alone
 | value2 = 20.56| color1=#6A5
 | label3 = Native American alone
 | value3 = 1.25| color3=#FF33AC
 | label4 = Asian alone
 | value4 = 15.94| color4=#1A9
 | label5 = Pacific Islander alone
 | value5 = 0.29| color5=#E17720
 | label6 = Other race alone
 | value6 = 19.59| color6=#F0FF00
 | label7 = Two or more races
 | value7 = 11.27| color7=#64ECDF
 }}
| valign="top" |
{{Pie chart
 | thumb   = right
 | caption = Racial/Ethnic Makeup of Oakland excluding Hispanics from Racial Categories (2022)<ref name=CensusACS2022 /><br />''NH=Non-Hispanic''
 | label1 = White NH
 | value1 = 29.65| color2=#36A
 | label2 = Black NH
 | value2 = 20.13| color1=#6A5
 | label3 = Native American NH
 | value3 = 0.23| color3=#FF33AC
 | label4 = Asian NH
 | value4 = 15.76| color4=#1A9
 | label5 = Pacific Islander NH
 | value5 = 0.29| color5=#E17720
 | label6 = Other race NH
 | value6 = 1.00| color6=#F0FF00
 | label7 = Two or more races NH
 | value7 = 6.10| color7=#64ECDF
 | label8 = Hispanic Any Race
 | value8 = 26.83| color8=#9400D3
 }}
| valign="top" |
{{Pie chart
 | thumb   = right
 | caption = Racial Makeup of Hispanics in Oakland (2022)<ref name=CensusACS2022 />
 | label1 = White alone
 | value1 = 5.42| color2=#36A
 | label2 = Black alone
 | value2 = 1.60| color1=#6A5
 | label3 = Native American alone
 | value3 = 3.78| color3=#FF33AC
 | label4 = Asian alone
 | value4 = 0.66| color4=#1A9
 | label5 = Pacific Islander alone
 | value5 = 0.00| color5=#E17720
 | label6 = Other race alone
 | value6 = 69.30| color6=#F0FF00
 | label7 = Two or more races
 | value7 = 19.23| color7=#64ECDF
 }}
|}

According to 2022 US Census Bureau estimates, Oakland's population declined to 430,531, and was 31.1% [[White American|White]] (29.7% [[Non-Hispanic White]] and 1.5% [[Hispanic White]]), 20.6% Black or [[African American]], 1.3% [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] and [[Alaskan Native]], 15.9% [[Asian American|Asian]], 0.3% [[Pacific Islander]], 19.6% Other Race, and 11.3% from [[Multiracial American|two or more races]].<ref name=CensusACS2022>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT1Y2022.B03002?q=B03002&g=160XX00US0653000&y=2022&hidePreview=true&tid=ACSDT1Y2022.B03002|title=B03002 HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE – Oakland city, California – 2022 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates|date=July 1, 2022 |publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]] |access-date=May 27, 2021}}</ref>

White Americans are the largest racial/ethnic group at either 31.1% (including [[White Hispanics]]) or 29.7% (excluding White Hispanics).<ref name=CensusACS2022 />

Hispanics have been the second largest ethnic group since 2012 when they displaced the Black population. However, Black Americans still form the second largest racial group. By ethnicity, 26.8% of the total population is [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic-Latino]] (of any race) and 73.2% is Non-Hispanic (of any race).<ref name=CensusACS2022 /> The majority of Hispanics self-identify as Some Other Race (69.3%) with the remainder choosing White (5.4%), Multiracial (19.2%), Black (1.6%), American Indian and Alaskan Native (3.8%), Asian (0.7%), and Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (0.1%).<ref name=CensusACS2022 />

The Black population is the third largest ethnic group and second largest racial group at either 20.6% (including Black Hispanics) or 20.1% excluding Black Hispanics.<ref name=CensusACS2022 />

The Asian population continues to remain the fourth largest group at 15.9% of the population.<ref name=CensusACS2022 />

5.1% are of English ancestry, French (except Basque), 1.4% German, 6.1% Irish - 6.2% Italian, 3.1% Norwegian, 1.1% Polish - 1.7% Scottish and 1.0%Subsaharan African 2.5%.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Oakland_city,_California?g=160XX00US0653000 | title=Oakland city, California | access-date=2024-06-03 | website=data.census.gov}}</ref>

The most common ancestries in Oakland are German, Irish, English, Italian and European. Spanish and Chinese are the most common non-English spoken languages.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/ca/oakland | title=Oakland, CA - Real Estate & Demographic Data | access-date=2024-06-03}}</ref>

===Educational attainment and income===

The greater Oakland area{{Specify|date=July 2020}} has the fifth largest cluster of "elite zip codes" ranked by the number of households with the highest combination of income and education.<ref>{{cite news|title=Washington: A World Apart|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/local/2013/11/09/washington-a-world-apart/|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=May 9, 2014}}</ref> 37.9% of residents over 25 years of age have bachelor's degree or higher.<ref>{{cite web|title=Community Facts|url=https://www.census.gov|work=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=May 14, 2014}}</ref> Oakland ranked among the top cities with residents with bachelor's degrees and graduate degrees per square mile.<ref>{{cite web|last=Winter|first=Michael|title=New measure ranks San Francisco the 'smartest' U.S. city|url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/06/new-measure-ranks-san-francisco-the-smartest-us-city/1#.U3LCZBb7XoD|work=USA Today|access-date=May 14, 2014}}</ref>

Oakland ranks in the top 20 of American cities in median household income, with a 2012 value of {{USD}}51,863.<ref>{{cite web|author=Jun S.|date=June 17, 2016|title=Oakland Demographics|url=https://oakland.com/article/oakland-demographics|website=oakland.com|access-date=September 28, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160928223305/https://oakland.com/article/oakland-demographics|archive-date=September 28, 2016}}</ref> In 2012, the median income for a household in the city was {{USD}}51,863 and the median income for a family was {{USD}}59,459. The mean income for a household was {{USD}}77,888 and the mean income for a family was {{USD}}90,948. Males had a median income of {{USD}}50,140 versus {{USD}}50,304 for females.<ref>{{cite web|title=Community Facts|url=https://www.census.gov|work=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=May 9, 2014}}</ref> The unemployment rate as of December 2013 was 9.7%.<ref>{{cite web|title=Milestones in 2013|url=https://www.census.gov|work=State of the City 2013 Report|access-date=May 9, 2014}}</ref>

In 2007 approximately 15.3 percent of families and 17.0 percent of the general population were below the poverty line, including 27.9 percent of those under age 18 and 13.1 percent of those age 65 or over. 0.7% of the population is homeless.<ref name="10k">[http://www.nhi.org/online/issues/145/designingdowntown.html Designing a Socially Just Downtown] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061212172017/http://www.nhi.org/online/issues/145/designingdowntown.html |date=December 12, 2006 }}, NHI, by Alex Salazar, Spring 2006, retrieved August 12, 2007</ref> Home ownership is 41%<ref name="10k"/> and 14% of rental units are subsidized.<ref name="10k"/>

As of the census<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2000, 19.4% of the population and 16.2% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 27.9% of those under the age of 18 and 13.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

===Households===
[[File:El Mirador.jpg|thumb|El Mirador, a historic [[Spanish Colonial Revival]] apartment building, built in 1931 by noted Bay Area architect Douglas Dacre Stone.]]
The census reported 382,586 people (97.9% of the population) lived in households, 5,675 (1.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 2,463 (0.6%) were institutionalized.

There were 153,791 households, out of which 44,762 (29.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 50,797 (33.0%) were [[marriage|opposite-sex married couples]] living together, 24,122 (15.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 8,799 (5.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 11,289 (7.3%) [[POSSLQ|unmarried opposite-sex partnerships]], and 3,442 (2.2%) [[same-sex partnerships|same-sex married couples or partnerships]]. 52,103 households (33.9%) were made up of individuals, and 13,778 (9.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49. There were 83,718 [[family (U.S. Census)|families]] (54.4% of all households); the average family size was 3.27.

The population was spread out, with 83,120 people (21.3%) under the age of 18, 36,272 people (9.3%) aged 18 to 24, 129,139 people (33.1%) aged 25 to 44, 98,634 people (25.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 43,559 people (11.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.

There were 169,710 housing units at an average density of {{Convert|2175.7|/sqmi|/km2}}, of which 153,791 were occupied, of which 63,142 (41.1%) were owner-occupied, and 90,649 (58.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 8.5%. 166,662 people (42.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 215,924 people (55.3%) lived in rental housing units.

===Shifting of cultures===

Oakland has consistently ranked as one of the most ethnically diverse major cities in the country.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2001/04/01/MN34884.DTL |title=S.F.'s Diversity Comeuppance |author=Ness, Carol |date=April 1, 2001 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=August 24, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2011/05/17/The-Top-10-Most-Diverse-Cities-in-America.html |title=The Top 10 Most Diverse Cities in America |date=May 17, 2011 |work=[[CNBC]] |access-date=June 13, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120181132/http://www.cnbc.com/id/43066296/The_Top_10_Most_Diverse_Cities_in_America?slide=9 |archive-date=January 20, 2013 }}</ref> A 2019 analysis by WalletHub showed that Oakland was the most ethnoracially diverse city in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|title=Most & Least Ethnically Diverse Cities in the U.S.|url=https://wallethub.com/edu/cities-with-the-most-and-least-ethno-racial-and-linguistic-diversity/10264|work=WallletHub|access-date=August 23, 2019|date=February 12, 2019}}</ref> The city's formerly most populous ethnic group, whites, declined from 95.3% in 1940 to 32.5% by 1990, due to a combination of factors, including suburbanization. Oakland became a destination for African Americans in the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]] during and after World War II as they gained high-paying jobs in the defense industry. Blacks have formed a plurality in Oakland for many years, peaking in 1980 at about 47% of the population.

Oakland's Black population decreased by nearly 25 percent between 2000 and 2010.<ref name="SFG">{{cite news| url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/25-drop-in-African-American-population-in-Oakland-2471925.php | work=The San Francisco Chronicle | first=Matthai | last=Kuruvila | title=Oakland's black experience still inherent to city | date=March 11, 2011}}</ref> The city's demographics have changed due to a combination of rising housing prices associated with [[gentrification]] and with blacks relocating to better (and in many cases more affordable) housing in Bay Area suburbs or moving to the [[Southern United States]] in a reverse migration, where conditions (including race relations) are considered to have improved in comparison to previous generations.<ref name="news-record.com">{{cite news |url=http://www.news-record.com/content/2009/03/21/article/census_blacks_are_moving_to_the_south |archive-url=https://archive.today/20090325063445/http://www.news-record.com/content/2009/03/21/article/census_blacks_are_moving_to_the_south |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 25, 2009 |title=Census: Blacks are moving to the South |work=News-Record.com |date=March 22, 2009 |access-date=April 19, 2012 |first=Lorraine |last=Ahearn }}</ref><ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=16000US0653000&-qr_name=ACS_2008_3YR_G00_DP3YR5&-ds_name=ACS_2008_3YR_G00_&-_lang=en&-_sse=on |title=Oakland city, California—Fact Sheet—American FactFinder |publisher=Factfinder.census.gov |access-date=April 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200211182630/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=16000US0653000&-qr_name=ACS_2008_3YR_G00_DP3YR5&-ds_name=ACS_2008_3YR_G00_&-_lang=en&-_sse=on |archive-date=February 11, 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/OAKLAND-Whites-edge-past-blacks-in-population-2533710.php | first=Jason B. | last=Johnson | date=June 5, 2006 | work=The San Francisco Chronicle | title=News Analysis / In Oakland, Jerry Brown Finds All Politics Is Local / Mayoral front-runner hits the streets}}</ref> These trends and cultural shifts have led to a decline among some of Oakland's long standing black institutions, such as churches, businesses and nightclubs, which had developed during the growing years of the 1950s through 1970.<ref name="oaklandnet.com">{{cite news|url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/S-F-moves-to-stem-African-American-exodus-2604038.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090804005456/http://www.oaklandnet.com/BlueRibbonCommission/PDFs/SF%20Chron%20ArticleonAfricanAmericanDeparturefromSF.pdf|archive-date=August 4, 2009 |access-date=April 19, 2012|first=Leslie |last=Fulbright |date=April 9, 2007|title=S.F. moves to stem African American exodus|url-status=live|work=SF Gate}}</ref>

In the 2010 census African Americans maintained their status as Oakland's single largest ethnic group, with 27% of the population, followed by non-Hispanic [[white people|whites]] at 25.9%, and Hispanics of any race at 25.4%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2011/0504_census_ethnicity_frey/0504_census_ethnicity_frey.pdf |title=Melting Pot Cities and Suburbs: Racial and Ethnic Change in Metro America in the 2000s |author=Frey, William H. |date=May 4, 2011 |work=Metropolitan Policy Program |publisher=Brookings Institution |access-date=August 4, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805151929/http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2011/0504_census_ethnicity_frey/0504_census_ethnicity_frey.pdf |archive-date=August 5, 2011 }}</ref> Ethnic Asians constitute 17%, followed by smaller minority groups.

