Temescal, Oakland, California
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Temescal | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 37°50′14″N 122°15′44″W / 37.837222°N 122.262222°W | |
Country | United States |
State | California |
County | Alameda |
City | Oakland |
Temescal is one of the oldest
History
Temescal was originally a separate unincorporated village that had built up around the estate of
A post office opened in North Temescal in 1877; the name was changed to Alden in 1899.[3] The name commemorated S.E. Alden, farmer and landowner.[4] In 1908, the Alden post office was designated as Station E of the Oakland post office.[4][5][6]
In 1897, the residents of Temescal voted to join the City of Oakland in an effort to gain access to higher quality public schools and police services.[1][7] At the time that the City of Oakland annexed Temescal, Temescal was considered to consist of all land north of 36th Street (the northern bound of the City of Oakland at the time) between the Emeryville city limit to the west and Broadway to the east.[1]
Temescal has long been an important junction of several principal thoroughfares: Telegraph, Claremont, and Shattuck Avenues, and 51st Street.
The earliest telegraph wire from Oakland to Sacramento went through the area, up Claremont Avenue and over the hills at Claremont Canyon. Temescal was the site of agriculture, cattle grazing and greenhouses when, in the 1890s, an opera house was built in parkland north of the creek crossing at 51st street. The area grew and was developed into
Until the early 20th century, a wide wooden bridge spanned Temescal Creek, carrying both road (Telegraph Avenue) and railroad tracks.
The
Geography
The neighborhood's boundaries have changed substantially over time and have often been considered different by different groups of people.[1] The modern neighborhood's western bound is generally considered to be the Grove-Shafter Freeway (State Route 24),[1][7] due to the visual divide of the elevated freeway. However, some consider Martin Luther King Jr. Way[1][7] to be the western border. The eastern bound is generally considered to be Broadway. The northern bound historically is considered to end at Alcatraz Avenue & Shattuck (at the South Berkeley border),[1] and the southern bound to be either 36th[1] or 40th Street.[1][7]
Demographics
Temescal is primarily a residential neighborhood. Most of the houses in Temescal are early twentieth century bungalows along tree-lined streets. There are also many multi-family homes and mid-size apartment complexes interspersed throughout the neighborhood.
Temescal was an
Crime
Also see overview of crime in Oakland, California.
Temescal experiences crime as other neighborhoods in Oakland do.
On April 2, 2023, there was a shooting in the 4900 block of Telegraph Avenue that left one person injured.[8]
Arts and culture
The commercial heart of Temescal is Telegraph Avenue, between the MacArthur BART Station and 51st Street. This area is known locally as the home to popular restaurants including North Light.[9]
Another commercial zone runs along 40th Street, between Broadway and Telegraph. This area includes a mixture of food service and retail.
There are many Ethiopian restaurants here, especially on Telegraph north of 51st Street. There are also many Korean establishments along Telegraph Avenue. Temescal Farmers' Market, begun in 2006, is held on Sundays in the parking lot of the Department of Motor Vehicles facility on Claremont Ave.[10]
Studio One, located on 45th Street, is home to art classes and workshops. Counter Culture Labs is a public laboratory and hackerspace located in the Temescal neighborhood. Royal Nonesuch Gallery is an artist run art and event space located on Telegraph and 43rd. Temescal Pool, located next door, is open to the public. The neighborhood is also home to several public and private schools, including Park Day School and the architectural landmark Oakland Technical High School on Broadway.
Oakland Tool Lending Library
Temescal is home to one of the few tool-lending libraries in the Bay Area—indeed, in the U.S. (The Berkeley Public Library also has a tool-lending library at their nearby South Branch.) The Temescal branch of the Oakland Public Library operates this facility, which lends tools, free of charge, to library patrons for repairs and home-improvement projects. The Tool Lending Library also has instructional materials (books, videos, etc.) and gives "how-to" workshops.[11]
See also
- Temescal Street Cinema
- Bus rapid transit
- MacArthur (BART)
- Oakland Technical High School
- Oakland International High School
- Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, California
- Rockridge, Oakland, California
- Idora Park
- Lake Temescal
References
Media related to Temescal, Oakland, California at Wikimedia Commons
- ^ ISBN 9780977889303.
- ^ Nahuatl Dictionary
- ^ "Alden instead of Temescal". San Francisco Call. Vol. 85, no. 46. January 15, 1899. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
- ^ ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Station E Post OfficeThe location indicated by the GNIS coordinates for the former Alden post office is now in the shopping village in the neighborhood of Montclair, Oakland, California, which is the current location of the Station E post office. A July 8, 1916 San Francisco Call newspaper article states that the Station E post office was at 49th St. and Telegraph Avenue for 30 years.
- San Francisco Call. Vol. 103, no. 62. January 31, 1908. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "East Bay: Temescal". SFGate. SF Chronicle. 27 October 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
- ^ "Oakland shooting leaves one injured". KRON4. 2023-04-02. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
- ^ "North Light shines with a revamped brunch menu". Retrieved 2019-11-22.
- ^ "Temescal Farmers' Market, Oakland". KQED. August 22, 2006. Archived from the original on October 12, 2006.
- ^ "Oakland Tool Lending Library". oaklandlibrary.org. Retrieved 20 February 2023.