Timeline of Oakland, California

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Oakland, Alameda County, California, United States.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

19th century

• 1852 – Town of Oakland incorporated.^[1]
• 1854 – Horace Carpentier elected mayor.
• 1855 – Lyceum founded.^[2]
• 1860 – Population: 1,543.
• 1863 – Heald's Business College established.^[3]
• 1864 – Vander Naillen School of Practical Engineering established.^[3]
• 1866 – Police Court established.^[4]
• 1868
  • Oakland Evening Transcript newspaper begins publication.^[5]
  • University of California and Oakland Library Association established.^[2]
  • Oakland Long Wharf bought by Central Pacific Railroad.
• 1869
  • Railway begins operating.^[6]
  • Lake Merritt Wild-Fowl Sanctuary^[6] and Oakland Fire Department established.
  • Oakland Long Wharf becomes the western terminus of the First transcontinental railroad.^[7]
• 1871 – Mills Seminary relocates to Oakland.
• 1872
  • Brooklyn becomes part of Oakland.
  • Theosophical Society Library founded.^[2]
• 1873 – University of California relocates to Berkeley.
• 1875 – Oakland Daily Evening Tribune newspaper in publication.^[5]
• 1878 – Oakland Free Library opens.^[8]
• 1880 – Population: 34,456.^[1]
• 1884 – Horton School established.^[3]
• 1899 – Oakland Conservatory of Music established.^[3]
• 1900 – Population: 66,960.

20th century

• 1904 – Pacific Technical College established.^[3]
• 1906
  • April 18: San Francisco earthquake; refugees flee to Oakland.^[6]
  • August 6: Newman´s College, one of the first sportsbars, was registered as a corporation in Oakland.^[9]
• 1907 – California School of Arts and Crafts founded.^[6]
• 1909
  • Samuel Merritt College founded.
  • Moore & Scott Iron Works in business.
• 1910
  • Oakland Public Museum and YMCA open.
  • Population: 150,174.
• 1912 – Oakland School Women's Club^[10] and Children's Hospital founded.
• 1913 – Oakland Yacht Club established.^[6]
• 1914
  • Oakland Technical High School established.
  • Oakland City Hall and Civic Auditorium built.
• 1917 – Joaquin Miller Park established.^[6]
• 1920 – Population: 216,261.
• 1922 – Snow Museum of Natural History opens.
• 1923 – Tribune Tower completed.
• 1924 – Granada Theater opens.^[11]
• 1927
  • Oakland Airport begins operating.
  • Port of Oakland opens.
• 1928
  • Clorox Chemical Company in business.
  • Posey Tube (traffic tunnel) built.^[6]
• 1931 – Paramount Theatre built.
• 1933 – Oakland Symphony active.
• 1936
  • San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opens.
  • Alameda County Courthouse built.^[6]
  • Alameda County Botanical and Zoological Society established.^[12]
• 1937 – Caldecott Tunnel opens.
• 1940 – Population: 302,163.
• 1944 – Oakland Army Base active.
• 1946 – 1946 Oakland General Strike begins on December 3 and ends on December 5.
• 1954 – Oakland Junior College established.
• 1961 – Coliseum Drive-In opens.^[11]
• 1966
  • October: Black Panther Party established.
  • Oakland Coliseum opens.
• 1968 – Athletics baseball team relocates to Oakland.
• 1969 – Oakland Museum opens.
• 1970 – Regional Metropolitan Transportation Commission established.
• 1971 – Your Black Muslim Bakery in business.
• 1972 – 12th Street Oakland City Center station, 19th Street Oakland station, and MacArthur station open.
• 1973 – Rockridge station opens.
• 1974 – West Oakland station opens.
• 1977 – Lionel Wilson becomes mayor.
• 1985 – Alameda County Community Food Bank established.^[13]
• 1988 – Oakland East Bay Symphony established.
• 1989 – October 17: 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
• 1990 – Population: 372,242.^[14]
• 1991 – October 20: Oakland firestorm of 1991.
• 1998 – City website online (approximate date).^{[15][chronology citation needed]}
• 1999 – Jerry Brown becomes mayor.
• 2000 – Allen v. City of Oakland lawsuit filed.

21st century

• 2002 – Taoist Center opens.^[16][17]
• 2003
  • April 7: Anti-war protest.
  • Women of Color Resource Center headquartered in Oakland.^[18][19]
  • Urban Habitat headquartered in Oakland (approximate date).^[20]
• 2004 – Middle Harbor Shoreline Park landscaped.
• 2007
  • East Bay Meditation Center opens.^[17][21]
  • Ron Dellums becomes mayor.
• 2008 – Cathedral of Christ the Light dedicated.
• 2009
  • January 1: BART Police shooting of Oscar Grant.
  • March 21: 2009 shootings of Oakland police officers.
  • Oakland Local begins publication.^[22]
• 2010
  • Ace Monster Toys founded.^[23]
  • Population: city 390,724; metro 4,335,391.^[24]
• 2011
  • October 10: Occupy Oakland begins.
  • Jean Quan becomes mayor.
  • Sudoroom established.^[25]
• 2012
  • April 2: 2012 Oikos University shooting.
  • Oakland Wiki begins publication.^[26]
• 2014
  • Oakland Police Beat begins publication.^[27]
  • Libby Schaaf becomes mayor.
• 2016
  • 2016 Oakland warehouse fire.
• 2020
  • George Floyd protests in the San Francisco Bay Area.
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• 2022
  • Sheng Thao becomes mayor.
• 2024
  • Thao is recalled in an election.
• 2025
  • Barbara Lee becomes mayor.

See also

• History of Oakland
• List of mayors of Oakland, California
• Timeline of the San Francisco Bay Area
• Timelines of other cities in the Northern California area of California: Fresno, Mountain View, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose