East Oakland, Oakland, California
Encyclopedia
East Oakland is the southeastern portion of Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

, and takes up the largest portion of the city's land area. It stretches between Lake Merritt in the northwest and San Leandro in the southeast. Many areas of East Oakland have been plagued by high crime in the post-war
Post-war
A post-war period or postwar period is the interval immediately following the ending of a war and enduring as long as war does not resume. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum when a war between the same parties resumes at a later date...

 period and are known for violence and drug activity.

Geography

East Oakland stretches between Lake Merritt
Lake Merritt
Lake Merritt is a large tidal lagoon that lies just east of downtown Oakland, California. It is surrounded by parkland and city neighborhoods. A popular 3.1 mile walking and jogging path runs along its perimeter...

 in the northwest and San Leandro in the southeast. It generally has a diagonal layout. East Oakland has numbered avenues (1st to 109th) that run northeast to southwest, and numbered streets (East 7th to East 33rd) that run northwest to southeast. Interstates 580
Interstate 580 (California)
Interstate 580 is an 80-mile east–west Interstate Highway in Northern California. The heavily traveled spur route of Interstate 80 runs from San Rafael in the San Francisco Bay Area to Interstate 5 near Tracy in the Central Valley...

 and 880 also run northwest to southeast. Main northwest-southeast thoroughfares include East 14th Street (renamed International Blvd. in 1996 (within the city of Oakland only)), MacArthur Blvd., Foothill Blvd., and Bancroft Ave. Main northeast-southwest thoroughfares include Fruitvale Ave., 35th Ave., High St., Seminary Ave., 73rd Ave. (which becomes the Hegenberger Expressway south of East 14th St. to Oakland International Airport
Oakland International Airport
Oakland International Airport , also known as Metropolitan Oakland International Airport, is a public airport located south of the central business district of Oakland, a city in Alameda County, California, United States...

), and 98th Ave. East Oakland is home to Mills College
Mills College
Mills College is an independent liberal arts women's college founded in 1852 that offers bachelor's degrees to women and graduate degrees and certificates to women and men. Located in Oakland, California, Mills was the first women's college west of the Rockies. The institution was initially founded...

, the Oakland Coliseum and the Oracle Arena.

The area between 70th and 109th Avenues and near the airport became notorious, starting in the 1980s, as one of the most violent and drug/gang dominated regions in the state, after much of the area experienced a drastic socioeconomic decline following the 1970s; prior to this, most of East Oakland was middle-class and almost suburban in nature. Many middle-class families (most often from districts southwest of MacArthur and Foothill Boulevards) relocated to the suburbs, leaving the poorest citizens behind (in the Deep East Side these were almost exclusively African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

). Also, many long-time industrial jobs in the area disappeared as the economy changed and factories along the Southern Pacific
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....

 railroad tracks shut down, most notably regional facilities for Granny Goose
Granny Goose
Granny Goose is the name of an American brand of potato chips and other snack foods.Its logo and mascot, also named Granny Goose, is an anthropomorphic cartoon goose...

, a regional snack foods brand, and Gerber
Gerber Products Company
Gerber Products Company is a purveyor of baby food and baby products. A former American-owned company, Gerber is now a subsidiary of Nestlé, and is currently located in Fremont, Michigan, USA.-History:...

.

The eastern side of East Oakland, including Maxwell Park
Maxwell Park, Oakland, California
Maxwell Park is a neighborhood in Oakland, California located in the foothills of Oakland and is known for its close knit community and relatively low crime rate...

 and the Oakland hills, traditionally neighborhoods northeast of MacArthur Blvd. and/or I-580, are populated by higher income families and young professionals. The entire area was designated the Central City East Redevelopment Area by the City of Oakland in 2002. With this designation, the City will support redevelopment projects within the area that will be funded by tax-increment financing.

History

Today's International Blvd. was called the Oakland-San Leandro Road in the 19th century, a county road connecting Oakland with San Leandro. Along this road, small settlements developed with names such as Melrose, Elmhurst and Fitchburg. All these were annexed by the city of Oakland after the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. After annexation, the Oakland-San Leandro Road was re-named East 14th Street, a name which lasted for most of the 20th century. Both Foothill Boulevard and MacArthur Boulevard, which run through the heart of East Oakland, were a part of the Lincoln Highway
Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States of America.Conceived and promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey,...

