Neighborhood History
The area we now know as the San Antonio neighborhood started as an unincorporated area of Oakland. Here, in the mid 1800s old-growth redwoods were hauled to San Antonio Creek at the end of 13th Avenue to supply building materials across the bay to San Francisco. The districts in the area were annexed by Oakland in 1872 and called the Brooklyn-San Antonio. Throughout the 1920s the neighborhood thrived as a promising suburban community.
But after World War II, the San Antonio neighborhood was cut off from the rest of Oakland with the construction of the MacArthur and Nimitz freeways. During this time, middle-class white families moved to outlaying areas, creating housing opportunities for African Americans, who had not been allowed to purchase homes in the area before the war. Since the construction of the freeways in the 1950s, the neighborhood has suffered isolation that has made it difficult for it to thrive economically, politically and socially. With the influx of Asian and Latino immigrants since the 1070s, the demographic make-up of the neighborhood has changed. Now San Antonio is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Oakland with 35 percent Latinos (of any race), 36 percent Asians, 18 percent African Americans, and 20 percent whites. It remains a primary gateway for immigrants from Asia and Latin America wanting to make a home in the Bay Area.
After suffering decades of economic hardship, the San Antonio is trying to revitalize and they have garnered support from the City of Oakland, Alameda County and nonprofit organizations, including the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which has funded a neighborhood collaborative. This collaborative aims to bring residents and grass roots organizations together to improve safety, access to health and education, and community networks in the neighborhood.