Oakland is the 8th largest city in California, the population is 390,000. It is located on the east side of the bay, about 8 miles from San Francisco. In the 1852 the town of Oakland was incorporated by the California legislature.

Oakland was the source of the oak and redwood trees that were logged mainly to build homes in San Francisco. In 1860 the Transcontinental Railroad made Oakland its western terminus. Oakland grew and thrived on its ports, shipyards, and the automobile industry. In 1916 General Motors opened a major Chevrolet assembly factory in east Oakland, making cars and trucks until 1963. Chrysler opened a plant in 1929 causing Oakland to become known as "Detroit of the West".