Talk:Oakland, California

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Untitled[edit]

History section[edit]

I know we've visited this topic before, but something really must be done with the history section. For the main Oakland article, it should include a brief summary of the land before settlement, before and after incorporation, and maybe a brief (one-line) mention of major events in the city, such as Loma Prieta, BPP and the firestorm. The conversion from the old to current Crime section went smoothly; anyone have the desire to do the same with the History section? Some of the FAs on cities may offer a blueprint.--Chimino (talk) 07:24, 16 June 2012 (UTC)

Honestly, I kind of like it the way it is. Why do you think "something really must be done?" Apostle12 (talk) 17:12, 16 June 2012 (UTC)
I just want to note that there is a new second edition of Beth Bagwell's Oakland, The Story of a City available now. It has a new afterword with more recent history. Whoever is working on the history (and I know I have volunteered in the past, but without results) should be referring extensively to this book. Binksternet (talk) 19:19, 16 June 2012 (UTC)
Briefly reviewed Bagwell's history. It looks intriguing, and the recent update seems relevant. Apostle12 (talk) 00:46, 17 June 2012 (UTC)
It's far, far too overlong, Apostle. All other major cities have their own History pages and keep a condensed version in their main pages. Compare Oakland to the other FA & GA city pages and you'll see what I mean.--Chimino (talk) 22:12, 16 June 2012 (UTC)
I respect your concerns, though I can't say that I share them. If you want to create a summary and split off history, I won't object. Apostle12 (talk) 00:46, 17 June 2012 (UTC)

Encinal[edit]

The text translates "encinal" as "oak grove". That can be one usage of the word in Spanish, but it can also mean a more extensive area of oaks akin to "oak land". The context is important, and in the case of Oakland, there are two important contexts. One of these is obvious: the choice of the name "Oakland" by the American settlers, indicating their understanding of the word as locally used by the Peraltas. The other can be understood by looking at old maps. Oaks covered the area in an area far larger than a mere grove. The oaks did not grow as a dense forest for the most part, but in a savanna-like, park-like fashion, what is perhaps best termed a "woodland" in English. Moreover, on these old maps, the word "encinal" was employed to cover the large extents of oak growth, not mere groves. Given these considerations, I think the proper translation is "oak land". I think the change needs to be made to the article. Tmangray (talk) 20:10, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

Oakland Skyline Image - Vote![edit]

Hello everyone,

Following a disagreement about the skyline image, a fellow Wikipedia editor and I agreed to have the Wikipedia community vote for an image to represent the City of Oakland, as it appears on the sidebar at the top of the article.

Currently there are two candidates. The current photo (1) and a second image I have nominated (2). Feel free to add additional candidates if you find a photo you believe is a better alternative.

To submit your vote, all you need to do is select the number that corresponds to the image you believe best represents the City of Oakland. Please make sure to include your "signature and timestamp."

Thank you! --BDS2006 (talk) 05:04, 12 October 2012 (UTC)

Current Candidates:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
  • 2. Inward-looking/quaint or outward-looking/worldly. Have to go with second, though I understand appeal of first. Plus I don't understand the appeal of fountains. Mike Linksvayer (talk) 05:28, 12 October 2012 (UTC)
  • 2: Both are fine in their own right, but I believe the Lake takes up too much of the current lead photo. Also, I prefer a day photo over evening photo for the lead. I'll also add there is probably no photo which truly encompasses a "city", which is likely why montages are so popular on Wikipedia.--Chimino (talk) 05:36, 12 October 2012 (UTC)
  • 1: Lake photo is superior. Apostle12 (talk) 06:09, 12 October 2012 (UTC)
  • If we are to decide upon an image for the infobox, we should be looking at all the likeliest candidates, not just two of them. Here are five more shots, some of which have actually served the purpose of infobox photo for the article. Personally, I favor any shot that includes Lake Merritt. Binksternet (talk) 16:20, 12 October 2012 (UTC)
  • 7: The last photo is very appealing. Most others are ugly. Apostle12 (talk) 11:09, 13 October 2012 (UTC)
    • 7 has previously been used for the infobox. It has a flaw: a diagonal band of poor focus caused most likely by the photographer shooting through the exhaust of a jet engine. Binksternet (talk) 12:12, 13 October 2012 (UTC)
      • I see the flaw you mention, now that I've enlarged it. At normal size it wasn't apparent. Apostle12 (talk) 05:07, 14 October 2012 (UTC)