Many immigrants have settled in the city. Immigrants and others have marched by the thousands down Oakland's [[International Boulevard, Oakland, California|International Boulevard]] in support of legal reforms benefiting [[Illegal immigration|undocumented immigrants]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5373661|title=Nation Sees Effects of 'Day Without Immigrants'|date=May 1, 2006|work=NPR News|access-date=May 31, 2019}}</ref>

An analysis by the Urban Institute of [[2000 United States census|U.S. Census 2000]] numbers showed Oakland had the third-highest concentration of [[gays and lesbians]] among the 50 largest U.S. cities, behind San Francisco and Seattle. Census data showed that among incorporated places that have at least 500 female couples, Oakland had the nation's largest proportion. In the 2000 census, 2,650 lesbian couples identified as such in Oakland; one in every 41 Oakland couples identified as a same-sex female partnership.<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/08/27/BAGDLKQ5EU1.DTL Lesbians Step Out With Pride]: DeFao, Janine] ''San Francisco Chronicle'', August 27, 2006</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=2000 Census information on Gay and Lesbian Couples, by Incorporated place Incorporated place, by highest percentage|url=http://www.gaydemographics.org/USA/2000Census_Gay_incorporated.htm|publisher=www.gaydemographics.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020609210811/http://www.gaydemographics.org/USA/2000Census_Gay_incorporated.htm|archive-date=June 9, 2002 }}</ref>

=== Gentrification ===
According to the [[lobbying]] non-profit National Community Reinvestment Coalition, from 2013-2017 the San Francisco-Oakland Metro shows indications of having the greatest intensity of [[gentrification]] nationally, with over 31% of eligible neighborhoods gentrifying. Gentrifying neighborhoods showed significant increases in median home value, median household income, percentage of college educated residents, but also in economic inequality.<ref name="N2020">{{Cite web|title=Gentrification and Disinvestment 2020 » NCRC|url=https://ncrc.org/gentrification20/|access-date=November 3, 2020|website=NCRC|date=June 17, 2020 |language=en-US}}</ref>

In West Oakland, median household income rose from $80,700 to $86,300 between 2010 and 2017, while the percent of population with four-year degrees rose from one-third to nearly one-half, according to the National Community Reinvestment Coalition.<ref>{{Cite web|date=June 18, 2020|title=Oakland, S.F. neighborhoods fastest gentrifying in U.S.|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/oakland-s-f-neighborhoods-fastest-gentrifying-in-u-s|access-date=November 3, 2020|website=The Mercury News|language=en-US}}</ref>

Local technology companies have created jobs in Oakland, and some new apartments have appeared, rents increased, and some working-class residents have moved to suburbs further inland.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Levin|first=Sam|date=July 2, 2019|title='There's no way to stop this': Oakland braces for the arrival of tech firm Square|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/jul/02/theres-no-way-to-stop-this-oakland-braces-for-the-arrival-of-tech-firm-square|access-date=November 3, 2020|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> The city of Oakland has failed to approve new housing permits to keep up with demand for new housing, which caused housing prices to rise.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Orenstein |first=Natalie |date=2024-05-23 |title=Housing construction slowed in Oakland in 2023 |url=https://oaklandside.org/2024/05/23/housing-element-oakland-construction-rhna/ |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=The Oaklandside |language=en-US}}</ref>

According to 2015 data compiled by the Bay Area Equity Atlas, 18% of low-income households of color were in neighborhoods that were gentrifying compared to 33.7% of low-income white households.<ref name="bayareaequityatlas.org">{{Cite web|title=Gentrification risk {{!}} Bay Area Equity Atlas|url=https://bayareaequityatlas.org/indicators/gentrification-risk#/?geo=07000000000653000|access-date=November 3, 2020|website=bayareaequityatlas.org}}</ref>

===Crime===
{{update|date=July 2025}}
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left: 10px;"
|+ style="text-align: center;" | Oakland Homicides{{efn|The homicide rate is not the same as murder rate. Murders are a subset of homicides. In 2000, for insurance, there were 109 homicides in Oakland, of which 102 were classified as murders;<ref name=HurdHarris/> similarly in 2018, there were 75 homicides: 68 murders and 7 categorized as [[justifiable homicide]]s or killings in self-defense.<ref name=2018Report/>
|-
! Year !! Number}}
|-
| 1992 || 175<ref name=2015Harris>Harry Harris, [https://web.archive.org/web/20171108175219/https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/12/31/oaklands-homicide-numbers-rise-for-first-time-in-two-years/ Oakland's homicide numbers rise for first time in two years], Bay Area News Group (December 31, 2015).</ref>
|-
| 1995 || 153<ref name=Zamora>Jim Herron Zamora, [https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Murder-rates-dropped-in-S-F-Oakland-in-96-3143014.php Murder rates dropped in S.F., Oakland in '96], ''San Francisco Chronicle'' (January 2, 1997).</ref>
|-
| 1996 || 102<ref name=Zamora/>
|-
|1997
|99<ref name="WarrenInstitute" />
|-
|1998
|72<ref name="WarrenInstitute" />
|-
|1999
|60<ref name="WarrenInstitute" />
|-
| 2000 || 85<ref name=2013Harris>Harry Harris, [https://www.mercurynews.com/2013/12/31/oakland-sees-biggest-drop-in-homicides-since-2004/ Oakland sees biggest drop in homicides since 2004], Bay Area News Group (December 31, 2013).</ref>
|-
| 2001 || 87<ref name=2013Harris/>
|-
| 2002 || 113<ref name=2013Harris/>
|-
| 2003 || 114<ref name=2013Harris/>
|-
| 2004 || 88<ref name=2013Harris/>
|-
| 2005 || 94<ref name=2013Harris/>
|-
| 2006 || 148<ref name=2013Harris/>
|-
| 2007 || 127<ref name=2013Harris/>
|-
| 2008 || 125<ref name=2013Harris/>
|-
| 2009 || 110<ref name=2013Harris/>
|-
| 2010 || 95<ref name=2013Harris/>
|-
| 2011 || 110<ref name=2013Harris/>
|-
| 2012 || 131<ref name=2013Harris/>
|-
| 2013 || 92<ref name=2013Harris/>
|-
| 2014 || 86<ref>Tammerlin Drummond, [https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/03/24/drummond-oakland-killings-down-in-2014-but-still-way-too-many/ Oakland killings down in 2014 but still way too many], Bay Area News Group (March 24, 2015).</ref>
|-
| 2015 || 83<ref name=Hedin2017>Mark Hedin, [https://web.archive.org/web/20170310195002/https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/03/10/rash-of-homicides-in-late-2016-push-years-toll-to-85/ Oakland: Rash of homicides in late 2016 push year's toll to 85], Bay Area News Group (March 10, 2017).</ref> 
|-
| 2016 || 85<ref name=Hedin2017/>
|-
| 2017 || 72<ref>Darwin BondGraham, [https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/oakland-leaders-attribute-drop-in-homicides-and-shootings-due-to-ceasefire-program/Content?oid=12462020 Oakland Leaders Attribute Drop in Homicides and Shootings to Ceasefire Program], ''East Bay Express'' (January 9, 2017).</ref> 
|-
| 2018 || 75<ref name=2018Report>Rick Hurd, Harry Harris & David DeBolt, [https://web.archive.org/web/20190221035107/https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/01/02/2018-review-oakland-murders-dip-to-lowest-level-since-1999-major-crimes-fall-regionally/ 2018 Review: Oakland murders dip to lowest level since 1999; major crimes fall regionally], Bay Area News Group (January 2, 2019).</ref>
|-
| 2019 || 78<ref name=HurdHarris>Rick Hurd & Harry Harris, [https://web.archive.org/web/20210101213310/https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2021/01/01/oakland-crime-2020-deadly-violence-explodes/ Sad milestones in Oakland as deadly violence explodes in 2020], Bay Area News Group (January 1, 2021).</ref>
|-
| 2020 || 109<ref name=HurdHarris/>
|-
| 2021 || 134<ref name=Mercury2022>Jakob Rodgers, [https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/01/01/a-kind-of-reset-killings-and-shootings-in-oakland-east-bay-ease-slightly-in-2022-after-violent-two-year-stretch/  ‘A kind of reset’: Killings and shootings in Oakland, East Bay ease slightly in 2022 after violent, two-year stretch], ''Mercury News'' (January 1, 2023).</ref>
|-
| 2022 || 120<ref name=Mercury2022/>
|-
| 2023 || 126<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-03 |title=Homicides soar in Oakland, vanish in East Palo Alto |url=https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/homicides-soar-in-oakland-vanish-in-east-palo-alto/ |access-date=2024-01-04 |website=KRON4 |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
| 2024 || 86<ref>{{Cite web |title=Deadly end to 2024 in Oakland despite overall homicide drop {{!}} KTVU FOX 2 |url=https://www.ktvu.com/news/deadly-end-2024-oakland-despite-overall-homicide-drop.amp |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=www.ktvu.com}}</ref>
|}
{{main|Crime in Oakland, California}}

A 2014 study by the Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Law & Social Policy at the [[University of California, Berkeley School of Law]] examined crime in the city from 1987 to 2012 and concluded that "The story of crime in Oakland over the last 25 years is a nuanced one, as there are both positive and negative aspects of the crime trends."<ref name=WarrenInstitute>Bobby McCarthy & Sarah Lawrence, [https://www.law.berkeley.edu/files/Crime_Trends_in_the_City_of_Oakland_-_A_25-Year_Look.pdf Crime Trends in the City of Oakland: A 25-Year Look (1987–2012).], Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Law & Social Policy, University of California, Berkeley School of Law.</ref> Crime [[Crime drop|dramatically decreased since the early 1990s]] but the city has continued to suffer from serious [[violent crime]] problems.<ref name=WarrenInstitute/> Crime trends generally tracked comparison cities of [[Fresno, California|Fresno]], [[Richmond, California|Richmond]], [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]], and [[Stockton, California|Stockton]] "in terms of direction if not magnitude"; this suggested that crime trends are regional rather than city-specific.<ref name=WarrenInstitute/>

A 2007 journal article identified crime in Oakland as being fueled by the dramatic increase of street narcotics sales and use since the 1970s, with Oakland becoming a major west-coast hub for heroin and cocaine distribution. Subsequent battle for control over the lucrative narcotics trade incited gang conflicts and violence, with shootings becoming a regular occurrence. A concurrent rise in rape, robbery, burglary, auto-theft and other crimes occurred as well. Prior to 1960, there had been successful government-funded social programs whereby rebellious teens were enrolled in youth centers that would teach them proper values and improve their behavior. Similar programs since then have been inconsistent.<ref name="Rosen 2007 255–270">{{cite journal|last=Rosen|first=Eva|author2=Sudhir Venkatesh |title=Legal Innovation and the Control of Gang Behavior|journal=[[Annual Review of Law and Social Science]]|date=2007|volume=3|issue=1|pages=255–270|doi=10.1146/annurev.lawsocsci.3.081806.112724}}</ref>

By the 1970s, the police and [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) used [[military tactics]] such as SWAT teams, infiltration and counter intelligence in an attempt to counter groups such as the Black Panthers (responsible for several police ambushes), the S.L.A. and organized drug gangs such as the "69 Mob", with increases in arrests, prosecutions, and imprisonment.<ref name="Rosen 2007 255–270"/> During the first decade of the 21st century, Oakland has consistently been listed as one of the most dangerous large cities in the United States.<ref name="sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com">{{cite news |title=Oakland Moves From 3rd To 5th In Most Dangerous City Survey |agency=[[Bay City News]] |publisher=[[CBS San Francisco]] |date=November 22, 2010 |url= http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2010/11/22/oakland-moves-from-3rd-to-5th-in-most-dangerous-city-survey/ |access-date=October 29, 2011}}</ref>

