TheSpanish wordalameda means either "a grove of poplars...or a tree lined street". The name was originally used to describe theArroyo de la Alameda; thewillow andsycamore trees along the banks of the river reminded the early Spanish explorers of a road lined with trees.[9][10]
The county seat at the time of the county's formation was located atAlvarado, now part ofUnion City. In 1856, it was moved toSan Leandro, where the county courthouse was destroyed by the devastating 1868 quake on theHayward Fault. The county seat was then re-established in the town ofBrooklyn from 1872 to 1875. Brooklyn is now part ofOakland, which has been the county seat since 1873.
The historical progression from Native American tribal lands to Spanish then Mexican ranches, then to farms, ranches, and orchards, then to multiple city centers and suburbs, is shared with the adjacent and closely associatedContra Costa County.
TheGovernment of Alameda County is defined and authorized under theCalifornia Constitution,California law, and the Charter of the County of Alameda.[11] Much of theGovernment of California is in practice the responsibility of county governments such as the Government of Alameda County, while municipalities such as the City ofOakland and the City ofBerkeley provide additional, often non-essential services. The County government provides countywide services such as elections and voter registration, law enforcement, jails, vital records, property records, tax collection, and public health. In addition it is the local government for all unincorporated areas, and provides services such as law enforcement to some incorporated cities under a contract arrangement.
The Board elects a president who presides at all meetings of the Board and appoints committees to handle work involving the major programs of the county. If the president is absent for a meeting, the vice president shall be responsible. A Board election occurs every two years for these positions. Supervisor Carson is serving currently as president; Supervisor Miley is vice president.
The county's law enforcement is overseen by an elected Sheriff/Coroner and an elected District Attorney. The Sheriff supervises the deputies of theAlameda County Sheriff's Office, whose primary responsibilities include policing unincorporated areas of the county and cities within the county which contract with the Sheriff's Office for police services; providing security and law enforcement for county buildings including courthouses, the county jail and other county properties; providing support resources, such as a forensics laboratory and search and rescue capabilities, to other law enforcement agencies throughout the county; and serving the process of the county's Superior Court system. The District Attorney's office is responsible for prosecuting all criminal violations of the laws of the state of California, the county, or its constituent municipalities, in the Alameda County Superior Court. The current Sheriff isYesenia Sanchez, who was elected in 2022, succeedingGreg Ahern, who had served in the post for 16 years. The Sheriff's Office operates two jails:Santa Rita Jail inDublin, andGlenn E. Dyer Detention Facility in downtownOakland.
In 2009,Nancy E. O'Malley was appointed Alameda County district attorney afterTom Orloff retired. She served two terms and did not run for reelection in 2022.[13]Pamela Price was elected as district attorney in 2022.[14]
The Alameda County Fire Department (ACFD)[15] was formed on July 1, 1993, as a dependent district, with the Board of Supervisors as its governing body. Municipal and specialized fire departments have been consolidated into the ACFD over the years. 1993 brought in the Castro Valley and Eden Consolidated FD, and the County Fire Patrol. San Leandro joined in 1995, Dublin in 1997,Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 2002,Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 2007, TheAlameda County Regional Emergency Communications Center in 2008, and Newark and Union City in 2010. Emeryville joined the ACFD in 2012.
TheAlameda County Water District is a special district within Alameda County created to distribute water, but it is not operated by Alameda County administrators. It is operated by an elected board of directors.
Alameda County Superior Court operates in twelve separate locations throughout the county, with its centralRené C. Davidson Courthouse located in Oakland nearLake Merritt. Most major criminal trials and complex civil cases are heard at this location or in courtrooms within the County Administration Building across the street.