Thank you Binksternet for posting all those additional options!BDS2006 (talk) 22:51, 13 October 2012 (UTC)

  • My comment should not be taken as a vote. however, in order of preference: 1 solely for its charm, despite limited visual info (water and air). 5 most realistic, but has same problem as 1, too much air and water. 2, excellent display of its urban setting and inclusion of the tribune tower, but a little too cluttered. 3,4,6,7 all have flaws that disualify them in my eye. 3 is too low res and colors are inaccurate (sunrise?), 4 is too wavy, and i dont like most aerial photos for such purpose. 5 and 2 could go somewhere.Mercurywoodrose (talk) 05:27, 22 October 2012 (UTC)
  • 1 is my favorite of these images. Binksternet (talk) 15:48, 22 October 2012 (UTC)
  • 2: Photo 1 looks like an insignificant urban center in Cleveland. Photo 2 most accurately represents how Oakland looks and feels. Photo 1 is a great representation of Lake Merritt, not the City's skyline. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.121.64.2 (talk • contribs)
  • 2: Photo 2 is better because it features the bay, the bridge and tribune tower.--Fashionbaby90 (talk) 03:31, 08 February 2013 (UTC)
  • 2. I think it better shows the city — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.181.152.3 (talk) 23:46, 8 February 2013 (UTC)
    • It seems to me that someone contributing from an anonymous IP in San Francisco City Hall should not have a say in Oakland's article, seeing as how the two cities are crossbay rivals in certain ways. Binksternet (talk) 00:09, 9 February 2013 (UTC)
    • Photo 2 is inferior because it is a jumble of buildings without a theme. The photo has no redeeming characteristics such as fine composition or focus of topic. It is an ugly photo. Binksternet (talk) 00:06, 9 February 2013 (UTC)
Yes, I agree. Photo 1 for sure. Apostle12 (talk) 11:46, 9 February 2013 (UTC)
  • 2: Oakland is characterized by commercial, industrial, and infrastructural assets that make it one of the most important economic centers in the State of California. Only the second image properly demonstrates all three domains by showing the city centre, the port, and the freeway/bridges all in a single photograph. I must concede that Binksternet is correct in asserting that Photo 2 is "a jumble of buildings without a theme." After all, isn't that what a city is? To truly represent a city is to capture the chaos of man-made objects that make it one. BDS2006 (talk) 16:04, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
Prior to mine, no new votes had been cast in over three months. After seven months of polling, the second photo (2) has received the most votes. Out of respect for the Wikipedia community, Photo 2 should be used until a better option (with more votes) becomes available. Thanks to all who participated in this decision. You all contributed insightful observations that I'm confident will guide the next round of photographers in capturing the true essence of the City of Oakland. BDS2006 (talk) 16:15, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
Yes check.svg Done--Chimino (talk) 02:13, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

While photo 2 was nice for its time, it makes no sense now to have it as the lead, with the old Bay Bridge almost completely removed. Is there a more current picture that can take its place? I like the aerial closeup of the skyline as opposed to looking tiny seen from Lakeshore Ave., yet wondered if anyone has a similar pic to 2 with the new eastern bridge span showing instead of the old. MinPhoeb1 (talk) 08:41, 14 February 2017 (UTC)

Is Correction Needed?[edit]

