1. Oakland is big. It’s the seventh largest city in the State of California and covers 54 square miles.
2. It’s the only city in the world with a natural saltwater lake, Lake Merritt, wholly contained within its city boundaries.
3. Speaking of Lake Merritt, did you know that this lake has its own sea monster? Yep: the “Oak-ness Monster” has been spotted in the lake since the 1940s. Apparently, the best spot to catch him is from the docks at the Lake Chalet Restaurant.
4. Lake Merritt was the nation’s first declared wildlife refuge, in 1870 by the then mayor, Dr. Samuel Merritt himself.
5. You know that necklace of lights around the lake? It was put up in 1925 and was made up of 126 lampposts over 3,400 lights. In 1941, during WWII, they were shut off for the blackout and remained out until 1985.
6. Oakland has more than 80 parks
7. Over 50 locations in the National Register of Historic Places
8. More than 600 churches and temples representing all faiths
9. And over 300 restaurants serving a huge variety of cuisine
10. Oakland has more artists per capita than any city in the country
11. It’s the most ethnically diverse city in the U.S. More than 125 different languages and dialects are spoken in Oakland.
12. It’s also home to the third-largest concentration of lesbian residents in the U.S.
13. Even Walt Disney was inspired by Oakland, basing many parts of his now slightly-more-famous Disneyland off of a visit to Oakland’s Children’s Fairyland.
14. More sourdough bread is produced in Oakland than any other city in the world.
15. And of course there’s ice cream. Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1928 by William Dreyer and Joseph Edy in Oakland. And speaking of famous folks…
16. Bruce Lee, the famous martial arts expert, got his start fighting and teaching in Oakland.
17. Tom Hanks went to high school in Oakland—and once sold concessions at the Oakland Coliseum.
18. Clint Eastwood lived in Oakland, where he graduated high school in 1949.
19. Too $hort began his career in Oakland at age 14.
20. Author Jack London, who wrote “The Call of the Wild”, once ran for mayor of Oakland on the Socialist ticket.
21. MC Hammer founded Oaktown Stables in Oakland—and owned 19 horses thoroughbred racing horses himself
22. In fact, MC Hammer is an official Oakland spokesperson. He partnered with Visit Oakland to create a series of videos about the city, including highlights, important landmarks, and an anthem for the Raiders.
23. The Oakland Museum is kind of a big deal. With its tiered Babylonian style roof gardens, it’s the only attraction of its kind totally devoted to natural sciences, history, and the art of California.
24. Plus, the 24,000 square-foot Oakland Asian Cultural Center is the largest and most modern facility of its kind in North America.
25. Oakland is home to about 400,000 people—which is a larger population of Iceland.
26. Oakland’s Fentons Creamery made a cameo in the Pixar movie “Up”. Both its director and producer are Oakland residents and Fentons fans.
27. The weather in Oakland is better than the weather in San Francisco. FACT.
28. In 1894, the city council cracked down on “Chinese lotteries” and made it a misdemeanor to be anywhere near lottery tickets.
29. Then, in 1897, the city council passed an ordinance stating that a "poundman" should capture any loose chickens between 7th and 27th Streets and Lake Merritt and Peralta Street. It was a huge deal.
30. Oakland is the only city in California with three professional sports teams: the Raiders, the A’s, and the Golden State Warriors.
31. Oakland has a large population of gnomes.
32. It is home to the oldest bonsai tree in the U.S., a daimyo oak that was cultivated in 1863, making it the longest-in-cultivation bonsai tree in the country. It was donated by Abraham Lincoln’s ambassador to China.
33. Oakland was the home of the very first Mai Tai—though originally the drink just had rum, lime juice, Cointreau, orgeat syrup, and a sprig of mint.
34. Oakland has hundreds of secret staircases.
35. It was the headquarters of the Black Panther Party.
36. Today, those headquarters are better known as the It’s All Good Bakery, aka the best place in the world for red velvet cake.
37. Oakland is the birthplace of the word “hella.”
38. You don’t need to leave the city to see the Redwoods; you can just head to Redwood Regional Park, a few miles over the ridge from downtown.
39. You can also see a gigantic ladybug orgy here. Each year, millions of ladybugs migrate to Redwood Regional Park, group together to mate, form a big cluster of adorable ladybug love, then fly away home.
40. The Wave was invented at the Oakland Coliseum. Once famous and self-proclaimed “World’s Sexiest Cheerleader,” Krazy George Henderson, started the first full-stadium Wave in 1981 during a sold-out Oakland A’s game against the Yankees.
41. These movies were at least partially filmed in Oakland: “A Time to Kill,” “The Matrix Reloaded,” “Howard the Duck,” “Basic Instinct,” “Moneyball,” “Greed,” “So I Married an Axe Murderer,” “True Crime,” and “Fruitvale Station.”
42. Speaking of movies, here’s a “Star Wars” nerd out moment: the AT-ATs in “The Empire Strikes Back” were inspired by the huge four-legged cranes at the Port of Oakland.
43. And speaking of the Port of Oakland, it is one of the five largest container ports in North America and one of the top 20 worldwide.
44. The Port controls over 19 miles of shoreline and owns the Oakland International Airport.
45. Homeroom’s mac and cheese is amazing. FACT.
46. Oakland is young. The median age here is 36, where the median age in California is 46.
47. But it’s expensive. The median home price here is $528,600, where in California it’s $448,669 and in the U.S. it’s $200,419.
48. Mountain View Cemetery is a popular hangout. It’s beautiful, has the most spectacular view of the Bay in town. It’s also the final resting place of Elizabeth Short, aka The Black Dahlia.
49. When Charles Woodson was a rookie with the Oakland Raiders in 1998, one of the team’s starting guards was eight-time All-Pro Steve Wisniewski. He now plays with Wisniewski’s nephew Stefen, the team’s starting center.
50. Both Pandora and Blue Bottle Coffee are headquartered in Oakland. Because it’s awesome.
Know some more interesting facts about Oakland? Share them in the comments!
