Once known as the counter-culture center of the 60s, Berkeley is a vibrant city on the
eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, Alameda County, north of California. As the site
of the world-renowned University of California, Berkeley, the city has come to be famed
around the globe as a hotbed of academic achievement, scientific exploration, free
speech and the arts. Having evolved into a culinary wonder and ecocultural tourist spot,
Berkeley takes pride in the dynamic city that is has become and as its official website
says “whether you just arrived from Albany or Azerbaijan, you are welcome here.”
History
What is now City of Berkeley was once the territorial homeland of Ohlone or Costanoan
American Indians. They were the inhabitants of the place when the first European
explorers arrived.
Apparently there is a document at the now University of California that tells of a story
of a group of College of California (now University of Berkeley) men who watched two
ships standing out to sea through the Golden Gate. One of those boys named Frederick
Billings, somehow thought of the lines of the ‘westward the course of empire takes
its way,’ uttered by the Anglo-Irish Philosopher Bishop George Berkeley. It was then
suggested that the town and college site be named after the poet philosopher. And so
the place was named Berkeley, and the rest is history. The area where they stood then
is now known as Founders’ Rock.
When the great earthquake that struck San Francisco in 1906 occurred, Berkeley
was among those which sustained only little the damage and as a result became the
destination of many refugees. It was around this time that a referendum was held
proposing the transfer of the state capital to the city which was narrowly defeated, but
has since then not forgotten by its citizens. When the Great Depression happened,
Berkeley was hit hard. But thanks to the economic activity spurred by the University, the
city survived and recovered.
Arts
Berkeley’s long history of counter-culture, starting from the civil rights, hippie era has
planted an artistic gene into the psyche of the city. Both visitors and locals witness
the city’s creative scene flourish in it. From performing and visual arts to the culinary,
Berkeley’s art scene has simply gone crazy. The Downtown Arts District is heading the
rejuvenation of the city’s downtown from being a commercial ghetto to a vibrant arts and
entertainment center. The theatrical and cultural scenes showcases the arts citywide
and year-round.
Food
The food in Berkeley is majestic. There is perhaps nowhere in the city that you can’t
find in a block or two a restaurant or any food chain that serves fresh, local and organic
food. Berkeleyans are passionate about their kitchen art. And it is very visible whenever
you chance into the city’s influential restaurants and inside the specialty food stores and
stands – the innovation and ingenuity they put on their cuisine is simply spectacular.
The Outdoors
As if to balance the city’s indulgences into arts and food, Berkeley is making it a point
to offer as many ways it can come up with so that its people can enjoy the great
outdoors. From San Francisco Bay to the forested coastal range, the city offers hiking
and biking trails into the city’s splendid regional parks. Sailing, golf, beautiful gardens,
rock climbing, kayaking, wind surfing, skateboarding – you name it. Berkeley has it or
working on having it.
A Home
With all the tantalizing facts about the city, it is almost seducing us to come and live
in it. It is a city that is definitely offering a lot to people who want to settle in it without
compromising the essentials of life’s simple pleasures.
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