I'm not from Oakland but under the section "2010" it states that 7 people were killed during a shooting in East Oakland near the airport and Coliseum Complex. Is the airport and Coliseum East Oakland, or is that West Oakland? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.251.112.134 (talk) 22:03, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

The northwest section of Oakland is traditionally called West Oakland. The southeast and southwest parts of Oakland, not counting the hills, are traditionally called East Oakland. Binksternet (talk) 23:04, 29 March 2013 (UTC)
This is true. the killings occurred in East Oakland, despite the locale being on the "west" side. as the city is at a slant off the N-S axis, the most southern parts are "east" of the northern parts.(mercurywoodrose)50.193.19.66 (talk) 22:08, 19 April 2013 (UTC)

Crime references in the intro[edit]

Why is Oakland the only city with a reference to crime in the introduction?

I see that no other city in California or in the Bay Area has a reference to crime in the intro. Also, in the history 2010's section, the occupy references and references to crime dominate the article. Is crime and demonstrations the only things that happens in Oakland in this time period? There was no economic development, no restaurant boom, no growth as an artist destination?

Unfortunately, this article is still being held hostage and manipulated by anti-Oakland assets who would rather interject fear and negativity in an attempt to mislead readers while also attempting to instill fear in order to stunt Oakland's economic growth. Oakland police assets are also at work trying to induce fear about Oakland in order to gain political advantage for future economic gain.

It's time to purge this article of the influence of many of its long time biased editors who hold hidden agendas.~~ — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.210.215.121 (talk) 15:42, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

This has been a contentious point regarding the Oakland article, and you can check the archives for past discussion on the topic. I personally believe it has no place in the lead (as it is a rare occurance for crime to be mentioned in a city's lead, across the board), but others disagree.--Chimino (talk) 02:11, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

Nicknames[edit]

Id say the Nickname field for Oakland needs full protection:). people add all sorts of names there, i just removed one that was a nickname for a single block in Oakland. silly people. Bump City has a ref, and i know we can get a ref for Oaktown.(mercurywoodrose)50.193.19.66 (talk) 22:04, 19 April 2013 (UTC)

Race relations prior to World War II[edit]

Kitty Kelly Epstein has documented the use of restrictive covenants in the Glenview and Rockridge neighborhoods. (A Different View of Urban Schools, 2012, Peter Lang Publishing, NY). In the same book she also documents extensive Ku Klux Klan activity in Oakland after World War 1. It is inaccurate to say that Oakland's race relations were harmonious until Southern migrants brought racism from the South during World War II. Other scholars who document racial discrimination in Oakland prior to World War II include Chris Rhomberg, No There There, University of California Press, 2007; and Robert O. Self, American Babylon, 2003, Princeton University Press. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.133.164.228 (talk) 21:48, 24 May 2013 (UTC)

Why take down "The Town"[edit]

I don't know about you guys but I'm an Oakland native and it is more common to here the city called "The Town" rather than Oaktown (which is still common) I've never even heard of Bump City. That sounds ridiculous to be honest. I guess hipsters moving in and gentrifying the city are also trying to change the cities rich identy.07:33, 10 July 2013 69.181.75.204 (talk)

Bump city is a real nickname, not common. I cant find more than a passing ref to "the town", so i wont add it bac. I edited some of your comments. if you want to provide a reference to your hipster comments, please do, otherwise realize that this is not a forum for discussing the cities demographics.Mercurywoodrose (talk) 17:21, 10 August 2013 (UTC)

lead contamination[edit]

It still needs a lot of work, but I've started an article about lead contamination in Oakland. I added a mention of it to the lede of this article, but it probably deserves a subsection somewhere - I'll work on integrating it in to the article better. (The lead contamination article itself isn't done yet either, but I figured it was good enough to move it live.) If anyone wants to beat me to it, feel free :) Kevin Gorman (talk) 00:09, 12 August 2013 (UTC)

Structure[edit]

