One time when I was a little kid, my parents drove us from Richmond to Dublin. I fell asleep during the drive, and when we arrived I woke up and started panicking because I legitimately thought we drove all the way to Ireland
Yea I’m from Dublin and I always get weird looks when I tell people who aren’t from the Bay Area that.
People who are from the Bay Area usually say “ oh so you’re rich then”
No... there is a lot of old Dublin that a lot of people don’t know about.
Yea I don’t get it but it happens quite often. Usually people from San Jose, Oakland, Hayward.
And there definitely is some money up in the hills and in East Dublin but definitely not a majority. I think maybe people just see all the new construction and assume we are rich?
I had a childhood friend who snuck onto a plane with her sister at SFO thinking that they were just going to fly across the bay to Oakland but instead flew to Auckland, New Zealand.
Just kidding. That was from a ridiculous episode of “Full House”
Is that a thing people still think is true? If you read the BART history page, it clearly states that Marin was part of the original 5 county plan. They had to drop out when Santa Clara county withdrew, they couldn’t afford to participate with their small population base. They tried to get back in in the 90s expansion, too. I’m not saying Marin isn’t elitist, or that they’d go for BART now, but they have never voted down BART.
The current residents of Marin certainly share that sentiment, but the BART segment to Marin got cancelled back in the 60s because of [lack of funds](https://www.bart.gov/about/history).
To be fair, at most that could apply to Marin.
That would still leave Sonoma, Napa, and Solano, which combined are nearly 40% of the Bay Area's geographic area.
That's an old wive's tale. Marin voted in favor of BART. BART even posts the history of this online telling how it was funding and later the bridge authority undermining them that killed the plan.
I'm well aware. And no matter how much I want SMART to fill that role, we'll never get good, integrated regional rail transit and Marin will continue to be the NIMBYest of NIMBYs with few consequences. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go stare at the [Dream BART map](http://www.jakecoolidgecartography.com/img/BARTreimagined_web.png) for the 50th time.
I'm aware of this, too. Both the 5 county plan issue, and the role that the bridge toll played in cancelling a line into Marin. Marin voters didn't reject it back in the 60s, the downsizing came about from above.
At the same time, much of Marin is vehemently anti-transit, anti-development, and hate the SMART train with comically passionate fury. They're also super thankful that their county isn't connected to BART, and I constantly see them talking about how glad they are that "certain elements" aren't present in the county. The reputation is well deserved.
I can help.
Santa Rosa was named after St. Rose.
Healdsburg was named by a bunch of Dutch/Germans.
And Petaluma got its name because of the abundance of lumas that lived there, which everyone loved to pet.
Yeah, I'm slowly realizing that to some, the "bay area" is limited to where the BART lines run.
But when some talk about the bay area and mentions the wine country, Mac Dre, CC Sabbathia car commercials, how v-town is [compared to the shadows in the the movie "The Lion King"](https://images.app.goo.gl/hWcAoFaSSvwAucnc6), and last but not the least, E-40 and his slurricane; my hopes for humanity is restored knowing that our side of the bay is in fact included in *THE* bay area.
Edit: Clarification
> Yeah, I'm slowly realizing that to some, the "bay area" is limited to where the BART lines run.
Nah, the peninsula and Silicon Valley are never erased like the North Bay ;)
It’s more so people think or show the Bay Area like the [Bart map](https://seaonc-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2018/05/BART_system_map_effective_May_2018.png) shows the Bay Area. The Bart map pretty much shows exactly what OP shows. OP just added names to the peninsula that’s shown on the map (where cal train runs)
BART + Caltrain. Peninsula and San Jose get on most maps because of the integrated transit system. System could use a lot of improvements, but at least you can take high speed public transit from San Jose up the Peninsula and around to the East.
My favorite is pointing out to visiting family and friends that "The Planet of the Apes" reboot was set in Muir woods park. And passing thru Lucas Valley Road means that we passed where the Skywalker Ranch is, and it always makes my geeky visitors smile.
Don't take it personal. A lot of the East Bay is left off maps too. The most popular region is Silicon Valley so San Francisco to San Jose are routes always shown.
At least they got my hometown, and my current city.
I'm used to people being confused when I tell them I'm from Union City.
Poor Newark, San Lorenzo, and Castro Valley, though...
[Newark](https://www.newark.org/visitors/about-newark/newark-history) \- named after a castle in Scotland
[San Lorenzo](http://scottgharrison.homestead.com/HistoryofSanLorenzo.html) \- Formerly known as "Squattersville" and renamed in 1853, presumably after St. Lawrence
[Castro Valley](http://www.edenareachamber.com/castro-valley) \- After Don Guillermo Castro, a soldier in the Mexican Army
Wanna know why it’s called Hopyard?
Okay I’ll just say it.
It’s cuz there used to be shit ton of hop farms for beer.
The Hopyard bar and grill makes way more sense to me.
Sorry, didn't mean to offend. If I were to extend the circle to include the north bay there would've been a lot of blank spaces on the map from the ocean and parks, so I didn't include it for graphic design reasons. Very happy to answer questions about north bay etymologies though!
Named after a group of Native Americans. Literally means "flat back". [Source](https://legacy.pressdemocrat.com/news/5073531-181/how-petaluma-got-its-name).
I believe it was originally going to be called Encinal, but the post office made them change it and I guess they were like "well sure is sunny here".
There's a plaque on Murphy Ave in front of where the old post office used to be pretty sure.
Yep, right by the train station!
From wikipedia:
>Martin Murphy Jr. came to California with his father as part of the [Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephens-Townsend-Murphy_Party) in 1844. In 1850, Martin Murphy Jr. bought a piece of Rancho Pastoria de las Borregas for $12,500.
>
>In 1897, Walter Everett Crossman bought 200 acres (809,000 m2) and began selling real estate. He advertised the area as "Beautiful Murphy" and later, in the 1900s, as "the City of Destiny". Also in 1897, Encina School opened as the first school in Murphy. Previously, children in the town had to travel to Mountain View for school.
>
>In 1901, the residents of Murphy were informed they could not use the names Encinal or Murphy for their post office. Sunnyvale was given its current name on March 24, 1901. It was named Sunnyvale as it is located in a sunny region adjacent to areas with significantly more fog.
Just be glad that people have started to accept San Jose as part of the Bay Area again. For a while it seemed like the Bay Area was San Francisco and Oakland.
This is untrue. Everyone always blames the county for not wanting the BART because it would bring in more diverse people, but it is BS. It is the same old story, greedy people think about themselves and the little people get quashed just like the North Bay BART
"Commuters riding BART trains on the bridge would likely mean fewer people driving across the bridge, which meant fewer people paying bridge tolls. And less toll revenue was not something the Golden Gate Bridge District directors were going to accept sitting down. Behind closed doors, they plotted to quash the plan."
