Fruitvale Neighborhood Characteristics
The Greater Fruitvale is a two and a half square mile area bounded by 14th Avenue to the west, the Oakland Estuary to the south, High Street to the east and Interstate 580 to the north. According to the 2000 Census, the population of the Fruitvale was 46,182 -- given Fruitvale’s neighborhood demographics, this count represents an underestimate. A recent independent study places the Fruitvale population count at 48,063, which is even higher than the 2004 Census trend projection of 47,449. By Census figures, Fruitvale's population increased by 15% between 1990 and 2000, more than twice that of the City of Oakland, which only increased by 7%. Fruitvale is the most densely populated neighborhood in the city, comprising about 4.5% of Oakland’s total land area but housing 12% of Oakland’s total population.

Moreover, Fruitvale has the most racially, ethnically and culturally diverse population in Oakland, which is one of the most diverse cities in California and the nation. In 2000, Latinos represented approximately 49% of the Fruitvale population; Asians represented 19%; African Americans represented 20%; and Caucasians represented 8%. A large percentage of the Latino and Asian populations are recent immigrants. Census 2000 Sample Data calculates that about 66% of Fruitvale residents age 5 and older spoke a language other than English at home: 46% spoke Spanish; 18% spoke an Asian or Pacific Island language; and 2% spoke some another language.

Forty-nine percent of households in Fruitvale earned an income of less than $30,000 in 1999 as compared to 28% in Alameda County as a whole (SOURCES: Census 2000 Sample Data and Alameda County Public Health Department). Despite this dismal statistic, there is considerable evidence that Fruitvale has turned around, and is now looked upon by those within and outside of the community as a neighborhood with a booming economic future.

In 1999, Fannie Mae declared the Fruitvale as one of the top three emerging neighborhoods in the United States and the Fruitvale is becoming a Neighborhood of Choice as it is now more physically attractive, economically vibrant and livable. Unity Council-sponsored programs and projects have resulted in wealth accumulation and asset building by Fruitvale homeowners and other property owners as property values have increased dramatically over the past five years. Between January 2002 and January 2003, the median sales price for Fruitvale homes (as bound by zip code 94601) increased by 43%, making it the highest increase in Oakland and the second highest in Alameda County (SOURCE: DataQuick report published in San Francisco Chronicle Sunday March 2, 2003).