The number of Oakland Police Department officers has varied from a low of 626 (in 1996 and in 2012) to a high of 814 (in 2002).<ref name=WarrenInstitute/> There were 723 officers at the end of 2015.<ref name=2015Harris/> The city's strategic plan recommended 925 officers, and an independent study commissioned by the city in the mid-1990s recommended 1,200 officers.<ref name="insidebayarea.com Oakland police vow to intensify">{{cite web|author1=Robert Rogers| author2=Harry Harris|work= [[East Bay Times]] |url=http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2013/01/12/oakland-police-vow-to-intensify-anti-violence-efforts-after-four-shooting-deaths-in-six-hours/ |title=Oakland police vow to intensify anti-violence efforts after four shooting deaths in six hours |publisher=Inside Bay Area |date=January 12, 2013|access-date=October 26, 2017}}</ref><ref name="drop">{{cite web|author=Harry HarrisOakland Tribune |url=http://www.insidebayarea.com/oakland-homicides/ci_14786462 |title=Gradually, Oakland a less deadly place |publisher=Inside Bay Area |access-date=April 19, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Kerr |first=Dara |url=http://oaklandnorth.net/2011/01/03/oakland-memorializes-the-94-homicide-of-2010/ |title=Oakland memorializes the 94 homicides of 2010|work=North Oakland News|date=January 3, 2011 |access-date=April 19, 2012}}</ref> As of 2025, the city employed only 675 police officers, budgeted for only 600, and of these, 100 were on leave.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Romero |first=Roselyn |date=2025-04-24 |title=Oakland needs 877 police officers, report says |url=https://oaklandside.org/2025/04/24/oakland-police-department-staffing-study-report-draft/ |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=The Oaklandside |language=en-US}}</ref>

Among Oakland's 35 police patrol beats, violent crime remains a serious problem in specific East and West Oakland neighborhoods. In 2008, homicides were concentrated: 72% occurred in three City Council districts, District 3 in West Oakland and Districts 6 and 7 in East Oakland, although these districts have 44% of Oakland's residents.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Spiker |first1=Steve |last2=Garvey |first2=John |last3=Arnold |first3=Kenyatta |last4=Williams |first4=Junious |title=Homicides in Oakland |publisher=Urban Strategies Council |date=March 9, 2009 |url=http://www.urbanstrategies.org/programs/infotech/documents/2008_Homicide_Report.pdf |access-date=October 29, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003093648/http://www.urbanstrategies.org/programs/infotech/documents/2008_Homicide_Report.pdf |archive-date=October 3, 2011 }}</ref>

In 2012, Oakland implemented [[Operation Ceasefire]], a gang violence reduction plan used in other cities, based in part on the research and strategies of author [[David M. Kennedy (criminologist)|David M. Kennedy]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Tammerlin Drummond, Oakland Tribune Columnist |url=http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_20505391/tammerlin-drummond-david-kennedy-talks-oakland-and-ceasefire |title=Drummond: David Kennedy talks Oakland and Ceasefire |work=[[San Jose Mercury News]] |access-date=August 16, 2013|date=April 28, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Will Kane |url=http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/8-arrested-in-Oakland-crime-crackdown-4736648.php |title=8 arrested in Oakland crime crackdown |newspaper=SFGate |access-date=August 16, 2013|date=August 15, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2013/08/08/oakland-boosts-operation-ceasefire-after-baby-father-killed/ |title=Oakland Boosts 'Operation Ceasefire' After Baby, Father Killed « CBS San Francisco |publisher=Sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com |date=August 8, 2013|access-date=August 8, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Will Kane |url=http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Oakland-police-s-new-push-on-Ceasefire-program-4723248.php |title=Oakland police's new push on Ceasefire program |newspaper=SFGate |date=August 10, 2013 |access-date=August 16, 2013}}</ref>

==Economy==

[[File:Tribune Tower in Downtown Oakland, Jan 2009, by Hitchster.jpg|thumb|The iconic [[Tribune Tower (Oakland)|Tribune Tower]], from 13th St. and Franklin St. in [[Downtown Oakland|Downtown]]]]

{{Further|List of companies based in Oakland, California}}
Oakland is a major [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] port, and the fifth-busiest in the United States by cargo volume.<ref>{{cite web|title=North American Container Traffic: 2011 Port Ranking by TEUs|url=http://aapa.files.cms-plus.com/Statistics/NORTH%20AMERICA%20PORT%20CONTAINER%20TRAFFIC%20RANKING%202011.pdf|publisher=American Association of Port Authorities|access-date=May 11, 2013}}</ref> The [[Port of Oakland]] handles 99% of all containerized goods moving through Northern California, representing $41 billion worth of international trade.<ref>{{cite web|title=Facts & Figures|url=http://www.portofoakland.com/maritime/factsfigures.aspx|work=Port of Oakland|access-date=May 9, 2014|archive-date=May 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512214912/http://www.portofoakland.com/maritime/factsfigures.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Making California Ports More Competitive |url=http://www.calchamber.com/GovernmentRelations/IssueReports/Documents/2014-Reports/California-Ports-2014.pdf |work=California Chamber of Commerce |access-date=May 9, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512223431/http://www.calchamber.com/GovernmentRelations/IssueReports/Documents/2014-Reports/California-Ports-2014.pdf |archive-date=May 12, 2014 }}</ref> There are nearly 200,000 jobs related to marine cargo transport in the Oakland area.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-West/Oakland-Economy.html|title=Oakland: Economy|publisher=City-Data.com|year=2009|access-date=May 31, 2010}}</ref> These jobs range from minimum wage hourly positions to Transportation Storage and Distribution Managers who earn an annual average salary of {{USD}}91,520.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collegedegreereport.com/city-data/transportation-storage-and-distribution-managers/oakland-fremont-hayward|title=Transportation Storage and Distribution Managers Data for Oakland, Fremont, Hayward, California|access-date=August 29, 2011|archive-date=July 8, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708175724/http://www.collegedegreereport.com/city-data/transportation-storage-and-distribution-managers/oakland-fremont-hayward|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Port of Oakland was an early innovator/pioneer in the technologies of [[Intermodal freight transport|Intermodal Containerized Shipping]]. The city is also home to several major corporations including [[Kaiser Permanente]], [[Clorox]], and [[Dreyer's]] ice cream.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web |url=http://www.business2oakland.com/main/majoremployers.htm |title=Oakland CEDA—Major Employers |publisher=Business2oakland.com |access-date=April 19, 2012 |archive-date=May 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529122452/http://www.business2oakland.com/main/majoremployers.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> Tech companies such as [[Ask.com]] and [[Pandora Radio]] are in Oakland,<ref>{{cite web|title=Shining Internet star Pandora could be a boost for downtown Oakland|url=http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_18292424?IADID|author=Avalos, George|date=June 17, 2011|work=Oakland Tribune|access-date=June 20, 2011}}</ref> and in recent years many start-up high tech and green energy companies have found a home in the downtown neighborhoods of Uptown, City Center, Jack London Square and Lake Merritt Financial District.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.contracostatimes.com/business/ci_18538378|title=New economy companies bolster Oakland's workforce|author=Avalos, George
|work=Contra Costa Times|date=July 24, 2011|access-date=August 29, 2011}}</ref>

{{As of|2013}}, the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward metropolitan area has a [[gross domestic product]] (GDP) of {{USD}}360.4&nbsp;billion, ranking eighth among metropolitan areas in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|title=Top 100 U.S. Metro Economies|url=http://www.usmayors.org/metroeconomies/2013/201311-charts.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331021224/http://usmayors.org/metroeconomies/2013/201311-charts.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 31, 2014|work=Metro Economics Report|access-date=May 14, 2014}}</ref> In 2014, Oakland was amongst the best cities to start a career, the highest ranked city in California after San Francisco. Additionally, Oakland ranked fourth in cities with professional opportunities.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kiernan|first=John|title=Best & Worst Cities to Start a Career|url=http://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-cities-to-start-a-career/3626/|work=Wallet Hub|access-date=May 14, 2014}}</ref> Numerous companies in San Francisco continue to expand in or migrate over to Oakland.<ref>{{cite web|last=Torres|first=Bianca|title=Tenant spillover from San Francisco to the East Bay tops 300,000 square feet|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/real-estate/2014/05/tenant-spillover-san-francisco-east-bay-leases.html?page=all|work=San Francisco Business Times|access-date=May 15, 2014}}</ref>

Oakland experienced an increase of both its population and of land values in the early-to-mid first decade of the 21st century. The [[10k Plan]], which began during former mayor [[Elihu Harris]]' administration, and intensified during former mayor [[Jerry Brown]]'s administration resulted in several thousand units of new multi-family housing and development. In 2023, Oakland became the first American city ever to lose three professional major league sports teams to other cities within a five-year span.<ref name="OaklandExodus"/>

===Top employers===

{{As of|2024}}, the top employers in the city were:<ref>{{cite web |title=City of Oakland, California: Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Year Ended June 30, 2024 |url=https://cao-94612.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/documents/2024-City-of-Oakland-ACFR_final-121324.pdf |page=221}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! #
! Employer
! # of Employees
|-
| 1
|[[Kaiser Permanente]]
|11,500+
|-
| 2
|[[County of Alameda]]
|8,000+
|-
| 3
|[[Oakland Unified School District]]
|5,500+
|-
| 4
|City of Oakland
|4,500+
|-
| 5
|[[State of California]]
|4,000+
|-
| 6
|[[Bay Area Rapid Transit]]
|4,000+
|-
| 7
|[[Southwest Airlines]]
|3,000+
|-
| 8
|[[Alameda Health System]]
|2,500+
|-
| 9
|[[Children's Hospital Oakland]]
|2,500+
|-
| 10
|[[FedEx|Federal Express]]
|2,000+
|}

===Tourism===
[[File:Oakland Hotel (Oakland, CA).JPG|thumb|left|The historic [[Oakland Hotel]], built in 1912 by [[Francis Marion Smith]]]]
In 2013, over 2.5 million people visited Oakland, contributed {{USD}}1.3&nbsp;billion into the economy.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tourism Facts and Figures|url=http://visitoakland.org/tourism-facts-figures/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140411040835/http://visitoakland.org/tourism-facts-figures/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 11, 2014|work=Visit Oakland|access-date=May 10, 2014}}</ref> Oakland has been experiencing an increase in hotel demand. Occupancy is 74%, while [[RevPAR]] (Revenue Per Available Room) increased by 14%, the highest increase of any big city in the western region of the United States.<ref>{{cite web|last=King|first=Danny|title=Hotel Demand Thriving in three secondary U.S. markets|url=http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Hotel-News/Hotel-demand-thriving-in-three-secondary-US-markets/|work=Travel Weekly|access-date=May 10, 2014}}</ref> Both Oakland and San Francisco were forecasted to experience the highest increases in ADR ([[Average daily rate]]).<ref>{{cite web|last=Robert |first=Mandelbaum |title=Recovery Momentum picks up outside major markets |url=http://www.hotelmanagement.net/economic-trends/recovery-momentum-picks-up-outside-major-markets-25304 |work=Hotel Management |access-date=May 10, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512215545/http://www.hotelmanagement.net/economic-trends/recovery-momentum-picks-up-outside-major-markets-25304 |archive-date=May 12, 2014 }}</ref>

In recent years, Oakland has gained national recognition as a travel destination. In 2012, [[The New York Times]] named Oakland the top North American city to visit, highlighting its growing number of sophisticated restaurants and bars, top music venues, and increasing nightlife appeal.<ref name="The 45">{{cite news|title=The 45 Places to Go in 2012|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/travel/45-places-to-go-in-2012.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|work=The New York Times| date=January 6, 2012 |access-date=May 9, 2014}}</ref> Oakland also took the No. 16 spot in "America's Coolest Cities", ranked by metrics like entertainment options and recreational opportunities per capita, etc.<ref name="America's Coolest">{{cite web|title=America's Coolest Cities|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/morganbrennan/2012/07/26/houston-tops-our-list-of-americas-coolest-cities-to-live/|work=Forbes|access-date=May 9, 2014}}</ref> In 2013, Oakland topped the No. 1 spot in "America's Most Exciting Cities", notably having the most movie theaters, theater companies, and museums per square mile.<ref name="The 10">{{cite web|title=The 10 Most Exciting Cities in America|url=http://www.movoto.com/blog/top-ten/10-most-exciting-cities/|work=Movoto|access-date=May 9, 2014}}</ref> In "America's Most Hipster Cities", Oakland took the number-5 spot, cited for luring San Francisco "hippies" into the city.<ref name="America's Most Hipster">{{cite web|title=America's Most Hipster Cities|url=http://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/americas-most-hipster-cities-epicenter-of-the-american-hipster-in-2013|work=Thrillest|access-date=May 9, 2014|date=November 7, 2013}}</ref> Oakland has also increased its travel destination allure internationally.<ref>{{cite web|last=Boyd|first=Maya|title=Travel" The top 5 things to do in California|url=http://metro.co.uk/2014/03/10/travel-the-top-5-things-to-do-in-california-4462173/|work=Metro Travel|access-date=May 14, 2014|date=March 10, 2014}}</ref>