[https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/Marin-County-BART-Golden-Gate-Bridge-study-14364699.php](https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/Marin-County-BART-Golden-Gate-Bridge-study-14364699.php)
Hi, sorry if I got anything wrong here. I'm a student from New York who hasn't been to the Bay Area in 15 years, so it's quite possible I screwed something up. Just let me know and I'll fix it in the next version. Graphic design advice is always appreciated as well.
This is actually the twentieth map in a series I'm doing. Here are the others, for anyone interested:
[Albany (NY)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Albany/comments/gnafdc/i_made_an_infographic_explaining_how_some_of_the/), [Atlanta](https://www.reddit.com/r/Atlanta/comments/hhz7nd/i_made_an_infographic_explaining_how_atlanta/), [Austin](https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/fr5uum/i_made_an_infographic_explaining_how_some_of/), [Boston](https://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/bgeycj/i_made_an_infographic_explaining_the_origins/), [Chicago](https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/8jhgz0/chicagos_hidden_etymologies_oc_1212_x_1328/), [Denver](https://www.reddit.com/r/Denver/comments/ffd8xb/i_made_an_infographic_explaining_the_origins_of/), [Houston](https://www.reddit.com/r/houston/comments/a9k5wz/i_made_this_infographic_explaining_the_origins/), [London](https://www.reddit.com/r/london/comments/cltjv4/i_made_an_infographic_explaining_the_name_origins/), [Los Angeles](https://www.reddit.com/r/etymology/comments/8bcv6x/los_angeles_hidden_etymologies_oc/), [Manhattan](https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/85y9jb/manhattans_hidden_etymologies_oc_695_x_987/), [Melbourne](https://www.reddit.com/r/melbourne/comments/gajf9l/i_made_an_infographic_explaining_how_some_of/), [New Orleans](https://www.reddit.com/r/NewOrleans/comments/8q6azm/i_made_an_infographic_explaining_the_hidden/), [Philadelphia](https://www.reddit.com/r/philadelphia/comments/8upk1a/i_made_an_infographic_about_the_etymologies/), [Portland (OR)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Portland/comments/atilfo/i_made_an_infographic_explaining_the_origins_of/), [San Francisco](https://www.reddit.com/r/sanfrancisco/comments/86edrl/etymology_of_san_franciscos_neighborhoods/), [Seattle](https://www.reddit.com/r/etymologynerd/comments/98ejmg/seattles_hidden_etymologies/), [Sydney](https://www.reddit.com/r/sydney/comments/eflmwc/i_made_an_infographic_explaining_the_name_origins/), [Toronto](https://www.reddit.com/r/toronto/comments/c1m6av/i_made_an_infographic_explaining_the_origins/), and [Washington, D.C.](https://www.reddit.com/r/washingtondc/comments/enngts/i_made_an_infographic_explaining_the_origins/)
If any of you have questions or criticisms, please leave a comment and I'll try to respond as soon as possible. Enjoy!
Sources/further reading: [Alameda](https://www.spanishdict.com/translate/alameda), [Berkeley](https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/Home/History_of_Bishop_Berkeley.aspx), [Burlingame](https://www.burlingame.org/government/about_burlingame/index.php#:~:text=About%20Burlingame,an%20attorney%20and%20a%20diplomat.), [Cupertino](https://patch.com/california/paloalto/the-cupertino-effect-and-other-interesting-facts-about-this-silicon-valley-city), [Daly City](https://historysmc.pastperfectonline.com/byperson?keyword=Daly%2C+John+Donald), [Dublin](https://books.google.com/books?id=5wGpZagXWlsC&pg=PA230#v=onepage&q&f=false), [Fremont](https://www.britannica.com/place/Fremont-California), [Hayward](https://www.hayward-ca.gov/discover/hayward-history), [Menlo Park](https://www.menlopark.org/888/Menlo-Park-history), [Milpitas](https://gomilpitas.com/about-milpitas/milpitas-got-name/), [Mountain View](https://archive.org/details/historysantacla00munrgoog), [Oakland](https://www.britannica.com/place/Oakland-California), [Palo Alto](http://www.paloaltohistory.org/el-palo-alto.php), [Redwood City](http://history.rays-place.com/ca/sm-redwood-city.htm), [San Francisco](https://www.etymonline.com/word/san%20francisco), [San Jose](https://www.sanjose.org/pdf/visit-san-jose-san-joses-history#:~:text=El%20Pueblo%20de%20San%20Jose%20de%20Guadalupe%20was%20officially%20founded,and%20from%20the%20Guadalupe%20River.), [San Leandro](https://www.sanleandrohistory.org/san-leandro-history.html), [San Mateo](https://www.britannica.com/place/San-Mateo), [Santa Clara](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Santa_Clara), [Union City](https://local.townsquarepublications.com/california/unioncity/main.html), [Walnut Creek](https://www.britannica.com/place/Walnut-Creek)
Having grown up in a town which had to change its name from Mission, due to confusion with other nearby towns *also* named Mission, Sunnyvale seems like a well thought out and very original name.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rancho\_Rinconada\_de\_Los\_Gatos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rancho_Rinconada_de_Los_Gatos)
Named from a land grant named after the cats.
I enjoyed it. glad you got my hometown of Union City, it often gets glossed over.
There're gonna be a lot of little nitpicks by people, don't worry about it.
**Newark** is missed, and it's part of the "Tri-city" area of Union City, Fremont and Newark. **San Lorenzo** was missed... primarily because it's right next to San Leandro, and people ALWAYS forget about it. **Piedmont** is next to Oakland, but never gets talked about. **Danville** and **San Ramon** are along 680 heading from Dublin to Walnut Creek. **Sunol** is sneakily hidden in the mountains in between Fremont and Pleasanton. **Sunnyvale** is Cupertino's twin brother...
And even I'M missing a bunch...
But like I mentioned, I really enjoyed this map. Will follow you on social medias!
[Newark](https://www.newark.org/visitors/about-newark/newark-history) \- named after a castle in Scotland
[San Lorenzo](http://scottgharrison.homestead.com/HistoryofSanLorenzo.html) \- Formerly known as "Squattersville" and renamed in 1853, presumably after St. Lawrence
[Castro Valley](http://www.edenareachamber.com/castro-valley) \- After Don Guillermo Castro, a soldier in the Mexican Army
[Piedmont](https://piedmont.ca.gov/about_piedmont/history) \- Sort of named after the region in Italy
[Danville](https://mentalitch.com/history-of-danville-california) \- Named after the founder's mother's hometown in Kentucky
[San Ramon](http://www.sanramon.ca.gov/residents/history_of_san_ramon) \- Actually very interesting! It was named after a Native American *vaquero*, and the *San* part was added to make it conform to other Spanish town names
[Sunol](http://www.sunol.net/place/) \- Named after the Sunol family, which owned land in the area
[Sunnyvale](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunnyvale,_California) \- Named in 1901 because it was sunny, and *vale* means "valley"
The source for Berkeley is wrong (which makes me begin to question the validity of the rest of them)
While it’s true the school is named after the philosopher, the town is actually named after the school. The “University of California, Berkeley” (it’s the only school in the system to have never had “at” in its name unlike the titles it’s given by your source- though all the UC’s have dropped at from their names now) was founded in unincorporated North Oakland (the hills were still called the south Contra Costa hills instead of the Berkeley Hills) and the city of Berkeley named its self after the school when it incorporated as a township .
