Alameda, California

The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. Although the exact boundaries of the region are variously defined, the Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Governments to include the nine counties that border the aforementioned estuaries: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, Sonoma, and San Francisco. Other definitions may exclude parts of or even entire counties, or expand the boundaries to include neighboring counties that do not border the bay such as Santa Cruz and San Benito (more often included in the Central Coast regions); or San Joaquin, Merced, and Stanislaus (more often included in the Central Valley).Home to approximately 7.75 million people, Northern California's nine-county Bay Area contains many cities, towns, airports, and associated regional, state, and national parks, connected by a complex multimodal transportation network. The larger federal classification, the combined statistical area of the region which includes fourteen counties, is the second-largest in California (after the Greater Los Angeles area), the fifth-largest in the United States, and the 41st-largest urban area in the world with 9.67 million people. The Bay Area's population is ethnically diverse: roughly three-fifths of the region's residents are Hispanic, Asian, African American, or Pacific Islander (with the other two-fifths being non-Hispanic White American), all of whom have a significant presence throughout the region. The earliest archaeological evidence of human settlements in the Bay Area dates back to 8000–10,000 BCE (from shell mounds in the Coyote Hills). In 1769, the Bay Area was inhabited by the Ohlone people when a Spanish exploration party led by Gaspar de Portolá entered the Bay – the first documented European visit to the Bay Area. After Mexico established independence from Spain in 1821, the region was briefly controlled by the Mexican government until the United States seized the territory in 1846 during the Mexican–American War. Soon after, discovery of gold in California attracted a flood of treasure seekers, many using ports in the Bay Area as an entry point. During the early years of California's statehood, state legislative business rotated between three locations in the Bay Area before a permanent state capital was established in Sacramento. A major earthquake leveled the city of San Francisco and environs in 1906, but the region quickly rebuilt in time to host the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. During World War II, the Bay Area played a major role in America's war effort in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater, with the San Francisco Port of Embarkation, of which Fort Mason was one of fourteen installations and location of the headquarters, acting as a primary embarkation point for American forces. In 1945, the United Nations Charter was signed in San Francisco, establishing the United Nations, and in 1951, the Treaty of San Francisco re-established peaceful relations between Japan and the Allied Powers. Since then, the Bay Area has experienced numerous political, cultural and artistic movements, developing unique local genres in music and art and establishing itself as a hotbed of progressive politics. Economically, the post-war Bay Area saw huge growth in the financial and technology industries, creating a vibrant and diverse economy with a gross domestic product of over $700 billion, and home to the third-highest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the United States (as of 2018).Despite its urban character, the San Francisco Bay is one of California's most ecologically important habitats, providing key ecosystem services such as filtering pollutants and sediments from the rivers and supporting a number of endangered species. In addition, the Bay is known for its stands of coast redwoods, many of which are protected in state and county parks. The region is additionally known for the complexity of its landforms, the result of millions of years of tectonic plate movements. Because the Bay Area is crossed by six major earthquake faults, the region is particularly exposed to hazards presented by large earthquakes. The climate is temperate and generally very mild, and is conducive to outdoor recreational and athletic activities such as hiking, running, and cycling. The Bay Area is host to six professional sports teams and is a cultural center for music, theater, and the arts. It is also host to higher education institutions, including research universities such as Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley. Home to 101 municipalities and nine counties, governance in the Bay Area involves numerous local and regional actors, often with broad and overlapping responsibilities. Over time, droughts and wildfires have increased in frequency and become less seasonal and more year-round, further straining the region's water security.

The Croll Building, in Alameda, California, was the site of Croll's Gardens and Hotel, famous as training quarters for some of the greatest fighters in boxing history from 1883 to 1914. James J. Corbett, Bob Fitzsimmons, Jim Jefferies, Jack Johnson, and many other champions all stayed and trained here. Today this building is home to 1400 Bar & Grill. The stained glass, elaborate etched windows, and carved wooden bar remain as they were when Neptune Beach was a popular attraction. The second floor of the building is currently a residential hotel, with the third floor of the building being office space. The building is registered as California Historical Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NPS-82000960). It is located at the corner of Webster Street and Central Avenue. A large "Croll's" neon sign marks the location.

South Shore is a neighborhood in Alameda in Alameda County, California. It lies at an elevation of 13 feet (4 m). It is located mostly on landfill extending from the (old sea wall) original south shore of the island, now a chain of artificial lagoons. The land was created by the Utah Construction Company during the 1950s and 1960s, and the neighborhood was built in a more suburban style than the rest of the island, with a mix of Tract housing and large apartment complexes, and strict Single-use zoning. It is the location of the South Shore Center shopping complex, Alameda's only large shopping mall. The two mile long Crown Memorial State Beach lies along the neighborhood's southern shore.

