Fruitvale

Fruitvale is a neighborhood in eastern Oakland, California, in the United States. It is located about two miles southeast of Lake Merritt and is home to Oakland's largest Latino population. Fruitvale's ZIP code is 94601.

The name (originally Fruit Vale) comes from the many fruit orchards (largely apricot and cherry) which dominated the area in the late 1800s. After the 1906 earthquake, the onslaught of refugees from San Francisco caused a population boom, and the unincorporated neighborhood was annexed into the City of Oakland by 1909.

The Fruitvale BART station is located near the center of the Fruitvale shopping district, along International Blvd. (E. 14th St.) from Fruitvale Ave. to 38th Ave. This vibrant shopping area is home to many Latino businesses, and hosts several annual cultural events, including a Cinco de Mayo parade and a Dia De Los Muertos festival.

The subsection of the neighborhood adjacent to the Oakland Estuary is called Jingletown, taking its name from a habit of nearby mill workers, largely males of Portuguese and Azorean background, who would stroll the neighborhood on the weekends and jingle the coins from a week's work in their pockets as they walked to display their prosperity. Formerly a quaint Victorian neighborhood, it is now home to an award-winning affordable housing development and a burgeoning art district