Oakland is a diverse and intresting place to live. Oakland was first settled by Americans after the United States acquired California from Mexico in 1848. The settlement was incorporated as town in 1852 and as a city in 1854. Oakland is primarily a manufacturing and transportation center. Along the inner harbor are the principal industrial areas, with large factories, railway yards, warehouses, and port facilities. The city principal residential districts and many of its major parks are in the eastern hills overlooking the bay.