First Release Homes

Where do you want to go: The Market Place, Emeryville Marina, Kimball's East Jazz Club? What do you want to do: go for a walk by the Bay, play pool at The Broken Rack, catch a movie at the AMC Theater? Where do you want to shop: Bay Street, Powell Street. Plaza, IKEA? Wherever, whatever, they’re all part of Emeryville’s happening neighborhood! Originally a northern suburb of Oakland, Emeryville became a city in its own right largely through the efforts of businessman Joseph S. Emery. Emery came to the Bay Area in 1850 looking for gold, but eventually started a stonework contracting business in San Francisco. In 1859, Emery purchased a 185-acre tract of land north of Oakland and began to develop projects in the area. In 1871 Emery financed the construction of the San Pablo Avenue Horse Cart Railroad, which connected Oakland to Emeryville. He was also one of the primary builders of the California-Nevada Railroad, which began in Oakland, crossed the burgeoning Emery Tract, and terminated in Orinda. A community began to develop around the Emery Tract, and the town of Emeryville was officially incorporated in 1896, taking the name of its founder.