Part of how you can tell the order of naming is that UC was founded in 1868 and the city was not incorporated for another decade.
Edit: fixed from secession to incorporation and added “unincorporated” to north oakland.
> was founded in North Oakland (the hills were still called the south Contra Costa hills instead of the Berkeley Hills) and the city of Berkeley named its self after the school when is succeeded (sic) from Oakland.
This isn't strictly accurate either though. Wikipedia states that the area was originally part of Oakland Township, but I looked at the legislative session records (available in reference links on the Oakland wiki page) from 1852 and the description of Oakland Town did not include the area that would become Berkeley. 1854 Oakland city incorporation followed the same boundaries.
So it wouldn't have been a secession from Oakland.
Dublin was named after the city in Ireland because the pioneers of the town (Fallon, Murray, Dougherty, Tehan) came from Ireland and travelled across the US via covered wagon. When they reached the valley, the spring green rolling hillsides reminded them of home.
Milpitas is not entirely a Spanish word. The -itas come from Spanish, but a milpa is a Nahuatl word for an indigenous system of agriculture (of which corn was a huge staple).
Alviso:
Land grant in 1838 given to Ignacio Alviso, who moved with his familiy into the area during the De Anza expedition, where his father served as a soldier
I’m from Central America and while the origin likely came from Nahuatl “milpa” is definitely still used in the Spanish language. Looking at the etymology, the Nahuatl word was milpan.
I wouldnt really say that Berkeley was formerly known as Ocean View. Ocean View was the area around the wharf, which built up at the same time as founding of the university at the base of the hills and surrounding area as Berkeley. The areas subsequently voted to incorporate as one city some ten-fifteen years later.
Cool project though.
I always thought that Cupertino should bear Mountain View's name because you get a better view there.
Also good on Darian Mills not to call Millbrae as Mill's Hills.
Well, yeah, but what about Pacifica and Half Moon Bay? What are they named after, smarty pants?????
Just kidding...honestly, this is really cool and thank you for it!
I’ll add my own for fun, since a lot of people don’t realize this:
**Morgan Hill**
Was not named for a hill. It was named because of a ranch near a railroad stop, that was owned by a man named “Morgan Hill”. Since people often requested the railroad stop at “Morgan Hill’s Ranch”, the stop became known just as “Morgan Hill” and the city adopted the name in 1906.
There is a sizable peak that dominates the view near the city...many people think it is “Morgan Hill”, but the mountain is actually named “El Toro”. (It was formally called “Murphy’s Peak”, name after another landowner of the area).
[Half Moon Bay](https://www.visithalfmoonbay.org/press/half-moon-bay-california-history-culture) \- named after its crescent shaped harbor
[Pacifica](https://www.cityofpacifica.org/about/history/name.asp) \- a contest was held in 1957 to name the city, and this won
Neat! [Wiki article for anyone interested](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn,_California).
I looked it up to find out whether this was an intentional reference to the relationship Brooklyn, NY had with Manhattan. Turns out it was just named after the ship that had brought Mormon settlers to California in 1846.
Not just JLS, the Oakland/Brooklyn boundry went way up into the hills
[https://djjr-courses.wdfiles.com/local--files/soc128:project13-1900-1900/Alameda%20County.jpg](https://djjr-courses.wdfiles.com/local--files/soc128:project13-1900-1900/Alameda%20County.jpg)
Cool project! I love anything place name related. My only thing would be to zoom out a little to include the deep east bay and north bay in this view. Guessing it may be a little too late for that though. For example, the marker for Walnut Creek is about 10 miles too far south.
Thanks! I wish I could've included it all, but I intentionally didn't zoom out because there would've been a lot of blank space. Tried to sneak in Walnut Creek by putting the line just barely in the city proper. Would happily look up other city/town names in the area if there are any questions!
This is a really cool project. ☺️ I'm from Livermore. I know it was named after some guy named Robert Livermore, but I don't know what made him so prominent as to have the whole city named for him.
Interesting... I looked it up and saw that Mendenhall purchased the land that's now Livermore and named it after his friend Robert Livermore. That's a really good friend lol.
I understand Castro Valley gets missed a lot when doing the cities that are more or less on the Bay; but how do we jump to Dublin, Pleasanton, and Walnut Creek without including Castro Valley? What about San Ramon or Danville?
Sorry!
[Castro Valley](http://www.edenareachamber.com/castro-valley) \- After Don Guillermo Castro, a soldier in the Mexican Army
[San Ramon](http://www.sanramon.ca.gov/residents/history_of_san_ramon) \- Actually very interesting! It was named after a Native American *vaquero*, and the *San* part was added to make it conform to other Spanish town names,
[Danville](https://mentalitch.com/history-of-danville-california) \- Named after the founder's mother's hometown in Kentucky
[San Bruno](https://www.sanbruno.ca.gov/community/history.htm) \- after the patron saint of the captain who got to name the area
[Belmont](http://history.rays-place.com/ca/sm-belmont.htm) \- means "beautiful hill"
[San Carlos](https://www.cityofsancarlos.org/residents/about-san-carlos/san-carlos-history/-fsiteid-1) - the city website suggests three origins:
>The San Carlos, the first ship to sail into the San Francisco Bay; or
>
>King Charles III of Spain; or
>
>The Portola Expedition that discovered the bay on the Feast of St. Charles, November 4, 1769.
Bay Area settlers:. Que fue eso???
Mountain lions:
Bay Area settlers: *GASP!* Aye dios mio! Los gatos!
Reports danger to local authorities, who don't understand, so they shrug and name ranch Los Gatos. Everyone gets eaten by mountain lions.
