Oakland is a large coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of California. With a population of 436,504 people and 116 associated neighborhoods, Oakland is the eighth largest community in California. Oakland has a large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country.

Housing costs in Oakland are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in California.

Also of interest is that Oakland has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Of important note, Oakland is also a city of artists. Oakland has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Oakland’s character.

A relatively large number of people in Oakland telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 23.43% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

One thing noticeable about Oakland, is that it has a large population of people who are young, single, educated, and upwardly-mobile career starters. That’s because Oakland is full of single people in their 20s and 30s and who have undergraduate or graduate degrees and are starting careers in professional occupations. This makes Oakland a great place for young, educated career starters looking to find many people like themselves, with good opportunities for friendships, socializing, romance, and fun. In fact, Oakland is one of the top larger cities in America for educated single professionals to flock.

One of the nice things about Oakland is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

In Oakland, however, the average commute to work is quite long. On average, people spend 31.26 minutes each day getting to work, which is significantly higher than the national average. One bright side is that local public transit is widely used, so it may be an option to avoid the headache of driving in the heavy traffic by leaving the car at home and taking transit. In addition, the city is also quite pedestrian-friendly, because many neighborhoods are very dense and have amenities close enough together that people find it feasible to get around on foot.

Oakland, like many big cities in America, has a public transportation system, but the citizens of Oakland are lucky because theirs is one of the most extensive and widely used. Many commuters choose to leave their cars at home and instead use the subway to get to and from work. In fact, for some people it is feasible to forgo car ownership entirely, avoiding the cost and headache of driving in heavy traffic. The benefits include reduced air pollution and load on the road network.

Oakland is one of the most well-educated cities in the nation. 47.87% of adults in Oakland have at least a bachelor's degree. Compare that to the average community in America, which has just 21.84% with a bachelor's degree or higher.

The per capita income in Oakland in 2022 was $58,987, which is upper middle income relative to California, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $235,948 for a family of four. However, Oakland contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Oakland is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Oakland home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. People of Hispanic or Latino origin are the most prevalent group in Oakland, accounting for 28.88% of the city’s residents (people of Hispanic or Latino origin can be of any race). The greatest number of Oakland residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Oakland include German, Irish, English, Italian, and European.

Oakland also has a high percentage of its population that was born in another country: 27.07%.

The most common language spoken in Oakland is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.