==Arts and culture==
[[File:Fox Oakland Theatre (Oakland, CA).JPG|thumb|[[Fox Oakland Theater]] first opened in 1928. The theatre is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].]]
Oakland has a vibrant art scene and claims the highest concentration of artists per capita in the United States.<ref name="discoveramerica.com">{{cite web|title=The Official Travel and Tourism Website of the United States|url=http://www.discoveramerica.com/ca/california/oakland-index.html|access-date=June 11, 2011}}</ref> In 2013, Oakland was designated as one of America's top twelve art communities, recognizing Downtown (including Uptown), Chinatown, Old Oakland, and Jack London Square as communities "that have most successfully combined art, artists and venues for creativity and expression with independent businesses, retail shops and restaurants, and a walkable lifestyle to make vibrant neighborhoods."<ref>{{cite web |title=America's Top Twelve ArtPlaces |url=http://www.artplaceamerica.org/articles/americas-top-artplaces-2013/ |work=Art Place America |access-date=May 9, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140504082601/http://www.artplaceamerica.org/articles/americas-top-artplaces-2013/ |archive-date=May 4, 2014 }}</ref>

Galleries exist in various parts of Oakland, with the newest additions centered mostly in the [[Uptown Oakland|Uptown]] area. Oakland ranked 11th in cities for designers and artists.<ref>{{cite web|title=Top 25 Cities for Designers and Artists|url=http://artbistro.monster.com/careers/articles/10292-top-25-cities-for-designers-and-artists?print=true|work=Artbistro|access-date=May 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140514122743/http://artbistro.monster.com/careers/articles/10292-top-25-cities-for-designers-and-artists?print=true|archive-date=May 14, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> The city is a renowned culinary hotbed, offering both a wide variety and innovative approaches to diverse [[cuisines]] in restaurants and markets, often featuring locally grown produce and international styles such as [[French cuisine|French]], [[Italian cuisine|Italian]], [[Portuguese cuisine|Portuguese]]/[[Spanish cuisine|Spanish]], [[Ethiopian cuisine|Ethiopian]], [[Asian cuisine|Asian]], [[Latin American cuisine|Latin American]], as well as [[Caribbean cuisine|Caribbean]], [[Cuisine of the Southern United States|Southern United States]]/[[Louisiana Creole cuisine|Louisiana Creole]], etc., all of which reflects the culinary traditions of the city's ethnically diverse population.

Historically a focal point of the West Coast [[blues]] and [[jazz]] scenes, Oakland is also home to musicians representing such genres as [[rhythm and blues]], [[Gospel music|gospel]], [[funk]], [[Punk rock|punk]], [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]], [[Rapping|Rap]]/[[Gangsta rap]], and [[hip hop]]. Artists who come out of Oakland include [[Green Day]], [[Tower of Power]], [[Mistah F.A.B.]], [[E-40]], [[Too Short]], [[Tupac Shakur]], [[Raphael Saadiq]], [[MC Hammer]], [[Keyshia Cole]], [[Kehlani]], [[G-Eazy]], [[Del the Funky Homosapien]], [[Edwin Hawkins]], [[Tony! Toni! Toné!]] and many more.

===Attractions===
[[File:Oakland FrankOgawaTorii 20150924 (22041135940).jpg|thumb|[[Frank H. Ogawa]] Memorial [[Torii]] at the Gardens of [[Lake Merritt]]]]
[[File:Impeachment Eve Rally - Oakland, CA (49235816471).jpg|thumb|[[Grand Lake Theatre]]]]
[[File:Oakland YWCA (Oakland, CA).JPG|thumb|right|The historic Oakland [[YMCA]], designed by [[Julia Morgan]]]]
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* [[African American Museum and Library at Oakland]]
* [[AXIS Dance Company]]
* [[Chabot Space and Science Center]]
* [[Children's Fairyland]]
* [[Chinatown, Oakland|Chinatown]]
* [[Dunsmuir House]]
* [[Fox Oakland Theatre]], concert venue
* [[Jack London Square]]
* [[Joaquin Miller Park]]
* [[Lake Merritt]], Listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]], oldest wildlife/[[bird sanctuary]] in North America, Lake Merritt Garden Center, Bonsai Garden
* [[Lake Temescal]]
* [[Mountain View Cemetery (Oakland, California)|Mountain View Cemetery]], designed by [[Frederick Law Olmsted]] and resting place of many famous Californians
* [[Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum]], former home of baseball's [[Oakland Athletics]], and the [[Oakland Raiders]] of the [[National Football League|NFL]]
* [[Oakland Aviation Museum]]
* [[Oakland California Temple]], includes the gardens, visitors' center, family history center, & concert hall
* [[Oakland Museum of California]]
* [[Oakland Public Library]]
* [[Oakland Symphony]]
* [[Oakland Zoo]]
* [[Oakland Arena]], directly adjacent to the Oakland Coliseum, former home to the [[Golden State Warriors]] of the [[National Basketball Association|NBA]]
* [[Paramount Theatre (Oakland, California)|Paramount Theatre]]
* [[Pardee Home]]
* [[Rancho San Antonio (Peralta)|Peralta Hacienda Historical Park]], Museum of History and Culture
* [[Redwood Regional Park]]
* [[Preservation Park]]
* {{USS|Potomac|AG-25|6}}, [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]'s presidential yacht}}

===Nightlife===

[[File:oaklandatnight02192006.JPG|thumb|A night view of the Downtown skyline and [[Lakeside Apartments District, Oakland, California|Lakeside Apartments District]] as seen from the East 18th Street Pier]]

Downtown Oakland has an assortment of bars and [[nightclubs]]. They include dive bars, dance clubs, modern lounges and jazz bars. The Paramount Theater features headlining musical tours and productions, while Fox Oakland Theatre draws various musical genres including [[jam bands]], rock, punk, blues, jazz, and reggae. The Paramount and Fox theaters often book simultaneous events, creating busy nights uptown.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibabuzz.com/outtakes/2008/11/05/from-the-dept-of-nightlife/ |title=From the dept. of nightlife &#124; Oakland Tribune Outtakes |publisher=Ibabuzz.com |date=November 5, 2008 |access-date=April 19, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313230957/http://www.ibabuzz.com/outtakes/2008/11/05/from-the-dept-of-nightlife/ |archive-date=March 13, 2012 }}</ref> In 2012, Oakland was dubbed a "New Sin City", following its 2010 decision to relax its cabaret laws, which gave a boost to its nightclub and bar scene.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Greenfield |first1=Beth |title=Move Over Vegas, These Are the New Sin Cities|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/bethgreenfield/2012/12/14/move-over-vegas-these-are-the-new-sin-cities/|work=Forbes|access-date=May 9, 2014}}</ref>

Recent years have seen the growth of the [[Art Murmur|Oakland Art Murmur]] event, occurring in the Uptown neighborhood the first Friday evening of every month.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.insidebayarea.com/bayarealiving/ci_6619041 | title=Oakland art galleries creating loud 'Murmur' on first Fridays | author=Robert Taylor, Staff Writer | date=August 14, 2007 | access-date=August 23, 2007 | publisher=InsideBayArea.com}}</ref> The event attracts around 20,000 people along twenty city blocks, featuring live performances, food trucks, and over 30 galleries and venues.<ref>{{cite news|title=A Monthly Night of Art Outgrows its Name|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/11/us/oakland-art-murmur-outgrows-its-name.html?_r=0|work=The New York Times| date=October 11, 2012 |access-date=May 9, 2014| last1=Wollan | first1=Malia }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Oakland's Art Murmur: A New Roar?|url=http://oaklandartmurmur.org/oaklands-art-murmur-a-new-roar/|work=Oakland Art Murmur|access-date=May 9, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140513010620/http://oaklandartmurmur.org/oaklands-art-murmur-a-new-roar/|archive-date=May 13, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==="There is no there there"===

{{Panorama
 | image   = 
 | caption = The ''HERETHERE'' sculpture straddling the Oakland{{endash}}[[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]] border
 | height  = 200
}}

In her 1937 book ''[[Everybody's Autobiography]]'', [[Gertrude Stein]] said of Oakland: "There is no there there", upon learning that the neighborhood where she lived as a child had been torn down to make way for an [[industrial park]]. The quote is usually misconstrued to refer to Oakland as a whole.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=LeBeau |first1=Eleanor |year=2006 |title=Sampling Oakland |journal=Art Papers |issue=Nov/Dec |page=68 |url=http://getthisgallery.com/reviews/de_jesus.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070306083037/http://www.getthisgallery.com/reviews/de_jesus.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 6, 2007 |access-date=June 12, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://oaklandlocal.com/article/here-where-gertrude-stein-quote-ends |title=Here is where the Gertrude Stein quote ends |author=Ward, Jennifer Inez |date=April 2, 2010 |publisher=Oakland Local |access-date=June 12, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100406024659/http://oaklandlocal.com/article/here-where-gertrude-stein-quote-ends |archive-date=April 6, 2010 }}</ref>

Modern-day Oakland has made steps to rebuke Stein's claim with a statue downtown titled ''There''. In 2005 a sculpture called ''HERETHERE'' was installed by the City of Berkeley on the Berkeley-Oakland border at Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The sculpture consists of eight-foot-tall letters spelling "HERE" and "THERE" in front of the [[BART]] tracks as they descend from their elevated section in Oakland to the subway through [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]].<ref>{{cite press release |title=HERETHERE |url=http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ContentDisplay.aspx?id=19660 |publisher=City of Berkeley, Office of Economic Development |date=May 19, 2005 |access-date=June 12, 2011 |archive-date=May 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110505032017/http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ContentDisplay.aspx?id=19660 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Sports==
{{further|Sports in the San Francisco Bay Area}}
Oakland's former baseball team, the [[Oakland Athletics]] of [[Major League Baseball]] won three consecutive [[World Series]] championships in 1972, 1973, and 1974, and appeared in another three consecutive World Series from 1988 to 1990, winning their fourth championship in 1989. Formerly based at the [[Oakland Coliseum]], the Oakland Athletics announced plans to [[Oakland Athletics relocation to Las Vegas|move to Las Vegas]] to play at [[New Las Vegas Stadium|a new 33,000-seat partially retractable ballpark]] on the [[Las Vegas Strip]] with the team itself spending three seasons at [[Sutter Health Park]] in [[West Sacramento]] as a temporary home. The move leaves Oakland without a major professional sports team for the first time since 1959.<ref name="OaklandExodus" />

Oakland's former football team, the [[History of the Oakland Raiders|Oakland Raiders]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL), won [[Super Bowl XI]] in 1976 and [[Super Bowl XV]] in 1980, during their tenure in Oakland. The Raiders [[Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas|relocated to Las Vegas]] in 2020 and are now known as the [[Las Vegas Raiders]].

Oakland's former basketball team, the [[Golden State Warriors]] won the [[1975 NBA Finals|1974–75]], [[2015 NBA Finals|2014–15]], [[2017 NBA Finals|2016–17]], and the [[2018 NBA Finals|2017–18 NBA championships]], while losing in 2016 and 2019. The Warriors, whose primary owners reside in Southern California, announced in April 2014 that they would leave Oakland once their new arena was built across the Bay in San Francisco. In 2019, the Warriors built and moved to [[Chase Center]] across the Bay. Since the team remained in the Bay Area, they decided not to revert to the San Francisco Warriors name it had in its first stint with the city.

The [[Oakland Roots SC]] are a professional soccer team that was formed in 2018. The Roots began play in 2019 in a new third division professional league known as the [[National Independent Soccer Association]], however, the team announced that it would move into the second division of US professional soccer, and play in the [[USL Championship]] beginning in the 2021 season. The Roots play their home matches at Oakland Coliseum.

The [[Oakland Soul SC]], a woman's professional soccer club began play in May 2023 as an expansion team in the [[USL W League]], a pre-professional league; they also play at the Oakland Coliseum.

Oakland's former hockey team, the [[California Golden Seals]] were a professional [[ice hockey]] club that competed in the [[National Hockey League]] (NHL) from [[1967–68 NHL season|1967]] to [[1975–76 NHL season|1976]]. Based in Oakland, they played their home games at the [[Oracle Arena|Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena]]. The Seals were one of six teams added to the league as part of the [[1967 NHL expansion]]. Initially named the '''California Seals''', the team was renamed the '''Oakland Seals''' during the 1967–68 season and then the '''Bay Area Seals''' in 1970 before becoming the California Golden Seals the same year.
The Seals were the least successful of the teams added in the 1967 expansion, never earning a winning record and only making the playoffs twice in nine seasons of play. Off the ice, they were plagued by low attendance. The franchise was relocated prior to the beginning of the 1976–77 season to become the [[Cleveland Barons (NHL)|Cleveland Barons]], who would cease operation two years later.