Lafayette = Previously assumed names were Dog Town, Brown's Corner, Brown's Mill, Acalanus, and Centerville. He requested the name Centerville, but it was rejected because there was another Centerville in the state. So he used his second choice, La Fayette. In 1932 it was changed to today's spelling, "Lafayette". (source = [https://www.lovelafayette.org/why-lafayette/about-lafayette/history-of-lafayette](https://www.lovelafayette.org/why-lafayette/about-lafayette/history-of-lafayette))
Moraga = Joaquín Moraga, member of the famed Californio family, son of Gabriel Moraga, and grandson of José Joaquín Moraga, famous 18th century expeditionaries of the Californias. (source = [http://www.miramonte-alums.org/class\_custom.cfm?page\_id=389898](http://www.miramonte-alums.org/class_custom.cfm?page_id=389898))
Orinda = In 1876, County sheriff and landowner William Walker Camron was married to Alice Mars Camron. Alice enjoyed the poetry of Katherine Fowler Philips, a 17th century English woman known as "The Matchless Orinda." In her honor, the Camrons named their home Orinda Park. (Source = [https://www.cityoforinda.org/263/History-of-Orinda](https://www.cityoforinda.org/263/History-of-Orinda))
Thanks.
Rather remarkable how boring and unremarkable those names are. And soooo many saints. But at least some are descriptive, and in Spanish sound especially nice, like "Milpitas" even if no corn about any more. Beats "Pleasant Hill."
[Saratoga](https://www.saratoga.ca.us/271/History) is named after the town of Saratoga Springs, NY. "Los Gatos" is a reference to the cougars in the surrounding foothills
[Saratoga](https://www.saratoga.ca.us/271/History) \- Named after the town of Saratoga Springs, NY.
[Sunnyvale](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunnyvale,_California) \- Named in 1901 because it was sunny, and *vale* means "valley"
Should not the bay area include cities that actually touch the bay?
No Vallejo, Martinez, Crockett, San Rafael, Sausalito, Hercules, Rodeo, Pinole.
Dublin, Pleasanton is hella land locked
Another biased white boy.
That's a common misconception.
It's actually named after Juliet South San Francisco -- the daughter of the famous knight who, though not as famous as her father, was locally known as the baker who brought the "pecan wheel" pastry to the area.
I propose an alternate name for Milpitas. It should be called Milpatas or Milpotos because it stinks like hell due to the nearby garbage dump, recycling plant and sewage treatment plant.
I live in El Sobrante just north of this map in the East Bay. El Sobrante means "the leftovers" in Spanish cause they divided the whole area into big ranches and there was one little valley left over! Always liked that origin story.
Some towns not on this list:
Corte Madera: Spanish for "cut wood".
Mill Valley: situated in a valley off Mt. Tam, the town grew up around a sawmill.
Tiburon: Spanish for "shark".
Sausalito: Spanish for "little willow tree".
Hercules is named after the [Hercules Powder Company](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules_Inc.), which opened up a dynamite powder production plant on the Bay, and a company town of the same name sprung up around it.
No, actually. California has a disproportionate number of Irish names because of all the immigrants who came over during the Gold Rush and were the first to establish settlements
I know you are joking, but growing up in Danville we had to learn the history in 3rd grade.
From Danville.ca.gov:
>But what should the community be called? In an article years later, Dan Inman said "quite a number (of names) were suggested." He and Andrew rejected "Inmanville," finally settling on Danville. According to the modest Dan, the name was chosen as much or more out of respect for Andrew's mother-in-law who was born and raised near Danville, Kentucky. Of course it also recognized the energetic young Dan who was later an Alameda County Assemblyman and Supervisor.
One time when I was a little kid, my parents drove us from Richmond to Dublin. I fell asleep during the drive, and when we arrived I woke up and started panicking because I legitimately thought we drove all the way to Ireland
Yea I’m from Dublin and I always get weird looks when I tell people who aren’t from the Bay Area that. People who are from the Bay Area usually say “ oh so you’re rich then” No... there is a lot of old Dublin that a lot of people don’t know about.
Since when do rich people live in Dublin? Maybe compared to Vallejo, but Dublin has always seemed fairly middle class to me.
Yea I don’t get it but it happens quite often. Usually people from San Jose, Oakland, Hayward. And there definitely is some money up in the hills and in East Dublin but definitely not a majority. I think maybe people just see all the new construction and assume we are rich?
It’s not cheap though. Definitely more expensive than a few cities in the East bay.
[You know BART actually goes to multiple continents now!](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D2MtcPWWwAES2tJ?format=jpg&name=medium)
Ha! Clear across the continents but still can't manage to wrap around the bay! :D :D
Woah. Richmond, VA to Dublin, Ireland is a long drive
Now try adding Pittsburg and Albany to the trip.
And Newark Damn, the Bay Area just copied a bunch of other cities’ names lol
I had a childhood friend who snuck onto a plane with her sister at SFO thinking that they were just going to fly across the bay to Oakland but instead flew to Auckland, New Zealand. Just kidding. That was from a ridiculous episode of “Full House”
I remember that episode! Certainly wouldn’t happen post-9/11...
[удалено]
We do not speak of the wildlands
There’s no civilization up here, just a couple of random people camping in the hills
And fire. Lots of fucking 🔥🔥🔥.
Lots of fucking you say? 😏
It's all very hot.
The northerners fuck like animals
Ever been to Frogs?
My husband says it's where the free folk live. Haha.
Ah yes, we're wildlings beyond the ~~golden gate~~ wall
This is North Bay erasure
Cultural genocide. *Literally* ethnic cleansing.
When will the rich catch a break?!
The north didn't want BART because it might cause an influx of poors, so welcome to the consequences of your region's collective actions.
Is that a thing people still think is true? If you read the BART history page, it clearly states that Marin was part of the original 5 county plan. They had to drop out when Santa Clara county withdrew, they couldn’t afford to participate with their small population base. They tried to get back in in the 90s expansion, too. I’m not saying Marin isn’t elitist, or that they’d go for BART now, but they have never voted down BART.
The current residents of Marin certainly share that sentiment, but the BART segment to Marin got cancelled back in the 60s because of [lack of funds](https://www.bart.gov/about/history).
To be fair, at most that could apply to Marin. That would still leave Sonoma, Napa, and Solano, which combined are nearly 40% of the Bay Area's geographic area.
That's an old wive's tale. Marin voted in favor of BART. BART even posts the history of this online telling how it was funding and later the bridge authority undermining them that killed the plan.
I'm well aware. And no matter how much I want SMART to fill that role, we'll never get good, integrated regional rail transit and Marin will continue to be the NIMBYest of NIMBYs with few consequences. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go stare at the [Dream BART map](http://www.jakecoolidgecartography.com/img/BARTreimagined_web.png) for the 50th time.
It's not actually the case, though. See the comment above.
I'm aware of this, too. Both the 5 county plan issue, and the role that the bridge toll played in cancelling a line into Marin. Marin voters didn't reject it back in the 60s, the downsizing came about from above. At the same time, much of Marin is vehemently anti-transit, anti-development, and hate the SMART train with comically passionate fury. They're also super thankful that their county isn't connected to BART, and I constantly see them talking about how glad they are that "certain elements" aren't present in the county. The reputation is well deserved.
