Oakland is the third largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the eighth in California. A major West Coast port city, Oakland is not usually considered a tourist destination, maybe because of urban challenges such as poverty and crime, compounded by earthquakes and one of the worst firestorms in 1991. Yet Oakland has plenty to offer. Oakland is the second most ethnically diverse city in the United States. Downtown Oakland is full of character, historic buildings, and theaters. Oakland's urban grit is tempered by Lake Merritt, a large tidal lagoon that is one of the largest urban lakes, and was US first wildlife refuge, designated in 1870. Oakland also features marinas and beaches on the San Francisco Bay area side, and a string of verdant parks in the foothills
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