Oakland History

Oakland city directories are a great source of information about people and businesses in Oakland from the late 19^th century to the mid 20^th century.

The list to the right shows directories that are available in the Oakland History Center. Links will lead you to digitized versions of these directories, which you can browse on the Internet Archive.

No city directories were printed in 1919, 1920, 1929, 1931, 1932, 1936, 1942, 1944-1966, or 1968.

The Oakland History Center’s collection also includes Oakland reverse directories for the years 1936, 1953, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, and 1995. Unlike city directories, which are searchable by name, reverse directories are searchable by address or phone number. These are also called criss-cross or street address directories. Additional reverse directories for Oakland are available online for the years 1938, opens a new window, 1940, opens a new window, and 1944, opens a new window. Later years are available in the Main Library's Magazine & Newspaper Room.

Our collection also includes telephone directories, business directories, society directories, and more.