Oakland Attractions

The construction of piers and a ship-canal confirmed the important role which Oakland was to play as a traffic junction.

Economy

After the devastating earthquake of 1906 which left Oakland relatively unscathed, the town received such an influx of people from San Francisco that its population doubled between 1900 and 1910. In the twenties industry gained a foothold and larger office buildings appeared. The Second World War brought additional changes: the port facilities were improved, and in the fifties Oakland, more farseeing than San Francisco in that respect, was reorganized to take container freight traffic and soon overtook San Francisco to become the biggest container port on the west coast. This, in turn, resulted in more than 1,000 road-transport companies setting up their headquarters in Oakland.