Alameda

Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, located in the East Bay region of the Bay Area. The city is primarily located on Alameda Island, but also spans Bay Farm Island and Coast Guard Island, as well as a few other smaller islands in San Francisco Bay. Alameda is Spanish for "grove of poplar trees" or "tree-lined avenue" The city was founded on June 6, 1853, after the United States acquired California following the Mexican-American War of 1848. In his autobiography, writer Mark Twain described Alameda as "The Garden of California" In the early 21st century, Alameda's industrial and shipbuilding industries thrived along the Port of Oakland. As of 2018, it is one of twenty-one cities in the country that is designated a "Coast Guard City" by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It was the site of the arrival of the first train via the First transcontinental railroad to reach the shores of San FranciscoBay in 1869. The Alameda Works Shipyard was one of the largest and best-equipped shipyards in the nation in the 1930s and 1940s. It became part of the defense industry buildup before and during World War II, which attracted many migrants from other parts of the country for the high-paying jobs. In March 2006, it was designated one of seven then designated "Coasts Guard City's" in the world, with a population of 77,624.

History

Alameda occupies what was originally a peninsula connected to Oakland. Spanish colonists called the area Encinal, meaning "forest of evergreen oak" Alameda is Spanish for "grove of poplar trees" or "tree-lined avenue" The city was founded on June 6, 1853, after the United States acquired California following the Mexican-American War of 1848. In his autobiography, Mark Twain described Alameda as "The Garden of California" In 1917, a private entertainment park called Neptune Beach was built in the area now known as Crab Cove. In the early 21st century, the Port of Oakland, across the estuary, has become one of the largest ports on the West Coast. Alameda was the site of the first train via the First transcontinental railroad to reach the shores of San Francisco Bay, thus achieving the first coast to coast transcontinental railway in North America. In 1929, the University of California, San Francisco established the San Francisco Airdrome near the current Airdala Bay airport. As of March 21, 2006, Alameda is a "Coast Guard City", one of seven then designated in the country as a Coast Guard City. In addition to the regular trains running to Alameda, the city was also served by the steam commuter lines of Southern Pacific (initially, Southern Pacific's West Alameda Shops) and East Electric Lines. The Alameda Works Shipyard was one of. the largest and best-equipped shipyards in the nation.

Geography

Alameda's nickname is "The Island City" (or simply "the island"). The current city occupies three islands as well as a small section of the mainland. Today, the city consists of the main original section, with the former Naval Air Station Alameda at the west end of Alameda Island. The Southshore area is separated from the main part of the island by a lagoon. The low-lying island has seen sea-level and groundwater level rise threaten its infrastructure and people. This region experiences warm (but not hot), dry summers, and cool (but not cold), wet winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Alameda has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps. Annual precipitation is about 22 in (560 mm), all rain (snow is extremely rare at sea level in the San Francisco Bay Area). Alameda Point and Southshore are built on bay fill. The area of a dump site west of the former runway at Alameda Naval Air station is over the county line and therefore part of San Francisco. The locations of increasing groundwater-induced risks and flooding risks (such as from another megaflood) may be most precise in private insurance company maps. Alameda is home to Integrated Support Command Alameda, which is the home of the Alameda Air National Guard base. The city is also home to Alameda National Guard Station, which has a base in Oakland, California.

Demographics

The 2010 United States Census reported that Alameda had a population of 73,812. (2015 census estimates place the population at 78,630) The racial makeup of Alameda was 37,460 (50.8%) White, 23,058 (31.2%) Asian, 4,759 (6.4%) African American, 426 (0.6%) Native American, 2,463 (3.3%) from other races, and 5,265 (7.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8,092 persons (11.0%). The median household income in 2009-2013 was $74,606 per the US Census. There were 32,351 housing units at an average density of 1,409.0 per square mile (544.0/km²), of which 30,123 were occupied, of which 14,488 were owner-occupied, and 15,635 (51.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1%; the rental vacancy rate is 5.7%. Per capita annual income (in 2013 dollars) in 2009 2013 was $41,340 per the U.S. Census. The average household size was 2.40; the average family size was 3.06. The median age of the city was 40.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.7 males. For each 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.5 males. In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 21.5% under the age of 18, 5,489 people aged 18 to 24, 21,000 people (28.5%) aged 25 to 44, 22,044 people (29.9) aged 45 to 64, and 9,975 people (13.5) aged 65 or older.

Economy

Naval Air Station Alameda (NAS) decommissioned in 1997, turned over to City of Alameda for civilian development. A cluster of artisan distilleries, wineries, breweries and tasting rooms along Monarch Street at Alameda Point is now referred to by the City as "Spirits Alley" The aircraft carrier USS Hornet, a museum ship, has been moored at the former Naval Air Station since 1998. The city's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: The Oakland Roots of the USL Championship, the City of Oakland and the County of Al Oakland. The City's top employer is the Alameda Police Department, followed by the city's fire department, police station, fire department and ambulance service. The top employer in Alameda is the City and County of Oakland, with the city’s fire department being the largest employer in the area. The number of jobs created in the last year was the highest since 2008, with more than 3,000. The average annual wage is $50,000, up from $40,000 in 2008. The unemployment rate is at 3.7 per cent, the lowest since 2007, according to the City's report. In the first quarter of 2013, Alameda had the highest rate of unemployment in the state of California, with 4.1 per cent. The highest rate was in the second quarter of 2012, with 3.8 per cent and 3.9 per cent in the third.

