Elmhurst, Oakland, California

Elmhurst is a residential neighborhood in the southernmost part of Oakland, California. Originally a separate town, it was annexed by Oakland in 1909, and today is considered part of East Oakland. It lies at an elevation of 39 feet (12 m).

History

Elmhurst began in 1865, when a railroad station was constructed by the San Francisco and Alameda Railroad.[1] Originally named "Jones", the station was renamed "Elmhurst" in 1869.[1] The town's first post office was established in 1892.[1] The town of Elmhurst was primarily an agricultural community. After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, East Bay communities grew in population, and the City of Oakland annexed several surrounding communities in 1909, including Elmhurst. The neighborhood grew into a manufacturing center in the years that followed, with automobile manufacturing playing a significant role.[2] Chevrolet opened an auto assembly plant in Elmhurst in 1915, called Oakland Assembly which shut down in the 1960s.

Elmhurst was the site of one of the large carbarns for the Key System's streetcars, the Elmhurst Carhouse.

Although it was historically a white working-class neighborhood, it became predominantly Black after World War II, and today, Latinos now form about half of Elmhurst's population.

See also

References
  1. California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State
  2. Elmhurst Branch: Changing with the Neighborhood Archived 2009-05-05 at the Wayback Machine - Friends of the Oakland Public Library


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