You don't have to be a local to correctly guess the origin of Oakland's name: in the 19th century, the land that made up most of present-day O-Town was called encinal—Spanish for “oak grove” or “oakland”—in honor of the oak forests that grew there.
What's not-so-obvious is the source of inspiration behind the names of the city's various neighborhoods. Fruitvale (originally Fruit Vale and formerly Brays), for instance, is currently home to the largest Hispanic population in the city. Fleets of food trucks and businesses now decorate the streets of this East Oakland neighborhood, but the area was once lined with apricot and cherry trees during the late 19th century, when German settlers immigrated there to plant fruit orchards.
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| PHOTO: LOCALWIKI
Over in West Oakland, there's still ongoing dispute about how Dogtown got its name. Most sources believe the moniker refers back to the dogs that once guarded the junkyards in the neighborhood. A Wikipedia entry seems to confirm this notion, writing that "Oakland Police officers coined the phrase due to a large population of stray dogs dating from the early 1980s."
LocalWiki, however, offers a third explanation. According to the website, Oakland native Donnell Stevens believes that the name "Dogtown" is a shorted version of the term "dogtown time," which was used in the 1960s to refer to the period around dinner when families would let out their pets out to prevent them from begging for scraps. Stevens, who played basketball in the neighborhood, knew it was time to eat whenever dogs began to roam the streets.
Map of Ghost Town (Ghosttown). | PHOTO: OPENSTREETMAP CONTRIBUTORS
West Oakland is also home to Ghost Town (Ghosttown), located West of Telegraph and East of San Pablo. Like Dogtown, there are many explanations behind the Ghost Town's eerie name: some people believe it refers back to the presence of "ghostly" white people in an historically black neighborhood, while other believe Ghost Town is named after two casket companies, which were located on Filbert Street between 30th and 32nd
What's not-so-obvious is the source of inspiration behind the names of the city's various neighborhoods. Fruitvale (originally Fruit Vale and formerly Brays), for instance, is currently home to the largest Hispanic population in the city. Fleets of food trucks and businesses now decorate the streets of this East Oakland neighborhood, but the area was once lined with apricot and cherry trees during the late 19th century, when German settlers immigrated there to plant fruit orchards.
International …show more content…
| PHOTO: LOCALWIKI
Over in West Oakland, there's still ongoing dispute about how Dogtown got its name. Most sources believe the moniker refers back to the dogs that once guarded the junkyards in the neighborhood. A Wikipedia entry seems to confirm this notion, writing that "Oakland Police officers coined the phrase due to a large population of stray dogs dating from the early 1980s."
LocalWiki, however, offers a third explanation. According to the website, Oakland native Donnell Stevens believes that the name "Dogtown" is a shorted version of the term "dogtown time," which was used in the 1960s to refer to the period around dinner when families would let out their pets out to prevent them from begging for scraps. Stevens, who played basketball in the neighborhood, knew it was time to eat whenever dogs began to roam the streets.
Map of Ghost Town (Ghosttown). | PHOTO: OPENSTREETMAP CONTRIBUTORS
West Oakland is also home to Ghost Town (Ghosttown), located West of Telegraph and East of San Pablo. Like Dogtown, there are many explanations behind the Ghost Town's eerie name: some people believe it refers back to the presence of "ghostly" white people in an historically black neighborhood, while other believe Ghost Town is named after two casket companies, which were located on Filbert Street between 30th and 32nd