Alameda History

city_of_alameda_seal

City Seal

The official city seal was designed by William V. Gray who earned $11. Adopted in 1885, It features Ceres, the goddess of grain and harvests, and a Latin inscription. “Prosperitus terra mari que,” which translates “prosperity from land and sea.”

Today’s Island City began life as a peninsula. The first inhabitants were Native Americans who left several shellmounds; Mound Street recalls the largest. The peninsula was part of a land grant from the King of Spain to Don Luis Maria Peralta. The Don’s son Antonio Maria sold the peninsula to William Worthington Chipman and Gideon Aughinbaugh. The pair established the town of Alameda on June 6, 1853 on the East End and named it Alameda. Peach Street recalls one of the pair’s enterprises: a large peach orchard that signaled the beginning of the area's development.

Two other settlements sprung up: Encinal in the center of the peninsula and Woodstock on the West End. March 7, 1872, Gov. Newton Booth approved “An act to incorporate the town of Alameda.” Twelve years later on December 27, 1884, the City of Alameda was formally organized and on January 18, 1885, the Official Seal was approved and adopted. Its Latin inscription “Prosperitas terra mari que,” freely translates as “Prosperity from the Land and Sea”.

new-alameda The Island of Alameda was created in 1902 when a tidal canal, today’s Oakland Estuary, joined Oakland’s harbor with San Leandro Bay.

Alameda is a charter city—one of 82 among the state’s 444 cities—and has the power to make and enforce ordinances and regulations in respect to its municipal affairs subject only to restrictions and limitations provided in its charter In 1917, Alameda along with six other California Cities, pioneered the council-manager form of government. The system proved so effective that virtually all California cities have since adopted this form of government. In 1937 the City adopted its present charter, which was last revised and updated in 1998. It also created Alameda’s Civil Service System.

afuture Today, Alameda’s elected officials, City staff, volunteer boards and commissions and special committees work together to preserve and enhance the quality of life Alamedans have enjoyed for more than a century.

Resplendent Victorian homes grace shady tree-lined streets that cover the island’s 12.4 square miles. An invigorating climate, manicured parks, historical business districts and numerous recreational opportunities offer Alamedans a special place to live.