Albany Hill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Albany Hill |
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Albany Hill from El Cerrito Plaza BART station
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 338 ft (103 m) NGVD 29 |
| Geography | |
 Albany Hill
Location in California
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| Location | Alameda County, California, U.S. |
| Topo map | USGS Richmond |
Albany Hill is a special hill located right by the San Francisco Bay in the city of Albany, California. It's a noticeable landmark along the eastern shore of the bay.
This hill is mostly made of a type of rock called Jurassic sandstone. This rock traveled a very long way! It was carried to the western edge of North America on a huge Earth plate called the Pacific Plate. Then, it was scraped off there as the plate moved under the continent. Albany Hill is part of a much older group of hills that formed long before the Berkeley Hills we see today.
We don't know the original Ohlone name for Albany Hill. The Fages expedition in 1772 called it "El Cerrito," which means "The Little Hill" in Spanish. Later, the Luís María Peralta family named it Cerrito de San Antonio. This was after their large ranch, Rancho San Antonio. The name changed to Albany Hill after the city of Ocean View became Albany in 1909. The nearby city of El Cerrito was actually named after the hill's original Spanish name.
A Look Back: Albany Hill's Past
Native American Life on the Hill
For a very long time, Native American people used the north side of Albany Hill. We know this because of large mortar stones and old shell piles found there. These are signs of their daily life. The oak trees, a willow grove, and nearby wetlands made this a great place to live seasonally. They could find plenty of food from the land and the Bay.
Dynamite and Explosions
In the late 1800s, a company called Judson Powder Works made dynamite at the base of the hill. They had to move there because of many accidental explosions at their previous locations. The eucalyptus trees you see on the hill today were planted by these dynamite makers. They hoped the trees would catch flying debris and make the explosion sounds quieter. There was even a train stop nearby called Nobel Station, named after the inventor of dynamite.
In 1905, a very large explosion happened. It killed 23 workers and left a huge crater on the north side of the hill. You can still see a dip in the trees there today. After this, dynamite making moved to less populated areas further north. For many years, people also dug rocks from the hill, which changed its shape.
Albany Hill Today: Nature and Community
A Special Place for Nature
Albany Hill is like a small island for nature. It's a large open space, high up, and gets cool winds from the Bay. This makes it a perfect home for plants that usually grow in cooler places. You can find unique plants like Nootka rose and stinging phacelia here.
Native Americans used to burn the land regularly to prevent big fires. The dynamite companies and later the city continued this practice until the 1960s. Because of this, the hill has many native wildflowers and other plants. The oak forest on the cool north side still looks much like it did before Europeans arrived.
The non-native eucalyptus trees on the top of the hill are important too. They attract monarch butterflies that are migrating or spending the winter. Many animals also live here, including hawks, owls, wild turkeys, and deer. Herons, kingfishers, and egrets fish in the nearby creek.
Amazing Views from the Hill
From Albany Hill, you can see amazing sights! You can look out over Albany and Berkeley, including UC Berkeley's Sather Tower. On the other side, you can see the beautiful Bay and San Francisco in the distance. Looking south, you can spot the tall buildings in downtown Oakland and Emeryville. For a long time, people have enjoyed the open space on the hill, playing games and swinging from ropes.
Protecting the Hill
Starting in the early 1900s, and especially in the 1970s, many ideas came up to build on Albany Hill. Some even suggested blasting it away to fill in the Bay! But local people strongly protested these plans. The city eventually hired experts to study how to develop the hill while protecting it. This led to a plan where some tall homes were built in groups, but most of the hill was saved as open space.
In 1994, citizens voted for Measure K, which cut down how much building could happen on the hill. In 1996, voters passed Measure R, which set aside money to buy land on the hill. By 2019, the city had bought about six acres of land. The remaining money is being used to improve the park, following plans made in 1991 and 2012.
Today, almost three-quarters of the hill's open space (about 40 acres) is protected. A public park goes up the north side of the hill from Cerrito Creek. Some large apartment buildings on the west side also keep open spaces as part of their agreements. The city owns parts of the top ridge and northeast slope.
There is still one large piece of open land (about 10.7 acres) that is privately owned. Most people use this land as if it were part of the park. The city's plan for the park includes keeping the top open, protecting butterfly homes, and restoring the hill's natural features.
Fire Safety on the Hill
Because Albany Hill is covered in trees and surrounded by the city, there is a concern about fires. Plans from 1991 and 2012 suggest thinning out eucalyptus trees and controlling brush. This would create a more open, grassy area that could help limit fires. In 2008, a fire started on the west side of the hill. Thanks to recent rains and quick action by fire departments, only a small area burned, and no buildings were harmed.
However, the fire danger might not be as bad as it seems. In the 1980s, a large fire started and moved uphill. While many trees were scorched, no large trees burned down. The fire mostly burned the poison oak close to the ground. The city has increased efforts to control brush and maintain roads to help prevent fires. They also balance this with keeping habitat for birds and monarch butterflies.
Community Efforts
Several volunteer groups help take care of Albany Hill. The Friends of Albany Hill work to increase native plants by removing plants that don't belong there. They also teach people about the hill's history and nature, watch over the monarch butterflies, and improve trails. In the 1990s, they helped the city buy private land on the hill. Friends of Five Creeks has done a lot of work to restore Cerrito and Middle Creeks at the base of the hill. A newer group, TASH (Tending the Ancient Shoreline Hill), started in 2018. They continue to restore the habitat and teach about the environment, holding monthly work parties.
The Lions Club Cross
A 20-foot cross stands near the top of Albany Hill. The Albany Lions Club put up the cross in 1971 on land that was private at the time. The city bought the land in 1973. The Lions Club lights up the cross on holidays like Christmas and Easter, and for other events like the anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
The cross has been part of discussions about whether a Christian symbol should be on public land. In 2016, the city turned off the power to the cross for a few months because of safety concerns with the wiring. In 2018, a judge ruled that the display was not allowed by the Constitution. The judge said the city must either remove the cross or sell the land it stands on.
Protecting the Hill from New Development
In early 2020, a plan was proposed to build 48 large homes on the west side of Albany Hill. These homes would face the Golden Gate. The project would require a lot of digging because of the hill's slope. Many people from the community strongly opposed this project. They felt it would go against public agreements that are over a century old and destroy hundreds of large trees. An online petition called "Save Albany Hill Park" was created to ask the city to stop the project.
