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Albany Albany is a unique community with a historical past and a promising future. Incorporated in 1908, it is located at the northern tip of Alameda County between the cities of Berkeley and El Cerrito. Albany area was originally part of a Spanish land grant and cattle ranch before the discovery of gold in 1848. In the 1800's, powder plants were built on the waterfront, after several deaths they were dismantled. After the 1906 earthquake, many of the people from San Francisco moved to the Albany area forming a city called Ocean View. A year later the name was changed to Albany in honor of the first mayor, Frank Roberts, who was born in Albany, New York.
Residential development mushroomed throughout Albany in the 1920's and 1930's. One of the major builders in Albany was C.M. MacGregor. MacGregor became known as "One-Nail MacGregor" implying that he used on nail more than all his competitors did. MacGregor literally built hundreds upon hundreds of one and two story bungalows in every conceivable style. The many different architechtural styles have made the housing in Albany unique.
In 1940, the Western Regional Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Agriculture was constructed, and to this day it remains a very important part of Albany. Golden Gate Fields was constructed in 1941 and served as a training base for the U.S. Navy. It now has races approximately 180 days a year and serves as a great economical value to the city.
Albany is alwo unique for having its own school system, which holds an academic ranking in the 80th and 90th percentiles. In percent of the residents holding college degrees, Albany is second only to Piedmont in Alameda county. UC-Berkeley married student housing is located in Albany, which has an elementary school located at the site. UC-Berkeley kids make up about 20 percent of school enrollment.
The steady developing community has a wide variety of shops, services and restaurants. The city offers a balance of small town community feeling and the convenience of being centrally located, only 10 minutes away from UC-Berkeley's art music, theater and sports.
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