Vehicle access to the island is via three bridges to Oakland, a bridge to Bay Farm Island, and two one-way tunnels to Oakland. Public transportation includes the Alameda county transit busses, including express busses to San Francisco, and two ferry serivces-- the Alameda-Oakland Ferry and the Harbor Bay Ferry. The island is also close to the BART train service.
Even though the island is just minutes off interstate highway 880, the speed limit on the island is 25 mph (40 km/h) on almost every road. Many unaware drivers fail to slow down after exiting the highway. Speeding tickets are a significant source of revenue to the city. Groups like Pedestrian Friendly Alameda and BikeAlameda advocate stronger enforcement of speeding laws.
Due to its proximity to the Bay, wind surferss and kite surferss can often be seen along its shores.
One of the recent attractions is the aircraft carrier USS Hornet, a museum ship at the former Naval Air Station. The disused base and local highways were used to film the underground city, and motorcycle chase sequences in The Matrix Reloaded (2003).
Geography
Alameda is located at 37°45'50" North, 122°15'25" West (37.763971, -122.256810)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 59.5 km² (23.0 mi²). 28.0 km² (10.8 mi²) of it is land and 31.5 km² (12.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 52.98% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 72,259 people, 30,226 households, and 17,863 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,583.3/km² (6,693.4/mi²). There are 31,644 housing units at an average density of 1,131.3/km² (2,931.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 56.95% White, 6.21% Black or African American, 0.67% Native American, 26.15% Asian, 0.60% Pacific Islander, 3.29% from other races, and 6.13% from two or more races. 9.31% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 30,226 households out of which 27.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.7% are married couples living together, 11.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 40.9% are non-families. 32.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.35 and the average family size is 3.04.
In the city the population is spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 33.6% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $56,285, and the median income for a family is $68,625. Males have a median income of $49,174 versus $40,165 for females. The per capita income for the city is $30,982. 8.2% of the population and 6.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 11.4% are under the age of 18 and 6.1% are 65 or older.