In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and her companions are drawn through the streets of the Emerald City by "a horse of a different color" which continuously changes hue. East Palo Alto has experienced similar frequent and rapid transformations during a history that is as distinctive and colorful as that horse.
While communities throughout the San Francisco Bay area have suffered the growing pains of urbanization and increasing population in recent decades, East Palo Alto has witnessed numerous additional changes which were as unique as they were extensive:
Identity.
The town originally was called Ravenswood, then became
East Palo Alto, and was nearly renamed Nairobi in 1968. It has also been
known, informally, as Cooley's Landing, Weeks Poultry Colony, Runnymede
and Palo Alto. It has been part of the larger areas of Rancho de las Pulgas,
San Francisco County, San Mateo County and Menlo Park. Various districts,
sometimes considered to be communities in themselves, were known as University
Village, Palo Alto Gardens, Newbridge Park, Woodland Place, Palo Alto Park,
Belle Haven, Bayshore Park, and others. The city is often mistakenly thought
to be part of Palo Alto, although the two have always been separate entities.
Boundaries
For most of its history, East Palo Alto was part of
unincorporated San Mateo County.
As such, it did not have an official boundary until it incorporated in 1983.
However, the area historically regarded as East Palo Alto was much larger
than the city's current 2.5 square miles. (See map.) Large tracts were annexed by Menlo Park and Palo Alto
from the late 1940s to the early 1960s.
Ethnicity
The original inhabitants were Ohlone/Costanoan Native
Americans. Spanish ranchers took over, followed by Caucasian speculators
and settlers. For a time Chinese laborers were prevalent. Asian and Italian
flower growers preceded the flood of middle-class Caucasians drawn to post-war
housing developments. East Palo Alto later became the largest African American
community on the peninsula. Today the city possesses a multi-ethnic population
which includes a large number of Hispanics and Pacific Islanders.
Commerce
Trade has alternately focused on ranching, transportation
and shipping, brick manufacturing, farming, servicing travelers of Bayshore
Highway and Dumbarton Bridge, and flower growing. At present there is a
mix of small industrial, agricultural and commercial businesses.
These changes, and the population shifts that accompanied them, may be partially responsible for the notion that East Palo Alto lacks the kind of strong community identity possessed by its neighbors. Since it was founded around 1849, the town has experienced erratic growth and frequent conflict. Over the decades there has been rancor over lifestyles, schools, name changes, annexation, racial issues, incorporation, politics and development.
But some things have remained constant, namely the characteristics that have always attracted people to the area: the price of land and housing; a beautiful, rural-like setting; its centralized location; proximity to transportation and San Francisco Bay; and some of the most enviable weather in the nation.
The changing face of East Palo Alto is described in more detail in subsequent chapters. The town's history is divided into 11 periods: Native Americans (1500 B.C. to 1700s A.D.), Rancho de las Pulgas (late 1700s to mid-1800s), Ravenswood (1849 to 1868), Cooley's Landing (1868 to 1900s), Early 1900s, Runnymede (1916 to 1930s), Business Districts (late 1920s to today), East Palo Alto (1950s to 1970s), Municipal Government (1966 to 1980s), Incorporation (1981 to 1987), and East Palo Alto Today.