, the first transcontinental highway, from 1913 until 1927.

The area known as Brooklyn (until it was also annexed by the city in 1909) was once suburban and predominantly white until World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, when it became the backbone of Oakland's African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

 community due to an influx of workers from the southeastern U.S. and the exodus of more prosperous whites
White flight
White flight has been a term that originated in the United States, starting in the mid-20th century, and applied to the large-scale migration of whites of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions. It was first seen as...

 to suburbs south and east of the city, such as San Leandro, Hayward and Walnut Creek. In the 1950s and 1960s, many areas of East Oakland remained predominantly white. In recent decades, the African American population has been steadily declining (as more middle-class African Americans are seeking opportunities in the very same nearby suburbs white residents moved to years earlier, and even outside of the Bay Area altogether) and is being replaced by a thriving Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...

 and Asian (primarily Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...

n, Lao
Lao people
The Lao are an ethnic subgroup of Tai/Dai in Southeast Asia.-Names:The etymology of the word Lao is uncertain, although it may be related to tribes known as the Ai Lao who appear in Han Dynasty records in China and Vietnam as a people of what is now Yunan Province...

, and Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...

) population. Fruitvale has become the backbone of Oakland's Latino community and has a thriving shopping district. A diverse Asian population, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Laotian, and other southeast Asian ethnic groups generally inhabit the area of East Oakland closest to downtown, from Chinatown
Chinatown, Oakland, California
The Chinatown neighborhood in Oakland, California, is a pan-Asian neighborhood which reflects Oakland's diverse Asian American community. It is frequently referred to as "Oakland Chinatown" in order to distinguish it from nearby San Francisco's Chinatown...

 east to San Antonio
San Antonio, Oakland, California
San Antonio is a large district in Oakland, California, encompassing the land east of Lake Merritt to Sausal Creek. It is one of the most diverse areas of the city. It takes its name from Rancho San Antonio, the name of the land as granted to Luís María Peralta by the last Spanish governor of...

. African-Americans however still maintain majority status in East Oakland, where they represent over 54% of East Oakland's residents.

The Brookfield district is located from 98th-85th Avenues. Residential streets are named for letters of the alphabet (A st...B st ...C st, etc.) This is a part of East Oakland which has some of the highest rates of criminal and drug activity in the entire Bay Area.

Sociological perception

Many areas of East Oakland have been plagued by high crime in the postwar period and still remain a haven for prostitution and drug activity. Companies and corporations continue to bypass Oakland because of its image problem. East Oakland continues to have high unemployment and dropout rates, and its most poverty-stricken neighborhoods continue on a cycle of despair and apathy. The prostitution scene in the city was exposed in the 1970s with movies like "The Mack
The Mack
The Mack is a 1973 blaxploitation film starring Max Julien and Richard Pryor. Although the movie was produced during the era of such blaxploitation movies as Dolemite, its producers do not label it a true blaxploitation picture...

", and in the early 1980s was one of the first areas in the United States where crack cocaine
Crack cocaine
Crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It may also be termed rock, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; it is the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers...

 became a serious epidemic. During that time much of the drug trade was run by the notorious Felix Mitchell
Felix Mitchell
Felix Wayne Mitchell Jr. was a convicted drug lord from Oakland, California and leader of the notorious "69 Mob" criminal organization, which operated throughout California and into the midwest...

.

Unlike South Central L.A.
South Los Angeles
South Los Angeles, often abbreviated as South L.A. and formerly South Central Los Angeles, is the official name for a large geographic and cultural portion lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly called South Central, and is still widely known...

