Berkeley’s History and Why We’re Proud to Serve the Berkeley Community
The site of Berkeley was home to the Chochenyo/Huchiun Ohlone people for thousands of years. Evidence of their presence includes bedrock mortars for grinding acorns and the West Berkeley Shellmound along Strawberry Creek.
In 1820 the Spanish crown granted Rancho San Antonio to Luís Peralta. After U.S. control following the Mexican–American War, squatters encroached on the land and it was eventually subdivided. In 1866 the College of California relocated from Oakland to a nearby site and named its new town “Berkeley” after the philosopher George Berkeley.
Berkeley incorporated as a town in 1878 and added electric streetcars by 1888. The 1906 earthquake brought refugees and artists, leading to an art colony on Telegraph Avenue; in 1923 a hillside fire destroyed more than 600 homes. The city later became a center for shipyard workers during World War II and for activism, including the 1964 Free Speech Movement and the 1969 People’s Park protest.
Today Berkeley is a vibrant university town of about 120,000 people with a median household income over $108,000 and a median home value over $1.3 million. Its residents are highly educated, diverse and politically engaged. We’re proud to serve Berkeley’s eclectic neighborhoods and historic homes.