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Byron, California

Byron is a census designated place (CDP) in Contra Costa County, California, United States.

History
Byron's location was part of a land grant that Jose Noriega received from the King of Spain in 1835. Noriega then sold 17,000 acres to John Marsh for the equivalent of $500 (three U.S. cents per acre). In 1841, the Bidwell-Bartelson wagon train arrived at Marsh's ranch with the earliest Anglo settlers from the east.

Byron's first post office opened in 1878. Byron is named after an employee of the San Pablo, and the eastern U. S. and Pacific Railroad.

In 1942, all of the town's residents of Japanese descent were forcibly removed by the US government with pressure from California agricultural interests and taken to Turlock assembly center.

In 1960, Contra Costa County built the Orin Allen Youth Rehabilitation Center, better known informally as the Boys' Ranch on a 50 acre tract immediately southeast of Byron. The Boys' Ranch is a minimum-security facility that houses up to 100 youthful offenders. The property has no security fence to contain residents within the perimeter and includes dormitories, classrooms, a kitchen and dining facility, athletic facilities and administrative offices which occupy about one-third of the area. Its objective was stated as rehabilitation, rather than simply detention.

In 2008, a Contra Costa County Grand Jury began an investigation into whether the facility was cost-effective, or whether it should be permanently closed. It began by conducting an unannounced site inspection in September, 2008. In 2009, it released its report to the county commissioners. The report identified 21 defects at the facility that needed correction.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 6.5 sqmi, all of it land. It is located 5.5 mi southeast of Brentwood.

Climate
This region experiences hot and dry summers, with average monthly high temperatures varying from 55 degrees in January to 93 degrees in July. Byron is windy, and dust devils sometimes appear. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Byron has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

2010
At the 2010 census Byron had a population of 1,277. The population density was 196.8 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Byron was 911 (71.3%) White, 61 (4.8%) African American, 11 (0.9%) Native American, 4 (0.3%) Asian, 11 (0.9%) Pacific Islander, 224 (17.5%) from other races, and 55 (4.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 503 people (39.4%).

The census reported that 1,177 people (92.2% of the population) lived in households, no one lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and 100 (7.8%) were institutionalized.

There were 389 households, 171 (44.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 229 (58.9%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 37 (9.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 27 (6.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 25 (6.4%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 3 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 76 households (19.5%) were one person and 25 (6.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.03. There were 293 families (75.3% of households); the average family size was 3.50.

The age distribution was 405 people (31.7%) under the age of 18, 136 people (10.6%) aged 18 to 24, 306 people (24.0%) aged 25 to 44, 312 people (24.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 118 people (9.2%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 32.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 112.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.6 males.

There were 415 housing units at an average density of 64.0 /sqmi,of which 389 were occupied, 254 (65.3%) by the owners and 135 (34.7%) by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.6%. 759 people (59.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 418 people (32.7%) lived in rental housing units.

2000
At the 2000 census there were 916 people, 286 households, and 203 families in the CDP. The population density was 360.1 PD/sqmi. There were 309 housing units at an average density of 121.5 /sqmi. The ethnic makeup of the CDP was 75.00% White, 4.37% Black or African American, 1.09% Native American, 2.18% Asian, 0.44% Pacific Islander, 14.74% from other races, and 2.18% from two or more races. 25.87% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 286 households 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 22.0% of households were one person and 9.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.36.

The age distribution was 35.0% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% 65 or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 129.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.2 males.

The median household income was $35,938 and the median family income was $44,306. Males had a median income of $42,639 versus $28,889 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $21,231. About 15.6% of families and 14.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.3% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Former resort
37.84833°N, -121.63333°W Byron, California is also home to the somewhat well-known and historical Byron Hot Springs, a now-abandoned resort that was a retreat that attracted many movie stars and famous athletes in the early 1900s. The first hotel was built around 57 hot springs and owned by Lewis Mead in 1889. The hotel included a three-story wood building, with a few cottages scattered nearby, as well as a laundry, gas plant and ice plant, all of which were destroyed by fire on July 25, 1901. A second hotel, also three stories, but made of stucco was constructed 1901–1902, but it burned on July 18, 1912. The third and final hotel, a four-story brick structure was built in 1913, reopened in 1914.

In 1938 the resort closed, after a series of lawsuits that were probably brought about by the Great Depression, but was leased by the government in 1941 and became a military interrogation camp housing both German and Japanese prisoners of war, known as Camp Tracy, until 1945, when orders were sent to dismantle it.

In 1947 Byron Hot Springs was put up for sale and purchased by the Greek Orthodox Church for $105,000. It served as Monastery St. Paul for several years. It then changed hands several times as a resort, country club, and private residence. In 2008, a developer announced plans to restore the resort. a Byron Hot Springs website retains a "Resort Plans" page for the restoration of Byron Hot Springs.