Oakland's [[Ultimate (sport)|ultimate]] team, [[Oakland Spiders]], relocated to Oakland in 2022 after playing eight years as the San Jose Spiders.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Club
!Sport
!Founded
!League
!Venue
|-
|[[San Francisco Unicorns]]
|[[Cricket]]
|2023 {{small|(in Oakland since 2025)}}
|[[Major League Cricket|MLC]]
|[[Oakland Coliseum]]
|-
|[[Oakland Roots SC]]
|[[Association football|Soccer]]
|2019
|[[USL Championship|USLC]]
|[[Oakland Coliseum]]
|-
|[[Oakland Soul SC]]
|[[Association football|Soccer]]
|2023
|[[USL W League|USLW]]
|[[Oakland Coliseum]]
|-
|[[Oakland Spiders]]
|[[Ultimate (sport)|Ultimate]]
|2014 {{small|(in Oakland since 2022)}}
|[[Ultimate Frisbee Association|UFA]]
|[[Oakland Technical High School]]
|-
|[[Oakland Ballers]]
|[[Baseball]]
|2023
|[[List of Minor League Baseball leagues and teams#MLB Partner Leagues|MiLB]] ([[Pioneer League (baseball)|PL]])
|[[Raimondi Park]]
|}

[[File:Oakland Coliseum view from upper deck.jpg|thumb|The [[Oakland Coliseum]], former home of the [[Oakland Athletics]] baseball team and [[Oakland Raiders]] football team.]]

Oakland's former sports teams include:
* [[Oakland Athletics]], [[Major League Baseball]], 1968–2024. (played at the [[Oakland Coliseum]] before temporarily relocating to [[Oakland Athletics|Sacramento]] in {{MLB Year|2024}} and [[Oakland Athletics relocation to Las Vegas|fully relocating to Las Vegas]] in {{MLB Year|2028}}.)
* [[History of the Oakland Raiders|Oakland Raiders]], [[National Football League]], 1960–1981, 1995–2019. (played at the [[Oakland Coliseum]] before relocating to [[Los Angeles Raiders|Los Angeles]] in 1981 and [[Las Vegas Raiders|Las Vegas]] in {{NFL Year|2020}}.)
* [[Golden State Warriors]], [[National Basketball Association]], 1971–2019. (played in [[Oakland Arena]] before moving back to San Francisco for the {{NBA Year|2019}} season.)
* [[Oakland Oaks (PCL)|Oakland Oaks]], [[Pacific Coast League]] of Baseball, 1903–1955. (The Oaks played at [[Oaks Park (stadium)|Oaks Park]] in Emeryville after 1912.)
* [[Oakland Larks]], [[West Coast Negro Baseball League]], 1946.
* Oakland Hornets, member of [[American Football League (1944)]]
* [[Oakland Oaks (ABL)|Oakland Oaks]], [[American Basketball League (1961–1963)|American Basketball League]], 1962.
* [[Oakland Oaks (ABA)|Oakland Oaks]], [[American Basketball Association (1967–76)|American Basketball Association]], 1967–1969.
* [[Oakland Seals]], [[National Hockey League]], 1967–1976.
* [[Oakland Clippers]], [[National Professional Soccer League (1967)|National Professional Soccer League]], 1967; [[North American Soccer League (1968–84)|North American Soccer League]], 1968.
* [[Oakland Stompers]], [[North American Soccer League (1968–84)|North American Soccer League]], 1978.
* [[Oakland Invaders]], [[United States Football League]], 1983–1985.
* [[Oakland Skates]], [[Roller Hockey International]], 1993–1996.
* [[Oakland Slammers]], [[International Basketball League]], 2005–2006.

==Parks and recreation==

[[File:Moss mansion.jpg|thumb|[[J. Mora Moss House]] in Mosswood Park was built in 1864 by San Francisco businessman Joseph Moravia Moss in the [[Carpenter Gothic]] style. The building houses Parks and Recreation offices and storage.]]

{{see also|List of parks in Oakland, California}}

===Parks===
[[File:The Cascade Waterfall.jpg|thumb|right|Cascade Waterfall, [[Joaquin Miller Park]]]]

Oakland has many parks and recreation centers which total {{convert|5937|acres|0|abbr=on}}. In its 2013 ParkScore ranking, [[Trust for Public Land|The Trust for Public Land]], a national land conservation organization, reported that Oakland had the 18th best park system among the 50 most populous U.S. cities.<ref>[http://parkscore.tpl.org/city.php?city=Oakland "City Profiles: Oakland"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512214752/http://parkscore.tpl.org/city.php?city=Oakland |date=May 12, 2014 }}. "The Trust for Public Land". Retrieved on July 2, 2013.</ref> In 2013, Oakland ranked fourth among American cities as an urban destination for nature lovers.<ref>{{cite web|last=Wang|first=Annie|title=Top 10 Urban Destinations for Nature Lovers|url=http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/travel/2013/top-10-urban-destinations-naturelovers/|work=NerdWallet|access-date=May 14, 2014}}</ref>

Some of the city's most notable parks include:
* Allendale Park
* Bushrod Park
* [[Joaquin Miller Park]]
* [[Joseph Knowland State Arboretum and Park]], home of the [[Oakland Zoo]]
* [[Lake Merritt]]
* [[Morcom Rose Garden]] best from July through October
* [[Mosswood Park]]
* Peralta Hacienda Historical Park,<ref>{{cite web|author=Peralta Hacienda |url=http://www.peraltahacienda.org/pages/main.php?pageid=1&pagecategory=1 |title=Peraltahacienda.org |publisher=Peraltahacienda.org |access-date=April 19, 2012}}</ref> headquarters of the Peralta rancho, [[Rancho San Antonio (Peralta)|Rancho San Antonio]]
* William Joseph McInnes Botanic Garden and Campus Arboretum on the [[Mills College]] campus

Additionally, the following nine [[East Bay Regional Park District|East Bay Regional Parks]] are entirely or partially in the city of Oakland:
* [[Anthony Chabot Regional Park]]
* [[Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve]]
* [[Dr. Aurelia Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park]]
* [[Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve]]
* [[Judge John Sutter Regional Shoreline]]
* [[Leona Canyon Regional Open Space Preserve]]
* [[Roberts Regional Recreation Area]]
* [[Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve]]
* [[Temescal Regional Recreation Area]]

[[McLaughlin Eastshore State Park]] is partially in the city of Oakland and although it is a [[California State Parks|California State Park]], it is managed by the [[East Bay Regional Park District]].

[[File:French Trail, Redwood Regional Park.jpg|thumb|right|French Trail, [[Redwood Regional Park]]]]

==Government==
{{see also|List of mayors of Oakland, California}}

[[File:Oakland City Hall 1917.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Oakland City Hall]] and central plaza in 1917. Built of framed steel with unreinforced masonry infill at a cost of {{USD}}2&nbsp;million in 1914. The structure was the tallest building in the city until the [[Tribune Tower (Oakland)|Tribune Tower]] was built in 1923.]]

Oakland has a [[mayor-council government]]. The mayor is elected [[at-large]] for a four-year term. The [[Oakland City Council]] has eight council members representing seven districts in Oakland with one member elected at-large and others from [[single-member districts]]; council members serve staggered four-year terms. The mayor appoints a city administrator, subject to the confirmation by the City Council, who is the city's chief administrative officer. Other city officers include: [[city attorney]] (elected), city auditor (elected), and [[city clerk]] (appointed by city administrator).<ref>[http://bpc.iserver.net/codes/oakland/ Oakland Municipal Code]. Accessed August 31, 2007. {{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Oakland's mayor is limited to two terms. There are no term limits for the city council.

[[Oakland City Hall]] was evacuated after the [[1989 Loma Prieta earthquake]] until {{USD}}80M seismic retrofit and hazard abatement work was complete in 1995.<ref>{{cite web |title=Peer Review of Base-Isolation Retrofit |work=Oakland City Hall |publisher=Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. |year=2007 |url=http://www.wje.com/projects/project_details.php?ProjectID=1991.0019.0 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080204015607/http://www.wje.com/projects/project_details.php?ProjectID=1991.0019.0 |archive-date=February 4, 2008 |access-date=October 29, 2011}}</ref> City offices had to be housed in leased space and other locations.

[[Jean Quan]] was elected mayor in November 2010, beating [[Don Perata]] and [[Rebecca Kaplan]] in the city's first [[Instant-runoff voting|ranked choice balloting]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Gammon |first=Robert |title=Breaking news: Jean Quan wins mayor's race |work=[[East Bay Express]] |date=November 10, 2011 |url=http://www.eastbayexpress.com/92510/archives/2010/11/10/breaking-news-jean-quan-wins-mayors-race |access-date=October 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111212023250/http://www.eastbayexpress.com/92510/archives/2010/11/10/breaking-news-jean-quan-wins-mayors-race |archive-date=December 12, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> This new system is intended to increase voters' ability to choose preferred candidates, as they can combine ranked votes when several candidates are competing. [[Sheng Thao]], the first [[Hmong Americans|Hmong American]] mayor of a major city in the United States, served from 2023 until her [[2024 Oakland mayoral recall election|recall]] in 2024. [[Barbara Lee]] has served as mayor of Oakland since 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-05-20 |title=Barbara Lee, sworn in as Oakland's mayor, promises a 'government you can trust' |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/05/20/oakland-mayor-barbara-lee-swearing-in-charlene-wang/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=The Mercury News |language=en-US}}</ref>

Oakland is also part of [[Alameda County, California|Alameda County]], for which the [[Government of Alameda County, California|Government of Alameda County]] is defined and authorized under the [[California Constitution]], [[California law]], and the Charter of the County of Alameda.<ref>California Government Code § 23004</ref> The County government provides countywide services such as elections and voter registration, law enforcement, jails, vital records, property records, tax collection, public health, and social services. The County government is primarily composed of the elected five-member [[Alameda County Board of Supervisors|Board of Supervisors]], other elected offices including the [[Alameda County Sheriff's Department|Sheriff/Coroner]], the [[Alameda County District Attorney's Office|District Attorney]], Assessor, Auditor-Controller/County Clerk/Recorder, and Treasurer/Tax Collector, and numerous county departments and entities under the supervision of the County Administrator.

In the [[California State Legislature]], Oakland is in {{Representative|casd|9|fmt=sdistrict}},<ref name=SSenate/> and is split between the [[California's 14th State Assembly district|14th]], [[California's 15th State Assembly district|15th]], and [[California's 18th State Assembly district|18th]] Assembly districts, represented by {{Representative|caad|14}}, {{Representative|caad|15}}, and {{Representative|caad|18}}, respectively.<ref name=SAssembly/> In the [[United States House of Representatives]], Oakland is in [[California's 12th congressional district]], represented by Democrat [[Lateefah Simon]].<ref name="California" />

===Politics===
Oakland was a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] bastion from the 1860s to the 1950s, with positions expressed by the Republican-oriented ''[[Oakland Tribune]]'' newspaper. In the 1960s, the majority of voters began to favor liberal policies and the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QODLZe8XlDIC&pg=PA95 |title=Oakland Police Department |page=95 |first=Phil |last=McArdle |publisher=Arcadia |series=Images of America |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7385-4726-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/bigdaddyjesseunr00boya_0 |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/bigdaddyjesseunr00boya_0/page/61 61] |title=Big Daddy: Jesse Unruh and the Art of Power Politics |first=Bill |last=Boyarsky |publisher=University of California Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-520-92334-8}}</ref> Oakland has the second highest percentage of registered Democrats of any of the incorporated cities in Alameda County, with Berkeley coming in first.

The last Republican presidential candidate to receive at least one-third of vote in Oakland was [[Richard Nixon]] in 1972. Since then, the Republican percentage of the vote has generally declined in each successive election.<sup>[citation needed]</sup>

According to the [[Secretary of State of California|California Secretary of State]], as of February 10, 2019, Oakland has 245,111 registered voters. Of those, 159,771 (65.2%) are registered [[California Democratic Party|Democrats]], 9,544 (3.9%) are registered [[California Republican Party|Republicans]], and 65,416 (26.7%) have [[Decline to State|declined to state]] a political party.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/ror/ror-odd-year-2019/politicalsub.pdf|title=CA Secretary of State – Report of Registration – February 10, 2019|website=ca.gov|access-date=March 12, 2019}}</ref> Oakland is widely regarded as being one of the most liberal major cities in the nation. The [[Cook Partisan Voting Index]] of [[California's 12th congressional district|Congressional District 12]], which includes Oakland and Berkeley, is D+40, making it the most Democratic congressional district in California and the fourth most Democratic district in the US.<ref>{{cite web
 | url = http://cookpolitical.com/file/2013-04-49.pdf
 | title = Partisan Voting Index Districts of the 113th Congress
 | publisher = [[The Cook Political Report]]
 | access-date = November 30, 2014}}</ref>

On November 27, 2023, the City Council unanimously passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Israel's war on Hamas,<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 28, 2023 |title=California city calls for permanent cease-fire in Israel-Hamas war, urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza |url=https://apnews.com/article/oakland-israel-hamas-cease-fire-947cc31f56055c056768136100d09547 |access-date=May 3, 2024 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref> after hearing more than 500 residents speak on the topic.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ramos |first=John |date=November 27, 2023 |title=Oakland City Council unanimously passes resolution calling for permanent cease-fire in Gaza - CBS San Francisco |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/oakland-city-council-resolution-calling-for-permanent-cease-fire-in-gaza-draws-demonstrations/ |access-date=May 3, 2024 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref> 

In 2024, Oakland voters [[Recall election|recalled]] then-mayor [[Sheng Thao]], becoming the first Oakland mayor to be recalled in the city's history. Thao was also indicted by the [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]] for [[bribery]] and other crimes.

