Lynn is a neighborhood of Oakland. It is roughly consistent with the historical settlement of Lynn (shown by outline on map), which was became part of the Town of Brooklyn when the Town was incorporated in 1870, but the boundaries differ.
Although some sources combine the Lynn neighborhood with adjoining Highland Park, the Greenstreets map and other sources show them as separate neighborhoods.
Village of Lynn
The village of Lynn was named for Lynn, Massachusetts, which also had a large footwear industry. 3 But the village was short-lived. A map referring to the "New Town of Lynn" was recorded in 1868, 1 but two years later in 1870, it was included as part of Brooklyn, which was in turn annexed by Oakland in 1872. Although the developers referred to it as a town, the recorded map clearly shows what's called a tract or subdivision everywhere else.
When originally laid out, Lynn was bordered approximately by present-day East 31st Street on the south, 13th Avenue on the west, MacArthur Boulevard on the north, and a line extended from Palmer Avenue on the east. 1
In 1875, the Highland Park & Fruit Vale Railroad cut through the neighborhood running on what is now 14th Avenue. 2
1868 map 1
detail of 1877 map
Pages tagged “lynn”
Links and References
- Map of New Town of Lynn.pdf, recorded 1868
- 1878 Thompson & West map
- Lynn, Oakland, California on Wikipedia