In 2005, a Victorian-era carriage house on the property was burned to the ground. The hotel itself sustained some fire damage, but still stands.

Byron Hot Springs is 1.5 mi south-southeast of Byron. A post office operated at Byron Hot Springs from 1889 to 1930.

Byron Airport
In 1993 Contra Costa County broke ground on a new airport two miles (3 km) south of Byron. On October 8, 1994, Byron Airport was dedicated. The new airport has 1307 acre of land. 814 acre are reserved for habitat management land for the San Joaquin kit fox, a federally listed endangered species, as well as many other endangered and special status species.

This is the home airport of the Patriots Jet Team. It has also been used for illegal drag races in the past.

title: Byron, California


text:
Clayton, California

Clayton (formerly Clayton's and Claytonville ) is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 11,585 as of the 2020 census.

History
In 1857, the town of Clayton was laid out and founded by Joel Henry Clayton (1812–1872) and his two younger brothers. Clayton was born in Bugsworth, now Buxworth, in the United Kingdom, and emigrated to the United States in 1837. After years in other states he settled down with his wife Margaret (1820–1908) at his town at the foot of Mount Diablo, where he and his family prospered. Clayton was named after Joel Henry Clayton, although only by the flip of a coin. Joel Clayton and Charles Rhine cofounded the town, and each wanted to name it after himself. If Charles had won it would have become Rhinesville, but Joel Clayton won. Joel and his wife Margaret both died in Clayton, and were buried in Live Oak Cemetery in what is now Concord, CA.

Clayton prospered during the coal mining boom in eastern Contra Costa County. The post office opened in 1861. Following a previous incorporation attempt in 1960, Clayton incorporated in 1964 in order to stave off an annexation attempt in 1963 of the Cardinet Glen neighborhood by nearby Concord. After steady expansion during the 1970s to the east and west from its original boundaries, Clayton's land area more than doubled in 1987 to near its present-day boundaries with the annexations of the Dana Hills/Dana Ridge and Clayton Wood subdivisions, as well as the former Keller Ranch property that was developed during the 1990s with the Oakhurst Country Club.

Fires
Wildfires have been a common occurrence in recent years as California had a major drought from 2011-2017.

On September 8, 2013, fire broke out on Mount Diablo. Called the Morgan Fire, it started at the mercury mine area of Morgan Territory Road. The fire grew quickly and threatened homes and livestock. Evacuations were ordered for several areas, including Oak Hill Lane and Curry Canyon. It took over 1000 firefighters and eight aircraft to extinguish it. Full containment was announced on September 14, 2013, having burned 3100 acres.

On July 25, 2018, a vegetation fire broke out on Marsh Creek Rd near Morgan Territory. One home and 3 out buildings were destroyed. Evacuations were ordered for that evening. By July 28 the fire was 100% contained.

On August 16, 2020, Lightning strikes caused many fires across the state, one of which was another Morgan Fire which became part of the SCU Lightning Complex fires.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.8 sqmi, all land.

Clayton is located at the foot of Mt. Diablo.

Climate
This region experiences hot and dry summers. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Clayton has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

On December 7, 2009, snow fell in Clayton and Concord for the first time since the 1970s.

Education
It is in the Mount Diablo Unified School District.

The public schools which the K-12 students of Clayton attend include: Mt. Diablo Elementary School, Highlands Elementary School, Diablo View Middle School, Pine Hollow Middle School, and Clayton Valley Charter High School.

Public libraries
The Clayton branch of the Contra Costa County Library system is located in Clayton.

Demographics
The 2010 United States Census reported that Clayton had a population of 10,897. The population density was 2,840.7 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Clayton was 9,273 (85.1%) White, 146 (1.3%) African American, 34 (0.3%) Native American, 717 (6.6%) Asian, 16 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 234 (2.1%) from other races, and 477 (4.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 982 persons (9.0%).

The Census reported that 10,887 people (99.9% of the population) lived in households, 10 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 4,006 households, out of which 1,455 (36.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,795 (69.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 301 (7.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 112 (2.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 136 (3.4%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 36 (0.9%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 647 households (16.2%) were made up of individuals, and 310 (7.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72. There were 3,208 families (80.1% of all households); the average family size was 3.04.

The population was spread out, with 2,662 people (24.4%) under the age of 18, 602 people (5.5%) aged 18 to 24, 2,185 people (20.1%) aged 25 to 44, 3,846 people (35.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,602 people (14.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.

There were 4,086 housing units at an average density of 1,065.2 /mi2, of which 4,006 were occupied, of which 3,621 (90.4%) were owner-occupied, and 385 (9.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.8%. 9,936 people (91.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 951 people (8.7%) lived in rental housing units.

