Treasure Island, California

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Treasure Island is an artificial island in the San Francisco Bay between San Francisco and Oakland. It is connected by a small isthmus to Yerba Buena Island, a naturally formed island. It was created in 1939 for the "Golden Gate International Exposition" by dredging up dirt from the bay. According to the United States Census Bureau, Yerba Buena Island and Treasure Island together have a land area of 2.334 km² (0.901 sq mi) with a total population of 1,453 as of the 2000 census.

Treasure Island is wholly within the City and County of San Francisco, whose territory extends far into San Francisco Bay and to the tip of the island of Alameda, California.

The island has a raised walkway which circumnavigates almost its entire bulk, which is popular for recreation. Sea lions can be observed in the water from the shoreline, and construction of the new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge can be observed from the eastern part of the island.

The island has no gas station, and is served by a single bus, the San Francisco Municipal Railway 108. It has a job training center, is also home to low-income San Franciscans and many college students who attend school downtown.

Aerial photo of Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island.

1 History
2 Treasure Island as a film location
3 Future development
4 Threats and contaminants
5 Living on Treasure Island
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

[edit] History

After the World's Fair 1939–40 exhibition, the island was scheduled to be used as an airport when the Navy stepped in and offered to exchange Mills Field on the San Francisco Peninsula near the city of Millbrae for the island. The City and County of San Francisco accepted the swap and the airport was built at Mills Field.

During World War II Treasure Island became part of the Treasure Island Naval Base, where it served largely as an electronics and radio communications training school, and as the major Navy departure point for sailors active in the Pacific theatre of the war.

In 1996 Treasure Island and the Presidio Army Base were decommissioned and opened to public control, under stipulations. Treasure Island is now part of District 6 of the City and County of San Francisco, though it continues to be owned by the Navy.

The Administration Building, a Streamline Moderne-styled remnant of that World's Fair, is one of the few buildings remaining from the exposition. Today it serves largely as offices for The Villages, a private apartment-rental agency. The former housing for officers and their families is rented out to the general public, pending redevelopment and reconstruction of buildings on the island slated for 2008.

A substantial part of the island is undergoing environmental cleanup by the federal government.

[edit] Treasure Island as a film location

In the 1990's and 2000's, Treasure Island's old aircraft hangars served as sound stages used in film and television productions. In 1988, Treasure Island stood in for the Berlin airport in Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Numerous pictures starring Robin Williams were filmed on the island, including Flubber, What Dreams May Come, Patch Adams and Bicentennial Man. Sigourney Weaver's character in the thriller Copycat lived in an impressive private compound on the island. For three years it served as the site of Comedy Central's Battlebots television show. The offices in Nash Bridges were located on the island during the show's production (1996–2001). Treasure Island served as the stage location for the "bullet time" visual effect sequences in The Matrix. The island last held the set for the movie version of Rent in 2005.

[edit] Future development

In 2005, one of the largest developers of the United States, Lennar Corporation, proposed to build a self-sustaining city on Treasure Island. According to the San Francisco Chronicle^[1], the proposal has 5,500 units of housing in several lowrise buildings, a few high-rise buildings (including a 60-story tower), restaurants and a ferry terminal facing San Francisco. It also has an organic farm, a wind farm, parkland and tidal marshes. The proposal is designed to be as car-independent as possible, with the ferry terminal and basic goods within a 10 minute walk of the residences. A toll of $5 has been proposed on the island also to deter people from driving in and out of the island as well. This is a change from the original plan which was more car-dependent and had only one highrise tower.^[2]

[edit] Threats and contaminants

Since the Naval Air Station closed in 1997 they have since opened it up to residential use but the groundwater and air are contaminated with asbestos, plutonium, radium and other elements which are known to cause cancer and other illnesses. These facts are well-documented on EPA sites as well as an article by Ron Russell on SF Weekly called "Toxic Acres." [1]

[edit] Living on Treasure Island

Treasure Island was opened to the public only recently, and even some lifelong residents of San Francisco are surprised to hear that people actually live there. Living on Treasure Island has its advantages and drawbacks, and the decision to live there is largely dependent on one's professional and financial situation.

The biggest draw to Treasure Island is cheap rent and free utilities (the Navy pays them), with a 4 bedroom / 2.5 bath condo going for about $2600 - comparable homes in other San Francisco neighborhoods can go for 2 - 4 times as much. The second advantage of living on Treasure Island (especially if you live on certain parts of Gateview Avenue) are the phenomenal views, which are quite possibly the best in the city. From the homes and jogging path on the west side of the island, you can see the San Francisco skyline, Bay Bridge, and Golden Gate Bridge. Parking is also abundant.

The price of these amenities is the great inconvenience of living on Treasure Island. The island is devoid of supermarkets, restaurants, bars and just about everything else. There is a convenience store on 9th Street but it sells little more than candy and soda, and is known to be closed at arbitrary times. The 108 bus runs every 15 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on weekends, and the ride to downtown is about 15 minutes. A taxi ride to Treasure Island runs at least $20 from most locations in San Francisco. Some of the housing on Treasure Island is very old and in bad need of renovation.