The City of Emeryville lies on the east shore of San Francisco Bay between Oakland and Berkeley, directly opposite the Golden Gate and San Francisco.

The city is small, just over one square mile, but its strategic location in the center of the Bay Area urban core at the confluence of several major freeways, one of the world's busiest bridges, and transcontinental rail lines with service to Seattle, Los Angeles, and Chicago, makes it a highly desirable place to live, work, and shop.

Even before it was called "Emeryville," this place was recognized as an ideal location for settlement by indigenous people and the Spanish and Americans that followed them.

Read Emeryville's full history in the following sections:

• Indigenous People
• Spanish and Mexican Era: 1760s to 1840s
• Americans Arrive: 1840s to 1890s
• Emeryville is Born and Industries Flourish: 1890s to 1930s
• Emeryville Comes of Age: 1930s to 1960s
• The Expanding City: 1960s to 1980s
• Emeryville Today: 1990s to 2000s
• Looking Ahead