=== Taxes ===
Oakland has the second highest [[sales tax]] rate in California, at 10.75%.<ref>{{Cite web |title=California City and County Sales and Use Tax Rates - Cities, Counties and Tax Rates - California Department of Tax and Fee Administration |url=https://cdtfa.ca.gov/taxes-and-fees/rates.aspx |access-date=2025-11-04 |website=cdtfa.ca.gov}}</ref> The residential [[property tax]] rates in Oakland are also among the highest in California, at a median of 1.71%.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Oakland, Alameda County, California Property Taxes - Ownwell |url=https://www.ownwell.com/trends/california/alameda-county/oakland |access-date=2025-11-04 |website=www.ownwell.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Education==
{{see also|List of Oakland, California elementary schools|List of Oakland, California middle schools|List of Oakland, California high schools}}

===Primary and secondary education===

The [[Oakland Unified School District]] (OUSD), which covers the city except for Sheffield Village, operates most of Oakland's public schools. Due to financial troubles and administrative failures, it was in receivership by the state of California from 2002 to 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goleadershipcenter.org/2010/04/statement_from.php|title=Great Oakland Public Schools Leadership Center|work=goleadershipcenter.org|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925120052/http://www.goleadershipcenter.org/2010/04/statement_from.php|archive-date=September 25, 2015}}</ref> {{as of|2015}}, the Oakland Unified School District includes 86 division-run schools and 32 charter schools; the district also manages several adult education programs. {{as of|2015}} there are 48,181 K–12 students; among division-run schools, there are 4,600 plus employees.<ref>{{cite web|title=OUSD Oakland Unified School District Fast Facts 2015-2015|url=http://www.ousd.org/cms/lib07/CA01001176/Centricity/Domain/1//OUSD%20District%20Docs/OUSD%20Fast%20Facts%202014-15.pdf|publisher=Oakland Unified School District|access-date=September 23, 2015|archive-date=December 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221216011537/https://www.ousd.org/cms/lib07/CA01001176/Centricity/Domain/1/OUSD%20District%20Docs/OUSD%20Fast%20Facts%202014-15.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

OUSD test scores historically lag behind the rest of California, in particular due to a high proportion of English-language learners.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://oaklandnorth.net/2013/09/02/oakland-high-school-test-scores-lag-behind-state|title=Oakland high school test scores lag behind state|work=Oakland North|date=September 2, 2013|access-date=October 7, 2015}}</ref> Some individual schools have much better performance than the citywide average. {{as of|2013}}, for example, over half the students at Hillcrest Elementary School in the [[Montclair, Oakland, California|Montclair]] upper hills neighborhood performed at the "advanced" level in the English portion of the test, and students at [[Lincoln Elementary School (Oakland, California)|Lincoln Elementary School]] in the [[Chinatown, Oakland, California|Chinatown]] neighborhood performed at the "advanced" level in the math portion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://star.cde.ca.gov/star2013/SearchPanel.aspx?lstTestYear=2013&lstTestType=C&lstCounty=01&lstDistrict=61259-000&lstSchool=6002018&lstGroup=1&lstSubGroup=1|title=Test Results Search – 2013 STAR Test Results (CA Dept of Education)|work=ca.gov|access-date=September 24, 2015|archive-date=September 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925131136/http://star.cde.ca.gov/star2013/SearchPanel.aspx?lstTestYear=2013&lstTestType=C&lstCounty=01&lstDistrict=61259-000&lstSchool=6002018&lstGroup=1&lstSubGroup=1|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Oakland's three largest public high schools are [[Oakland High School (California)|Oakland High School]], [[Oakland Technical High School]], and [[Skyline High School (Oakland, California)|Skyline High School]]. Other Oakland public high schools include [[Castlemont High School]], [[Fremont High School (Oakland, California)|Fremont High School]], and [[McClymonds High School]], briefly known as Castlemont Community of Small Schools, Fremont Federation of High Schools, and [[McClymonds Educational Complex]], respectively.

Among charter schools in the district, North Oakland Community Charter School (NOCCS), an elementary and middle school, is one of the few public progressive schools in the country.{{clarify|date=September 2015}} Other charter schools include the [[Oakland Military Institute]], [[Oakland School for the Arts]], [[Bay Area Technology School]], [[East Bay Innovation Academy]], and [[Oakland Charter Academy]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oaklandcharter.net/ |title=Oaklandcharter.net |publisher=Oaklandcharter.net |access-date=April 19, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424125734/https://www.oaklandcharter.net/ |archive-date=April 24, 2012 }}</ref>

There are several religious and secular private high schools, including [[The College Preparatory School]], [[Head-Royce School]], [[Bishop O'Dowd High School]], [[Holy Names High School (Oakland)|Holy Names High School]], [[St. Elizabeth High School (Oakland, California)|St. Elizabeth High School]] and [[Oakland Hebrew Day School]]. Catholic schools in Oakland are operated by the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland]] also include eight K–8 schools (plus one in Piedmont on the Oakland city border). Northern Light School is a private nonprofit elementary and middle school. Bentley School is an Independent Co-educational K–12, college preparatory school on two campuses in Oakland and Lafayette, California.

==== Funding ====
In 2017, the Oakland Unified School District has received funding from the technology company [[Pandora (service)|Pandora]] in partnership with Little Kids Rock, towards expanding music education programs within the schools. The result from these donations has given teachers from 20 additional Oakland-area schools the ability to participate in an eight-hour professional development workshop, and receive music education instruction from Little Kids Rock. The donation includes providing new instruments, that will benefit over 2,000 Oakland students.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://press.pandora.com/file/4247784/Index?KeyFile=390627585|title=Pandora – Press Release|website=press.pandora.com|access-date=April 14, 2018|archive-date=April 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414235419/http://press.pandora.com/file/4247784/Index?KeyFile=390627585|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Colleges and universities===

Accredited colleges and universities include:

{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* [[Peralta Community College District]]
** [[Laney College]]
** [[Merritt College]]
* [[California College of the Arts]] (formerly the ''California College of Arts and Crafts'')
* [[Lincoln University (California)|Lincoln University]]
* [[Mills College]] ([[Julia Morgan School for Girls]] is a private [[middle school]] for girls housed on the campus)
* [[Patten University]]
* [[Samuel Merritt University]] (a health science college)}}
*

Oakland is also the home of the headquarters of the [[University of California]] system, the University of California Office of the President.

In 2001, the SFSU Oakland Multimedia Center was opened, allowing [[San Francisco State University]] to conduct classes near downtown Oakland.<ref>{{cite news|first=David |last=Goll |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2001/11/19/story7.html |title=Cal State launches centers in Oakland.' |publisher=Bizjournals.com |access-date=April 19, 2012 |date=November 18, 2001}}</ref> The Oakland Higher Education Consortium and the City of Oakland's Community and Economic Development Agency (CEDA) opened the Oakland Higher Education Center downtown in 2002 to provide "access to multiple higher education service providers within a shared urban facility." Member schools include primary user [[California State University, East Bay]] as well as Lincoln University, [[New College of California]], [[Saint Mary's College of California]], SFSU Multimedia Studies Program, UC Berkeley Extension, [[University of Phoenix]] and Peralta Community College District.<ref>[http://www.oaklandnet.com/community/ohec/member_schools_new.cfm Oaklandnet.com Oakland Higher Education Consortium.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081114163946/http://www.oaklandnet.com/community/ohec/member_schools_new.cfm |date=November 14, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ce.csueastbay.edu/about/locations/oakland.shtml |title=CSU East Bay. Locations |publisher=Ce.csueastbay.edu |access-date=April 19, 2012 |archive-date=May 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512210547/http://www.ce.csueastbay.edu/about/locations/oakland.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Media==

{{Main|List of television stations in the San Francisco Bay Area}}

Oakland is served by major television stations broadcasting primarily out of San Francisco and San Jose. The region's [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] [[Owned-and-operated station|O&O]], [[KTVU]] 2, is based in (and licensed to) Oakland at [[Jack London Square]] along with co-owned [[MyNetworkTV]] outlet [[KICU-TV]] 36 (licensed to San Jose). In addition, the city is served by various [[Template:San Francisco Radio|AM and FM]] radio stations as well; AM stations [[KKSF (AM)|KKSF]] 910, [[KMKY (AM)|KMKY]] 1310 and [[KNEW (AM)|KNEW]] 960 are licensed to Oakland.

Oakland was served by the ''[[Oakland Tribune]]'', which published its first newspaper on February 21, 1874. The [[Tribune Tower (Oakland)|Tribune Tower]], which features a large clock, is an Oakland landmark. At key times throughout the day (8:00&nbsp;am, noon and 5:00&nbsp;pm), the clock tower carillon plays a variety of classic melodies, which change daily. In 2007, the Oakland Tribune moved its offices from the tower to an East Oakland location, before folding in 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MEDIANEWS_NEWSPAPER_CUTBACKS?SITE=WSAW&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT |title=MediaNews combining most SF Bay area newspapers into 2 new brands, eliminating 120 jobs |author=Liedtke, Michael |date=August 23, 2011 |agency=Associated Press |access-date=August 27, 2011 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

The ''[[East Bay Express]]'', a locally owned free weekly paper, is based in Jack London Square and distributed throughout the East Bay.

Oaklandwiki is a thriving (mostly) English-language [[LocalWiki]].

==Infrastructure==

===Transportation===

====Air and rail====
[[File:Oakland-International-Airport-Aerial-2.jpg|thumb|[[Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport]]]]

Oakland residents have access to the three major airports of the San Francisco Bay Area: [[Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport]], [[San Francisco International Airport]], and [[San Jose International Airport]]. Oakland International Airport, within Oakland's city limits, is {{convert|4|mi|abbr=on}} south of downtown Oakland and serves domestic and international destinations. [[AC Transit]] provides 24-hour service to the airport, and [[Bay Area Rapid Transit|BART's]] [[Oakland Airport Connector]] [[automated guideway transit]] line provides frequent service between the airport and [[Oakland Coliseum station]].

The city has regional and long-distance passenger train service provided by [[Amtrak]], with stations near [[Jack London Square]] and the [[RingCentral Coliseum]]. Amtrak's ''[[California Zephyr]]'' has its western terminus at the nearby [[Emeryville (Amtrak station)|Emeryville station]].

Historically, the city was served by several train companies, which terminated in different terminals. [[Santa Fe Railroad|Santa Fe]] trains terminated at its Oakland depot, actually located within the city limits of Emeryville at 40th and San Pablo. [[Southern Pacific Transportation Company|Southern Pacific]] trains ended at the [[16th Street station (Oakland)|16th Street Station]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}} [[Western Pacific Railroad|Western Pacific]] trains ended at the 3rd and Washington station. However, a common feature was that the different railroads continued one more stop to a station at [[Oakland Pier]].<ref>"The California Zephyr" from "Streamliner Schedules", original reference from the 1950 Official Guide of railroads"</ref> From this latter point passengers would ride ferries to San Francisco.

====Mass transit and bicycling====
[[File:Lake Merritt station.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Lake Merritt Station|Lake Merritt BART station]]]]
[[File:14th and Broadway NE exit from 12th Street station, January 2020.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[12th Street Oakland City Center station|12th St. BART]] subway entrance leading to 14th St.]]

