Today Oakland is the anchor of the East Bay — a city of hills and harbor, redwood groves and bay views, looking across the water at San Francisco. Its port, a pioneer of container shipping, is one of the busiest in the country, and the wooded ridges above town still hold stands of coast redwoods, survivors of the forests that once helped build San Francisco. It is a city of neighborhoods and food and art, proud of its diversity and proud of its table. Through every chapter, Oakland has been a crossroads — the western end of the line, where the continent meets the bay.
Our Oakland logo carries the California grizzly and the lone star above "California Republic — Est. 1850," the shared retro emblem of our California towns; the bear and star are the state's own, and 1850 marks the year California joined the Union — the state's birthday, not the town's, which came two years later in 1852. Rendered in worn black-and-white, like a WPA poster or a crate label, it ties Oakland to every other California town we make. What makes this one Oakland is the story behind it — the oak groves, the Necklace of Lights, and the western end of the railroad.
Why People Visit Oakland
Visitors come to Oakland for a Bay Area city with its own strong character: a wild lake at its center, Art Deco theaters and a historic waterfront, redwood hikes in the hills, and one of the most celebrated food scenes in California. The museums and Jack London Square sit minutes from the lake, and San Francisco is a quick trip across the bay. Equal parts oak-grove heritage and creative energy, Oakland rewards anyone drawn to the heart of the East Bay.
