With a population of 446,901, Oakland is considered the eighth biggest city within California and the 41st largest city within the US. It is the County seat of Alameda county, and the center of activity for the sub region of the Bay Area, East Bay. It is situated just eight miles east of San Francisco and has the West Coast Port situated on the San Francisco Bay. Oakland covers a total of 78.2 square miles, with 22.1 square miles being water and the other 56.1 square miles covering land.
The terrain of Oakland breaks the cities people into either "the hills" and "the flatlands", with the flatland people usually being less well-off. Nestled on the hills and foot hills, lives roughly 1/3 of the populations, whereas the other 2/3 of the people reside in the flat plain of East Bay.
Among the main attractions of Oakland is Lake Merritt, that is situated near downtown. It is the considered to be the largest (urban) salt water lake in the US, though it is technically an estuary of the San Francisco Bay.
Numerous individuals who settle in Oakland are attracted to the cities beautiful Mediterranean climate, characterized by warm summers and mild winters. Because of its location, it is usually cooler than San Jose and warmer than San Fransisco. Every now and then, the northern part of the city experiences a cooling maritime fog, but the city is far enough inland so that the fog burns off by mid day.
More than 200,000 jobs within the city are related to cargo transport because of the Major West Coast Port. Moreover, there are some corporations located within Oakland, like for example Matson, Kaiser Permanente and Clorox. Various businesses have opted to build their headquarters here, such as Dreyers and Cost Plus World Markets. Oakland was likewise home to the very first London Drugs.
Oakland went through a population surge in the early 21st century. There was a new 10K plan which was applied, which saw an influx of people; precipitated thousands of new multifamily residences were constructed to accommodate them. This population surge could be attributed to the cities mild weather, and its fairly central location in regards to larger cities. Oakland provides a reasonable alternative to sky high rents and property prices within San Francisco, and offers stunning views of the San Francisco and the Bay from its hillside neighbourhoods. Due to its expanding population, there has been some shopping districts constructed as well as various restaurants which reflect different native and global cultures.