Jingletown
Encyclopedia
Jingletown is a pocket art
s community adjacent to the Oakland Estuary
, bounded by the Park Street
and Fruitvale Bridge
s which connect Oakland
to the City of Alameda. It is part of the area called Fruitvale
(formerly, Brays and Fruit Vale) in south Oakland. There are a large number of working artists living in the converted loft
s that predominate in the area. It is located about two miles southeast of Lake Merritt
. Fruitvale is home to Oakland's largest Latino
population. Jingletown is thriving as one of the fastest growing arts districts in the San Francisco Bay area
. An organization called the Jingletown Arts & Business Community (JABC) is the main representative of the art community. In 2003 a building boom began in Jingletown, with several local developers building approximately 150 condos, lofts and townhomes on and near the Estuary waterfront, creating a new character to the area with its mix of new and old homes, commuters and residential artists. The neighborhood is also home to the Institute of Mosaic Art, and walking through the neighborhood, you can see many mosaic
s displayed on buildings sprinkled throughout the neighborhood. Jingletown is also the location of Green Day
's JingleTown Recording.
Originally it was part of the area called San Antonio, Oakland, California
. The settlement that became San Antonio began in 1851 when J.B. Larue squatted on Peralta
's land west of San Antonio Creek
. The site was west of Clinton
. Larue built a store and wharf
and the community grew up around them. The San Francisco and Oakland Railroad
built a station at San Antonio. When the Central Pacific Railroad
took over the line in 1870, the name was changed to Brooklyn
. When the Southern Pacific Railroad
took over the line in 1883, the name was changed to East Oakland.
Clinton and San Antonio joined in 1856 to form a new town called Brooklyn named after the ship that had brought Mormon
settlers to California in 1846. Brooklyn joined with nearby Lynn
to incorporate in 1870 under the name Brooklyn. In 1872, Brooklyn voters approved their city's annexation by Oakland.
The name Fruitvale (originally Fruit Vale) comes from the many fruit orchards (largely apricot
and cherry
) which dominated the area in the late 19th century. After the 1906 earthquake
, the onslaught of refugees from San Francisco caused a population boom, and the unincorporated neighborhood was annexed into the City of Oakland by 1909.
The history of Jingletown begins with its name, originating from a habit of nearby mill workers, largely males of Portuguese
and Azorean background, who would jingle the coins from a week's work in their pockets as they walked to display their prosperity. In 1998, the neighborhood began a massive redevelopment. In 2004, the Unity Council opened the Fruitvale Transit Village
. The "Fruitvale Village" has become a model of transit-oriented development
; showcasing a mixture of retail, housing and community space integrated with public transportation.
The Fruitvale shopping district is located along International Boulevard (formerly East 14th Street), from Fruitvale Avenue to 38th Avenue and is one of the major commercial areas of Oakland. The area is home to many Latino businesses and hosts several annual cultural events, including a Cinco de Mayo parade and a Dia De Los Muertos festival. The Fruitvale BART station is located near the center of the shopping district, at the corner of Fruitvale Avenue and East 12th Street (now called International Blvd).
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
s community adjacent to the Oakland Estuary
Oakland Estuary
The Oakland Estuary is the body of water separating the cities of Oakland and Alameda, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. On its western end it connects to San Francisco Bay, while its eastern end connects to San Leandro Bay.-Crossings:...
, bounded by the Park Street
Park Street Bridge
The Park Street Bridge is a small drawbridge that crosses the Oakland Estuary in the San Francisco Bay Area. It links the cities of Oakland and Alameda. Because the Port of Oakland no longer uses its facilities south of Jack London Square, the drawbridge is rarely opened...
and Fruitvale Bridge
Fruitvale Bridge
The Fruitvale Bridge is a small drawbridge that crosses the Oakland Estuary. It links the cities of Oakland and Alameda.-Rail Bridge:Immediately adjacent to the Miller-Sweeney road bridge is an out-of service rail bridge...
s which connect Oakland
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...
to the City of Alameda. It is part of the area called Fruitvale
Fruitvale, Oakland, California
Fruitvale is a neighborhood in east Oakland, California, in the United States. It is located about two miles southeast of Lake Merritt and is home to Oakland's largest Latino population, with Latinos comprising 49.5% of Fruitvale's population . Fruitvale's ZIP code is 94601...
(formerly, Brays and Fruit Vale) in south Oakland. There are a large number of working artists living in the converted loft
Loft
A loft can be an upper story or attic in a building, directly under the roof. Alternatively, a loft apartment refers to large adaptable open space, often converted for residential use from some other use, often light industrial...
s that predominate in the area. It is located about two miles southeast of 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...
. Fruitvale is home to Oakland's largest 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."...
population. Jingletown is thriving as one of the fastest growing arts districts in the San Francisco 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...
. An organization called the Jingletown Arts & Business Community (JABC) is the main representative of the art community. In 2003 a building boom began in Jingletown, with several local developers building approximately 150 condos, lofts and townhomes on and near the Estuary waterfront, creating a new character to the area with its mix of new and old homes, commuters and residential artists. The neighborhood is also home to the Institute of Mosaic Art, and walking through the neighborhood, you can see many mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
s displayed on buildings sprinkled throughout the neighborhood. Jingletown is also the location of Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
's JingleTown Recording.
