Oakland, California is the largest city in Alameda County with a population of 440,686 residents as of the 2020 census. It is located on the eastern side of the bay, adjacent to San Francisco. It has been ranked as one of the most diverse cities in the United States, with African-Americans comprising of 28.3% of the city’s population. There are other large ethnic groups in Oakland including Latinos (21.8%) and Asians (16.1%). According to the U.S Census Bureau, the median age in Oakland is 36.2 years old. The mayor of Oakland is Libby Schaaf. 
The first inhabitants of the area were native people who lived in Oakland before Europeans arrived in the 1800s. The Ohlone tribe lived on what was present-day Oakland, and they hunted, fished, gathered shellfish, and gathered plants in this region. When Spaniards arrived in California in 1775, they began to build missions all up and down the coast. New Spain claimed Alta California as a colony and built 21 missions from San Diego to Sonoma. In 1810, an expedition led by Lieutenant Jose Maria Amador traveled north from Monterey to find a good site for a mission on the Bay of San Francisco Bay. The explorers chose an area just north of San Francisco Bay where Mission Creek entered a small inland valley surrounded by wild oats and grasses. They called this new mission San Antonio de los Pinos or “Mission Santa Clara.” This site would later become downtown Oakland.
Oakland is home to the fifth-largest school district in California with 105 elementary schools, 30 middle schools, 22 high schools, and eight colleges and universities. Oakland is home to three professional sports teams: the Oakland A’s (MLB), the Golden State Warriors (NBA) and the Oakland Raiders (NFL), who are now the Las Vegas Raiders.
Oakland’s economy is a major contributor to the economic output in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2014, Oakland was rated as a high-income city with a gross domestic product (GDP) of $27 billion. The Port of Oakland is the fifth busiest container port in the United States and handles trade from more than 140 countries. This diverse commercial port is also a popular place for tourism, housing both cruise ships and offshore drilling equipment. With so many different industries active in this city, there are plenty of jobs available with competitive salaries. Top employers in the area are Kaiser Permanente, Oakland Unified School District, OnForce Solar, Inc., Pixar, Pandora Media, Inc., and Clorox.
Oakland has a very diverse cultural scene and is known for its arts and cultural institutions. The Oakland Museum of California was the first museum in the US to be built in a decade and houses more than 1.7 million objects from California history, art, and natural sciences as well as interactive exhibits. The Chabot Space & Science Center is an award-winning public space that offers exhibitions, camps, lectures, and events on space science. One of the most popular theaters in town is the Paramount Theater. The Fox Theater is also a popular music venue.
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