Alameda, here we come - California island town

Sunset, August, 2001 by Becky Wiese

This island city is suddenly hot, but it still holds on to its small-town charm

In the high-energy bustle of 21stcentury Northern California, one city has taken on change a bit more deliberately than others. And with good reason. Much of what makes Alameda, an island with a picturesque perch off Oakland's flank in San Francisco Bay, so unusual is the way it balances connection with isolation. It lies within easy reach of major urban hubs--the bay, the San Francisco skyline, and the East Bay hills are all in view. Even so, the "Island City" seems a world apart.

"People have really strong ties to the island"

Early on, Alameda was more crossroads than oasis. With a history as an Ohlone Indian settlement, a Spanish land grant, and the first Bay Area terminus for the transcontinental railroad, the area had quite a diverse background before becoming an island in 1902. That's when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed a tidal canal to link Oakland's harbor with San Leandro Bay.

After the 1906 earthquake, Alameda welcomed thousands of newly homeless San Franciscans; in the 1920s, the Neptune Beach amusement park drew visitors from across the region, giving Alameda the moniker "Coney Island of the West." During World War II, shipbuilding operations and the bustling Alameda Naval Air Station nearly tripled the town's population.

The Navy's departure in 1995 left the city with landmarks like the aircraft carrier USS Hornet, but a noticeable void in the economy. The void has been filled in recent years by an influx of new residents drawn by old homes that, by Bay Area standards, sell for relatively low prices.

Still, despite these recent changes, Alameda has embraced its islandhood, clinging to its small-town personality. Tree-lined avenues like Park and Encinal boast some of the prettiest of the town's 3,000 Queen Anne and Italianate homes. Many residents bike or walk most places, and old-guard institutions like Ole's Waffle Shop (established in 1927) and Tucker's Ice Cream (1941) persist in the Park Street business district.

These family-run operations refuse to give way to newer, more gentrified establishments. Laurance Quintero works alongside five brothers and sisters at Acapulco, the Mexican restaurant launched by his parents as a two-seat eatery in 1953. As he tells stories of the customers whose pictures line the walls, he explains that third and fourth generations of Alamedans continue to dine here: "People have really strong ties to the island, so many stay or come back."

Ryan Flock is one for whom the pull of the island is strong. A winemaker at Rosenblum Cellars, he's a fifth-generation Alamedan whose ancestors farmed the part of the city now known as Bay Farm Island. Flock embraces both the city's proximity and its distance: "We're like a hidden oasis out here, and though it's nice to be connected to everything by bridges and ferries, it's still hard to leave because there's always plenty to do."

Birders, bicyclists, and boats

Indeed, recreation here is as close as the nearest waterfront--which on a not-quite-12-mile-square island is always nearby Crown Memorial State Beach is the most heavily used swimming beach on the bay and one of the best spots in the region for windsurfing and kiteboarding. The city is friendly to pedestrians and bikers, with more than 6 miles of shoreline parks, endless paths along the bay, and a pedestrian drawbridge linking Alameda and Bay Farm Islands. Birders can watch migratory species such as endangered clapper rails, dowitchers, and American avocets from the platform at Elsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary. In the years to come, they will also have access to Alameda National Wildlife Refuge. Here, 600 acres of the former Naval Air Station plus 400 acres of bay are being cleaned up for endangered California least terns as well as northern harriers, great blue herons, and brown pelicans. And Alameda has derived from its naval legacy a pleasure-boating fanaticism--the island has 3,400 boat slips, second in the nation only to Los Angeles's Marina del Rey.

The unusual combination of proximity, community, recreation, and views is attracting visitors and new residents alike. Perdita Babish, owner of Virgin Bull Home Art Gallery, claims that the island offers the "best of all worlds." Then she adds, "This city is home to the friendliest people."

An outgoing island--how's that for unexpected?

Travel planner

Alameda is 15 miles from San Francisco via the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and 1-880 south. The city is also accessible from San Francisco's Pier 41 and Ferry Building and Oakland's Jack London Square via the Alameda/Oakland Ferry (510/522-3300 or www.eastbayferry.com) or from San Francisco's Ferry Building via Harbor Bay Ferry (769-5500). For more information, contact the Alameda Chamber of Commerce (522-0414 or www.alamedachamber.com) or go to www.visitalameda.com. Area code is 510 unless noted.

Attractions

Alameda Historical Museum. Ohlone relics, historic furniture, photos, and vintage clothing, plus a rotating collection of works by local artists. Closed Mon-Tue; free. 2324 Alameda Ave.; 521-1233 or www.alamedamuseum.org.