Oakland, California

Oakland ) is the eighth-largest city in the U.S. state of California. It is a major West Coast port, located on San Francisco Bay, about 8 miles (13 km) east of San Francisco. Oakland is a central hub city for the Bay Area subregion collectively called the East Bay, and it is the county seat of Alameda County. Based on the United States Census Bureau for 2010, Oakland's population is 390,724. According to a study of FBI crime statistics by CQ Press, in 2010, Oakland was named the "fifth most dangerous city in the U.S."Initially, Oakland grew from having its hillside oak and redwood timber resources logged to build San Francisco, and Oakland's fertile flatland soils helped it become a prolific agricultural region. In the late 1860s, Oakland was selected as the western terminus of the Transcontinental Railroad. It continued to grow into the 20th century with its port, shipyards, and a thriving automobile industry. Following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, many San Franciscans left that city's destruction, and a great number of Oakland's homes were built during the 1910s and 1920s. An extensive streetcar network connected most of Oakland's neighborhoods to inter-city rail lines and to ferry lines.During the 1940s, thousands of war-industry workers moved to Oakland from the Deep South, and the late 20th century saw a steady influx of immigrants from around the globe. According to the 2000 U.S. census, Oakland is the second most ethnically diverse city in Alameda County, with many languages spoken.Oakland has struggled with numerous challenges, including high unemployment and elevated rates of poverty and violent crime. Ruptures along the nearby San Andreas fault caused severe earth movement in 1906 and 1989. During the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, Oakland suffered many deaths and injuries, as well as significant property damage. San Andreas quakes cause induced creep in the Hayward fault, which runs directly through Oakland. In 1991, an urban firestorm destroyed nearly 4,000 homes and killed 25 people in the Oakland hills; it was the worst such firestorm in American history.Oakland is home to several major corporations including Kaiser Permanente and Clorox, and the city serves as corporate headquarters for nationwide businesses like Dreyer's and Cost Plus World Market.Oakland is also the home of Rocky Road ice cream and the Mai Tai cocktail. It has enjoyed a thriving West Coast blues scene and can claim numerous prominent homegrown musicians representing such genres as rhythm and blues, funk, punk, heavy metal, and hip hop. Recreational attractions include the Fox Oakland Theatre, the Paramount Theatre, Jack London Square, Lake Merritt, the Oakland Estuary, the Oakland Zoo, the Oakland Museum of California, the Chabot Space and Science Center, Oracle Arena, the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, the East Bay Regional Park District ridge line parks and preserves, and Chinatown.