The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Oakland, Alameda County, California, United States.

19th century

Part of a series on the
History of California
Periods
Before 1900 Province of Las Californias Alta California California Republic Conquest of California Interim governments California Gold Rush Since 1900
Topics
Maritime Wine Newspapers Bread Railroads Highways Slavery Eugenics Oil
Cities
Anaheim Chico Fresno Los Angeles Oakland Pasadena Piedmont Riverside Sacramento San Bernardino San Diego San Francisco San Jose Santa Barbara Santa Monica Visalia
Regions
Bay Area San Fernando Valley Santa Catalina Island Yosemite
Bibliographies
Bibliography of California history Bibliography of Los Angeles
California portal
v t e

• 1852 – Town of Oakland incorporated.^[1]
• 1854 – Horace Carpentier elected mayor.
• 1855 – Lyceum founded.^[2]
• 1860 – Population: 1,543.
• 1863 – Heald's Business College established.^[3]
• 1864 – Vander Naillen School of Practical Engineering established.^[3]
• 1866 – Police Court established.^[4]
• 1868
  • Oakland Evening Transcript newspaper begins publication.^[5]
  • University of California and Oakland Library Association established.^[2]
  • Oakland Long Wharf bought by Central Pacific Railroad.
• 1869
  • Railway begins operating.^[6]
  • Lake Merritt Wild-Fowl Sanctuary^[6] and Oakland Fire Department established.
  • Oakland Long Wharf becomes the western terminus of the First transcontinental railroad.^[7]
• 1871 – Mills Seminary relocates to Oakland.
• 1872
  • Brooklyn becomes part of Oakland.
  • Theosophical Society Library founded.^[2]
• 1873 – University of California relocates to Berkeley.
• 1875 – Oakland Daily Evening Tribune newspaper in publication.^[5]
• 1878 – Oakland Free Library opens.^[8]
• 1880 – Population: 34,456.^[1]
• 1884 – Horton School established.^[3]
• 1899 – Oakland Conservatory of Music established.^[3]
• 1900 – Population: 66,960.

20th century

• 1904 – Pacific Technical College established.^[3]
• 1906 – April 18: San Francisco earthquake; refugees flee to Oakland.^[6]
• 1907 – California School of Arts and Crafts founded.^[6]
• 1909
  • Samuel Merritt College founded.
  • Moore & Scott Iron Works in business.
• 1910
  • Oakland Public Museum and YMCA open.
  • Population: 150,174.
• 1912 – Oakland School Women's Club^[9] and Children's Hospital founded.
• 1913 – Oakland Yacht Club established.^[6]
• 1914
  • Oakland Technical High School established.
  • Oakland City Hall and Civic Auditorium built.
• 1917 – Joaquin Miller Park established.^[6]
• 1920 – Population: 216,261.
• 1922 – Snow Museum of Natural History opens.
• 1923 – Tribune Tower completed.
• 1924 – Granada Theater opens.^[10]
• 1927
  • Oakland Airport begins operating.
  • Port of Oakland opens.
• 1928
  • Clorox Chemical Company in business.
  • Posey Tube (traffic tunnel) built.^[6]
• 1931 – Paramount Theatre built.
• 1933 – Oakland Symphony active.
• 1936
  • San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opens.
  • Alameda County Courthouse built.^[6]
  • Alameda County Botanical and Zoological Society established.^[11]
• 1937 – Caldecott Tunnel opens.
• 1940 – Population: 302,163.
• 1944 – Oakland Army Base active.
• 1946 – 1946 Oakland General Strike begins on December 3 and ends on December 5.
• 1954 – Oakland Junior College established.
• 1961 – Coliseum Drive-In opens.^[10]
• 1966
  • October: Black Panther Party established.
  • Oakland Coliseum opens.
• 1968 – Athletics baseball team relocates to Oakland.
• 1969 – Oakland Museum opens.
• 1970 – Regional Metropolitan Transportation Commission established.
• 1971 – Your Black Muslim Bakery in business.
• 1972 – 12th Street Oakland City Center (BART station), 19th Street Oakland (BART station), and MacArthur (BART station) open.
• 1973 – Rockridge (BART station) opens.
• 1974 – West Oakland (BART station) opens.
• 1977 – Lionel Wilson becomes mayor.
• 1985 – Alameda County Community Food Bank established.^[12]
• 1988 – Oakland East Bay Symphony established.
• 1989 – October 17: 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
• 1990 – Population: 372,242.^[13]
• 1991 – October 20: Oakland firestorm of 1991.
• 1998 – City website online (approximate date).^{[14][chronology citation needed]}
• 1999 – Jerry Brown becomes mayor.
• 2000 – Allen v. City of Oakland lawsuit filed.

21st century

• 2002 – Taoist Center opens.^[15][16]
• 2003
  • April 7: Anti-war protest.
  • Women of Color Resource Center headquartered in Oakland.^[17][18]
  • Urban Habitat headquartered in Oakland (approximate date).^[19]
• 2004 – Middle Harbor Shoreline Park landscaped.
• 2007
  • East Bay Meditation Center opens.^[16][20]
  • Ron Dellums becomes mayor.
• 2008 – Cathedral of Christ the Light dedicated.
• 2009
  • January 1: BART Police shooting of Oscar Grant.
  • March 21: 2009 shootings of Oakland police officers.
  • Oakland Local begins publication.^[21]
• 2010
  • Ace Monster Toys founded.^[22]
  • Population: city 390,724; metro 4,335,391.^[23]
• 2011
  • October 10: Occupy Oakland begins.
  • Jean Quan becomes mayor.
  • Sudoroom established.^[24]
• 2012
  • April 2: 2012 Oikos University shooting.
  • Oakland Wiki begins publication.^[25]
• 2014 – Oakland Police Beat begins publication.^[26]
• 2016
  • 2016 Oakland warehouse fire