Since 1932, Alameda County has been a stronghold of the Democratic Party, withDwight Eisenhower being the only Republican presidential nominee to have carried the county since. Prior to 1932, the county had been a Republican stronghold.Piedmont residentWilliam F. Knowland was the Republican U.S. Senate Leader from 1953 to 1959. Even whenRonald Reagan won the national popular vote by an 18.3% margin in1984,Walter Mondale won Alameda County by a larger margin. In2004 it voted forJohn Kerry, who won over 75% of the vote. Every city and town voted Democratic.[18] George H.W. Bush in 1988 was the last Republican to break 30% of the county's vote and Ronald Reagan in 1984 was the last to break 40% of the vote (carrying 40.01%).[19]
United States presidential election results for Alameda County, California[19]
On November 4, 2008, Alameda County voted 61.92% againstProposition 8, which won statewide, and which amended theCalifornia Constitution to bansame-sex marriage. The county garnered the sixth highest "no" vote, by percentage, of all California counties, and was the second largest county, by total voter turnout, to vote against it.[20]
Voter registration statistics as of October 24, 2022
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 821 square miles (2,130 km2), of which 739 square miles (1,910 km2) is land and 82 square miles (210 km2) (10%) is water.[24] TheSan Francisco Bay borders the county on the west.
The crest of theBerkeley Hills forms part of the northeastern boundary and reaches into the center of the county. A coastal plain several miles wide lines the bay; and is Oakland's most populous region. Livermore Valley lies in the eastern part of the county. Amador Valley abuts the western edge of Livermore Valley and continues west to the Pleasanton Ridge. The ridges and valleys of theDiablo Range, containing the county's highest peaks, cover the very sparsely populated southeast portion of the county.
TheHayward Fault, a major branch of the San Andreas Fault to the west, runs through the most populated parts of Alameda County, while theCalaveras Fault runs through the southeastern part of the county.
The areas near the Bay itself have a maritimewarm-summer Mediterranean climate, whereas behind the mountains, summers are significantly warmer. The climate charts below are forOakland and inlandLivermore.
Climate data for Oakland Museum (1981–2010 normals, extremes 1970–present)
Alameda County, California – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
A 2014 analysis byThe Atlantic found Alameda County to be the fourth most racially diverse county in the United States, in terms of closest to equal representation of each racial and ethnic group,—behindAleutians West Census Area andAleutians East Borough in Alaska, andQueens County in New York—as well as the most diverse county in California.[41] The 2020 census shows Alameda as having one of the highest Asian percentages and being one of two counties in the continental US, along with neighboringSanta Clara County, California, to have an Asian plurality - consisting largely of Chinese, Indian and Filipino ancestry.[42]
The2010 United States census reported that Alameda County had a population of 1,510,271. The population density was 2,047.6 inhabitants per square mile (790.6/km2). The racial makeup of Alameda County was 649,122 (43.0%)White, 190,451 (12.6%)African American, 9,799 (0.6%)Native American, 394,560 (26.1%)Asian (9.7% Chinese, 5.5% Filipino, 4.8% Indian, 2.0% Vietnamese, 1.2% Korean, 0.8% Japanese, 2.2% Other Asian), 12,802 (0.8%)Pacific Islander, 162,540 (10.8%) fromother races, and 90,997 (6.0%) from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 339,889 persons (22.5%): 16.4% Mexican, 0.8% Puerto Rican, 0.2% Cuban, 5.1% Other Hispanic.[49]
As of thecensus[51] of 2000, there were 1,443,741 people, 523,366 households, out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living within them, 47.0%married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.31.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 33.9% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 96.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $55,946, and the median income for a family was $65,857 (these figures had risen to $66,430 and $81,341 respectively as of a 2007 estimate[52]). Males had a median income of $47,425 versus $36,921 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $26,680. About 7.7% of families and 11.0% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 13.5% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.
In 2000, the largest denominational group was theCatholics (with 306,437 adherents).[53] The largest religious bodies were theCatholic Church (with 306,437 members) andJudaism (with 32,500 members).[53]
2019 United States Census Bureau American Community Survey estimates
The White population continues to remain the largest racial category in Alameda County and includes the 37.7% of Hispanics who self-identify as White. The remainder of Hispanics self-identify as Other Race (49.2%), Multiracial (8.7%), American Indian and Alaskan Native (1.9%), Black (1.5%), Asian (0.9%), and Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (0.2%).[54]
The Black population continues to decline and at 10.7% (includingBlack Hispanics)[54] is below the national average of 12.8% (including Black Hispanics).[55] The Black population peaked in the 1980 Census at 18.4%.[56] Alameda county has the 2nd highest percentage of Black residents in California afterSolano County at 13.4%.
