The municipality of Berkeley is situated on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County. Berkeley neighbors Oakland and Emeryville to the south, Albany and Kensington to the north, and borders the Contra Costa County to the east.
Berkeley is the home of the oldest University of California campus and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The Gradual Theological Union likewise is situated here. The city is considered among the most politically liberal in California and was ranked the third most liberal city in the United States in a recent research.
Ranging from various commercial and manufacturing to industrial businesses, the economy of Berkeley is quite diverse. In 1999, the city achieved its lowest unemployment rate at 2.3%. However, various ethnic groups do not benefit from the 70,000 jobs offered by the businesses: During the year 1990, the unemployment rate for African- American females was 12 percent and the rate for males who are African-American was over 18%. The average overall rate for the city during that time was 5.6%. This group likewise makes less per capita income. During the year 1990, it was 59% of the citywide average, a measly $11,134.
The various businesses, located in West Berkeley, create an approximate taxable sales revenue of $1.2 billion. Berkeley is known as fantastic place for small, independent businesses to locate. The city is packed with educated individuals with unique entrepreneurial ideas which benefit many of the local businesses which have developed here. Nearly all commercial buildings are of medium size, that is possibly because of the 90% of all employers within the area that have less then 20 workers. Financial stability is even acquired within Berkeley with The University of California and other educational and research facilities which are supported by the state.
The mid- and late- '90s, a time of economic prosperity, brought difficulties as well as benefits. The social, economic and cultural diversity of the city has been harshly challenged with the property values/rents constantly increasing. The more crafty and artistic individuals are finding it increasingly tough to live with financial pressures increasing. Office and retail spaces are become more common as higher office rents cause pressure on businesses to cut back from their well-paying industrial jobs to office spaces which are smaller. In West Berkeley, where the industrial sector thrives, continuous supervision is required to be able to maintain a balance between office, manufacturing and retail uses.