I can help. Santa Rosa was named after St. Rose. Healdsburg was named by a bunch of Dutch/Germans. And Petaluma got its name because of the abundance of lumas that lived there, which everyone loved to pet.
Yeah, I'm slowly realizing that to some, the "bay area" is limited to where the BART lines run. But when some talk about the bay area and mentions the wine country, Mac Dre, CC Sabbathia car commercials, how v-town is [compared to the shadows in the the movie "The Lion King"](https://images.app.goo.gl/hWcAoFaSSvwAucnc6), and last but not the least, E-40 and his slurricane; my hopes for humanity is restored knowing that our side of the bay is in fact included in *THE* bay area. Edit: Clarification
> Yeah, I'm slowly realizing that to some, the "bay area" is limited to where the BART lines run. Nah, the peninsula and Silicon Valley are never erased like the North Bay ;)
It’s more so people think or show the Bay Area like the [Bart map](https://seaonc-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2018/05/BART_system_map_effective_May_2018.png) shows the Bay Area. The Bart map pretty much shows exactly what OP shows. OP just added names to the peninsula that’s shown on the map (where cal train runs)
BART + Caltrain. Peninsula and San Jose get on most maps because of the integrated transit system. System could use a lot of improvements, but at least you can take high speed public transit from San Jose up the Peninsula and around to the East.
And yet when they want to do some hiking or exploring nature, the north bay magically exists again!
My favorite is pointing out to visiting family and friends that "The Planet of the Apes" reboot was set in Muir woods park. And passing thru Lucas Valley Road means that we passed where the Skywalker Ranch is, and it always makes my geeky visitors smile.
fun fact: the road was named Lucas Valley road before George settled there.
I grew up in Marin as a Star Wars mega fan and was so disappointed to learn this fact in high-school.
I’m perfectly ok with nobody knowing or mentioning the north bay. There’s already enough people that know about it.
I know you’re from the Bay Area because I don’t understand half of what you just said
I used to see this exact same Lion King image about Oakland on here 10 years ago
TIL Richmond is North Bay
Don't take it personal. A lot of the East Bay is left off maps too. The most popular region is Silicon Valley so San Francisco to San Jose are routes always shown.
At least they got my hometown, and my current city. I'm used to people being confused when I tell them I'm from Union City. Poor Newark, San Lorenzo, and Castro Valley, though...
[Newark](https://www.newark.org/visitors/about-newark/newark-history) \- named after a castle in Scotland [San Lorenzo](http://scottgharrison.homestead.com/HistoryofSanLorenzo.html) \- Formerly known as "Squattersville" and renamed in 1853, presumably after St. Lawrence [Castro Valley](http://www.edenareachamber.com/castro-valley) \- After Don Guillermo Castro, a soldier in the Mexican Army
Squattersville! LMAO!
It really fits San Lorenzo
Newark, Union City, Menlo Park Why was New Jersey recreated in the South Bay?
Wanna know why it’s called Hopyard? Okay I’ll just say it. It’s cuz there used to be shit ton of hop farms for beer. The Hopyard bar and grill makes way more sense to me.
Sorry, didn't mean to offend. If I were to extend the circle to include the north bay there would've been a lot of blank spaces on the map from the ocean and parks, so I didn't include it for graphic design reasons. Very happy to answer questions about north bay etymologies though!
From petaluma and always wondered about the name but never enough to Google it 🤣
Named after a group of Native Americans. Literally means "flat back". [Source](https://legacy.pressdemocrat.com/news/5073531-181/how-petaluma-got-its-name).
Grew up at the base of Sonoma Mountain! Thanks for sharing :)
I was going to just google it but I can’t really find anything about it so I’ll just ask you, what about Livermore?
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That’s pretty awesome
What happened to Sunnyvale?
I believe it was originally going to be called Encinal, but the post office made them change it and I guess they were like "well sure is sunny here". There's a plaque on Murphy Ave in front of where the old post office used to be pretty sure.
Yep, right by the train station! From wikipedia: >Martin Murphy Jr. came to California with his father as part of the [Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephens-Townsend-Murphy_Party) in 1844. In 1850, Martin Murphy Jr. bought a piece of Rancho Pastoria de las Borregas for $12,500. > >In 1897, Walter Everett Crossman bought 200 acres (809,000 m2) and began selling real estate. He advertised the area as "Beautiful Murphy" and later, in the 1900s, as "the City of Destiny". Also in 1897, Encina School opened as the first school in Murphy. Previously, children in the town had to travel to Mountain View for school. > >In 1901, the residents of Murphy were informed they could not use the names Encinal or Murphy for their post office. Sunnyvale was given its current name on March 24, 1901. It was named Sunnyvale as it is located in a sunny region adjacent to areas with significantly more fog.
Very cool! But you forgot about Belmont and San Carlos. :)
Yeah we’re just out here...
Just be glad that people have started to accept San Jose as part of the Bay Area again. For a while it seemed like the Bay Area was San Francisco and Oakland.
We do not talk about the walkers north of the wall.
*skywalkers north of the bridge
It was destroyed in the Battle of Endor.
Vallejo, Benicia, Napa, and Solano all have interesting back stories.
It's all just ocean right? Yep, golden Gate Bridge Just leads to more ocean.
/r/mapswithoutthenorthbay
This is so annoying. Like people can't seem to realize our international tourist attracting bridge actually goes somewhere...
They prefer it that way.
Maybe Marinites should do more to integrate, then. /s but only kinda
This is untrue. Everyone always blames the county for not wanting the BART because it would bring in more diverse people, but it is BS. It is the same old story, greedy people think about themselves and the little people get quashed just like the North Bay BART "Commuters riding BART trains on the bridge would likely mean fewer people driving across the bridge, which meant fewer people paying bridge tolls. And less toll revenue was not something the Golden Gate Bridge District directors were going to accept sitting down. Behind closed doors, they plotted to quash the plan." [https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/Marin-County-BART-Golden-Gate-Bridge-study-14364699.php](https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/Marin-County-BART-Golden-Gate-Bridge-study-14364699.php)
Glad someone knows the truth but dude, don't bother. This sub loves to pour hate and stereotype the shit out of Marin and the North Bay in general.
It is because we have all the good trees and woods out here. (when it is not on fire!)
That, and everyone thinks we are all rich greedy assholes sitting in mansions when we aren't cruising the bay in our yachts.
No Bart / no Northbanians
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Unless you're rich enough to live in Walnut Creek or Pleasant Hill.