Politics
According to the California Secretary of State, as of February 10, 2019, Clayton has 8,078 registered voters. Of those, 3,128 (38.7%) are registered Democrats, 2,685 (33.2%) are registered Republicans, and 1,888 (23.4%) have declined to state a political party.

Media
The city of Clayton is served by the daily newspaper East Bay Times published by Bay Area News Group-East Bay (part of the Media News Group, Denver, Colorado), and by the local newspapers The Clayton Pioneer, and the Diablo Gazette, and is also served by Claycord.com, a conservative local news platform and blog covering community news and events.

Notable people

 * Sean Farnham, sports analyst
 * Bob Jones, baseball player
 * Brandon Mull, fantasy author
 * Paul Napolitano, basketball player
 * Sam Williams, football player
 * Kara Kohler, Olympic rower
 * Charlie Krueger, football player

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Clayton, California


text:
Clyde, California

Clyde is a census-designated place (CDP) in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 678 at the 2010 census. It is located 6 mi east of Martinez.

History
In 1917, the United States Shipping Board provided a government loan to the Pacific Coast Shipbuilding Company to build a company town. The board commissioned Bernard Maybeck to be supervising architect for laying out the new town. He designed the hotel and around 200 of the initial homes built in the town. George Applegarth was hired as acting architect. In this position, he drew many of the architectural plans for the town.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 0.1 sqmi, all of it land.

Demographics
The 2010 United States Census reported that Clyde had a population of 678. The population density was 5,054.5 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Clyde was 530 (78.2%) White, 11 (1.6%) African American, four (0.6%) Native American, 58 (8.6%) Asian, three (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 25 (3.7%) from other races, and 47 (6.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 99 persons (14.6%).

Education
It is in the Mount Diablo Unified School District.

title: Clyde, California


text:
Concord, California

Concord is the most populous city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. According to an estimate completed by the United States Census Bureau, the city had a population of 129,295 in 2019, making it the eighth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area. Founded in 1869 as Todos Santos by don Salvio Pacheco II, a noted Californio ranchero, the name was later changed to Concord. The city is a major regional suburban East Bay center within the San Francisco Bay Area, and is 29 mi east of San Francisco.

The United States Census Bureau defines an urban area in the East Bay which is separated from the San Francisco–Oakland urban area and with Concord as the principal city: the Concord–Walnut Creek, CA urban area had a population of 538,583 as of the 2020 census, making it the 80th largest in the United States.

History
The valleys north of Mount Diablo were inhabited by the Miwok people, who hunted elk and fished in the numerous streams flowing from the mountain into the San Francisco Bay. It is important to note Miwok and other indigenous people still live within city limits. In 1772, Spanish explorers began to cross the area but did not settle there. In 1834, the Mexican land grant Rancho Monte del Diablo at the base of Mount Diablo was granted to Salvio Pacheco (for whom the nearby town of Pacheco is named).

Concord was founded under the name of Todos Santos ("all saints"; a name still borne by the central city plaza and park between Willow Pass Road and Salvio Street), on the initiative of Pacheco in 1869. It achieved prominence in the 19th century, when most residents of Pacheco relocated to Concord to avoid the devastation of fire and flood which crippled Pacheco's formerly booming economy. Concord was incorporated on February 5, 1905.

The area around Concord in the surrounding Ygnacio and Clayton Valleys was a large agricultural area. Crops that were grown included grapes, walnuts, almonds, wheat, hay, and even tomatoes. The area to the east (now the site of the Concord Naval Weapons Station) was the site of a few enormous wheat ranches over 5000 acre, and was almost a sea of wheat all the way to the marshes bordering Suisun Bay. During Prohibition, many vineyards were removed and replaced with walnut orchards. The town of Cowell, now incorporated into Concord, produced cement.

The first Concord post office opened in 1872.

Port Chicago disaster
The munitions on board a Navy cargo ship exploded while being loaded during World War II, resulting in the largest number of casualties among African Americans in any one incident during that war. On the evening of July 17, 1944, a massive explosion instantly killed 320 sailors, merchant seamen, and civilians working at the pier. The blast was felt 30 mi away. A subsequent refusal by 258 black sailors to load any more ammunition was the beginning of the Navy's largest-ever mutiny trial, in which 50 men were found guilty. Future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall sat in on most of the proceedings and declared that he saw a prejudiced court.

Geography

Concord is located at 37.97806°N, -122.03111°W. It is 29 mi northeast of San Francisco, 22 mi northeast from Oakland, 65 mi southwest of Sacramento, and 51 mi north of San Jose.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 30.5 sqmi, all of it land.

