International Boulevard (Oakland, California)


International Boulevard, East 14th Street, and Mission Boulevard are a major road in Alameda County, California. The section now known as International Boulevard was also named East 14th Street until 1996, owing to its position in the East Oakland grid plan; though fully deprecated within the city of Oakland today, this name is still commonly used, especially in casual speech. Mission Boulevard is so named as number 43300 is the location of Mission San José.
South of 42nd Avenue and the end of California State Route 77, the street is signed as CA-185; after the junction with CA-92 in Hayward, it is signed as part of CA-238; between I-680 and I-880, it is signed as the relatively obscure CA-262.
International Boulevard, East 14th Street, and Mission Boulevard are each among the longest continuously-named streets in the Bay Area individually. The numbers along the International Boulevard are notable in that they are continuous, growing with no large gaps from 102 International Boulevard, to 10970 International Boulevard.
It is claimed that the section in Oakland was named International Boulevard due to the diversity in ethnic backgrounds among residents and business owners along the route. Fruitvale, a neighborhood of Oakland with a large Hispanic population, is centered on International Boulevard's intersections with Fruitvale and 35th Avenues, and has seen considerable economic growth in recent years. Immediately northwest of Fruitvale are many businesses long owned locally by East and Southeast Asian residents. Much of the rest of International Boulevard bisects predominantly low-income African-American communities.
Some portions of International Boulevard have gained a reputation as areas of prostitution, and are part of Oakland's continuing troubles with underage prostitution. Award-winning short film, regarding underage prostitution, , covers the issue of Commercially Sexually Exploited Children in Oakland, and on a national level.