Oakland's Broadway Auto Row is the area north of downtown Oakland along Broadway between Grand Avenue (Uptown) at the Southwest and I-580, 40th Street or even 51st Street to the Northeast. The strip has a history of car dealerships and other automotive service businesses as far back as 1912.[1] The businesses and sales in the area are a part of Oakland's economic base. In recent years, the area is seen as ripe for mixed-use development intensification, and other bicycle and pedestrian improvements
With annual tax revenues of more than $3 million for years, the dozen or so dealerships on Broadway have historically been one of the city's largest sources of sales tax revenue.[citation needed] During his term in office, former Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown appeared in a series of televised "Buy Oakland" commercials.[2]