The focal point of downtown Concord is Todos Santos Plaza, which encompasses an entire city block and is known for its farmers market, free summer concerts, and large number of surrounding restaurants. Much of the area immediately around downtown has recently been redeveloped, with new high-density apartment and condominium projects to take advantage of the proximity to public transportation and to the area surrounding the park. Despite this, some crime and homelessness remain issues in the downtown area.

Concord is bordered on the west by Pleasant Hill and the unincorporated community of Pacheco, on the south by Walnut Creek, on the southeast by Clayton, on the northeast by Pittsburg and the unincorporated community of Bay Point, and on the north by the unincorporated community of Clyde. Although it shares no border with Concord, Martinez (the county seat) is located almost immediately adjacent to Concord on the northwest. The North Concord BART station is also known as Martinez BART.

Climate
Concord has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb), with warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters.

Official data from the National Weather Service cooperative station in Concord shows average January temperatures are a maximum of 57.2 °F and a minimum of 41.6 °F. Average July temperatures are a maximum of 87.8 °F and a minimum of 58.2 °F. There are an average of 45.0 days with highs of 90 °F or higher and 3.8 days with lows of 32 °F or lower. The highest recorded temperature was 113 °F on September 1, 2017. The lowest record temperature was 24 °F on December 23, 1998.

Average annual precipitation is 23.91 in, falling on an average of 71 days annually. The wettest year was 1995, with 46.62 in and the driest year was 2007, with 10.57 in. The most rainfall in one month was 12.79 in in December 2005, which included the 24-hour maximum rainfall of 3.95 in on December 31.

Demographics
The 2010 United States Census reported that Concord had a population of 122,067. The population density was 3996.2 PD/sqmi. The ethnic makeup of Concord was 78,767 (64.5%) White, 4,371 (3.6%) African American, 852 (0.7%) Native American, 13,538 (11.1%) Asian (4.4% Filipino, 2.4% Chinese, 1.3% Indian, 0.7% Vietnamese, 0.6% Japanese, 0.6% Korean), 816 (0.7%) Pacific Islander, 15,969 (13.1%) from other ethnicities, and 7,754 (6.4%) from two or more ethnicities. Hispanic  or Latino of any ethnicity were 37,311 persons (30.6%).

The Census reported that 121,020 people (99.1% of the population) lived in households, 512 (0.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 535 (0.4%) were institutionalized.

There were 44,278 households, out of which 15,421 (34.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 21,725 (49.1%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 5,642 (12.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 2,707 (6.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,952 (6.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 512 (1.2%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 10,406 households (23.5%) were made up of individuals, and 3,625 (8.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73. There were 30,074 families (67.9% of all households); the average family size was 3.22.

The population was spread out, with 28,000 people (22.9%) under the age of 18, 10,946 people (9.0%) aged 18 to 24, 35,834 people (29.4%) aged 25 to 44, 32,903 people (27.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 14,384 people (11.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males.

There were 47,125 housing units at an average density of 1542.8 /sqmi, of which 44,278 were occupied, of which 27,069 (61.1%) were owner-occupied, and 17,209 (38.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.0%. 71,004 people (58.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 50,016 people (41.0%) lived in rental housing units.

Government
In the California State Legislature, Concord is in, and in.

Federally, Concord is in.

Politics
In 2017, Concord had 65,061 registered voters with 31,759 (48.8%) registered as Democrats, 14,447 (22.2%) registered as Republicans, and 15,623 (24%) no party preference voters.

Economy

Concord has been primarily a bedroom community for San Francisco and Oakland over the last forty years, but during the last decades, jobs within the city have increased. BevMo! is headquartered in Concord. Concord also has a strong retail sector including the Sunvalley Shopping Center, which used to be one of the 50 largest malls in the United States, auto dealerships, and Costco. Prior to its dissolution, Atrivo was headquartered in Concord.

Top employers
According to the city's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Naval Weapons Station

To the north of the city of Concord is the Concord Naval Weapons Station (CNWS), which was established in 1942. The station functioned as a World War II armament storage depot, supplying ships at Port Chicago. The CNWS supported war efforts during the Vietnam War and through the end of the Gulf War, processing and shipping out thousands of tons of material to Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

The station consists of two areas: the inland area (5170 acre) which is within the Concord city limits, and tidal area (7630 acre). Because of changes in military operations, parts of the inland area began to be mothballed and by 1999, the CNWS had only a minimal contingent of military personnel. In 2007, the U.S. Federal Government announced that the inland portion of the CNWS will be closed. The tidal area of the base is not scheduled for closure. The tidal area was transferred to the U.S. Army Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) and is now known as Military Ocean Terminal Concord (MOTCO). The city is working on a reuse plan that may include developing the land while keeping a large portion for open-space and parks projects. The city has had many meetings on this subject and any plan for reuse is subject to approval by the Navy.

