Alameda was originally a peninsula. It became an island in 1902, when a channel was built across the east end of Alameda to enhance shipping.

C. 1700 BC: The oak-forested peninsula that would become Alameda attracted native settlements. Deer, elk, fish, oysters and acorns were plentiful. 1820: The peninsula was part of a land grant awarded to Louis Peralta for his service to the King of Spain. 1850: Land on Alameda was leased by W.W. Chipman and Gideon Auginbaugh, who pitched their tent just east of present-day Versailles Ave. The two entrepreneurs planted fruit trees on the east end of the island to sell at markets in San Francisco during the Gold Rush. They later purchased the entire peninsula from Peralta for $14,000. 1852: Forty-three lots on High Street were sold off for $80 each, and the town of Alameda began to grow. Three towns sprang up on the peninsula: Woodstock on the western end, Encinal in the mid section, and Alameda on the east end. 1854: First post office was established. 1855: Alameda's first school opened. 1860: Railroads and regular ferry service came to Alameda. 1870: A wharf was built for schooners at the end of High Street. Alameda's first commercial beach, Terrace Baths, opened. Gas lamps illuminated the sandy-bottomed salt-water pools for night swimming. 1871: Webster Street Bridge was constructed. 1872: The three towns on the peninsula were consolidated into the City of Alameda. 1876: Fire department, police department and board of education were established. 1885: Electricity and telephones came to Alameda. 1890's: Era of widespread growth; many of the city's Victorian homes were built. 1893: Ma Schmidt opened her Cottage Baths. Her clientele included Ethel Barrymore, Al Jolson, Robert Louis Stevenson and Jack London. 1893: Alaska Packers Association was formed; the salmon fishing fleet was based in Alameda and would fish the waters of Alaska during the spring and summer. 1896: Alameda boasted 15,000 residents, two theaters, 20 public halls, nine public schools, seven private schools and three newspapers. 1917: Neptune Beach amusement park and swimming club opened at the foot of Webster Street. 1920's: Heyday of Alameda as a resort destination. 1931: Alameda Theater, by the same architect who designed Oakland's Paramount Theater, opened its doors. 1935: Pan American Airlines uses Alameda Marina for its China Clipper trans-Pacific service. 1940: Alameda Naval Air Base was commissioned. 1942: Alameda native Jimmy Doolittle led a raid on Japan from the Naval Air Base. 1950's-1970's: Growth in new housing; Alameda became one of the Bay Area's most popular addresses, retaining its small-town atmosphere. 1997: Alameda Naval Air Base closed and the Navy began turning property over to the City of Alameda. 2003: Warmington Homes California unveils plans for Bayport Alameda, a new community that celebrates the history of Alameda.