Arts and culture

The Alameda Arts Council (AAC) serves as the local Alameda City arts council. The Alameda Civic Ballet is the ballet troupe of the city. The city restored the historic Art Deco city landmark Alameda Theatre, expanding it to include a theater multiplex. The Altarena Playhouse is the longest continuously operating community theater in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Park Street Spring Festival takes place every May during the weekend of Mother's Day and attracts over 50,000 visitors. Park Street Classic Car Show is held on the second Saturday every October and displays over 400 vintage vehicles. The annual Sand Castle and Sculpture Contest takes place in June at the Robert Crown Memorial State Beach. The first contest was held in 1967. The Fourth of July parade is advertised as the second oldest and second-longest July parade in the United States. It features homemade floats, classic cars, motorized living room furniture, fire-breathing dragons, and marching bands. There are three major events when the street in Alameda's historic downtown district is closed to vehicular traffic: the Park Street Art & Wine Faire takes place the last weekend of every July, and a classic car show is held the second weekend of October. The City of Alameda is home to the Alameda Art Association, which has about 80 members as of January 2011, and has a gallery space at South Shore Center mall. An annual benefit, Circus for Arts in the Schools, was started by clown artist Jeff Raz in 2004.

Government

Alameda has 48,609 registered voters. Of those, 27,323 (56.2%) are registered Democrats, 5,240 are registered Republicans, and 13,950 (28.7%) have declined to state a political party. There are three library locations: the Main Library in downtown Alameda and two library branches; the Bay Farm Island Library and the West End Library. The city also received state funds for the new main library and opened the doors to the new facility in November 2006. Alameda's Carnegie Library was damaged during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. It was replaced by the new Main Library, which opened in 2006. The new library is located on the former site of the Carnegie Library. It is located in the heart of the Alameda Free Library district. The library is open seven days a week and is open to the public. It has a free Wi-Fi connection and a free library card. It also has two branches: one in Bay Farm and the other in Harbor Bay. The Main Library is open on weekdays and one on Saturday and Sunday. The Bay Farm branch is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., while the Harbor Bay branch is closed on Sunday and Monday. The West End branch is opened on Monday and Tuesday from 9am to 5pm, and it is open until 9pm on Wednesday and Thursday. The City of Alameda also has a public library, which was opened in the early 1990s. It serves the communities of Bay Farm, Harbor Bay and West End.

Education

Public primary and secondary education in Alameda is the responsibility of the Alameda Unified School District. The College of Alameda, a two-year community college in the West End, is part of the Peralta Community College District. Alameda has one private high school, St. Joseph Notre Dame High School, a Catholic school. The city has numerous private primary schools, and one private primary school, Alameda Elementary School, in the city's West End. The school district is legally separate from the city government, as is common throughout California.

Transportation

Vehicle access to Alameda Island is via three bridges from Oakland (Park Street, Fruitvale Avenue, and High Street Bridges), as well as the two one-way Posey and Webster Street Tubes leading into Oakland's Chinatown. Connections from Alameda to Bay Farm Island are provided via theBay Farm Island Bridge for vehicular traffic and the only pedestrian/bicycle-only drawbridge in the U.S. The speed limit for the city is 25 mph (40 km/h) on almost every road. The closest BART stations are Lake Merritt and 12th Street, near the exit to the Posey Tube, and Fruitvale. BART's long-term plans for a second tunnel include Alameda as a candidate for the first stop on a new East Bay line. Alameda/Oakland Ferry and the Alameda Harbor Bay Ferry routes. San Francisco Bay Ferry also provides service between Alameda Main Street Station and South San Francisco. All ferry services are operated by the Water Transit Authority. The island is just minutes off Interstate 880 in Oakland. It is the only city in the United States where the speed limit is less than 30 mph (50 km/hr) on most roads. The city is home to the San Francisco Giants baseball team. It also has the Oakland Raiders baseball team, the Oakland A's football team, and the Oakland Kings basketball team. The Alameda Police Department is based in the city's downtown area. It was founded in 1903.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Alameda, Alameda County, California = 35.8. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 32. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 20. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Alameda = 5.4 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 78,280 individuals with a median age of 41.9 age the population dropped by -1.14% in Alameda, Alameda County, California population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 7,491.63 residents per square mile of area (2,892.62/km²). There are average 2.41 people per household in the 29,111 households with an average household income of $70,332 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 8.00% of the available work force and has dropped -5.07% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 21.86%. The number of physicians in Alameda per 100,000 population = 247.1.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Alameda = 23.3 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 64. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 259. 72 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 44.6 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 64, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Alameda, Alameda County, California which are owned by the occupant = 44.35%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 48 years with median home cost = $537,470 and home appreciation of -7.96%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $7.10 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,190 per student. There are 20.4 students for each teacher in the school. 7896.71% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 27.02% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 14.85% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).