East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)

The East Bay is a commonly used, informal term for the lands on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay, in the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States. Originally referring only to cities along the immediate northeast shore of the San Francisco Bay and the southeast shore of San Pablo Bay, the region described as the "East Bay" has grown with the expansion of the Bay Area's population and infrastructure to include all of Alameda and Contra Costa counties, and even some farther outlying cities.

Institutions reflecting this regional identity include California State University, East Bay, the East Bay Express weekly newspaper, the AC Transit bus system, the Oakland East Bay Symphony the East Bay Regional Parks District, Eastshore State Park, the East Bay Municipal Utility District, the East Bay Green Corridor coalition, the East Bay Athletic League, The East Bay Monthly and the East Bay Bicycle Coalition. Historic institutions include the East Bay Electric Lines.

The region is linked by highways and by the BART rail system. It is bounded to the south by the South Bay region, and to the north by San Pablo Bay.

History and development

Initial development in the larger Bay Area focused on San Francisco, the coastal East Bay came to prominence in the middle of the nineteenth century as the part of the Bay Area most accessible by land from the east. The Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1868 with its western terminus at the newly constructed......
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