Bay Farm Island, Alameda, California facts for kids
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Nickname: Asparagus Island
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Aerial view of Bay Farm Island in October 2020
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 Bay Farm Island
Location in San Francisco Bay Area
Bay Farm Island
Location in California
Bay Farm Island
Location in the United States
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| Geography | |
| Location | Northern California |
| Coordinates | 37°44′13″N 122°14′06″W / 37.737°N 122.235°W |
| Adjacent bodies of water | San Leandro Bay |
| Total islands | 1 |
| Administration | |
| State |  California |
| County | Alameda |
| City | Alameda |
Bay Farm Island is a district of the city of Alameda, California, though it is separated from the rest of the city on Alameda Island by an estuary of San Leandro Bay. Its ZIP code is 94502. The location was originally an island in San Francisco Bay, but due to land reclamation it has become a peninsula and is now connected to the mainland of Oakland and Oakland International Airport. Marshes and other areas of the island were also reclaimed.
Prior to 20th century development, Bay Farm Island was farmland with asparagus being the principal crop, thus it was also formerly known as Asparagus Island. In addition, the area was the site of large oyster beds which regularly supplied restaurants in nearby San Francisco.
Today, Bay Farm is home to the 36-hole Chuck Corica Golf Complex, office and retail complexes, and several housing developments. There is a chain of lagoons as well as several community parks including Shoreline Park, which offers stunning views of the San Francisco skyline and the surrounding bay. Four elementary schools serve the island: Bay Farm Elementary, Chinese Christian School, Coastline Christian School, and Amelia Earhart Elementary. Bay Farm was the home of the headquarters of the Oakland Raiders when the team was in Oakland from 1995 until 2020.
A greenbelt is also present which encompasses the perimeter of the peninsula.
Harbor Bay Isle
The largest development on Bay Farm Island is named "Harbor Bay Isle", generally bounded to the north and east portion of the island by Island Drive and Mecartney Drive. Harbor Bay Isle has twenty homeowner's associations covering each of the residential subdivisions and the Harbor Bay business park. Harbor Bay Isle excludes the three southern townhome developments, Islandia, Casitas, and Garden Isle, as well as the single-family homes to the east of Island Drive. Much of the development is built on reclaimed land
Public transit
AC Transit provides local bus service in addition to express commuter "Transbay" service to the Transbay Terminal in Downtown San Francisco. In the weekday mornings and afternoons there are student only bus rides from neighborhoods on Bay Farm Island to various local schools.
In addition, the Harbor Bay Ferry provides commuter (rush hour) service to the San Francisco Ferry Building.
Notable residents
- Chris Isaak, recording artist
- David Segui, former MLB first baseman
- Jim Otto, former center for Oakland Raiders
- Stan Bunger, radio broadcast journalist
Images for kids
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Harbor Bay business park