Transportation
Until 1995, the city was the eastern terminus of the Concord line of Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) commuter train system; the line has since been extended eastward to Pittsburg/Bay Point in 1996 and Antioch in 2018. The County Connection provides limited public transportation in the city and to other points in the county. Buses run from the North Concord BART station to Martinez, the county seat.

Main thoroughfares include Willow Pass Road, Concord Avenue, Concord Boulevard, Clayton Road, Monument Boulevard, Ygnacio Valley Road, Oak Grove Road and Treat Boulevard. The city is also served by Interstate 680, and state highways 4 and 242.

Buchanan Field Airport is a public county-owned airfield in the City of Concord. It is served by JSX, and previously served by American Eagle, WestAir Commuter Airlines, Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) and later by PSA successor USAir with the latter two airlines operating nonstop jet service between the airfield and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

News
The city of Concord is served by the daily newspaper the East Bay Times (formerly the Contra Costa Times) published by Bay Area News Group-East Bay (part of the Media News Group, Denver, Colorado), with offices in Walnut Creek. The paper was originally run and owned by the Lesher family. Since the death of Dean Lesher in 1993, the paper has had several owners. The publisher also issues a weekly paper, the Concord Transcript for Concord and nearby Clayton.

The city is also served by Concord Patch, a local news website covering community news and events, and by a news and talk blog called Claycord.com. Patch Media is owned by AOL Inc.

Radio
Concord falls within the catchment area of many high-power San Francisco Bay Area radio stations although some stations from Sacramento are also available.

KVHS FM 90.5 also known as "The Edge" is a Concord-based student run radio station. It is run from the campus of Clayton Valley Charter High School.

Concord and the neighboring cities of Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek are also served by 92.1 FM which plays a country and western format.

From 1963 to 1993, Concord had a local radio station, KWUN AM 1480, also known as Contra Costa's K-15.

Television
Concord is served by major television stations broadcasting primarily out of San Francisco, Sacramento, and San Jose. The region's Fox affiliate, KTVU, is based in (and licensed to) Oakland at Jack London Square along with co-owned independent station KICU-TV (licensed to San Jose).

Over-the-air reception is difficult in many parts of the city due to hills on either side of the valley.

The sole Concord-licensed TV station, KTNC, gave up its broadcast frequency as part of the FCC reverse spectrum auction in 2017. It had broadcast on channel 42 from the top of Mount Diablo, but is now available on virtual channel 42 via a subchannel of KCNS channel 39.

Education
Concord is served by the Mount Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD). Among the MDUSD schools is Mt. Diablo High School, opened in 1901 and currently home to four academies, including the Digital Safari Academy, a three-year program involving the integration of multimedia with the core curriculum through integrated, project-based learning.

Beyond MDUSD schools, Clayton Valley Charter High School is also home to several acclaimed academies. Catholic schools De La Salle High School for boys and Carondelet High School for girls are also located here. De La Salle's football team holds the U.S. record winning streak of 151 games, set between 1992 and 2004. During that span, De La Salle won 12 California North Coast sectional championships and was named national champion five different times (once by ESPN, four times by USA Today). In August 2014, a Hollywood film titled When the Game Stands Tall was released with the plot line based on their 151-game winning streak.

California State University, East Bay has a campus in Concord.

Concord High School won the 2010 Northern California Boys Division II Football Championship, coached by Brian Hamilton. Ygnacio Valley High School won the 1987 Northern California Boys Division I Basketball Championship, coached by Jim Grace.

Public libraries
The Concord Library of the Contra Costa County Library is located in Concord. The library is adjacent to the Concord Civic Center.

Arts and culture
Concord is the home of the annual Concord Jazz Festival and was the home of the Concord Records jazz record label until it was bought in 1999. Jazz musician Dave Brubeck was born in Concord and in 2006 a park adjacent to Concord High School on Concord Boulevard was renamed in his honor.

Concord is also home to the 21-time World Champion Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps. The corps is made up of talented musicians from around the world. The Concord Blue Devils are the most decorated drum and bugle corps in the history of Drum Corps International.

The Concord Pavilion, a 12,500-seat outdoor amphitheater designed by Frank Gehry, hosts concerts and community events, beginning with the Concord Jazz Festival in 1975.

The Public-access television channel is operated through TelVue Virtual Television Networks.

The headquarters of the Kabul Soccer Club is located in Concord.

Matteo's Dream
Matteo's Dream is an all-abilities playground in an urban park in Concord. It opened on May 16, 2007. Matteo Henderson was a boy with serious disabilities including blindness, cerebral palsy, and cognitive development. He used a wheelchair for transportation. The playground was built with US$770,000 of donated materials and with the labor of 1600 volunteers. Matteo, and many other children of all abilities have enjoyed the playground. Persons with disabilities are able to drive their wheelchairs directly onto the structure. Features of the playground are specially engineered to accommodate people with various disabilities. Matteo died on March 16, 2011, at the age of11. In January 2014, a Matteo's Dream themed Rose Parade float was featured in the 125th Rose Parade in Pasadena, California.