Data compiled in 2007 by the [[United States Census Bureau]] before gasoline price spikes in 2008, showed that 24.3% of Oaklanders used public transportation, walked or used "other means" to commute to work, not including [[remote work]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Oakland city, California – Selected '''Economic''' Characteristics: 2005–2007 |work=American Community Survey – 3-Year Estimates (data set) |publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]] |year=2007 |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=16000US0653000&-qr_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_DP3YR3&-ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false&-_sse=on |access-date=October 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200211182417/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=16000US0653000&-qr_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_DP3YR3&-ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false&-_sse=on |archive-date=February 11, 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref> with 17% of Oakland households being "car free" and/or statistically categorized as having "no vehicles available."<ref>{{cite web |title=Oakland city, California – Selected '''Housing''' Characteristics: 2005–2007 |work=American Community Survey – 3-Year Estimates (data set) |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |year=2007 |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=16000US0653000&-qr_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_DP3YR4&-ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false&-_sse=on |access-date=October 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200211183053/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=16000US0653000&-qr_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_DP3YR4&-ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false&-_sse=on |archive-date=February 11, 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Bus transit service in Oakland and the inner [[East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)|East Bay]] is provided by the Alameda and Contra Costa Transit District, [[AC Transit]]. The district originated in 1958 after the conspiratorial [[General Motors Streetcar Conspiracy|dissolution]] of the [[Key System]] of streetcars. Many AC Transit lines follow old routes of the Key System.<ref name="journalism.berkeley.edu" /> During COVID-19, AC Transit canceled many bus lines in Oakland, and never restored their service.<ref>{{Cite web |title=AC Transit Canceled Bus Line Descriptions {{!}} Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District |url=https://www.actransit.org/ac-transit-canceled-bus-line-descriptions |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=www.actransit.org}}</ref>
[[File:Westbound BRT platform at City Center under construction, April 2020.jpg|thumb|Construction of AC Transit's Westbound 12th St station]]
Intercity bus companies that serve Oakland include [[Greyhound Lines|Greyhound]], [[BoltBus]], [[Chinatown bus lines|USAsia]], and [[Chinatown bus lines|Hoang Transportation]]. Megabus no longer serves Oakland.<ref>{{cite web| title = AIBRA – Find a Station| access-date = May 2, 2015| url = http://www.kfhgroup.com/aibra/Tables/tables.htm| archive-date = April 26, 2015| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150426091154/http://www.kfhgroup.com/aibra/Tables/tables.htm| url-status = dead}}</ref>

The metropolitan area is served by [[Bay Area Rapid Transit]] (BART) from eight stations in Oakland, served by all BART lines.The system has headquarters in Oakland, with major transfer hubs at [[MacArthur (BART station)|MacArthur]] and [[19th Street / Oakland (BART station)|19th Street]] stations. BART's headquarters was in a building above the [[Lake Merritt (BART station)|Lake Merritt BART station]] until 2006, when it relocated to the Kaiser Center due to seismic safety concerns.

The [[Alameda / Oakland Ferry]] operates ferry service from [[Jack London Square]] to [[Alameda, California|Alameda]], [[Oracle Park]], [[Pier 41]], the [[San Francisco Ferry Building]], and the [[South San Francisco Ferry Terminal]].
Oakland licenses taxi cabs, and has zoned cab stands in its downtown, including a bicycle pedi-cab service.

The Oakland City Council adopted a Bicycle Master Plan in 1999 as a part of the Land Use and Transportation (LUTE) element of Oakland's 1998 General Plan. The creation of the plan was to promote alternatives to the private automobile.<ref name="bicycle_master_plan_p15"/> The Oakland City Council reaffirmed the bike plan in 2005, revised it in 2007, and reaffirmed it in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/PWA/o/EC/s/BicycleandPedestrianProgram/OAK024597 |title=Let's Bike Oakland! (Bike Plan Update, 2017–18) |access-date=February 12, 2018 |quote=The 1999 plan was revised in December 2007 [...] and then reaffirmed in 2012. |archive-date=February 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180213022212/http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/PWA/o/EC/s/BicycleandPedestrianProgram/OAK024597 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="bicycle_master_plan_p15">{{cite web |url=http://www2.oaklandnet.com/oakca1/groups/pwa/documents/report/oak024981.pdf |title=City of Oakland – Bicycle Master Plan |quote=[...] creation of a Bicycle Master Plan to promote alternatives to the private automobile [...] Oakland's original plan was completed in 1999 and reaffirmed by City Council in 2005. |page=15 |access-date=February 12, 2018 |date=December 2007 |archive-date=January 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130020213/http://www2.oaklandnet.com/oakca1/groups/pwa/documents/report/oak024981.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> From 1999 to 2007, the city installed 900 bike racks throughout Oakland, accommodating over 2,000 bicycles.<ref>{{cite web |title=City of Oakland – Bicycle Master Plan |date=December 2007 |page=16 |url=http://www2.oaklandnet.com/oakca1/groups/pwa/documents/report/oak024981.pdf |access-date=February 12, 2018 |archive-date=January 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130020213/http://www2.oaklandnet.com/oakca1/groups/pwa/documents/report/oak024981.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> By the end of 2017, over 160 bikeway miles and 9,900 bike parking spaces were constructed.<ref name="biannual_bike_oakland_winter2017">{{cite journal |journal="I (Bike) Oakland" Newsletter |url=http://www2.oaklandnet.com/oakca1/groups/pwa/documents/marketingmaterial/oak068849.pdf |title=Let Us Count the Ways |edition=22 |page=8 |date=Winter 2018 |access-date=February 12, 2018 |archive-date=February 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180213080134/http://www2.oaklandnet.com/oakca1/groups/pwa/documents/marketingmaterial/oak068849.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><!-- Biannual newsletter updates twice a year --> Facilities for parking thousands of bicycles have been installed downtown and in other commercial districts throughout Oakland.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discoverworld.com/United-States-of-America/California/Alameda-County/Oakland:In-depth#Infrastructure|title=Oakland, California, USA – Discover World|website=www.discoverworld.com|language=en-US|access-date=December 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208070714/https://www.discoverworld.com/United-States-of-America/California/Alameda-County/Oakland:In-depth#Infrastructure|archive-date=December 8, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2011 [[American Community Survey]], Oakland came in seventh place out of the 100 largest cities in the nation by percentage of people that chose to commute by bike in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|title=Linus Bike Commends Oakland After It Is Listed in Top 10 Commuter Bike Cities |url=http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/11/prweb10128101.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121119001523/http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/11/prweb10128101.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 19, 2012 |publisher=PRWeb |access-date=December 25, 2012 |date=November 15, 2012}}</ref>

==== Motorized scooters ====
In July 2019, the City of Oakland Department of Transportation announced that it had issued official permits for the deployment of shared e-scooters to four companies: [[Bird Global|Bird]], Clevr, Lime, and Lyft.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oaklandca.gov/news/2019/oakdot-announces-permits-for-shared-e-scooters|title=OakDOT Announces Permits for Shared E-Scooters|website=City of Oakland|language=en|access-date=November 20, 2019|archive-date=December 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204065140/https://www.oaklandca.gov/news/2019/oakdot-announces-permits-for-shared-e-scooters|url-status=dead}}</ref> Oakland requires these operators to educate users on the correct and safe use of scooters, to distribute the scooters equitably throughout the city, to ensure accessibility, and to provide insurance and indemnification.<ref>{{Cite web|date=July 2, 2019|title=Oakland OKs 3,500 rental e-scooters from Bird, Lime, Lyft, Clevr|url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Oakland-OKs-3-500-rental-e-scooters-from-Bird-14067377.php|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204063047/https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Oakland-OKs-3-500-rental-e-scooters-from-Bird-14067377.php|archive-date=December 4, 2019|access-date=November 20, 2019|website=SFChronicle.com|language=en-US}}</ref>

====Bridges, freeways, and tunnels====

Oakland is served by several major highways: Eastbound Bay Bridge traffic entering Oakland then splits into three freeways at the [[MacArthur Maze]] freeway interchange: [[Interstate 580 (California)|Interstate 580]] (MacArthur Freeway) heads southeast toward [[Hayward, California|Hayward]] and eventually to the [[California Central Valley]]; [[Interstate 880 (California)|Interstate 880]] (Nimitz Freeway) runs south to [[San Jose, California|San Jose]]; and the Eastshore Freeway ([[Interstate 80 (California)|Interstate 80]]/I-580) runs north, providing connections to [[Sacramento]] and [[San Rafael, California|San Rafael]], respectively.
[[Interstate 980 (California)|Interstate 980]] (Williams Freeway) begins its eastbound journey at I-880 in Downtown Oakland before turning into [[California State Route 24|State Route 24]] (Grove Shafter Freeway) at I-580. [[California State Route 13|State Route 13]] begins as the Warren Freeway at I-580, and runs through a scenic valley in the [[Montclair, Oakland, California|Montclair District]] before entering [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]]. A stub of a planned freeway was constructed at the High Street exit from the Nimitz Freeway, but that freeway extension plan was abandoned.

[[File:Cypress structure.jpeg|thumb|Portion of the collapsed [[Cypress Street Viaduct|Cypress Viaduct]] from the [[1989 Loma Prieta earthquake|1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake]]]]

At the time of the [[1989 Loma Prieta earthquake]], the [[Cypress Street Viaduct]] double-deck segment of the [[Nimitz Freeway]] collapsed, killing 42 people. The old freeway segment had passed through the middle of West Oakland, forming a barrier between West Oakland neighborhoods. Following the earthquake, this section was rerouted around the perimeter of West Oakland and rebuilt in 1997–2001. The east span of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge also suffered damage from the quake when a 50-foot (15-m) section of the upper deck collapsed onto the lower deck; the damaged section was repaired within a month of the earthquake. As a result of Loma Prieta, a significant seismic retrofit was performed on the western span of the Bay Bridge. The eastern span has now been replaced with a dramatic single-tower self-anchoring suspension span.

Two underwater tunnels, the [[Webster Street Tube|Webster]] and [[Posey Tube|Posey]] Tubes, connect the main island of Alameda to downtown Oakland, coming above ground in Chinatown. In addition, the [[Park Street Bridge|Park Street]], [[Fruitvale Bridge|Fruitvale]], and High Street bridges connect Alameda to East Oakland over the [[Oakland Estuary]].

In the hills, the [[Leimert Bridge]] crosses Dimond Canyon, connecting the Oakmore neighborhood to Park Boulevard. The [[Caldecott Tunnel]] carries Highway 24 through the [[Berkeley Hills]], connecting central Contra Costa County to Oakland. The Caldecott has four bores.

==== Oakland Slow Streets Program ====
[[File:Oakland Slow Streets Program.jpg|thumb|Part of the Slow Streets Program in September 2020]]
On April 11, 2020, the City of Oakland launched its Slow Streets Program.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Oakland Slow Streets' program opens 74 miles of streets for pedestrians and cyclists|url=https://www.covidmobilityworks.org/responses/oakland-slow-streets-program-opens-74-miles-of-streets-for-pedestrians-and-cyclists-45b055c329|access-date=October 28, 2021|website=COVID Mobility Works|archive-date=October 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029035137/https://www.covidmobilityworks.org/responses/oakland-slow-streets-program-opens-74-miles-of-streets-for-pedestrians-and-cyclists-45b055c329|url-status=dead}}</ref> This was facilitated in part by the sudden decrease of vehicle traffic that resulted from the state-wide stay-at-home order and school closures in response to the spread of the [[COVID-19 pandemic in California|COVID-19 in California]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|last=Fermoso|first=Jose|date=November 25, 2020|title=What do we know about Slow Streets and safety? Here's what data and residents have to say|work=The Oaklandside|url=https://oaklandside.org/2020/11/25/what-do-we-know-about-slow-streets-and-safety-heres-what-data-and-residents-have-to-say/|access-date=October 28, 2021}}</ref> The goal of the program was to "support safe physical activity and alleviate overcrowding in parks and on trails by discouraging through traffic."<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=Oakland's Slow Streets & Essential Places |url=https://www.oaklandca.gov/projects/oakland-slow-streets|access-date=October 28, 2021|website=City of Oakland}}</ref> This was accomplished by closing 74 miles of streets to through traffic.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|last=Bliss|first=Laura|date=January 6, 2021|title='Slow Streets' Disrupted City Planning. What Comes Next?|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-06/the-swift-disruptive-rise-of-slow-streets|access-date=October 28, 2021|website=Bloomberg CityLab}}</ref>

Over the course of three months the city installed "soft closure" barriers consisting of signage, traffic cones, and barricades in over 21 miles of city streets.<ref name=":1" /> While the primary goal at the time was to encourage socially distanced outdoor physical activities like biking, walking, and jogging, the long term implementation of the Slow Streets Program contributed to the city's [[traffic calming]] measures and promoted [[alternatives to car use]] as well.<ref name=":3" />

