(Redirected from Alameda County)
'Alameda County' is a
county in the
U.S. state of
California. It occupies most of the
East Bay region of the
San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2000 census it had a population of 1,443,741 making it the 7th largest county in the state. The
county seat is
Oakland.
Alameda County currently has the highest sales tax rate in California, which is 8.75%.
History
The county was formed on
March 25,
1853 from a large portion of
Contra Costa County and a smaller portion of
Santa Clara County.
The word 'alameda' means 'a place where poplar trees grow', a name which originally was given to the Arroyo de la Alameda (Poplar Grove Creek). The willow and sycamore trees along the banks of the river reminded the early explorers of a road lined with trees, also known as an 'alameda'.
The county seat at the time it was formed was located at
Alvarado; it was moved to
San Leandro in
1856 where the county courthouse was destroyed by the devastating 1868 quake on the
Hayward Fault. The county seat was then re-established in the town of Brooklyn from
1872-
1875. Brooklyn is now part of
Oakland, which has been the county seat since
1873.
Much of what is now considered an intensively
urban region, with major cities, was developed as a
trolley car suburb of
San Francisco in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The historical progression from native American tribal lands to Spanish Land Grants, thence to farms, ranches, and orchards, suburbs and eventually cities, is shared with the adjacent
Contra Costa County (see that article for an extensive history applicable to this county).
Government
Alameda County is governed by an elected Board of Supervisors.
The county's law enforcement is overseen by an elected county sheriff supervising a force of deputies whose primary responsibilities include policing unincorporated areas of the county, and providing security for county buildings including courthouses and other properties. The County Sheriff also serves various court writs and warrants.
Events
The annual Alameda County fair is held at the fairgrounds in
Pleasanton. The fair runs for 3 weekends from June to July. Attractions include horse racing, carnival,
4-H exhibits, and live bands.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,127
km² (821
mi²). 1,910 km² (738 mi²) of it is land and 216 km² (84 mi²) of it (10.18%) is water.
The San Francisco Bay borders the county on the west. The crest of the
Berkeley Hills form part of the northeastern boundary, and reach into the center of the county. A coastal plain several miles wide lines the bay, being home to Oakland and the most populated regions. Livermore Valley lies in the eastern part of the county.
The
Hayward Fault, a major branch of the San Andreas Fault to the west, runs through the most populated parts of Alameda County, while the
Calaveras Fault runs through the southeastern part of the county.
Incorporated Cities
★
Alameda
★
Albany
★
Berkeley
★
Dublin
★
Emeryville
★
Fremont
★
Hayward
★
Livermore
★
Newark
★
Oakland
★
Piedmont
★
Pleasanton
★
San Leandro
★
Union City
Unincorporated Communities
★
Ashland
★
Castro Valley
★
Cherryland
★
Fairview
★
Sunol
★
San Lorenzo
Former townships
Map of Alameda County, 1878 (Six Townships)
★ Oakland Township - the northern portion subsequently became the cities of Berkeley and Albany
★ Alameda Township
★ Brooklyn Township
★ Eden Township
★ Washington Township
★ Murray Township
Adjacent Counties
★
Santa Clara County, California - south
★
San Mateo County, California - west
★
San Francisco County, California - west
★
Contra Costa County, California - north
★
San Joaquin County, California - east
Transportation Infrastructure
Major Highways
Mass transit
★
ACE train - commuter rail using existing railroad tracks, primarily brings commuters from San Joaquin County to Santa Clara County
★
AC Transit - local
bus system in western Alameda County and west Contra Costa County, with additional service across the three bridges from Alameda County to downtown San Francisco, San Mateo, and Palo Alto
★
BART - commuter rail centered on northwest Oakland, primarily serving commuters to downtown San Francisco and downtown Oakland
★
Capitol Corridor - commuter rail using existing railroad tracks, extending from San Jose to Sacramento, running through western Alameda County
★
WHEELS - bus system in the cities of southeastern Alameda County
★
Union City Transit - local city bus service within
Union City in addition to AC Transit.
★
Emery-Go-Round - free bus service in
Emeryville.
★
Oakland-Alameda Ferry and
Harbor Bay Ferry, connecting Oakland, Alameda, and Bay Farm Island with downtown San Francisco.