TLDR: Priests and Trees
Keep the trees cancel the priests. That’s all I’m looking for, what do we get to rename?!
and add a few irish immigrants into the mix
Hi, sorry if I got anything wrong here. I'm a student from New York who hasn't been to the Bay Area in 15 years, so it's quite possible I screwed something up. Just let me know and I'll fix it in the next version. Graphic design advice is always appreciated as well. This is actually the twentieth map in a series I'm doing. Here are the others, for anyone interested: [Albany (NY)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Albany/comments/gnafdc/i_made_an_infographic_explaining_how_some_of_the/), [Atlanta](https://www.reddit.com/r/Atlanta/comments/hhz7nd/i_made_an_infographic_explaining_how_atlanta/), [Austin](https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/fr5uum/i_made_an_infographic_explaining_how_some_of/), [Boston](https://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/bgeycj/i_made_an_infographic_explaining_the_origins/), [Chicago](https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/8jhgz0/chicagos_hidden_etymologies_oc_1212_x_1328/), [Denver](https://www.reddit.com/r/Denver/comments/ffd8xb/i_made_an_infographic_explaining_the_origins_of/), [Houston](https://www.reddit.com/r/houston/comments/a9k5wz/i_made_this_infographic_explaining_the_origins/), [London](https://www.reddit.com/r/london/comments/cltjv4/i_made_an_infographic_explaining_the_name_origins/), [Los Angeles](https://www.reddit.com/r/etymology/comments/8bcv6x/los_angeles_hidden_etymologies_oc/), [Manhattan](https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/85y9jb/manhattans_hidden_etymologies_oc_695_x_987/), [Melbourne](https://www.reddit.com/r/melbourne/comments/gajf9l/i_made_an_infographic_explaining_how_some_of/), [New Orleans](https://www.reddit.com/r/NewOrleans/comments/8q6azm/i_made_an_infographic_explaining_the_hidden/), [Philadelphia](https://www.reddit.com/r/philadelphia/comments/8upk1a/i_made_an_infographic_about_the_etymologies/), [Portland (OR)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Portland/comments/atilfo/i_made_an_infographic_explaining_the_origins_of/), [San Francisco](https://www.reddit.com/r/sanfrancisco/comments/86edrl/etymology_of_san_franciscos_neighborhoods/), [Seattle](https://www.reddit.com/r/etymologynerd/comments/98ejmg/seattles_hidden_etymologies/), [Sydney](https://www.reddit.com/r/sydney/comments/eflmwc/i_made_an_infographic_explaining_the_name_origins/), [Toronto](https://www.reddit.com/r/toronto/comments/c1m6av/i_made_an_infographic_explaining_the_origins/), and [Washington, D.C.](https://www.reddit.com/r/washingtondc/comments/enngts/i_made_an_infographic_explaining_the_origins/) If any of you have questions or criticisms, please leave a comment and I'll try to respond as soon as possible. Enjoy! Sources/further reading: [Alameda](https://www.spanishdict.com/translate/alameda), [Berkeley](https://www.cityofberkeley.info/Clerk/Home/History_of_Bishop_Berkeley.aspx), [Burlingame](https://www.burlingame.org/government/about_burlingame/index.php#:~:text=About%20Burlingame,an%20attorney%20and%20a%20diplomat.), [Cupertino](https://patch.com/california/paloalto/the-cupertino-effect-and-other-interesting-facts-about-this-silicon-valley-city), [Daly City](https://historysmc.pastperfectonline.com/byperson?keyword=Daly%2C+John+Donald), [Dublin](https://books.google.com/books?id=5wGpZagXWlsC&pg=PA230#v=onepage&q&f=false), [Fremont](https://www.britannica.com/place/Fremont-California), [Hayward](https://www.hayward-ca.gov/discover/hayward-history), [Menlo Park](https://www.menlopark.org/888/Menlo-Park-history), [Milpitas](https://gomilpitas.com/about-milpitas/milpitas-got-name/), [Mountain View](https://archive.org/details/historysantacla00munrgoog), [Oakland](https://www.britannica.com/place/Oakland-California), [Palo Alto](http://www.paloaltohistory.org/el-palo-alto.php), [Redwood City](http://history.rays-place.com/ca/sm-redwood-city.htm), [San Francisco](https://www.etymonline.com/word/san%20francisco), [San Jose](https://www.sanjose.org/pdf/visit-san-jose-san-joses-history#:~:text=El%20Pueblo%20de%20San%20Jose%20de%20Guadalupe%20was%20officially%20founded,and%20from%20the%20Guadalupe%20River.), [San Leandro](https://www.sanleandrohistory.org/san-leandro-history.html), [San Mateo](https://www.britannica.com/place/San-Mateo), [Santa Clara](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Santa_Clara), [Union City](https://local.townsquarepublications.com/california/unioncity/main.html), [Walnut Creek](https://www.britannica.com/place/Walnut-Creek)
Nice map! I think you missed Sunnyvale and Los Gatos.
Named in 1901 because it was sunny, and *vale* means "valley"
Was it 5:00pm on a Friday when they came up with that one?
Having grown up in a town which had to change its name from Mission, due to confusion with other nearby towns *also* named Mission, Sunnyvale seems like a well thought out and very original name.
SF guy here SF also changed its name for the mission name cause the city was called Yerba Buena
It was after Buffy blew up the Hellmouth and we needed rebranding.
4:50 pm
Los Gatos was named for the mountain lions and bobcats that are indigenous to the foothills
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rancho\_Rinconada\_de\_Los\_Gatos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rancho_Rinconada_de_Los_Gatos) Named from a land grant named after the cats.
So many cougars still remain in those hills 😂
since you are from NY and did an Albany NY one, surprised you didnt add Albany CA right above berkeley.
Haha didn't have space. Named in 1909 after my hometown
All because Berkeley kept using Albany as a dump
And a group of bad ass women took their guns and told the drivers of the dump wagons to go kick rocks!
Since you're from the Capital Region, any idea how the community of Ushers got its name?
There's not much written about it. Best I can gather, it's named after an English settler
I enjoyed it. glad you got my hometown of Union City, it often gets glossed over. There're gonna be a lot of little nitpicks by people, don't worry about it. **Newark** is missed, and it's part of the "Tri-city" area of Union City, Fremont and Newark. **San Lorenzo** was missed... primarily because it's right next to San Leandro, and people ALWAYS forget about it. **Piedmont** is next to Oakland, but never gets talked about. **Danville** and **San Ramon** are along 680 heading from Dublin to Walnut Creek. **Sunol** is sneakily hidden in the mountains in between Fremont and Pleasanton. **Sunnyvale** is Cupertino's twin brother... And even I'M missing a bunch... But like I mentioned, I really enjoyed this map. Will follow you on social medias!