Although the Slow Streets Program was initially praised for its rapid implementation and prioritization of pedestrian safety, the Oakland Department of Transportation quickly came under fire for its failure to collect feedback that represented the opinions of the diverse range of residents whom the program affected.<ref name=":4" /> The high engagement with online surveys by wealthy white residents initially suggested an almost universally positive reaction to the program.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|last=Sharma Rani|first=Rikha|date=October 8, 2020|title=How Covid-19 Inspired Oakland to Get Real About Equitable Urban Planning|url=https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/entry/how-covid-19-inspired-oakland-to-get-real-about-equitable-urban-planning|access-date=October 28, 2021|website=Next City}}</ref>

After the flaws of the feedback forms were brought to light, city planners made concentrated efforts to meet with representatives from different community groups who in turn stressed that simply closing streets to through traffic was not enough to protect pedestrians from dangerous driving.<ref name=":5" /> In response the city expressed its commitment to its local residents calling for [[road traffic safety]] by rolling out Slow Streets: Essential Places, a phase of the program which installed cones and signage at dangerous traffic areas in order to make grocery stores, COVID-19 test sites, and food distribution sites easily and safely accessible.<ref name=":2" /> By January 2022, all of the Slow Streets were removed, and road fatalities continued to be elevated above 2019 levels.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Monitoring Traffic Deaths in Oakland |url=https://www.oaklandca.gov/Public-Safety-Streets/Traffic-Safety/Safe-Oakland-Streets/Monitoring-Traffic-Deaths-in-Oakland |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=www.oaklandca.gov |language=en-US}}</ref> No updates have been shared publicly by the city on any future Slow Streets improvements.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Oakland's Slow Streets - Essential Places Program Archive |url=https://www.oaklandca.gov/Government/Oakland-Improvement-Projects/Oaklands-Slow-Streets-Essential-Places-Program-Archive |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=www.oaklandca.gov |language=en-US}}</ref> In contrast, other cities, including San Francisco, kept and improved many of their Slow Streets.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Slow Streets Program {{!}} SFMTA |url=https://www.sfmta.com/projects/slow-streets-program |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=www.sfmta.com |language=en}}</ref>

===Freight rail===

Freight service, which consists primarily of moving shipping containers to and from the Port of Oakland, is provided today by [[Union Pacific Railroad]] (UP), and to a lesser extent by [[BNSF Railway]] (which now shares the tracks of the UP between Richmond and Oakland).

Historically, Oakland was served by several railroads. Besides the transcontinental line of the Southern Pacific, there was also the Santa Fe (whose Oakland terminal was actually in Emeryville), the [[Western Pacific Railroad]] (who built a pier adjacent to the SP's), and the [[Sacramento Northern Railroad]] (eventually absorbed by the Western Pacific, which in turn was absorbed by UP in 1983).

===Shipping===

As one of the three major ports on the [[West Coast of the United States]], the [[Port of Oakland]] is the largest seaport on San Francisco Bay and the fifth busiest container port in the United States. It was one of the earliest seaports to switch to containerization and to [[Intermodal freight transport|intermodal container transfer]],<ref>''Initial Study: Intermodal Interface Demonstration Project, Port of Oakland, Oakland, California'', Earth Metrics and Korve Engineerning, December 20, 1989</ref> thereby displacing the [[Port of San Francisco]], which never modernized its waterfront. One of the earlier limitations to growth was the inability to transfer containers to rail lines, all cranes historically operating between ocean vessels and trucks. In the 1980s, the Port of Oakland began the evaluation of development of an intermodal container transfer capability, i.e., facilities that now allow trans-loading of containers from vessels to either trucks or rail modes.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.glennfrancosimmons.com/port-oakland|title=Port Of Oakland, Oakland Estuary|work=Glenn Franco Simmons|access-date=December 7, 2017|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208071321/http://www.glennfrancosimmons.com/port-oakland|archive-date=December 8, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Utilities===
[[Public water supply]] and [[sewage treatment]] are provided by [[East Bay Municipal Utility District]] (EBMUD). [[Pacific Gas and Electric Company]] (PG & E) provides natural gas and electricity service. Municipal garbage collection is franchised to [[Waste Management, Inc]]. Telecommunications and subscriber television services are provided by multiple private corporations and other service providers in accordance with the competitive objectives of the [[Telecommunications Act of 1996#Stated objective|Telecommunications Act of 1996]].

Oakland tops the list of the 50 largest US cities using electricity from renewable sources.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sustainlane.us/articles/city_renewable_energy.jsp|title=What is the definition of sustainability, development and resources|work=Tech Stuffed|access-date=August 27, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140723035943/http://www.sustainlane.us/articles/city_renewable_energy.jsp|archive-date=July 23, 2014|url-status=usurped}}</ref>

===Healthcare===
[[File:Highland Hospital (Oakland, California) (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Highland Hospital (Oakland, California)|Highland Hospital]]]]
[[File:Alta Bates Summit Medical Center.jpg|thumb|Alta Bates Summit Medical Center]]
Originating in Oakland, [[Kaiser Permanente]] is an [[Health maintenance organization|HMO]] started in 1942, during World War II, by industrialist [[Henry J. Kaiser]] to provide medical care for [[Kaiser Shipyards]] workers. It is the largest managed care organization in the United States and the largest non-governmental health care provider in the world.<ref>{{cite book |title=Consumer-driven health care: implications for providers, payers, and policymakers |last=Zendle |first=Les |author2=Regina E. Herzlinger |year=2004 |publisher=John Wiley and Sons |location=San Francisco |isbn=978-0-7879-5258-7 |page=661 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xtqchcsFYV8C&pg=PA661}}</ref> It is headquartered at One Kaiser Plaza in Downtown Oakland and maintains a large medical center in the [[Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, California|Piedmont Avenue]] neighborhood.

[[Alta Bates Summit Medical Center]], an East Bay hospital system, maintains its Summit Campus in the neighborhood known as "Pill Hill" north of downtown. Until 2000, it was the Summit Medical Center before merging with Berkeley-based Alta Bates. All campuses now operate under the [[Sutter Health]] network.

[[Alameda Health System]] is an [[Integrated delivery system|integrated]] public [[Integrated delivery system|health care system]] organized as a public hospital authority. It operates five Alameda County hospitals including Oakland's [[Highland Hospital (Oakland, California)|Highland Hospital]] and four primary care medical clinics including Oakland's Highland Wellness Center and Eastmont Wellness Center.

[[Children's Hospital Oakland]] is the primary medical center specializing in [[pediatrics]] in the East Bay. It is a designated Level I pediatric trauma center and the only independent children's hospital in Northern California.

There are also several [[community health center]]s in Oakland.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Maizlish|first=Neil A.|date=July 1, 2004|title=Glycemic Control in Diabetic Patients Served by Community Health Centers|journal=American Journal of Medical Quality|volume=19|issue=4|pages=172–179|doi=10.1177/106286060401900406|pmid=15368782|s2cid=11934476}}</ref> Some examples include Lifelong Medical Care, Asian Health Services, and Roots Community Health Center.

== Notable people ==
{{Main listing|List of people from Oakland, California}}

==International relations==

===Sister cities===

Oakland has 13 [[Twin towns and sister cities|sister cities]]:<ref name=Sister>{{cite web |url=http://www.sister-cities.org/interactive-map/Oakland,%20California |title=Interactive City Directory |publisher=Sister-cities.org |access-date=April 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406022042/http://www.sister-cities.org/interactive-map/Oakland,%20California |archive-date=April 6, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! City
! Division
! Country
! Year of Partnership
|-
| {{flagicon image|Flag of Fukuoka, Fukuoka.svg}} [[Fukuoka]]
| {{flag|Fukuoka Prefecture}}
| {{flagu|Japan}}
| 1962
|-
| [[Sekondi-Takoradi]]
| [[Western Region (Ghana)|Western]]
| {{flagu|Ghana}}
| 1975
|-
| {{flag|Nakhodka}}
| {{flag|Primorsky Krai}}
| {{flagu|Russia}}
| 1975
|-
| [[Dalian]]
| [[Liaoning]]
| {{flagu|China}}
| 1982
|-
| {{flagicon image|Flag of Funchal.svg}} [[Funchal]]
| {{flag|Madeira}}
| {{flagu|Portugal}}
| 1999
|-
| [[Santiago de Cuba]]
| [[Santiago de Cuba Province|Santiago de Cuba]]
| {{flagu|Cuba}}
| 2000
|-
| [[Da Nang]]
| N/A
| {{flagu|Vietnam}}
| 2005
|-
| [[Benin City]]
| [[Edo State|Edo]]
| {{flagu|Nigeria}}
| 2010
|-
| [[Port-de-Paix]]
| [[Nord-Ouest (department)|Nord-Ouest]]
| {{flagu|Haiti}}
| 2011
|-
| [[Oakleigh, Victoria|Oakleigh]]
| {{flag|Victoria}}
| {{flagu|Australia}}
| 2020
|-
| [[Foshan]]
| [[Guangdong]]
| {{flagu|China}}
| 
|-
| [[Bauchi (city)|Bauchi]]
| [[Bauchi State|Bauchi]]
| {{flagu|Nigeria}}
| 2010
|-
| [[Ocho Rios]]
| [[Saint Ann Parish|St. Ann]]
| {{flagu|Jamaica}}
| 1986
|}

===Friendship cities===
Oakland has 18 friendship cities:<ref name=Sister />
*{{flagdeco|Morocco}} [[Agadir]], Morocco
*{{flagdeco|Ethiopia}} [[Bahir Dar]], Ethiopia
*{{flagdeco|PRC}} [[Changping District]], [[Beijing]], China
*{{flagdeco|PRC}} [[Chengdu]], [[Sichuan]], China
*{{flagdeco|PRC}} [[Guangzhou]], [[Guangdong]], China
*{{flagdeco|PRC}} [[Haikou]], [[Hainan]], China
*{{flagdeco|PRC}} [[Jing'an District]], [[Shanghai]], China
*{{flagdeco|PRC}} [[Jinzhou]], [[Liaoning]], China
*{{flagdeco|PRC}} [[Jurong, Jiangsu]], China
*{{flagdeco|PRC}} [[Maoming]], Guangdong, China
*{{flagdeco|PRC}} [[Mianyang]], Sichuan, China
*{{flagdeco|PRC}} [[Nanning]], [[Guangxi]], China
*{{flagdeco|PRC}} [[Pudong]], Shanghai, China
*{{flagdeco|PRC}} [[Qingdao]], [[Shandong]], China
*{{flagdeco|PRC}} [[Tanggu District]], [[Tianjin]], China
*{{flagdeco|Mongolia}} [[Ulaanbaatar]], Mongolia
*{{flagdeco|PRC}} [[Weifang]], Shandong, China

==See also==
*[[Northern California Megaregion]]
*[[List of cities and towns in the San Francisco Bay Area]]
*[[List of tallest buildings in Oakland, California]]
*[[Oakland Ebonics controversy]]
*[[USS Oakland|USS ''Oakland'']], 3 ships
*[[Oakland Buddha]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* [https://www.oaklandca.gov/ Official website – oaklandca.gov]
* {{Wikivoyage inline|Oakland}}
* [http://visitoakland.org/ Visit Oakland: Oakland Convention and Visitors Bureau] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110202135354/http://visitoakland.org/ |date=February 2, 2011 }}
* [https://www.zipdatamaps.com/en/us/zip-maps/ca/city/borders/oakland-zip-code-map Oakland CA ZIP Code Map]
* {{cite web |url=http://us-city.census.okfn.org/ |work=U.S. City Open Data Census |publisher=[[Open Knowledge Foundation]] |location=UK |title=Oakland |access-date=March 28, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328170047/http://us-city.census.okfn.org/ |archive-date=March 28, 2014 |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite web|title=Oakland|url=https://www.c-span.org/series/?citiesTour&city=750|publisher=[[C-SPAN]] Cities Tour|date=January 2016}}

{{Oakland, California}}
{{Oakland Attractions}}
{{Oakland, California neighborhoods}}
{{Geographic location
|Center    = Oakland
|North     = [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]]
|Northeast = [[Orinda, California|Orinda]]<br />[[Moraga, California|Moraga]]
|East      = 
|Southeast = [[San Leandro, California|San Leandro]]
|South     = [[Alameda, California|Alameda]]
|Southwest = 
|West      = [[San Francisco]]
|Northwest = [[Emeryville, California|Emeryville]]
}}
{{Navboxes|list1=
{{Alameda County, California}}
{{SF Bay Area}}
{{California county seats}}
{{California}}
}}
{{USPopulousCities}}
{{Portal bar|United States|California|San Francisco Bay Area|Geography|Cities}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oakland, California}}
[[Category:Oakland, California| ]]
[[Category:Incorporated cities and towns in California]]
[[Category:Cities in Alameda County, California]]
[[Category:1852 establishments in California]]
[[Category:California Enterprise Zones]]
[[Category:Cities in the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:County seats in California]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns in California]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in California]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1852]]