★
San Joaquins Amtrak line between Oakland and Bakersfield through the Fresno and the Central Valley.
★
VTA commuter service between southern Alameda county and job centers in the Silicon Valley.
★
Dumbarton Express additional service along the Dumbarton bridge between Fremont and Palo Alto.
Demographics
As of the
census² of 2000, there were 1,443,741 people, 523,366 households, and 339,141 families residing in the county. The
population density was 756/km² (1,957/mi²). There were 540,183 housing units at an average density of 283/km² (732/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 48.79%
White, 20.45%
Asian, 14.93%
Black or
African American, 8.94% from
other races, 5.63% from two or more races, 18.97%
Hispanic or
Latino of any race, 0.63%
Native American, and 0.63%
Pacific Islander. 63.2% spoke
English, 14.3%
Spanish, 5.0%
Chinese or
Mandarin, 3.5%
Tagalog, 1.6%
Vietnamese and
Cantonese as their first language.
In 2005 Almeda County had a population that was 38.0% non-Hispanic whites. African-Americans now constituted 13.8% of the population. Asians were now 24.2% of the population. Hispanics came in at 20.8%, while both Native Americans and Pacific Islanders came in at 0.7% of the population.
[1]
In 2000 there were 523,366 households out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living within them, 47.00%
married couples living together, 13.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.20% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.31.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.60% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 33.90% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 10.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 96.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $55,946, and the median income for a family was $65,857. Males had a median income of $47,425 versus $36,921 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $26,680. About 7.70% of families and 11.00% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 13.50% of those under age 18 and 8.10% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Alameda County is a stronghold of the Democratic Party. It has not supported a Republican since Eisenhower's victory in 1956. Even when Reagan won America by an 18.3% margin, Mondale won Alameda County with a slightly larger margin. In 2004 it provided Kerry with over a 50% margin. Every city and town voted Democratic.
[1] The county is represented in Congress by the 9th-13th districts. All the seats are held by Democrats. In the State Assembly four out of five of its legislators are Democrats. According to the Alameda County registrar for 2008, 370,919 (55.2%) are registered Democrats, 117,086 (17.4%) are registered Republicans, 36,276 (5.4%) are registered to minor political parties, and 147,279 (21.9%) declined to answer. This means the Democrats have a 37.8% registration advantage over the Republicans. Every city and town in Alameda County has more registered Democrats than Republicans, except for Livermore and Pleasanton, and Republicans hold registration advantages in those cities by razor-thin margins.
Alameda County Court House in Oakland
'Presidential elections results'| Year | GOP | Dems |
|---|
| 2004 | 23.3% ''130,911 | '75.2%' ''422,585 |
| 2000 | 24.1% ''119,279 | '69.4%' ''342,889 |
| 1996 | 23.1% ''106,581 | '65.8%' ''303,903 |
| 1992 | 20.6% ''109,292 | '63.0%' ''334,224 |
| 1988 | 34.0% ''162,815 | '64.8%' ''310,283 |
| 1984 | 40.0% ''192,408 | '58.7%' ''282,041 |
| 1980 | 38.0% ''158,531 | '48.3%' ''201,720 |
| 1976 | 38.1% ''155,280 | '57.9%' ''235,988 |
| 1972 | 42.8% ''201,862 | '55.0%' ''259,254 |
| 1968 | 37.6% ''153,285 | '53.9%' ''219,545 |
| 1964 | 33.5% ''142,998 | '66.4%' ''283,833 |
| 1960 | 45.6% ''183,354 | '54.0%' ''217,172 |
Arts
★ Home to the
Alameda County Arts Commission which serves the arts in Alameda County.
★ Home to the
Alameda Civic Ballet (ACB).
★ Home to the
Alameda Ballet Academy, official ballet school of the ACB.
Interesting places to visit
★
University of California, Berkeley
★
Lawrence Hall of Science
★
Tilden Regional Park
★
Sunol Water Temple
See also
★
USS ''Alameda County'' (LST-32)
★
List of school districts in Alameda County, California
★
Solar power in Alameda County
External links
★
Alameda County's Official Web Site
★
Alameda County Fairgrounds - Annual county fair June to July
★
A short film about Alameda County from 1958
References
1. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/06001.html
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