Fruitvale, Oakland, California

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fruitvale is a neighborhood in eastern Oakland, California, in the United States. It is located about two miles southeast of Lake Merritt and is home to Oakland's largest Latino population. Fruitvale's ZIP code is 94601.

The name (originally Fruit Vale) comes from the many fruit orchards (largely apricot and cherry) which dominated the area in the late 1800s. After the 1906 earthquake, the onslaught of refugees from San Francisco caused a population boom, and the unincorporated neighborhood was annexed into the City of Oakland by 1909.

The Fruitvale shopping district is located along International Boulevard (formerly East 14th Street), from Fruitvale Avenue to 38th Avenue and is one of the major commercial areas of Oakland. The area is home to many Latino businesses and hosts several annual cultural events, including a Cinco de Mayo parade and a Dia De Los Muertos festival.

The Fruitvale BART station is located near the center of the shopping district.

[edit] Jingletown

The subsection of the neighborhood adjacent to the Oakland Estuary is called Jingletown (sometimes pronounced "jingotown" by locals), taking its name from a habit of nearby mill workers, largely males of Portuguese and Azorean background, who would jingle the coins from a week's work in their pockets as they walked to display their prosperity. Formerly a quaint Victorian neighborhood, it is now home to an award-winning affordable housing development and developing art district.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] References

Jingletown is referenced in the song Homecoming (song) by band Green Day from the album American Idiot - the song line is from part five of the song entitled We're Coming Home Again, the line is "We're back in the Barrio, and to you and me that's Jingletown".

[edit] External links

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 37.77751° -122.22577°
  • Street map from Google Maps or MapQuest
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Microsoft Virtual Earth, or WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA

• Unity Council (formerly Spanish Speaking Unity Council) - Community organization.

• Interactive Fruitvale District Map - Oakland Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Oakland Fire Department - Engine Company 13 - Fruitvale District - Unofficial FD Site