Points of interest

 * Baldwin Community Park and the Concord Senior Center
 * Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps
 * Buchanan Field Airport
 * Camp Concord at South Lake Tahoe, a family-oriented summer camp, although not located in Concord, is operated by the city.
 * Concord Pavilion – amphitheater, a major regional concert venue formerly known as the Sleep Train Pavilion and as the Chronicle Pavilion at Concord.
 * Concord Skatepark
 * Dave Brubeck Park
 * Don Francisco Galindo House
 * Don Salvio Pacheco Adobe
 * Hillcrest Park – home to Matteo's Dream, a playground for children of all abilities
 * Lime Ridge Open Space
 * Markham Regional Arboretum
 * Matteo's Dream – all-abilities playground
 * Mt. Diablo State Park
 * Newhall Community Park
 * Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial
 * Rick Sears Memorial Park
 * Shiva Murugan Temple
 * Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Concord
 * Starting point of the Iron Horse Regional Trail
 * Sunvalley Mall
 * Todos Santos Plaza – site of farmer's market, concerts, and movies
 * West Wind Solano Drive-In Theater
 * Willow Pass Community Park
 * Ygnacio Valley Park

Sister city
In 1974, Concord became a sister city with Kitakami, Iwate, in Japan. The city established a small Japanese-style park in the city, and placed half of a sculpture, The Communion Bridge, in it. The matching half of the bridge is in Kitakami.

Every five years, a delegation from Concord visits Kitakami and operates a student exchange program.

Notable people

 * Carlos Alazraqui, comedian, television actor, voice-over artist, voice of Taco Bell chihuahua
 * Blake Anderson, comedian, writer, producer, and actor was born in Concord
 * Autopsy, death metal band
 * George Barnes, jazz musician, long-time resident
 * Edi Birsan, game designer and member of the City Council
 * Dave Brubeck, festival promoter, jazz musician, orchestra leader; born in Concord
 * Gil Castillo, mixed martial artist has been a resident
 * Natalie Coughlin, Olympic gold-medalist, has been a resident
 * Death Angel, thrash-metal band
 * Tom Hanks, Oscar-winning actor, producer, and director was born in Concord
 * Eva Marie, female professional wrestler formerly signed to the WWE
 * Cass McCombs, singer and songwriter was born in Concord
 * Brent Mydland, keyboardist for the Grateful Dead from 1979 to 1990
 * Negativland, experimental music group
 * Reed Nesbit, urologist, pioneer of transurethral resection of the prostate
 * Kyle Newacheck, TV writer, was born in Concord
 * Natalie Nunn, reality tv star, entrepreneur, producer
 * Salvio Pacheco, historically important Californio ranchero and founder of Concord
 * Tom Candiotti MLB Pitcher, Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Dodgers.
 * Julie Strain, actress and model.

title: Concord, California


text:
Crockett, California

Crockett (formerly Crockettville) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Contra Costa County, in the East Bay sub-region of the San Francisco Bay Area, California. The population was 3,094 at the 2010 census. It is located 28 miles northeast of San Francisco. Other nearby communities include Port Costa, Martinez, Vallejo, Benicia, Rodeo, Hercules, Pinole and Richmond.

History
Crockett is located on the Mexican land grant Rancho El Pinole made to Ygnacio Martinez, and is named after Joseph B. Crockett, a judge on the California Supreme Court. The town started when Thomas Edwards Sr. bought 1800 acres of land from Judge Crockett in 1866. Edwards built his home in 1867 and when other settlers arrived, he started the first general store in Crockett. Edwards' home still stands and is known as "The Old Homestead", a California Historical Landmark. Crocketville post office was established in 1883, and the name was changed to Crockett later that year.

"Sugar Town"
In 1906, an agricultural cooperative of Hawaiian sugar cane growers bought an existing Wheat Factory that never opened, refitted the facility, built additional structures for their refining needs, eventually turning Crockett into a company town for the California and Hawaiian Sugar Company, (better known as C&H). The cane was grown in Hawaii and delivered by ship to Crockett, where the C&H refinery turned it into a variety of finished products.

C & H soon became a dominant force in Crockett, which has been called a "company town." By the 1920s, the company employed about 95 percent of the residents. Employment peaked at 2,500 just before WWII broke out. C & H helped its employees obtain land and bank loans so that they could build houses. Company architects worked on designing the houses. The company funded many school and civic programs.

In March and April 1938, Crockett experienced a labor strike at the C&H plant, climaxing in a riot. This was prior to the merger of the AFL and CIO national unions.

