I really want to know the history of my area. I live in Oakland and really want to get to know all forms of history here. I feel like I have got a pop history / scratching the surface version. I am really sorry to ask you all but I can't phrase it well enough to get source material. Anyhow, I don't expect much in reply but some words on how to do this better in the future would be appreciated. As a point of reference I am mostly into first hand knowledge and works, not collected stuff.
I would recommend you reaching out to your local library or historical society. It sounds like you're interested in primary source material, and I think that an oral history collection would be a great place to start. Oral history involves a historian interviewing a first hand observer of a time period or event, and keeping a recorded version of that interview. Many institutions have their oral history collections fully digitized and you may be able to access them through your historical society from home. Older oral history collections that are saved on video, cassette, DVD, etc can accessed by making an appointment with the librarian or archivist on staff. Additionally, you can research other primary source material such as diaries or newspapers at your library. Oakland has a rich history and I'm sure you'll find a lot of information on any time period you choose!