The city of Oakland is known as the heart of the East Bay section of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a heavily populated and industrialized belt that is home to about half the residents of the San Francisco-Oakland urban area. An important seaport, Oakland is a major business and manufacturing center. Oakland's waterfront is lined with docks as befits this historical transportation and distribution hub. Oakland was among the first ports globally to specialize in the intermodal container operations whose advantages have revolutionized international trade. With its strategic Pacific Rim location, about 75 percent of Oakland's foreign trade is with Asia. Oakland has an ethnically and culturally diverse population, with a majority of African American citizens.

Located on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, Oakland is the eighth largest city in California, with a population of 399,484, according to the 2000 census. While the city is racially and ethnically diverse, African Americans constitute its largest group. Oakland is a major industrial center for the state, and boasts extensive port facilities that serve a growing trade with Asia. The city was originally incorporated in 1854, on land carved out of a Spanish-era land grant. The city's fortunes began to rise in 1869 with its selection as the western port terminus of the first transcontinental railroad.