Get a Virtual Phone Number for Alameda, California

Alameda's name was chosen by a popular vote conducted in 1853, and is Spanish for "grove of poplar trees." In 1916 Alameda became a charter city, meaning that it is governed in accordance with its own city charter, as opposed to a general law city, which is governed principally by the laws of the state of California. Alameda became an important shipping port in 1902 when excavation was done to create a tidal canal joining San Leandro Bay with the harbor of Oakland. World War II saw the establishment of the Naval Air Station Alameda, a sizable naval facility containing a large airfield and docks capable of accommodating several aircraft carriers. Although the Air Station closed in 1997, a massive hangar located there has in recent years been used to film special Computer-Generated Imagery scenes for several movies, including "Bicentennial Man," "Flubber," and "Mission: Impossible II."