Economic adaptation
By the 1960s, the good times were largely over for C & H and Crockett. Revenues and profits began dropping, so that the company pumped less money into the community. There were many layoffs as the company tried to restore profitability. In 1984, the company proposed building a natural gas-powered cogeneration plant that would provide steam for the sugar refinery and low-cost electricity for Crockett. A protest group calling itself the Crockett Power Plant Committee, supported by many Crockett residents formed and spent the next nine years opposing the proposal. The proposed power plant was eventually built, but only after the company agreed to make major changes. C & H agreed to give Crockett $300,000 per year for the ensuing 30 years, which mostly funds its police and volunteer fire fighting departments.

The Hawaiian sugar farmers sold their holdings in 1993 to Hawaiian-based Alexander & Baldwin, which converted C & H from a co-op into a corporation. In 1998, A & B sold a controlling interest to Citicorp Venture Capital (CVC). American Sugar Refining bought C & H in 2006, merging it with its other sugar operations. Revenues and profits continued their decline into the 21st Century, until the Crockett plant processed its last shipment of Hawaiian sugar in 2017.

Raw sugar now arrives from the globe's sun belt: Australia, the Philippines and Nicaragua, among other countries.

"Wildfire" (2019)
A wildfire burned near Crockett on October 29, 2019, the same week as multiple wildfires in the region, e.g. Sonoma County "Kirkwood Fire", and a wildfire at the north end of the Carquinez bridge in Vallejo, California. There is some suspicion that strong northerly wind then caused embers from the Vallejo fire to jump the strait and ignite brush fires southwest of Crockett, located in Contra Costa County at the opposite end of the Carquinez bridge. The new fire, which was dubbed the "Sky fire," ignited about 9:30 AM and quickly generated so much dense smoke that authorities chose to close the Carquinez bridge to all vehicular traffic in both directions. CHP and county sheriff's office then began to evacuate residents from that side of the community. Emergency responders from other cities rushed to the aid of Crockett's own VFD to begin extinguishing the fire, which was reportedly 50 percent contained shortly after noon that day. The Crockett evacuation order was cancelled and the Carquinez Bridge was reopened to traffic soon after.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.1 sqmi, all of it land.

Crockett is located where the Carquinez Strait meets San Pablo Bay. The Carquinez Bridge, part of Interstate 80, links Crockett with the city of Vallejo to the north across the strait. To the east of Crockett along the south shore of the strait are Port Costa and the city of Martinez. South of Crockett are the town of Rodeo and the city of Hercules. Farther southwest on I-80 are the cities of Richmond, Berkeley  and Oakland; in the opposite direction, northeast, is the capital of California, Sacramento.

Climate
This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Crockett has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

Bailey Art Museum
The Bailey Art Museum features the work of internationally acclaimed sculptor Clayton Bailey, a resident of nearby Port Costa. The 3200 ft2 space brings together works from across the artist's five decades plus career featuring examples of Funk art, Nut art, ceramics, and metal sculpture (including robots and space guns), as well as pseudo-scientific curiosities by the artist's alter-ego, Dr. Gladstone. The collection also includes watercolor drawings by Betty Bailey and a gift shop.

Crockett Historical Society
The former Crockett railroad station now serves as the home of the Crockett Historical Society.

Demographics
The 2010 United States Census reported that Crockett had a population of 3,094. The population density was 2,918.7 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Crockett was 2,468 (79.8%) White, 146 (4.7%) African American, 31 (1.0%) Native American, 108 (3.5%) Asian, 24 (0.8%) Pacific Islander, 123 (4.0%) from other races, and 194 (6.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 490 persons (15.8%).

The Census reported that 100% of the population lived in households.

There were 1,446 households, out of which 306 (21.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 554 (38.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 166 (11.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 77 (5.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 133 (9.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 22 (1.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 482 households (33.3%) were made up of individuals, and 158 (10.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14. There were 797 families (55.1% of all households); the average family size was 2.69.

The population consisted of 461 people (14.9%) under the age of 18, 214 people (6.9%) aged 18 to 24, 825 people (26.7%) aged 25 to 44, 1,131 people (36.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 463 people (15.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.

There were 1,649 housing units at an average density of 1,555.5 /sqmi, of which 1,446 were occupied, of which 808 (55.9%) were owner-occupied, and 638 (44.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 10.1%. 1,808 people (58.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,286 people (41.6%) lived in rental housing units.

Economy
Crockett is home to the corporate headquarters of C&H Sugar, a subsidiary of American Sugar Refining.

Crockett also contains a fuel storage facility owned by the NuStar Energy L.P. Corporation. This facility primarily consists of 24 storage tanks, designed to hold an aggregate of 3 MMoilbbl. Two of these tanks are reserved for containing ethanol, which NuStar blends with other motor fuel components to make low-emissions automobile fuel mandated by California laws.

