Alameda is a quaint island city emanating warmth and community from the first visit. Known for its beautiful shoreline, darling shopping districts, and well defined classic neighborhoods such as the Gold Coast and the East End, Alameda is also close to San Francisco and Oakland.

Alameda was originally a peninsula connected to Oakland. Much of it was low-lying and marshy. The higher ground nearby and adjacent parts of what is now downtown Oakland were the site of one of the largest coastal oak forests in the world. Spanish colonists called the area Encinal, meaning "forest of evergreen oak". Alameda is Spanish for "grove of poplar trees," or "tree-lined avenue." It was chosen as the name of the city in 1853 by popular vote.

The city was founded on June 6, 1853, after the United States acquired California following the Mexican-American War of 1848. The town originally contained three small settlements. "Alameda" referred to the village at Encinal and High streets, Hibbardsville was located at the North Shore ferry and shipping terminal, and Woodstock was on the west near the ferry piers of the South Pacific Coast Railroad and the Central Pacific. Eventually, the Central Pacific's ferry pier became the Alameda Mole, featuring transit connections among the San Francisco ferries, local trollies, and Southern Pacific (formerly Central Pacific) commuter lines. The first post office opened in 1854. The first school, Schermerhorn School, was opened in 1855 (and eventually was renamed as Lincoln School); Encinal School was opened in 1860 (and closed in 1980). The San Francisco and Alameda Railroad opened the Encinal station in 1864. The Encinal area was also known as Fasskings Station in honor of Frederick Louis Fassking. Encinal's own post office opened in 1876, was renamed West End in 1877, and closed in 1891. The West End area was originally called Bowman's Point in honor of Charles G. Bowman, an early United States settler. On September 6, 1869, the Alameda Terminal made history; it was the site of the arrival of the first train via the First Transcontinental Railroad to reach the shores of San Francisco Bay, thus achieving the first coast to coast transcontinental railroad in North America. The transcontinental terminus was switched to the Oakland Pier two months later, on November 8, 1869. The borders of Alameda were made coextensive with the island in 1872, incorporating Woodstock into Alameda. In his autobiography, writer Mark Twain described Alameda as "The Garden of California."

In the late 1950s, the Utah Construction Company began a landfill beyond the Old Sea Wall and created South Shore.

The 2010 United States Census reported that Alameda had a population of 73,812. (2015 census estimates place the population at 78,630)

City of Alameda

510 747-7400

BART

510-465-BART

Harbor Bay Ferry

Alameda/Oakland Ferry

AC Transit

Blue & Gold Ferry Service

511.org

Golden Gate Transit

415-923-2000

Jack London Water Taxi

510-839-7572

MUNI

415-673-6864

Alameda Power & Telecom

510-748-3901

PG&E

EBMUD

866-403-2683