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Albany Hill
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Albany Hill is a prominent hill along the east shore of San Francisco Bay in the city of Albany, California.
Its indigenous Ohlone name is unknown. It was named Cerrito de San Antonio by the Luís María Peralta family after the name of their ranch, Rancho San Antonio, a Spanish land grant which encompassed much of the East Bay.
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Encyclopedia
Albany Hill is a prominent hill along the east shore of San Francisco Bay in the city of Albany, California.
Its indigenous Ohlone name is unknown. It was named Cerrito de San Antonio by the Luís María Peralta family after the name of their ranch, Rancho San Antonio, a Spanish land grant which encompassed much of the East Bay. The name was changed to Albany Hill upon the establishment of the city of Albany. The adjacent city of El Cerrito was named after the hill's original Spanish name.
Early history
Beginning in the late 19th century, the hill was used by the Judson Powder Works for the manufacture of dynamite. The company had been forced to move from San Francisco after several accidental explosions there.
In 1905, a massive accidental explosion of nitroglycerin occurred, killing 23 workers. The explosion carved a massive crater in the north flank of the hill, which is today evident by a large dip in the tree-line. After this incident, no more manufacturing of explosives was allowed on Albany Hill.
Modern history
From the 1970s, there were numerous schemes proposed for development of Albany Hill. The city of Albany, having jurisdiction over this land, attempted to balance interests of economic development and housing demand with conservation interests to protect the native habitat. Eventually the city retained an environmental consultant to prepare an Environmental Impact Report on alternative development schemes and development densities. After a series of public hearings the consultant's recommendation design was chosen leading to the present development pattern of clustered high-rise residential use and preservation of the majority of the hill.
Today, Albany Hill is mostly residential, with a public park on its northern side, extending up from Cerrito Creek. Albany Hill is covered partially by non-native eucalyptus trees and partly by native oak.
On November 15, 2008, strong dry northeast winds whipped up a fire in a forested area on the west side of the hill above a large apartment complex. However, recent heavy rains and a prompt response by the Albany and Berkeley fire departments limited the blaze to 2 acres, with no structures burned.
The hill provides a view of Albany, Berkeley — notably, UC Berkeley's Sather Tower — and the Berkeley Hills from one side. From the other, it looks out onto the Bay, with San Francisco in the distance. Looking south from the Hill, the high-rises in downtown Oakland and Emeryville are visible.
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