Hi. I'm going through all the US Cities (as per List of United States cities by population) in an effort to provide some uniformity in structure. Anyone have an issue with me restructuring this article as per Wikipedia:WikiProject Cities/US Guideline. I won't be changing any content, merely the order. Occasionally, I will also move a picture just to clean up spacing issues. I've already gone through the top 20 or so on the above list, if you'd like to see how they turned out. Thoughts? Onel5969 (talk) 16:15, 21 February 2014 (UTC)

Sounds good to me; we've had disagreements about content in the past (I also wanted it to better reflect other city articles which have made it to GA/FA status), but any cleanup of structure to make it better reflect the ideal put forth by Wikiproject Cities is more than welcome.--Chimino (talk) 23:24, 21 February 2014 (UTC)
@Chimino: This was one of the easiest edits. It was almost in complete agreement with the guidelines. Thought you might like to know that.Onel5969 (talk) 19:43, 27 February 2014 (UTC)
Thanks One15969; you're dooing great work.--Chimino (talk) 03:57, 28 February 2014 (UTC)

Portal peer review[edit]

I have submitted Portal:San Francisco Bay Area to peer review. i would welcome any comments. i believe it is fully ready for featured portal status, but i have been just about the only editor there for a while.Mercurywoodrose (talk) 08:50, 28 June 2014 (UTC)

History section[edit]

After another editor moved the history section to its own article (aptly done in my opinion), I've summarized that history and included it in this article. Still probably a bit long. I'm not an expert on Oakland, but attempted to get the highlights while leaving out the nuts and bolts details, which are more appropriate for the History article. Anyway, thought I'd begin the summary. Onel5969 (talk) 20:58, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

In the "2000s" section there is both a logical fallacy and statements that are so far from fact as to approach an outright lie, to wit:

"Brown's plan and other redevelopment projects were controversial due to potential rent increases and gentrification, which would displace lower-income residents from downtown Oakland into outlying neighborhoods and cities.[47]

"Further hampering Oakland's economic recovery..." The logical problem with this phrase is that the preceding paragraph in no way discussed ANY delayed "economic recovery," but in fact discussed then Mayor Jerry Brown's Downtown/Uptown revival project, which arguably displaced low-income African-Americans with much more affluent whites and African-Americans, among others.

Likewise, the following claim not only has no reputable citations in support, but it is in fact demonstrably FALSE: "...[Oakland's growth stopped due to] economic crises in 2001 and 2008. These downturns resulted in lowered sales, rentals and occupancy of the new housing and slower growth and economic recovery than expected."

IN FACT, The Boston Globe, WSJ, NYTimes, UK Guardian, NPR, LATimes, SF Gate, Biz Journal, Boston.com, National Geographic, et al have all run articles on the following

-Oakland booming hipster culture, housing sales, explosive restaurant growth, Art Murmur events, etc., have made Bay Area's "Brooklyn by the Bay," the media meme of 2013-2014


In 2014, over three hundred new restaurants and bars opened in Oakland (SF Gate). In 2014, 2015 rents in Oakland had become the second fastest rising ones in the nation (Biz Journal). In 2012, gentrification had begun to seriously impact the traditionally lower working -class/poor West Oakland, due to the influx of young, educated affluent African-Americans, whites, and others.

The entire section is blazingly false, and one should revise it post haste. - signed by anon IP

Actually, Oakland's black population has greatly declined from over 50% or half in 1990 to 40% in 2000 to about 20% in 2016. Hipsters or young affluent whites can be found in downtown area. And before 2008, the increase in Latino and Asian immigration changed Oakland's demographics, although Latinos and Asians in Oakland like the rest of the SF Bay area and CA are historically part of the demographic profile. 67.49.89.214 (talk) 17:48, 20 September 2016 (UTC)

Crime[edit]

