 During this time, Oakland had 75-100 inhabitants, two hotels, a wharf, two warehouses, and only cattle trails.Two years later, on March 25, 1854, Oakland re-incorporated as the City of Oakland.. Horace Carpentier was elected the first mayor, though a scandal ended his mayorship in less than a year.The city and its environs quickly grew with the railroads, becoming a major rail terminal in the late 1860s and 1870s.