Alameda County is a county occupying most of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of 2000 it had a population of 1,443,741, making it the 7th largest county in the state. The county seat is the city of Oakland.

The county was formed in1853 from a large portion of Contra Costa County and a smaller portion of Santa Clara County.

The word 'alameda' means 'a place where poplar trees grow', a name which originally was given to the Arroyo de la Alameda (Poplar Grove Creek). The willow and sycamore trees along the banks of the river reminded the early explorers of a road lined with trees, also known as an 'alameda'.

Much of what is now considered an intensively urban region was developed as a trolley car suburb of San Francisco in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,443,741 people, 523,366 households, and 339,141 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,957 people per square mile (756/km²). There were 540,183 housing units at an average density of 732 per square mile (283/km²).

County Website: http://www.acgov.org/
Fairgrounds: http://www.alamedacountyfair.com/
Short film about Alameda (1958): http://www.archive.org/details/Californ1958
School Districts: http://www.alameda-coe.k12.ca.us/acoe/Home/Districts-Schools/List