The lede claims "much progress has been made" (improving it). WTF? Its pretty simple to compare (violent) crime rates between cities both with others in California and nationwide cities of comparable population. The per captia crime rate is an 'absolute' measure of crime and should be reported (not necessarily in the lede). The section on Crime goes on to babble about 10% drops and other nonsense as if the relative change from year to year is more important than the absolute number of crimes. These sections seem quite biased in favor of Oakland. According to the table on crime for US cities over 250,000 Oakland for 2012 Ranks Top in Robbery and also for Vehicle Theft, 2nd for Violent Crimes and also Property Crimes,6th for Murder, 7th for Rape, 8th for Assault, 10th for burglary and 17th for larceny - thats out of a total of 73 cities. Remind me to avoid ever visiting...but that aside: only politicians and spin-doctors talk about changes in rates as if they're more relevant than the actual frequency. Much of the discussion on Crime is meaningless to anybody but those involved with the city's law enforcement and should be removed, imho.216.96.77.81 (talk) 22:50, 6 November 2014 (UTC)

Your long-winded complaint is correct. I reworded. Brycehughes (talk) 02:09, 7 November 2014 (UTC)

What demonstrates "bias " against Oakland is the racist comment, "Remind me to avoid ever visiting." In fact, it is relevant that while Oakland's overall crime stats are undeniably high, nonetheless (a) significan drops in certain crimes categories do indicate improvement and (b) statistical analysis of those areas more prone to crime within the city give a much more accurate portrayal of the city overall; for example, Oakland's wealthy Montclair and Crocker Highlands experience less crime than most neighborhoods in San Francisco. The "long-winded complaint" to which BryceHuges alludes is neither "correct" nor "unbiased." It is, in fact, conveys a lack of understanding about statistics and their contexts. It also conveys the usual white racism vis-à-vis the trope of "Oakland" versus what Oakland really is.

Timeline of Oakland, California[edit]

What is missing from the recently created city timeline article? Please add relevant content. Contributions welcome. Thank you. -- M2545 (talk) 09:41, 30 May 2015 (UTC)

External links modified[edit]

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External links modified[edit]

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Hey guys,

i found an error in the Oakland overview. Lebron James is clearly not the mayor of Oakland :D — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A02:908:D92:D520:E0BC:C9CF:F9D2:B67B (talk) 11:09, 2 June 2016 (UTC)

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Vandalized/outdated demographics data[edit]

The section Oakland,_California#Demographics seems to contain information/data which has been vandalized and or is outdated. FYI. WinterSpw (talk) 21:10, 22 October 2016 (UTC)

Ordering of the last paragraph of the lead section[edit]

Hello! In reading the last paragraph of the lead section, I'm struck that it starts with a list of things Oakland is "known for" much of which seem to be far less prominent and well known than the city's diversity. What about changing the order like this:

Current version
Oakland is known for its sustainability practices, including a top ranking for usage of electricity from renewable resources. Oakland is also known for its history of political activism, as well as its professional sports franchises and major corporations, which include health care, dot-com companies, and manufacturers of household products. In addition, due to a steady influx of immigrants during the 20th century, along with thousands of African-American war-industry workers who relocated from the Deep South during the 1940s, Oakland is the most ethnically diverse major city in the country.[1]
Proposed version
Due to a steady influx of immigrants during the 20th century, along with thousands of African-American war-industry workers who relocated from the Deep South during the 1940s, Oakland is the most ethnically diverse major city in the country.[2] Oakland is also known for its history of political activism, as well as its professional sports franchises and major corporations, which include health care, dot-com companies, and manufacturers of household products. In addition, Oakland is known for its sustainability practices, including a top ranking for usage of electricity from renewable resources.

Thoughts? Thanks! Chris vLS (talk) 08:45, 22 January 2017 (UTC)

  1. ^ "2016's Most Diverse Cities in America". May 11, 2016. 
  2. ^ "2016's Most Diverse Cities in America". May 11, 2016. 
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