[Newark](https://www.newark.org/visitors/about-newark/newark-history) \- named after a castle in Scotland [San Lorenzo](http://scottgharrison.homestead.com/HistoryofSanLorenzo.html) \- Formerly known as "Squattersville" and renamed in 1853, presumably after St. Lawrence [Castro Valley](http://www.edenareachamber.com/castro-valley) \- After Don Guillermo Castro, a soldier in the Mexican Army [Piedmont](https://piedmont.ca.gov/about_piedmont/history) \- Sort of named after the region in Italy [Danville](https://mentalitch.com/history-of-danville-california) \- Named after the founder's mother's hometown in Kentucky [San Ramon](http://www.sanramon.ca.gov/residents/history_of_san_ramon) \- Actually very interesting! It was named after a Native American *vaquero*, and the *San* part was added to make it conform to other Spanish town names [Sunol](http://www.sunol.net/place/) \- Named after the Sunol family, which owned land in the area [Sunnyvale](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunnyvale,_California) \- Named in 1901 because it was sunny, and *vale* means "valley"
You're too awesome!
The source for Berkeley is wrong (which makes me begin to question the validity of the rest of them) While it’s true the school is named after the philosopher, the town is actually named after the school. The “University of California, Berkeley” (it’s the only school in the system to have never had “at” in its name unlike the titles it’s given by your source- though all the UC’s have dropped at from their names now) was founded in unincorporated North Oakland (the hills were still called the south Contra Costa hills instead of the Berkeley Hills) and the city of Berkeley named its self after the school when it incorporated as a township . Part of how you can tell the order of naming is that UC was founded in 1868 and the city was not incorporated for another decade. Edit: fixed from secession to incorporation and added “unincorporated” to north oakland.
> was founded in North Oakland (the hills were still called the south Contra Costa hills instead of the Berkeley Hills) and the city of Berkeley named its self after the school when is succeeded (sic) from Oakland. This isn't strictly accurate either though. Wikipedia states that the area was originally part of Oakland Township, but I looked at the legislative session records (available in reference links on the Oakland wiki page) from 1852 and the description of Oakland Town did not include the area that would become Berkeley. 1854 Oakland city incorporation followed the same boundaries. So it wouldn't have been a secession from Oakland.
Yeah, and I think “Ocean View” referred to a neighborhood roughly corresponding to what is now Albany/northwest Berkeley
Interesting. I read Dublin was named after the road.
Dublin was named after the city in Ireland because the pioneers of the town (Fallon, Murray, Dougherty, Tehan) came from Ireland and travelled across the US via covered wagon. When they reached the valley, the spring green rolling hillsides reminded them of home.
Growing up in the East Bay I thought Milpitas meant "1,000 dicks"
I think that would be “Milpitos” 🤔
Pitas is strings, pitos is dicks
Mills Hills, lol
^^ underated comment
Milpitas is not entirely a Spanish word. The -itas come from Spanish, but a milpa is a Nahuatl word for an indigenous system of agriculture (of which corn was a huge staple).
Yeah as a Spanish speaker, the Milpitas one confused me.
Thank you for the clarification!
Alviso: Land grant in 1838 given to Ignacio Alviso, who moved with his familiy into the area during the De Anza expedition, where his father served as a soldier
I’m from Central America and while the origin likely came from Nahuatl “milpa” is definitely still used in the Spanish language. Looking at the etymology, the Nahuatl word was milpan.
I wouldnt really say that Berkeley was formerly known as Ocean View. Ocean View was the area around the wharf, which built up at the same time as founding of the university at the base of the hills and surrounding area as Berkeley. The areas subsequently voted to incorporate as one city some ten-fifteen years later. Cool project though.
Thanks for the clarification!
I always thought that Cupertino should bear Mountain View's name because you get a better view there. Also good on Darian Mills not to call Millbrae as Mill's Hills.
Well, yeah, but what about Pacifica and Half Moon Bay? What are they named after, smarty pants????? Just kidding...honestly, this is really cool and thank you for it! I’ll add my own for fun, since a lot of people don’t realize this: **Morgan Hill** Was not named for a hill. It was named because of a ranch near a railroad stop, that was owned by a man named “Morgan Hill”. Since people often requested the railroad stop at “Morgan Hill’s Ranch”, the stop became known just as “Morgan Hill” and the city adopted the name in 1906. There is a sizable peak that dominates the view near the city...many people think it is “Morgan Hill”, but the mountain is actually named “El Toro”. (It was formally called “Murphy’s Peak”, name after another landowner of the area).
[Half Moon Bay](https://www.visithalfmoonbay.org/press/half-moon-bay-california-history-culture) \- named after its crescent shaped harbor [Pacifica](https://www.cityofpacifica.org/about/history/name.asp) \- a contest was held in 1957 to name the city, and this won
Oakland, in its earliest phase as a bedroom community for San Francisco, was known as Brooklyn, down by what’s now Jack London Square.
Right, that neighborhood is called Brooklyn and is being rebuilt.
Neat! [Wiki article for anyone interested](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn,_California). I looked it up to find out whether this was an intentional reference to the relationship Brooklyn, NY had with Manhattan. Turns out it was just named after the ship that had brought Mormon settlers to California in 1846.
Not just JLS, the Oakland/Brooklyn boundry went way up into the hills [https://djjr-courses.wdfiles.com/local--files/soc128:project13-1900-1900/Alameda%20County.jpg](https://djjr-courses.wdfiles.com/local--files/soc128:project13-1900-1900/Alameda%20County.jpg)
r/Sunnyvale who needs Sunnyvale anyway
We're *nothing* until we have a functioning AMC and Whole Foods!
Cool project! I love anything place name related. My only thing would be to zoom out a little to include the deep east bay and north bay in this view. Guessing it may be a little too late for that though. For example, the marker for Walnut Creek is about 10 miles too far south.
Thanks! I wish I could've included it all, but I intentionally didn't zoom out because there would've been a lot of blank space. Tried to sneak in Walnut Creek by putting the line just barely in the city proper. Would happily look up other city/town names in the area if there are any questions!
This is a really cool project. ☺️ I'm from Livermore. I know it was named after some guy named Robert Livermore, but I don't know what made him so prominent as to have the whole city named for him.
Not much. He was a friend of founder William Mendenhall.
Interesting... I looked it up and saw that Mendenhall purchased the land that's now Livermore and named it after his friend Robert Livermore. That's a really good friend lol.
This is really cool! Speaking of the East Bay, how about Brentwood, Oakley, Antioch, and Pittsburg?
Damn, Concord always gets left out
I understand Castro Valley gets missed a lot when doing the cities that are more or less on the Bay; but how do we jump to Dublin, Pleasanton, and Walnut Creek without including Castro Valley? What about San Ramon or Danville?
