Oakland – East Bay

Being the eastern region of the Bay Area, the East Bay includes the cities of Oakland, Alameda, Berkeley, Concord, Walnut Creek, Livermore, Pleasanton, Emeryville, and Hayward. Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay and the third-largest in the Bay Area. Previously, East Bay often seemed like the “other” Bay area, offering only as much as a mere escape from the city of San Francisco. Today however, East Bay is a destination in itself,providing countless ways explore the most exciting sections of Northern California.East Bay sits just a jump across the Bay Bridge if you’re already in San Franciscoand lies in close proximity to the San Mateo Bridge if you’re heading up to the Bay Area.

The coastal East Bay rose to prominence in the mid-nineteenth century, and Oakland quickly developed into a major seaport. The Port of Oakland is known to be Bay Area’s largest port today. The University of California, Berkeley is one of the top attractions in East Bay. The surrounding city of Berkeley provides many retail stores, cafes, pubs, and bookstores that compliment the college atmosphere. With the influx of yuppies in the past several years, Berkeley saw a demand for high-end establishments that sell designer clothing and finecuisines. The East Bay has a free weekly newspaper called the East Bay Express circulating throughout the region. It is also known to be a birthplace of a variety of musical acts including Green Day, Digital Underground, Counting Crows, Creedence, and many more.

The city of Temescal, one of the oldest and historically rich areas is located North of Oakland. The city’s lively streets are dotted with coffee shops, destination eateries, and nursery shopping. The two business districts that offer a diversion for tourists and locals to explore the city are Westbrae and Northbrae. In Oakland, you’ll find stadiums that house baseball Athletics, basketball Warriors, and football Raiders. The city also offers an exciting mix of live music venues, restaurants, boating marinas, restored Victorian shops on Ninth Street, and the famous Jack London Square.

The main distinguishing characteristics of East Bay are the Freeways and the light industry located along the bay shore. The city area also offers diverse adventure zones like networks of nature trails in the East Bay Regional Parks and a world-famous university campus. If you take a little trek over the hills into Contra Costa County, you’ll notice that cattle still outnumber cars. You’ll also view thetowering Mount Diablo overhead. The Tri-Valley area of East Bay features many small towns, the historic Livermore wine region, and a popular auto museum. The East Bay Regional Park District runs up to fifty parks, with the Tilden Regional Park being one of the largest parks in the network.