Alameda County, California

Alameda County is a in the  of. It occupies most of the region of the. As of the 2000 census it had a population of 1,443,741 making it the 7th largest county in the state. The is.

Alameda County currently has the highest sales tax rate in California, which is 8.75%.

History
The county was formed on, from a large portion of  and a smaller portion of.

The word 'alameda' means 'a place where poplar trees grow', a name which originally was given to the Arroyo de la Alameda (Poplar Grove Creek). The willow and sycamore trees along the banks of the river reminded the early explorers of a road lined with trees, also known as an 'alameda'.

The county seat at the time it was formed was located at ; it was moved to in  where the county courthouse was destroyed by the devastating 1868 quake on the. The county seat was then re-established in the town of Brooklyn from -. Brooklyn is now part of, which has been the county seat since.

Much of what is now considered an intensively region, with major cities, was developed as a  of  in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The historical progression from native American tribal lands to Spanish, then Mexican ranches, thence to farms, ranches, and orchards, suburbs and eventually cities, is shared with the adjacent  (see that article for an extensive history applicable to this county).

Government
Alameda County is governed by an elected Board of Supervisors.

The county's law enforcement is overseen by an elected county sheriff supervising a force of deputies whose primary responsibilities include policing unincorporated areas of the county, and providing security for county buildings including courthouses, the county jail and other properties. The County Sheriff also serves various court writs and warrants.

Events
The annual Alameda County fair is held at the fairgrounds in. The fair runs for 3 weekends from June to July. Attractions include horse racing, carnival, exhibits, and live bands.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 2,127 (821 ). 1,910 km² (738 mi²) of it is land and 216 km² (84 mi²) of it (10.18%) is water.

The San Francisco Bay borders the county on the west. The crest of the form part of the northeastern boundary, and reach into the center of the county. A coastal plain several miles wide lines the bay, being home to Oakland and the most populated regions. Livermore Valley lies in the eastern part of the county.

The, a major branch of the San Andreas Fault to the west, runs through the most populated parts of Alameda County, while the runs through the southeastern part of the county.

Incorporated Cities




Former townships



 * Oakland Township - the northern portion subsequently became the cities of Berkeley and Albany
 * Alameda Township
 * Brooklyn Township
 * Eden Township
 * Washington Township
 * Murray Township

Adjacent Counties

 * - south
 * - west
 * - west
 * - north
 * - east

Mass transit

 * - commuter rail using existing railroad tracks, primarily brings commuters from San Joaquin County to Santa Clara County
 * - local 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
 * - commuter rail centered on northwest Oakland, primarily serving commuters to downtown San Francisco and downtown Oakland
 * - commuter rail using existing railroad tracks, extending from San Jose to Sacramento, running through western Alameda County
 * - bus system in the cities of southeastern Alameda County
 * - local city bus service within in addition to AC Transit.
 * - free bus service in.
 * and, connecting Oakland, Alameda, and Bay Farm Island with downtown San Francisco.
 * Amtrak line between Oakland and Bakersfield through the Fresno and the Central Valley.
 * commuter service between southern Alameda county and job centers in the Silicon Valley.
 * additional service along the Dumbarton bridge between Fremont and Palo Alto.

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 1,443,741 people, 523,366 households, and 339,141 families residing in the county. The was 756/km² (1,957/mi²). There were 540,183 housing units at an average density of 283/km² (732/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 48.79%, 20.45% , 14.93% or , 8.94% from , 5.63% from two or more races, 18.97%  or  of any race, 0.63% , and 0.63%. 63.2% spoke, 14.3% , 5.0% or , 3.5% , 1.6%  and  as their first language.

In 2005 Almeda County had a population that was 38.0% non-Hispanic whites. African-Americans now constituted 13.8% of the population. Asians were now 24.2% of the population. Hispanics came in at 20.8%, while both Native Americans and Pacific Islanders came in at 0.7% of the population.

In 2000 there were 523,366 households out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living within them, 47.00% living together, 13.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.20% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.30% 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 24.60% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 33.90% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 10.20% 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. Males had a median income of $47,425 versus $36,921 for females. The for the county was $26,680. About 7.70% of families and 11.00% of the population were below the, including 13.50% of those under age 18 and 8.10% of those age 65 or over.

Politics
Alameda County is a stronghold of the Democratic Party. It has not voted Republican since in. Even when won America by an 18.3% margin in,  won Alameda County by a slightly larger margin. In it voted for  by a margin of over 50%. Every city and town voted Democratic. In the, all of the district, parts of the  and  districts, and most of the  district are in the county. All four districts are held by Democrats:, , , and , respectively.

In the, parts of the 14th and 15th districts, all of the 16th and 18th districts, and most of the 20th district are in the county. Four of its five legislators are Democrats: of the 14th district,  of the 16th district,  of the 18th district, and  of the 20th district. The lone Republican that represents Alameda County is of the 15th district. In the, most of the 9th and 10th districts are in the county and are both represented by Democrats: and , respectively.

According to the Alameda County registrar for 2008, 370,919 (55.2%) are registered Democrats, 117,086 (17.4%) are registered Republicans, 36,276 (5.4%) are registered to minor political parties, and 147,279 (21.9%) declined to answer. This means the Democrats have a 37.8% registration advantage over the Republicans. Every city and town in Alameda County has more registered Democrats than Republicans, except for Livermore and Pleasanton, and Republicans hold registration advantages in those cities by razor-thin margins.

Arts

 * Home to the which serves the arts in Alameda County.
 * Home to the (ACB).
 * Home to the, official ballet school of the ACB.

Interesting places to visit

 * Lawrence Hall of Science
 * Lawrence Hall of Science