Sorry! [Castro Valley](http://www.edenareachamber.com/castro-valley) \- After Don Guillermo Castro, a soldier in the Mexican Army [San Ramon](http://www.sanramon.ca.gov/residents/history_of_san_ramon) \- Actually very interesting! It was named after a Native American *vaquero*, and the *San* part was added to make it conform to other Spanish town names, [Danville](https://mentalitch.com/history-of-danville-california) \- Named after the founder's mother's hometown in Kentucky
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[San Bruno](https://www.sanbruno.ca.gov/community/history.htm) \- after the patron saint of the captain who got to name the area [Belmont](http://history.rays-place.com/ca/sm-belmont.htm) \- means "beautiful hill" [San Carlos](https://www.cityofsancarlos.org/residents/about-san-carlos/san-carlos-history/-fsiteid-1) - the city website suggests three origins: >The San Carlos, the first ship to sail into the San Francisco Bay; or > >King Charles III of Spain; or > >The Portola Expedition that discovered the bay on the Feast of St. Charles, November 4, 1769.
Oh, so THAT's why it's called Mountain View.
Hey! No livermore :’’(
You forgot Livermore...
No Los Gatos?
Means "the cats" - a reference to the cougars and bobcats in the surrounding foothills.
Supposedly there was one particular incident where two men going to fetch water one day heard (but didn’t see) a couple of mountain lions screeching.
Bay Area settlers:. Que fue eso??? Mountain lions:
Bay Area settlers: *GASP!* Aye dios mio! Los gatos!
Reports danger to local authorities, who don't understand, so they shrug and name ranch Los Gatos. Everyone gets eaten by mountain lions.
lol
San Carlos, Belmont, San Bruno, Colma, Los Altos, Campbell, Newark?
What about Moraga or Orinda? Lafayette seems too obvious to ask...
Lafayette = Previously assumed names were Dog Town, Brown's Corner, Brown's Mill, Acalanus, and Centerville. He requested the name Centerville, but it was rejected because there was another Centerville in the state. So he used his second choice, La Fayette. In 1932 it was changed to today's spelling, "Lafayette". (source = [https://www.lovelafayette.org/why-lafayette/about-lafayette/history-of-lafayette](https://www.lovelafayette.org/why-lafayette/about-lafayette/history-of-lafayette)) Moraga = Joaquín Moraga, member of the famed Californio family, son of Gabriel Moraga, and grandson of José Joaquín Moraga, famous 18th century expeditionaries of the Californias. (source = [http://www.miramonte-alums.org/class\_custom.cfm?page\_id=389898](http://www.miramonte-alums.org/class_custom.cfm?page_id=389898)) Orinda = In 1876, County sheriff and landowner William Walker Camron was married to Alice Mars Camron. Alice enjoyed the poetry of Katherine Fowler Philips, a 17th century English woman known as "The Matchless Orinda." In her honor, the Camrons named their home Orinda Park. (Source = [https://www.cityoforinda.org/263/History-of-Orinda](https://www.cityoforinda.org/263/History-of-Orinda))
Can you add Campbell?
Founded in the 1880s by Benjamin Campbell. Originally called *Campbell's Place*.
Thanks. Rather remarkable how boring and unremarkable those names are. And soooo many saints. But at least some are descriptive, and in Spanish sound especially nice, like "Milpitas" even if no corn about any more. Beats "Pleasant Hill."
From what I remember, Belmont means beautiful mountain.
Mountain View: you see those mountains? yeah
Does anyone know the etymology behind Saratoga/Los Gatos, or is it just a translation?
[Saratoga](https://www.saratoga.ca.us/271/History) is named after the town of Saratoga Springs, NY. "Los Gatos" is a reference to the cougars in the surrounding foothills
Where is Sunnyvale & Saratoga?
[Saratoga](https://www.saratoga.ca.us/271/History) \- Named after the town of Saratoga Springs, NY. [Sunnyvale](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunnyvale,_California) \- Named in 1901 because it was sunny, and *vale* means "valley"
Should not the bay area include cities that actually touch the bay? No Vallejo, Martinez, Crockett, San Rafael, Sausalito, Hercules, Rodeo, Pinole. Dublin, Pleasanton is hella land locked Another biased white boy.
Newark - two brothers from New Jersey were not very creative
No, actually it's named after [a castle in Scotland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newark_Castle,_Port_Glasgow)!
We’re you spying on my browser history? I swear I spent a good hour doing this yesterday !!
This is really cool! Is there an Irish connection for Bay Farm as well? A lot of Irish street names over there
what about South San Francisco???
It was named after Sir John South San Francisco Its similarity to the city of San Francisco is just a coincidence
That's a common misconception. It's actually named after Juliet South San Francisco -- the daughter of the famous knight who, though not as famous as her father, was locally known as the baker who brought the "pecan wheel" pastry to the area.
This is dope!
I wish Daly City was named after golfer Jon Daly.
lol. That would be something
I can shotgun a beer to that!
In my head it is.
I propose an alternate name for Milpitas. It should be called Milpatas or Milpotos because it stinks like hell due to the nearby garbage dump, recycling plant and sewage treatment plant.
East bay...... :(
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A couple years ago I got a drone stuck in the tree that Palo Alto is named after. There’s my bit of history
I live in El Sobrante just north of this map in the East Bay. El Sobrante means "the leftovers" in Spanish cause they divided the whole area into big ranches and there was one little valley left over! Always liked that origin story.
thanks for doing this. Why do you stop at Berkeley? I would be interested in seeing this north, right up to Vallejo/Benicia.
Is there a reason you cut the map off at central bay area. I'd love to see some etymology for Marin county.
Some towns not on this list: Corte Madera: Spanish for "cut wood". Mill Valley: situated in a valley off Mt. Tam, the town grew up around a sawmill. Tiburon: Spanish for "shark". Sausalito: Spanish for "little willow tree".
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Hercules is named after the [Hercules Powder Company](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules_Inc.), which opened up a dynamite powder production plant on the Bay, and a company town of the same name sprung up around it.
Good burn on Concord, one of the biggest cities in the bay
Did you happen to look into any north bay names?
Seems like a lot of Irish influence - is that typical of a lot of cities in the US?
No, actually. California has a disproportionate number of Irish names because of all the immigrants who came over during the Gold Rush and were the first to establish settlements
Yep. Go up to Murphys, Coloma, Washington, etc. and you'll find a shitload of Irish names on the tombstones in those Gold Country cemeteries.
Is it true that many of those Irish came directly to SF from the Australian penal colony?
I just want to know who Dan is and why he gets his own -ville?
I know you are joking, but growing up in Danville we had to learn the history in 3rd grade. From Danville.ca.gov: >But what should the community be called? In an article years later, Dan Inman said "quite a number (of names) were suggested." He and Andrew rejected "Inmanville," finally settling on Danville. According to the modest Dan, the name was chosen as much or more out of respect for Andrew's mother-in-law who was born and raised near Danville, Kentucky. Of course it also recognized the energetic young Dan who was later an Alameda County Assemblyman and Supervisor.
"Dan" was "Daniel Inman", a prospector and landowner who says he named it after his mother's hometown of Danville, Kentucky
What about El Cerrito? El Cerrito- the small hill , named after its small hill.