Wednesday 26 October 2011

Geography of Oakland, California


Oakland is located at 37°48'16"N 122°16'15'W in the longitudinal middle of California, on the east side of San Francisco Bay.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 78.0 square miles (202 km2). 55.8 square miles (145 km2) of it is land and 22.2 square miles (57 km2) of it (28.48 percent) is water.
Oakland's highest point is Grizzly Peak which is 1,758 feet (536 m). Oakland has 19 miles (31 km) of shoreline. Radio Beach is the only beach in Oakland.
Oaklanders most broadly refer to their city's terrain as "the flatlands" and "the hills", which until recent waves of gentrification have also been a reference to 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.






Neighborhoods in Oakland, California




The north end of the Adams Point district, as seen from Lakeshore Avenue on the east shore of the Lake
Oakland has more than 50 distinct neighborhoods, many of which are not "official" enough to be named on a map. The common large neighborhood divisions in the city are downtown Oakland and its greater Central Business District, Lake Merritt, East Oakland, North Oakland, West Oakland, and the Oakland Hills. East Oakland actually encompasses more than half of Oakland's area, stretching from Lakeshore Avenue on the east shore of Lake Merritt southeast to the San Leandro border. North Oakland encompasses the neighborhoods between downtown and Berkeley and Emeryville. West Oakland is the area between downtown and the Bay, partially surrounded by the Oakland Point, and encompassing the Port of Oakland. In 2011, Oakland was ranked the 10th most walkable city in the United States.
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. It was designated the United States' first official wildlife refuge in 1870. 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 soils and bedrock. Lake Merritt is surrounded by notable residential and business districts, including downtown and Grand Lake.
Other neighborhoods of note include an historic Chinatown, the heavily Latino Fruitvale district, and the upscale shopping districts of Rockridge and Piedmont Avenue.
The relatively affluent city of Piedmont, incorporated in Oakland's central foothills after the 1906 earthquake, is a small independent city completely surrounded by the city of Oakland.

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