"Welcome to Berkeley!" a Berkeley Travel Page by jimkinleung

Berkeley is a small city in Northern California about ten miles across the bay from San Francisco. It has a history of social activism and the diversity of the city (from its cultural makeup to architectural style) is what makes it truly unique.

Berkeley is considered one of the most liberal cities in the United States. In the 1960’s a major civil rights movement, the Free Speech Movement, saw a huge student protest to the university’s ban on the distribution of political literature. There was also massive fighting between Berkeley residents and the police over an area of the city called People’s Park. Eventually the national guard was called in (by then-governor Ronald Reagan), and the campus was a war zone bombarded with tear gas. For more details on the historical struggles in the city, a good source is the movie “Berkeley in the 60’s”.

Berkeley is still very socially active. It is extremely anti-George Bush and some residents continue to call for his impeachment. There is also a movement to save a grove of old oak trees, in which protestors have climbed and live from the trees.

Berkeley has an immense diversity of architectural styles. Ehe oldest buildings in Berkeley, date from the mid-1800's.

From the Berkeley Marina there are great views of San Francisco and the Bay.