Berkeley is a city in the San Francisco Bay Area of northern California, United States. Its neighbor to the south is the city of Oakland, California. Its eastern border is formed by the Tilden Regional Park. Berkeley is located in Alameda County.

Contents

1 Places 2 History 3 Geography 4 Demographics 5 Transportation 6 Mayors 7 See also 8 External links

Places

Berkeley is the site of the University of California, Berkeley, the flagship campus of the University of California, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Hall of Science, and Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, which are on the campus grounds. Another well known educational institution in Berkeley is the Graduate Theological Union.

History

The history of the city is inextricably linked to its university. According to the Centennial Record of the University of California, "In 1866...at Founders' Rock, a group of College of California men were watching two ships standing out to sea through the Golden Gate. One of them, Frederick Billings, was reminded of the lines of Bishop Berkeley, 'westward the course of empire takes its way,' and suggested that the town and college site be named for the eighteenth-century British philosopher and poet."

The University of California first operated in Berkeley in 1872. Much of Berkeley's economy, status, and reputation has long derived from its relationship with the institution.

The 1910 "First Church of Christ, Scientist", designed by Bernard Maybeck, is a mix of Craftsman, Gothic, and Romanesque styles. It is a National Historic Landmark.

Both city and university have long been famed as a center of activist politics and radical social ideas. Early in the twentieth century, West Berkeley became a center for Finnish immigrants, many of whom were Socialists, and who contributed to the growing labor movement in the 1920s and 30s. The Finnish Hall (Toveri Tupa) in the 1800 block of Tenth Street is a now-landmarked community meeting place built by these Finnish activists in 1908. The Free Speech Movement began on the Berkeley campus, arguing for free speech on campus, despite its ownership by the Regents. Many student demonstrations against the Vietnam War occurred there in the 1960s, which American news organizations dramatically televised.

Another notable series of events that helped to solidify this popular conception of Berkeley is the repeated takeover by populists of an open lot owned by the University of California. The University has long sought to build on the lot, but the populists have demanded that the lot remain undeveloped and open as a public park. Today this lot is called People's Park and 1960s era culture and spirit still lives on Telegraph Avenue.

Due to the generally liberal to radical views of the Berkeley public, the city is sometimes mockingly referred to as the People's Republic of Berkeley.

In 1986 Berkeley officially became a Nuclear Free Zone after a local vote, disallowing the operation of nuclear reactors within city limits and preventing work from being done on nuclear weapons within its borders. While this can be seen as a logical extension of its radicalism, it also is an ironic play with Berkeley's past: the University of California, Berkeley played a major role in the development of nuclear weapons during World War II, a DOE National Laboratory still sits above the city. Signs posted at the city borders declaring its Nuclear Free Zone status are the most noticeable effect of the measure.

More recently, Berkeley has become known as a gourmet food center. Even by the standards of the Bay area it has an exceptional number of specialist food shops and restaurants, the Berkeley Bowl Supermarket http://www.berkeleybowl.com/ , and a Berkeley restaurant, Chez Panisse, is regarded as the birthplace of California cuisine. Its proprietor, Alice Waters, has been called "the mother of American cooking."

Since the 1970s, the Bay Area Rapid Transit system (BART), a metro train system, has linked Berkeley to San Francisco and the other cities of the Bay Area. Berkeley has nevertheless maintained its own character. Originally the planners of BART proposed an above-ground route through Berkeley, but Berkeley residents voted for a below-ground tunnel route instead, whose extra cost was funded by a bond issue. Consequently, BART runs entirely in a subway through Berkeley, but not in the neighboring cities of Oakland and Albany.

Humorous saying: "Three things have come out of Berkeley: LSD, BSD, and the SCA. This is no coincidence."

Geography

Berkeley is located at 37°52'18" North, 122°16'29" West (37.871775, -122.274603)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 45.9 km² (17.7 mi²). 27.1 km² (10.5 mi²) of it is land and 18.8 km² (7.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 40.94% water.

Demographics

The city's population is culturally diverse, with a significant portion in transient residence to attend the university. As of the census² of 2000, there are 102,743 people, 44,955 households, and 18,656 families residing in the city. The population density is 3,792.5/km² (9,823.3/mi²). There are 46,875 housing units at an average density of 1,730.3/km² (4,481.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 59.17% White, 13.63% Black or African American, 0.45% Native American, 16.39% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 4.64% from other races, and 5.57% from two or more races. 9.73% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 44,955 households out of which 17.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.9% are married couples living together, 9.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 58.5% are non-families. 38.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.16 and the average family size is 2.84.

In the city the population is spread out with 14.1% under the age of 18, 21.6% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 95.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $44,485, and the median income for a family is $70,434. Males have a median income of $50,789 versus $40,623 for females. The per capita income for the city is $30,477. 20.0% of the population and 8.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 13.4% of those under the age of 18 and 7.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Transportation

Berkeley is served by Amtrak, Bay Area Rapid Transit, AC Transit and several employer shuttles. The only major freeway is Interstate 80. Berkeley has one of the highest rates of Bicycle and pedestrian commuting in the nation, and the lowest risk of injury for those cyclists and pedestrians. Students at the University of California, Berkeley consistently vote to tax themselves, so everyone gets a free AC Transit bus pass. Berkeley has modified its original grid roadway structure through use of diverters and barriers, moving most traffic out of neighborhoods and onto arterial streets (visitors often find this confusing, because the diverters don't show on all maps). Berkeley maintains a separate grid of arterial streets, Bicycle Boulevards, where conditions have been tweaked to favor bicycle travel.

Mayors

• Shirley Dean, former Mayor of Berkeley (1995–2002)
• Tom Bates, current Mayor of Berkeley (2003–)

See also

• Cloyne Court Hotel

External links

• City of Berkeley official web page http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/
• People's Park http://www.peoplespark.org/
• Homeless Youth Shelter http://www.yeah-berkeley.org/
• Berkeley Firefighters Association http://www.bffa1227.org/
• Photos of Berkeley http://www.terragalleria.com/california/california.berkeley.html
• The Daily Californian http://www.dailycal.org/

Maps and aerial photos

Street map http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=decimal&latitude=NaodW29-item20 7582db2e3451ae&longitude=-122.274603&zoom=6 | Topographic map http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=37.871775&lon=NaodW29-ite m356c0a8d520d988c&s=200&size=m&layer=DRG100 | Aerial photograph http://terraserver.microsoft.com/map.aspx?t=1&s=14&lon=NaodW29-item279b99965ffdf 6a9&lat=37.871775&w=750&h=500