Originally it was part of the area called San Antonio, Oakland, California
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...
. The settlement that became San Antonio began in 1851 when J.B. Larue squatted on Peralta
Luís María Peralta
Luis María Peralta was a soldier in the Spanish Army, who received one of the largest of the Spanish land grants, Rancho San Antonio, a plot that encompassed most of the East Bay region of California.-Biography:...
's land west of San Antonio Creek
San Antonio Creek
San Antonio Creek may refer to:* San Antonio Creek , a tributary of the Petaluma River* San Antonio Creek , in Santa Barbara County, California* Estero de San Antonio, a stream flowing into Bodega Bay...
. The site was west of Clinton
Clinton, California
Clinton is an unincorporated community in Amador County, California. It is located south of Pine Grove, at an elevation of 1972 feet . Clinton was the center of a placer mining community during the 1850s and of quartz mining as late as the 1880s...
. Larue built a store and wharf
Wharf
A wharf or quay is a structure on the shore of a harbor where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers.Such a structure includes one or more berths , and may also include piers, warehouses, or other facilities necessary for handling the ships.A wharf commonly comprises a fixed...
and the community grew up around them. The San Francisco and Oakland Railroad
San Francisco and Oakland Railroad
The San Francisco and Oakland Railroad was built in 1862 to provide ferry-train service from a San Francisco ferry terminal connecting with railroad service through Oakland. It subsequently was absorbed into the Southern Pacific Railroad . The track in Oakland was electrified in 1911 and extended...
built a station at San Antonio. When the Central Pacific Railroad
Central Pacific Railroad
The Central Pacific Railroad is the former name of the railroad network built between California and Utah, USA that formed part of the "First Transcontinental Railroad" in North America. It is now part of the Union Pacific Railroad. Many 19th century national proposals to build a transcontinental...
took over the line in 1870, the name was changed to Brooklyn
Brooklyn, California
Brooklyn is a former city in Alameda County, California, now annexed to Oakland, California.Brooklyn first formed from the amalgamation in 1856 of two settlements, the sites of which are both now within the city limits of Oakland: San Antonio and Clinton. The name Brooklyn commemorated the ship...
. When the Southern Pacific Railroad
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....
took over the line in 1883, the name was changed to East Oakland.
Clinton and San Antonio joined in 1856 to form a new town called Brooklyn named after the ship that had brought Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
settlers to California in 1846. Brooklyn joined with nearby Lynn
Lynn, California
Lynn is a former settlement in Alameda County, California. It was located northeast of Brooklyn. In 1870, Lynn and Brooklyn incorporated as Brooklyn In 1872, voters approved the annexation by Oakland. Lynn hosted a large shoe and boot factory, and was named after Lynn, Massachusetts which also...
to incorporate in 1870 under the name Brooklyn. In 1872, Brooklyn voters approved their city's annexation by Oakland.
The name Fruitvale (originally Fruit Vale) comes from the many fruit orchards (largely apricot
Apricot
The apricot, Prunus armeniaca, is a species of Prunus, classified with the plum in the subgenus Prunus. The native range is somewhat uncertain due to its extensive prehistoric cultivation.- Description :...
and cherry
Cherry
The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....
) which dominated the area in the late 19th century. After the 1906 earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
, the onslaught of refugees from San Francisco caused a population boom, and the unincorporated neighborhood was annexed into the City of Oakland by 1909.
The history of Jingletown begins with its name, originating from a habit of nearby mill workers, largely males of Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
and Azorean background, who would jingle the coins from a week's work in their pockets as they walked to display their prosperity. In 1998, the neighborhood began a massive redevelopment. In 2004, the Unity Council opened the Fruitvale Transit Village
Fruitvale (BART station)
Fruitvale is a Bay Area Rapid Transit station located in the Fruitvale District of Oakland. The station consists of two elevated side platforms with the concourse mezzanine at ground level. The redevelopment of the immediate station area from a parking lot to a mixed-use "transit village" has...
. The "Fruitvale Village" has become a model of transit-oriented development
Transit-oriented development
A transit-oriented development is a mixed-use residential or commercial area designed to maximize access to public transport, and often incorporates features to encourage transit ridership...
; showcasing a mixture of retail, housing and community space integrated with public transportation.
The Fruitvale shopping district is located along International Boulevard (formerly East 14th Street), from Fruitvale Avenue to 38th Avenue and is one of the major commercial areas of Oakland. The area is home to many Latino businesses and hosts several annual cultural events, including a Cinco de Mayo parade and a Dia De Los Muertos festival. The Fruitvale BART station is located near the center of the shopping district, at the corner of Fruitvale Avenue and East 12th Street (now called International Blvd).
See also
- Fruitvale, Oakland, CaliforniaFruitvale, Oakland, CaliforniaFruitvale is a neighborhood in east Oakland, California, in the United States. It is located about two miles southeast of Lake Merritt and is home to Oakland's largest Latino population, with Latinos comprising 49.5% of Fruitvale's population . Fruitvale's ZIP code is 94601...
- San Antonio, Oakland, CaliforniaSan Antonio, Oakland, CaliforniaSan 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...