Asian Americans are now the largest racial/ethnic group at 30.9% (excluding Asian Hispanics).[54]
White Non-Hispanic Americans are the largest minority group at 30.4% of the population.[54]
By ethnicity, 22.3% of the total population isHispanic-Latino (of any race) and 77.7% is Non-Hispanic (of any race). If treated as a category separate from race, Hispanics are the third largest minority group in Alameda County.[54]
The largest ancestry group of Hispanics in Alameda County (2018) are ofMexican descent (72.9% of Hispanics) followed bySalvadoran descent (5.5% of Hispanics),Guatemalan descent (3.9%),Puerto Rican descent (3.4%),Spaniard descent (2.0%),Nicaraguan descent (1.7%),Peruvian descent (1.4%),Cuban descent (1.2%),Colombian descent (1.1%), and those of other Hispanic ethnicity or of mixed Hispanic ethnicity (6.9%).[58]
TheAlameda County Office of Education oversees seventeen K–12 school districts and one K–8 district in Alameda County. In all, there are approximately 10,000 teachers serving 225,000 students. The ACOE also services three community college districts with a total enrollment of approximately 55,000 students.
TheAlameda County Arts Commission, a division of the county administration, under theCalifornia Arts Council, was created in 1965. Its fifteen appointed members act in an advisory capacity to the board of supervisors, in promoting the arts. TheOakland Museum of California has a substantial collection of California art works and historical artifacts.
The annual county fair is held at theAlameda County Fairgrounds inPleasanton. The fair runs for four weekends from June to July. Attractions include horse racing, carnival rides,4-H exhibits, and live bands.
Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) – commuter rail using existing railroad tracks; primarily brings commuters from San Joaquin County to Santa Clara County
Capitol Corridor – commuter rail using existing railroad tracks, extending from San Jose to Sacramento, running through western Alameda County
Coast Starlight – intercity train route running between Los Angeles and Seattle via Oakland and Emeryville
San Joaquins – Amtrak route between Oakland and Bakersfield through Fresno and the Central Valley
Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) – rapid transit commuter rail centered on northwest Oakland, primarily serving commuters to downtown San Francisco and downtown Oakland
AC Transit – localbus system in western Alameda County and west Contra Costa County, with additional service across the three bridges from Alameda County to downtown San Francisco, San Mateo, and Palo Alto
WHEELS – bus system in the cities of southeastern Alameda County
Alameda Health System operates the public health system in Alameda County. It operates five hospitals (Alameda Hospital, Fairmont Hospital,Highland Hospital, John George Psychiatric Hospital, and San Leandro Hospital), and four primary care medical clinics (called ambulatory wellness centers) within the county.
TheAlameda County Community Food Bank nonprofit providesfood bank resources to residents. The Family Emergency Shelter Coalition coordinates services for homeless families.
Oakland Township – the northern portion subsequently became the cities of Berkeley and Albany.
Alameda Township – now essentially coterminous with the City of Alameda.
Brooklyn Township – mostly contained within Oakland and Piedmont.
Eden Township – partly incorporated into San Leandro and Hayward, the rest contains the communities of Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, and other unincorporated areas.
^abcdefghijklmnopU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001.U.S. Census website . Retrieved October 26, 2013.
^abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B03003.U.S. Census website . Retrieved October 26, 2013.
^abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19301.U.S. Census website . Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013.U.S. Census website . Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19113.U.S. Census website . Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^abU.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.U.S. Census website . Retrieved October 21, 2013.
^U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B01003.U.S. Census website . Retrieved October 21, 2013.
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