ne of the three major shipping ports on the west coast, Oakland is the fourth busiest container port in the nation today. The city is home to Fortune 500 companies Clorox and Golden West Financial. The yearly median income of households in 2005 was $44,124. White non-Hispanic householders typically out earn all other races -- $57,399 annually in 2000 compared with just $31,184 for African-American householders. PoverOakland, California can be described as an ethnically diverse community with high crime and clean air. Here are some things to consider if you are heading to Oakland.

Oakland is linked to the city of San Francisco by the Bay Bridge. Located in west central California, Oakland serves as the county of seat of Alameda County. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with over 395,000 residents, according to U.S. Census estimates in 2005. A densely populated area with 7,126 people per square mile, the citizenry has decreased since 2000. The population has been at a near standstill since the 1990 census. Oakland is part of the fifth most populated metro area in the U.S. with over seven million people. The average age of city residents is 35 years. Of the population, 33% were African-American or African American; 25% Hispanic; 24% White non-Hispanic, and 17% Asian. Oakland has a growing Hispanic community and a African-American population in decline. A high percentage (28%) of people living in Oakland are foreign born. Among its residents, 40% speak a language other than English at home. Oakland’s school district has suffered financial and administrative failures since the state stepped in back in 2002. As recently as 2005, only 20 percent of students were deemed "proficient" in English. However, among residents 25 and older, 34 percent hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Heading to Oakland to find work and you’ll discover job growth has been nearly zero. Between 2000-2005, the U.S. Labor Department found a 0.96% increase in employment. Oakland had attracted a large blue-collar work force beginning with the shipbuilding era of World War I. As one of the three major shipping ports on the west coast, Oakland is the fourth busiest container port in the nation today. The city is home to Fortune 500 companies Clorox and Golden West Financial. The yearly median income of households in 2005 was $44,124. White non-Hispanic householders typically out earn all other races -- $57,399 annually in 2000 compared with just $31,184 for African-American householders. Pover

Census estimates in 2005. A densely populated area with 7,126 people per square mile, the citizenry has decreased since 2000. The population has been at a near standstill since the 1990 census. Oakland is part of the fifth most populated metro area in the U.S. with over seven million people. The average age of city residents is 35 years. Of the population, 33% were African-American or African American; 25% Hispanic; 24% White non-Hispanic, and 17% Asian. Oakland has a growing Hispanic community and a African-American population in decline. A high percentage (28%) of people living in Oakland are foreign born. Among its residents, 40% speak a language other than English at home. Oakland’s school district has suffered financial and administrative failures since the state stepped in back in 2002. As recently as 2005, only 20 percent of students were deemed "proficient" in English. However, among residents 25 and older, 34 percent hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Heading to Oakland to find work and you’ll discover job growth has been nearly zero. Between 2000-2005, the U.S. Labor Department found a 0.96% increase in employment. Oakland had attracted a large blue-collar work force beginning with the shipbuilding era of World War I. As one of the three major shipping ports on the west coast, Oakland is the fourth busiest container port in the nation today. The city is home to Fortune 500 companies Clorox and Golden West Financial. The yearly median income of households in 2005 was $44,124. White non-Hispanic householders typically out earn all other races -- $57,399 annually in 2000 compared with just $31,184 for African-American householders. Pover

24% White non-Hispanic, and 17% Asian. Oakland has a growing Hispanic community and a African-American population in decline. A high percentage (28%) of people living in Oakland are foreign born. Among its residents, 40% speak a language other than English at home. Oakland’s school district has suffered financial and administrative failures since the state stepped in back in 2002. As recently as 2005, only 20 percent of students were deemed "proficient" in English. However, among residents 25 and older, 34 percent hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Heading to Oakland to find work and you’ll discover job growth has been nearly zero. Between 2000-2005, the U.S. Labor Department found a 0.96% increase in employment. Oakland had attracted a large blue-collar work force beginning with the shipbuilding era of World War I. As one of the three major shipping ports on the west coast, Oakland is the fourth busiest container port in the nation today. The city is home to Fortune 500 companies Clorox and Golden West Financial. The yearly median income of households in 2005 was $44,124. White non-Hispanic householders typically out earn all other races -- $57,399 annually in 2000 compared with just $31,184 for African-American householders. Pover

t of students were deemed "proficient" in English. However, among residents 25 and older, 34 percent hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Heading to Oakland to find work and you’ll discover job growth has been nearly zero. Between 2000-2005, the U.S. Labor Department found a 0.96% increase in employment. Oakland had attracted a large blue-collar work force beginning with the shipbuilding era of World War I. As one of the three major shipping ports on the west coast, Oakland is the fourth busiest container port in the nation today. The city is home to Fortune 500 companies Clorox and Golden West Financial. The yearly median income of households in 2005 was $44,124. White non-Hispanic householders typically out earn all other races -- $57,399 annually in 2000 compared with just $31,184 for African-American householders. Pover

ne of the three major shipping ports on the west coast, Oakland is the fourth busiest container port in the nation today. The city is home to Fortune 500 companies Clorox and Golden West Financial. The yearly median income of households in 2005 was $44,124. White non-Hispanic householders typically out earn all other races -- $57,399 annually in 2000 compared with just $31,184 for African-American householders. Poverty levels have historically been above the national average in Oakland. The percentages of minorities living in poverty are more than double that of White non-Hispanic citizens.

Despite the aging appearance of Oakland’s housing, property values continue to surge. Dwellings built between 1990 and 2005 accounted for just eight percent of all housing. Median home values have soared since the advent of the California housing shortage. The average home in Oakland valued at $235,500 in 2000. Census figures in 2005 put that number at $487,300. The median monthly housing costs for mortgaged owners was $1,999, non-mortgaged owners paid $396, and renters $889. Of the total housing units, just over half were in apartments and duplexes. With public transportation in the top 1% of the state, 62% of city workers drove to work alone in 2005. The average commute time to work is 26.9 minutes.

There is an upside and downside to the quality of life for someone heading to Oakland. Oakland is the eighth most dangerous city in the country, according to Morgan Quitno crime rankings in 2006. The number of murders in the city went from 94 in 2005 to 148 a year later, an increase of 57%. The area of the city known as ‘the flatlands’ has seen a majority of violent crime. On the upside, residents enjoy an average of 91.8% days of good air yearly. Some of the more favorable locations in the nation have clean air about 75% of the year. The city's climate is likened to that of arid Mediterranean, warmer than San Francisco but cooler than San Jose. The city is cooled by maritime fog in the summer, while remaining typically sunny. January temperatures range on average from