More about Alameda

Alameda is a city located in Alameda County, California. It is a city on a small island of the same name next to Oakland, California in the San Francisco Bay. An additional part of the city is on Bay Farm Island, which it shares with the Oakland International Airport. The city has a small town feel with its Victorian homes and tree lined neighborhoods. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 72,259. The city was founded on June 6, 1853. Vehicle access to the island is via three bridges to Oakland, a bridge to Bay Farm Island, and two one-way tunnels to Oaklands Chinatown. The bridges at Fruitvale Ave, High Street and Park Street and the tunnels at Webster Street and Harrison Street (the latter called the "Posey tube") connect Alameda and Oakland. Public transportation includes the AC Transit buses, including express buses to San Francisco, and two ferry services-- the Alameda-Oakland Ferry and the Harbor Bay Ferry. The island is also close to the BART train service. Even though the island is just minutes off Interstate 880, the speed limit on the island is 25 mph (40 km/h) on almost every road. Many unaware drivers fail to slow down after exiting the highway. Groups like Pedestrian Friendly Alameda and BikeAlameda advocate stronger enforcement of speeding laws. Due to its proximity to the Bay, wind surfers and kite surfers can often be seen along Crown Memorial State Beach. From the beach you also have views of the San Francisco skyline and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. One of the recent attractions is the aircraft carrier USS Hornet, a museum ship at the former Naval Air Station. The disused base and the streets of nearby Oakland were used to film the underground city and motorcycle chase sequences in The Matrix Reloaded (2003). The Posey tube was used, with other Bay Area tunnels, in the filming of the 1970 version of THX-1138. One of Alamedas most famous residents is General James Doolittle who won the medal of honor for his bombing of Japan during WWII. Alameda is also the hometown of baseball greats Willie Stargell, Jimmy Rollins and Dontrelle Willis. Because of its active naval base, many people in naval families, such as Tom Hanks and Jim Morrison lived in Alameda briefly during their lives. The current President of the California State Senate Don Perata lives in Alameda.