"In Bay Area meetings about emerging opportunities, businesses, and events, one city continues to be mentioned as 2025 draws to a close: Oakland. On the surface, that is surprising. Oakland's large LGBTQ+ community is hardly new. The White Horse Inn at 6551Telegraph Avenue in Oakland is said to be the oldest continuously operating gay bar in the U.S. It officially opened in 1933, but operated as a gay speakeasy since before the end of Prohibition."
"There is renewed energy, though, concerning the number of LGBTQ+-owned and allied businesses in Oakland, and their latest efforts to successfully organize. More members of the queer community are living and working in Oakland. The Lakeshore LGBTQ Cultural District is now fully established, following the 2017 opening of the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center. Nationally-known Mayor Barbara Lee has brought her Congress-savvy to the city."
"Visitors and business leaders are taking note. Oakland hosts major players like Kaiser Permanente, PG&E, Pandora, and Blue Shield. While there has been a trend of big tech moving out of California, Oakland still draws influential mid-sized and smaller firms attracted by talent, affordability, and the city's unique environment as one of the most diverse and sunniest parts of the central Bay Area."
Oakland shows renewed energy with growth in LGBTQ+-owned and allied businesses and increased queer residents living and working in the city. The Lakeshore LGBTQ Cultural District is fully established after the 2017 opening of the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center. Mayor Barbara Lee brings national profile and congressional experience to city leadership. Major employers such as Kaiser Permanente, PG&E, Pandora, and Blue Shield maintain operations in Oakland. The city attracts mid-sized and smaller firms drawn by talent, affordability, diversity, and sunny climate. Oakland has been repeatedly recognized for its diverse food scene, earning top spots in national readers' choice awards.
Read at San Francisco Bay Times
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