West End (originally, Bowman's Point) is a neighborhood in Alameda in Alameda County, California. It lies at an elevation of 20 feet (6 m). It corresponds to the western end of the island prior to its extension by landfill. It was formerly a separate settlement from Alameda. The original name is in honor of Charles C. Bowman, an early settler.A post office operated at West End from 1877 (having been transferred from Encinal) to 1891.

Alameda Island is an island located in the San Francisco Bay in California. It is south and west of, and adjacent to, Oakland, and across the bay eastward from San Francisco. Located on the island is most of the city of Alameda, a city in Alameda County. A very small western tip of the island's territory is technically part of San Francisco, however, this is uninhabited and is not separately managed. Once located on the island was the Naval Air Station Alameda, a defunct naval air station. The island was originally a peninsula and a part of Oakland and is now separated from the mainland by the Oakland Estuary. The island is connected to the mainland by six bridges: the Park Street Bridge, the Fruitvale Railroad Bridge, the Miller Sweeney Road Bridge, the High Street Bridge, the Bay Farm Island Bridge, and the Bayfarm Island Bicycle Draw Bridge. The Posey and Webster Street tubes also connect Oakland to Alameda Island.

Alameda Hospital is a hospital in Alameda, California, United States. The hospital was founded in 1894. Up until 2002, it was a private non-profit hospital. In 2002, Alameda voters approved a $298 per year parcel tax, and the hospital became a district hospital with the formation of the Alameda Health Care District. The parcel tax was billed as the 'last hope' for the hospital.In 2010, a controversy arose when residents pointed out that local EMS protocols dictated that stroke victims be routed to Alameda Hospital, even though it was not certified as a stroke center. The preference seemed to date back to a 1983 memo wherein the Assistant City Manager wrote, "...the City must consider what impact a paramedic system might have vis-a-vis the Alameda Hospital. Local concerns have been raised that fewer acute medical cases being referred to Alameda Hospital could greatly impact, or even jeopardize, the hospital’s ability to retain its highly qualified medical staff.” The controversy prompted the hospital to secure stroke treatment certification. The 2014-2015 Alameda County Civil Grand Jury report found that "the lack of leadership and scrutiny on the part of the Alameda Health System board of trustees and the lack of oversight by the county board of supervisors contributed to the financial problems at AHS," noting that the acquisitions of Alameda Hospital and San Leandro Hospital contributed to the financial problems with the county medical system.Despite the parcel tax generating $7 million in revenue annually for the hospital, it still struggled. In 2013, the county affiliated Alameda Health System announced it would take over Alameda Hospital, contingent on the parcel tax remaining in place with funds going to the larger health network. At the time, hospital CEO Deborah Stebbins said the hospital "would not be sustainable even in the near term without entering into an affiliation." In 2016, some Alameda residents began calling for the repeal of the parcel tax, as the hospital, beginning January 1 of that year, had stopped accepting major insurance carriers. One resident said, "All of us have paid to keep the hospital doors open, and now most Alamedans can't use their facilities because they're out of network."This dispute was resolved in 2018; most commercial insurances are now accepted.

Encinal High School is a co-educational public high school serving grades 6-12. It is located in Alameda, California, United States, and is part of the Alameda Unified School District.

Alameda Community Learning Center (ACLC), formerly known as Arthur Andersen Community Learning Center, is a 6th-12th grade public charter school located in Alameda, California, United States. It currently shares a campus with Nea Community Learning Center, operating under the same charter.

The Basilica of St. Joseph is a Roman Catholic church located in Alameda, California at 1109 Chestnut Street. Its history dates back to early settlement of the City of Alameda, California. A former mission church of St. Anthony's in Oakland, the parish of St. Joseph's was established in 1885. It is part of the Diocese of Oakland. The Basilica was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 18, 1978.

Woodstock is a neighborhood in Alameda in Alameda County, California. It lies at an elevation of 13 feet (4 m). It was one of the original three settlements on Alameda island out of which the city of Alameda was formed in 1853.

The Alameda Science and Technology Institute (ASTI) is an early college high school in Alameda, California, United States.

College of Alameda is a public community college in Alameda, California. It is part of the Peralta Community College District and was opened in 1968. Since 1970 the college has held classes on a 62-acre campus at the intersection of Webster Street and Ralph Appezzato Memorial Parkway in Alameda.