Alameda County

Understand

What the locals call "the East Bay" is really two fairly distinct regions separated by the East Bay hills, the crest of the Berkeley Hills continuing into the Oakland Hills and the Pleasanton Ridge. In the inner East Bay west of the hills, the cities of Berkeley, Oakland, San Leandro and Hayward rise from the edge of the San Francisco Bay up the western face of the foothills. The climate tends to be temperate, the culture diverse, the transit frequent, and the traffic horrendous. In the outer East Bay on the eastern side of the hills, the towns of Walnut Creek, Pleasanton and Livermore lie in the area known as the Tri-Valley region (named for the Livermore, San Ramon and Amador valleys). The climate here is more like that of the San Joaquin Valley, with foggy winters and scorching summers. The population is more homogeneous, but the traffic is still pretty awful in some places and during the rush hour. Originally, when the small towns of the Tri-Valley area began to grow into suburbs in the 1970s, many people commuted over the hills to work in the South Bay, the Peninsula or the City. Today, many large corporations have offices in the Tri-Valley area, and the suburbs of Pleasanton and Walnut Creek are growing into small cities. The historical change in the East Bay has been from Native American tribal lands to Spanish, then Mexican ranches; then to farms, ranches, and orchards; then multiple city centers and suburbs. In general, the more urban an area is, the less obvious this progression is, and the more you have to dig to find it. Contra Costa County is divided into three parts simply referred to as: "West County" near Richmond, "Central County" for the booming area near Walnut Creek, Concord, and Mount Diablo, "East County" for the area near the Delta which includes Antioch or Brentwood. Though pro sports have seen a dramatic exit from the area, the East Bay has two NCAA Division I sports programs:

The California Golden Bears field teams in 30 sports. Through th

Getting there

By plane The only major airport in the East Bay is Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK IATA) in Oakland. San Francisco International Airport (SFO IATA) across the Bay and San Jose's San Jose International Airport (SJC IATA) in the South Bay are the other major airports in the area.

By car Bridges connect the East Bay with Marin County, San Francisco, and the Peninsula. Also, the I-580 connects the Central Valley with the East Bay via Altamont Pass in the east.

By public transportation BART connects the East Bay with San Francisco, and Amtrak serves this region as well. Bus service, provided by Golden Gate Transit, is useful for entering the region from the North Bay; buses from Marin County stop Richmond and El Cerrito with connections to BART.

Getting around

By car Due to the population exodus from "The City" (due to $$$ high prices and low bang for the buck) and the movement of some families from the west side of the hills, the eastern portion of the East Bay is growing very rapidly and the traffic has gotten worse over the years. There are several freeways in the East Bay, including the I-80, I-580, I-680, and the I-880. However, the large number of commuters from Stockton, Tracy, the Tri-Valley, and the Fremont area to Silicon Valley can mean that southbound traffic is poor in the weekday mornings and northbound traffic is poor during late afternoons and evenings.

By public transportation BART lines in the East Bay radiate out from Oakland after crossing the Bay from San Francisco; this means they're very useful for getting around the cities along the bay, but their convenience starts to decrease when you go east of the Oakland hills. AC Transit bus service is useful for getting around the dense urban parts of the East Bay west of the hills (Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda), but doesn't have much service in the eastern part of the region, where a handful of other transit agencies operate instead: Tri Delta Transit in the northeast, Wheels in the south, and County Connection somewhere in the middle.

See

The local scenery consists of some rolling peaks, higher mountains, and wooded regions in the west. Mount Diablo sticks out like a sore thumb toward the north; in the south, generally the mountains are parts of ridges, so they do not stand out so much. The picture on the right is a fairly good example of countryside on the southern side of the East Bay. The urban areas in the west of the East Bay can be gritty, but there are some quality museums, interesting cityscapes, and vibrant arts scenes. UC Berkeley is a highlight.

Itineraries East Shore Trail Iron Horse Trail Ohlone Wilderness Trail

Do

The East Bay Regional Park District maintains 65 parks across the East Bay, ranging from easy access picnic areas to off-limits wildlife sanctuaries. More than a dozen campsites range from "family camping" to backpack areas. Berkeley and Oakland have frequent events, and the outer parts of the region have some as well, like the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton.

Travel topics Hiking in the East Bay

Buy

There are many malls and shopping centers in the East Bay. Sunvalley Mall (Concord), Stoneridge Mall (Pleasanton), Bay Fair Mall (San Leandro), Newpark Mall (Newark), and Southland Mall (Hayward) are some of the largest.

Go next

North Bay – not as densely populated as other parts of the Bay Area, but home to wine country and natural scenery. South Bay – this is where San Jose and Santa Clara can be found, and is known for being a major center of technology. The Peninsula – a suburban region on the west side of the San Francisco Bay and is a peninsula that goes from the South Bay to the Golden Gate.