In the US State of California, the city of Oakland is an important west coast city. This is the busiest shipping port city for San Francisco Bay and Northern California. The population of the city stands at around 390,724. The city is an important shipyard, and is agriculturally advanced. The car industry is also very prominent here. The Oakland International Airport, located 6.4 kilometres from downtown Oakland is the city's nearest major airport. The city is also the home to the Lincoln University.
The city has a soothing Mediterranean climate. Lake Merritt is the country's first official wildlife refuge. It is a large tidal lagoon, where people can indulge in rowing and canoeing in the rented boats. Lake Merritt is encircled by a 'necklace of lights'. Birds like Canadian geese, black-crowned night herons, great egrets, snowy egrets, cormorants, American coots, western gulls, mallard ducks and pelicans take refuge in the artificially built islands.
The city has a high concentration of artists. The city boasts creative business establishments, retail shops and restaurants. Every kind of food imaginable can be found in the grocery shops revealing its true cosmopolitan fabric. It is a heaven for blues and jazz music enthusiasts. A large number of bars and nightclubs adorn the Downtown Oakland are. The Paramount and Fox Oakland Theaters regularly organise cultural events. At the Oakland Art Murmur, live cultural performances take place on the first Friday evening of every month.
It is also home to some of the most beautiful parks such as the Morcom Rose Garden and Mosswood Park, Joseph Knowland State Arboretum and Park, Joaquin Miller Park, and Lake Merritt. The Morcom Rose Garden has thousands of rose plants, with winding paths around a pool and a cascading jet of water.
Other tourist attractions include the Grand Lake Theatre, Children's Fairyland, the Oakland Zoo, Oracle Arena, Jack London Square, the USS Potomac Memorial, Dunsmuir House, the Oakland Aviation Museum, Pardee House, Mountain View Cemetery, the Cathedral of Christ the Light, The Crucible, Grizzly Peak, Redwood Valley Railway, Splash Pad Park, Temple Sinai and Oakland California Temple.
