San Francisco Relocation Guide - Antevia

Yerba Buena Island sits in the San Francisco Bay between San Francisco and Oakland,
California. The Yerba Buena Tunnel runs through its center and connects the western and
eastern spans of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. It has had several other names
over the decades: Sea Bird Island, Wood Island, and Goat Island.
Located west of the island is Blossom Rock, a treacherous submerged stone which caused
a number of shipwrecks, until ships learned to use some nearby redwood trees as
navigation helpers to avoid it. The site of these trees (now located in Redwood Regional
Park) is a California Historical Landmark.
As the natural base for the artificial Treasure Island, Yerba Buena and Treasure Islands
formed the Treasure Island Naval Base, beginning during World War II until 1996, when
it and the Presidio of San Francisco were decommissioned, and opened to public control,
under stipulations.
In his book Two Years Before the Mast, published in 1840, Richard Henry Dana
mentioned the island and called it "Wood Island."
The first California legislature on February 18, 1850, passed an act establishing the
boundaries of San Francisco County and named the island Yerba Buena, after the former
name for the city of San Francisco.
Officially, the island was Yerba Buena until 1895, when on a decision by the U.S.
Geographic Board, it was changed to "Goat Island." It was changed back to "Yerba
Buena" on June 3, 1931. "Yerba Buena" literally means "Good Herb" in Spanish.
The island is currently part of District 6 of the City and County of San Francisco.
See also
Islands of San Francisco Bay
External links
Treasure Island message board
Naval Training Station: San Francisco Bay, Calif., Yerba Buena Island. Retrieved on July
12, 2005.
Maps and aerial photos
WikiSatellite view at WikiMapia
Street map from MapQuest or Google Local