, there are no major affiliations with Bloods
Bloods
The Bloods are a street gang founded in Los Angeles, California. The gang is widely known for its rivalry with the Crips. They are identified by the red color worn by their members and by particular gang symbols, including distinctive hand signs...

 or Crips
Crips
The Crips are a primarily, but not exclusively, African American gang. They were founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1969 mainly by Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams...

 in Oakland. Drug turf determines its street politics. East 14th Street was plagued with a prostitution and drug problem for years. Oakland City council changed the name of East 14th Street to International Blvd in 1996. After the change, prostitution continued for years until the California Highway Patrol stepped in to patrol the stretch (also known as State Route 185
California State Route 185
State Route 185 is a state highway in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. It runs along sections of Mission Boulevard in Hayward, East 14th Street in San Leandro and International Boulevard in Oakland.-Route description:...

 to 42nd Street) until crimes went down.

Culture

East Oakland, together with West Oakland and portions of North Oakland
North Oakland, Oakland, California
North Oakland is an area in Oakland, California, bordered by West Oakland, downtown Oakland, Oakland Hills and the adjacent cities of Berkeley, Emeryville and Piedmont. Annexed to Oakland in 1897, it is known as the birthplace of the Black Panther Party and is the childhood home of both Dr. Huey P....

, are the heart and soul of Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...

's African American community. Hip hop culture is strongly associated with East Oakland. It is known within the hip hop community as "Oaktown", or "The East". A number of East Bay rappers and singers such as Raphael Saadiq
Raphael Saadiq
Raphael Saadiq is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Saadiq has been a standard bearer for "old school" R&B since his early days as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné! He also produced songs of such artists as TLC, Joss Stone, D'Angelo, Mary J...

, Keak da Sneak
Keak da Sneak
Charles Toby Bowens , commonly known by his stage name Keak da Sneak, is a rapper from Oakland, California . At the age of 16 he was known as Z-Kush but became known as "Keak da Sneak" at 17, best known for his scratchy, gruff rapping voice and coining the term "hyphy" in 1994.-Career:Keak da Sneak...

, Dru Down
Dru Down
Darnel Robinson, better known by his stage name Dru Down, is an American rapper and actor from Oakland, California...

, Too Short, Digital Underground
Digital Underground
Digital Underground was an alternative hip hop group from Oakland, California. It could have been considered a music "family" rather than a group, as its personnel changed and rotated with each album and tour....

, MC Hammer
MC Hammer
Stanley Kirk Burrell , better known by his stage name MC Hammer , is an American rapper, entertainer, business entrepreneur, dancer and actor. He had his greatest commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s...

, Yukmouth
Yukmouth
Jerold Dwight Ellis, III, better known by his stage name Yukmouth, is a Grammy-nominated American rapper from East Oakland, Oakland, California. He is the founder of The Regime, Smoke-A-Lot Records and Godzilla Entertainment.-Career:He is a member of the platinum-selling rap duo Luniz along with...

, Hieroglyphics, Kreayshawn
Kreayshawn
Natassia Gail Zolot, known by her stage name Kreayshawn, is an American rapper and music video director.-Early life:...

 and Keyshia Cole
Keyshia Cole
Keyshia Myeshia Cole Gibson born October 15, 1981) is an American singer–songwriter and actress. She gained nationwide acclaim when her 2005 debut album, The Way It Is went platinum. Her sophomore album Just Like You went into production shortly after that and was released in September 2007...

 originated there.The prostitution, violence and drug culture of the region spawned a new sub-genre of hip hop by the late 1980s. Rappers like Too Short incorporated drugs, violence, prostitution and gang life into his music, in sharp contrast to much of the East Coast hip hop of the day. Too Short was also one of the first rap artists to promote and sell records independently, started first by Mac Dre, who was born in Oakland and moved to Vallejo, and is one of the pioneers responsible for the birth of Northern California's independent hip hop scene, leading other artists to pursue success in the music industry without the assistance of a major record company. The sound of the music was different from East Coast hip hop, which is known for its technique of sampling and looping to create a song. Instead, Funk and Blues were infused with synthesizers and drum machines, giving birth to the Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...

 hip hop sound known as Mobb music. Today, mainstream hip-hop continues to lyrically and musically incorporate much of what was pioneered in East Oakland.

