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, and by 2006 it was estimated 1,457,426. The county seat is Oakland.
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, then Mexican ranches, 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
The county is divided into five different districts. A Supervisor is elected in each district, with an election held every four years. This elected group is known as the Board of Supervisors. Currently, District 1 is represented by Supervisor Scott Haggerty; District 2, Supervisor Gail Steele; District 3, Supervisor Alice Lai-Bitker; District 4, Supervisor Nate Miley; District 5, Supervisor Keith Carson. The Board elects a president who presides at all meetings of the Board and appoints committees to handle work involving the major programs of the County. If the president is absent for a meeting, the vice president shall be responsible. A Board election occurs every two years for these positions. Supervisor Lai-Bitker is serving currently as president; Supervisor Miley is vice president.
Board meetings are open to the public, and occur every Tuesday (with the exception of holidays and board retreats) at 9:00 AM in the County Administration Building in Oakland. LIVE feeds are available online too at www.acgov.org. Day-to-day administrative operations are handled by the County Administrator. This position is appointed by the Board of Supervisors, currently held by Susan Muranishi.
The county's law enforcement is overseen by an elected county sheriff and an elected district attorney. The sheriff supervises a force of deputies whose primary responsibilities include policing unincorporated areas of the county, and providing security for county buildings including courthouses, the county jail and other properties. The County Sheriff also serves as the officers of the court, serving various court writs and providing security for the courthouses.
Events
The annual county fair is held at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton. The fair runs for 3 weekends from June to July. Attractions include horse racing, carnival rides, 4-H exhibits, and live bands.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 821 square miles (2,127 km²), of which, 738 square miles (1,910 km²) of it is land and 84 square miles (216 km²) of it (10.18%) is water.
The San Francisco Bay borders the county on the west, and the City and County of San Francisco, California has a small land border with the city of Alameda due to land filling. 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; it is home to Oakland and the most populous 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
- 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
- Stanislaus County, California - southeast by a corner
National protected area
- Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge (part)
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.
- Alameda / Oakland Ferry and Harbor Bay Ferry - connect Oakland, Alameda, and Bay Farm Island with downtown San Francisco
- San Joaquins - Amtrak route between Oakland and Bakersfield through Fresno and the Central Valley
- VTA - commuter service between southern Alameda county and job centers in the Silicon Valley
- Dumbarton Express - additional service across the Dumbarton Bridge between Fremont and Palo Alto
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,443,741 people, 523,366 households, and 339,141 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,957 people per square mile (756/km²). There were 540,183 housing units at an average density of 732 per square mile (283/km²). 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. 5.0% were of Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 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 Alameda County had a population that was 38.0% non-Hispanic whites. African-Americans constituted 13.8% of the population. Asians were 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.
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 sprea
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