Oakland, CA is a microcosm of the diversity one can find in the Bay Area. Its rich variety of cultures are what makes Oakland such a unique place. The city is also made up of diversity in landscapes, from massive parks with ancient redwoods, to urban streetscapes, quaint suburban pockets, and even an 155-acre lake in it’s center. The one thing that makes Oakland truly magical is its diversity of people.
In a city of close to 450K people, Oakland’s demographics break down something like this:
- White: 35.48%
- Black or African American: 23.75%
- Other race: 16.94%
- Asian: 15.50%
- Two or more races: 6.87%
- Native American: 0.90%
- Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.56%
This makes Oakland one of the most ethnically diverse major U.S. cities according to World Population Review, ranking 4th in diversity with a diversity score of 91.4.
One of Oakland’s nicknames is The Town, if you go anywhere on the westcoast and you say you’re from “The Town” people more that likely know exactly what you’re talking about. Oakland may be a major city, but everybody seems to know everybody, it’s like a big small town. It’s a feeling of community and acceptance and embrace of everyone’s unique differences, coupled with staunch pride that gives people from Oakland an added drive and edge.
So when we set out to create The Town FC, we wanted to make sure we represented ALL of Oakland, not just a segment, or an idea of what Oakland is/was based on past eras. We want to represent every community that makes up The Town, from the East, West and North; From the hills to the flatlands; from the lake to the tribune building and everywhere in between.
We want to highlight and embrace the diversity in cultures that make up this city. We want to help spread the joy of this beautiful game to the communities in this city who don’t have access to it, or may not have known that it was for them.
We want to show the beauty and the loyalty that this city holds for its sports teams, teams that haven’t always reciprocated that loyalty. We want to earn that trust and loyalty from Oakland by representing every aspect of it, and upholding that pride wherever we take the pitch.
Oakland is not a monolith, It is a microcosm of the Bay Area’s diversity. The Town is the Bay Area’s heart and soul.
– EL Johnson