Much of East Oakland's street slang has become mainstream. Hyphy
Hyphy
The word hyphy is Conor Devlin's preferred short word meaning "hyperactive." It was created by Bay Area rapper Keak Da Sneak when he used the term on an album he recorded in 1994. From the USA Today article: "Every record label was getting at us at that time, but we fumbled the ball," says E-40,...

, meaning crazy or out of control, especially in connection to dancing, was coined by Keak da Sneak. Phrases like "hella" (hell of), and "fa sho" (for sure) have their origins in East Oakland's African-American youth culture
Youth subculture
A youth subculture is a youth-based subculture with distinct styles, behaviors, and interests. Youth subcultures offer participants an identity outside of that ascribed by social institutions such as family, work, home and school...

.

East Oakland street culture is also known for its sideshows, in which cars do various stunts in intersections at night. Fights, as well as car crashes and reckless driving, have claimed many victims at sideshows in Oakland in the recent past.

Elmhurst

Elmhurst was originally a separate town, it was annexed
Annexation
Annexation is the de jure incorporation of some territory into another geo-political entity . Usually, it is implied that the territory and population being annexed is the smaller, more peripheral, and weaker of the two merging entities, barring physical size...

 by Oakland in 1909, and today is considered part of East Oakland. Although it was historically a white working-class neighborhood, it became predominantly African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

 after World War II, and today, Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...

s now form about half of Elmhurst's population. Elmhurst was the site of one of the large carbarns for the Key System
Key System
The Key System was a privately owned company which provided mass transit in the cities of Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, Emeryville, Piedmont, San Leandro, Richmond, Albany and El Cerrito in the eastern San Francisco Bay Area from 1903 until 1960, when the system was sold to a newly formed public...

's streetcars, the Elmhurst Carhouse. Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...

 opened an auto assembly plant in Elmhurst in 1915, which shut down in the 1950s.

Brookfield Village

Located near the Oakland International Airport
Oakland International Airport
Oakland International Airport , also known as Metropolitan Oakland International Airport, is a public airport located south of the central business district of Oakland, a city in Alameda County, California, United States...

. The main streets are 98th Avenue and Edes Avenue. The Brookfield district is located from 98th-85th Avenues. Brookfield Village stops at the train tracks after Railroad Street. Brookfield Village was built during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 in response to the influx of workers needed for the war industries, on land which had been zoned for industrial uses.

Fruitvale

  • Dimond District
    Dimond District, Oakland, California
    The Dimond District is a neighborhood centered on the intersection of MacArthur Boulevard and Fruitvale Avenue in East Oakland, Oakland, California, in the United States. It is located about two miles east of Lake Merritt, north of the Fruitvale District, and west of the Laurel District. It lies...

  • Laurel
    Laurel, Oakland, California
    Laurel is one of the many culturally diverse neighborhoods in Oakland, California. It is situated between the foot of the Oakland hills and Mills College. It lies at an elevation of 226 feet . At the heart of the neighborhood lies MacArthur Boulevard, a bustling shopping area with annual festivals...

  • Peralta Hacienda

Lower Hills District

  • Crocker Highlands
    Crocker Highlands, Oakland, California
    Crocker Highlands is an affluent neighborhood of Oakland, California that is bounded by the adjacent city of Piedmont to the north, and roughly bordered by Lakeshore Avenue to the west and Mandana Boulevard to the north and east...

  • Glenview
    Glenview, Oakland, California
    Glenview is a neighborhood in Oakland, California. The neighborhood lies in the Oakland foothills, bordering Dimond Park on the eastern side of the district, Park Boulevard on the southwestern side...

  • Grass Valley
    Grass Valley, Oakland, California
    Grass Valley is a neighborhood in Oakland, California. It is home to Bishop O'Dowd High School and the Oakland Zoo....

  • Lakeshore
  • Lincoln Highlands
  • Redwood Heights
    Redwood Heights, Oakland, California
    Redwood Heights is a mostly middle-class, integrated residential neighborhood in the hills of Oakland, California. It is centered around Redwood Road, which was once a logging road. Currently, Redwood Road is the designation for 35th Avenue starting about a mile or so north of MacArthur Boulevard...


