|
|
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA - USA
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.
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.
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 English 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.
Both city and university have long been famed as a center of activist
politics and radical social ideas. 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.
The city's radical reputation, comfortable weather, and university
atmosphere attracts large population of homeless people who often panhandle
the sidewalks downtown and around Telegraph Avenue, many of whom (like many
homeless) often suffer from mental illness.
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, 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 km˛ (17.7 mi˛). 27.1 km˛ (10.5 mi˛) of it is land and 18.8 km˛ (7.2 mi˛)
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/km˛ (9,823.3/mi˛). There are
46,875 housing units at an average density of 1,730.3/km˛ (4,481.8/mi˛). 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 people living in poverty, 13.4% are under the age of 18 and 7.9% are
65 or older.
Mayors
Shirley Dean, former Mayor of Berkeley (1995–2002)
Tom Bates, current Mayor of Berkeley (2003).
|
|