Central East Oakland

  • Eastmont, Oakland, California
    Eastmont, Oakland, California
    Eastmont is a neighborhood in Oakland, the county seat of Alameda County, California. It lies at an elevation of 95 feet . It was formerly an unincorporated community....

    , the location of Eastmont Town Center
    Eastmont Town Center
    Eastmont Town Center is a shopping mall and social services hub located on bounded by Foothill Boulevard, Bancroft and 73rd Avenues, and Church Street, in the Eastmont neighborhood of East Oakland. The mall opened in 1970 on the site of a 1920's-era Chevrolet truck factory. Architect William...

    , the last surviving indoor shopping mall in Oakland.
  • Havenscourt
    Havenscourt, Oakland, California
    Havenscourt is a neighborhood of Oakland in Alameda County, California. It lies at an elevation of 49 feet .-Schools:Middle schools located in the Havenscourt neighborhood include the Coliseum College Preparatory Academy at Havenscourt, and the Roots International Academy at Havenscourt, which were...

  • Maxwell Park
    Maxwell Park, Oakland, California
    Maxwell Park is a neighborhood in Oakland, California located in the foothills of Oakland and is known for its close knit community and relatively low crime rate...

  • Melrose
  • Fairfax District, a distinct business district centered on the intersection of Fairfax Avenue and Foothill Boulevard. The Fairfax Theatre building keynotes the district. Each East Oakland business district historically had its own movie theatre.
  • Millsmont
    Millsmont, Oakland, California
    The Millsmont neighborhood of Oakland, California encompasses the area of East Oakland to the south and east of Mills College. Seminary Avenue is considered the northern border, and Edwards Avenue the approximate southern border; MacArthur Boulevard bounds it to the west, and Interstate 580 to the...

  • Lockwood Gardens
    Lockwood Gardens, Oakland, California
    Lockwood Gardens, is a neighborhood and housing project located in East Oakland, California, on 65th and International Boulevard. Carolyn Wilson, a former clerk with the Oakland Housing Authority, is serving a jail sentence for moving people to the top of the long public housing waiting list after...

  • Ridgemont
    Ridgemont, Oakland, California
    Ridgemont is a neighborhood in Oakland, California, next to Merritt College along Campus Drive. First developed in the 1970s and 1980s, the neighborhood added homes in 2005 as Desilva, a real estate developer, is building homes on the ridge where the Leona quarry was once in...

  • Seminary
    Seminary, Oakland, California
    Seminary is a neighborhood in the East Oakland section of Oakland, California. It is located just north of the Elmhurst neighborhood. Seminary's ZIP code is 94605. It is best known for its close proximity to Mills College....

    . This neighborhood includes Mills College
    Mills College
    Mills College is an independent liberal arts women's college founded in 1852 that offers bachelor's degrees to women and graduate degrees and certificates to women and men. Located in Oakland, California, Mills was the first women's college west of the Rockies. The institution was initially founded...

    .
  • San Antonio
    San Antonio, Oakland, California
    San Antonio is a large district in Oakland, California, encompassing the land east of Lake Merritt to Sausal Creek. It is one of the most diverse areas of the city. It takes its name from Rancho San Antonio, the name of the land as granted to Luís María Peralta by the last Spanish governor of...

    , which includes smaller neighborhoods such as The Twomps and Jingletown.
  • Brookfield Village
    Brookfield Village, Oakland, California
    Brookfield Village is an Oakland, California neighborhood located in East Oakland near Oakland International Airport. The main streets are 98th Avenue and Edes Avenue. It lies at an elevation of 20 feet ....

  • Sobrante Park
    Sobrante Park, Oakland, California
    Sobrante Park is a neighborhood located in East Oakland, California, which is partially separated from the rest of the city by railroad tracks and industrial neighborhoods, with limited road access...

  • Sequoyah Heights
    Sequoyah Heights, Oakland, California
    Sequoyah Heights is a smaller part of the Oak Knoll neighborhood that runs alongside the southeastern part of the Oakland hills. The neighborhood borders San Leandro....

    , part of the larger Oak Knoll neighborhood
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