Education
Crockett is part of the John Swett Unified School District and is home to both Carquinez Middle School and John Swett High School.

The Crockett Library of the Contra Costa County Library is located in Crockett.

Recreation
Crockett is bordered to the south and the east by two regional parks operated by the East Bay Regional Park District.

Crockett Hills Regional Park lies south of Crockett. The 1,939 acre park ranges in elevation from 150 to 800 feet, offering views of San Pablo Bay, the Delta, Mount Tamalpais, and Mount Diablo. Trails include a 4.5-mile segment of the Bay Area Ridge Trail. Crockett Hills is an excellent mountain biking park.

Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline comprises 1,415 acres of bluffs and shoreline along Carquinez Scenic Drive between the town of Crockett and the hillsides overlooking Martinez.

The topography of Crockett Ranch Regional Park and the adjoining Carquinez Regional Shoreline consists of open, rolling grasslands, wooded ravines, eucalyptus-shaded meadows, and river shoreline. Multi-purpose trails provide access to canyon views and ridgetop vistas.

Notable people

 * Aldo Ray (1926–1991), American movie actor (born Aldo Da Re) born in Pennsylvania, who moved to Crockett when he was four years old. After serving in the U.S. Navy in WWII, returned to Crockett, where he was elected Constable, then left to pursue a movie career.
 * Dino Waldren (born 1991), professional rugby player with the United States national rugby union team

title: Crockett, California


text:
Danville, California

The Town of Danville is located in the San Ramon Valley in Contra Costa County, California, United States. It is one of the incorporated municipalities in California that use "town" in their names instead of "city". The population was 43,582 at the 2020 census. Since 2018, for five years in a row, Danville was named "the safest town in California".

The Iron Horse Regional Trail runs through Danville. It was first a railroad that has been converted to an 80 ft wide corridor of bike and hike trails as well as controlled intersections. Extending from Livermore to Concord, the trail passes through Danville.

Danville is also home to the Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site, Village Theatre and Art Gallery, and the Museum of the San Ramon Valley.

History
Often referred to as the "Heart of the San Ramon Valley", Danville was first populated by Native Americans who lived near creeks and camped on Mount Diablo in the summer. Later, it was part of Mission San José's grazing land as well as a Mexican land grant called Rancho San Ramon.

Initially a farming community, the Town of Danville switched from wheat to fruits and nuts after the Southern Pacific Railroad built a spur line through the area in 1891. It developed as a residential suburb in 1947 when the first sizable housing tracts were constructed and its population boomed in the 1970s and 1980s.

The Danville Post Office opened in 1860 with hotel owner Henry W. Harris as the first postmaster.

Churches, schools, farmers unions and fraternal lodges began as the community grew. The Union Academy, a private high school begun by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, served the county from 1859 to 1868, until it burned down. Danville Presbyterian Church was dedicated in 1875.

Many early Danville buildings remain standing today. The original 1874 Grange Hall exists as well, and the original Danville Hotel remains downtown which was last renovated in 2016. Many of the early pioneer names appear on the streets and schools, including Baldwin, Harlan, Wood, Love, Hemme, Boone, Bettencourt and Meese.

When the Southern Pacific Railroad came to the Valley in 1891, Danville continued to grow. Farmers built warehouses and shipped crops by rail, and residents were able to travel to and from Danville.

John Hartz sold 8.65 acre of his land for the Danville Depot and granted land access to the station. He then subdivided and sold lots east of the station, shifting the town's focus from Front Street to Hartz Avenue. Eventually, a bank, drug store, saloon, doctor's office and Chinese laundry joined the houses lining the street. The Danville Hotel originally sat across from the station and was moved to face Hartz avenue in 1927.

The twentieth century found Danville affected by the wars, the Spanish flu, the depression, and new immigrants.

In 1910, a public high school district was organized and San Ramon Valley Union High School was built. A library opened in 1913 with 104 books. St. Isidore's Catholic Church was first established in 1910. An Improvement League funded the first streetlights and paved roads in 1915.

Danville continued as farm country into the 1940s. The Valley had a population of 2,120 people in 1940, growing to 4,630 by 1950. Developments such as Montair and Cameo Acres were built, the water and sewer districts extended their boundaries, and the new I-680 freeway which cut through Danville in the mid-1960.

In 1982, Danville citizens voted to incorporate their community.

In 2000, Danville's population reached 40,484.

Danville was ranked as the safest city in California for a fifth year in a row, most recently in 2022.

Geography
Danville is set in a narrow section of the San Ramon Valley with the Las Trampas Ridge to the west and the Diablo Range to the east. The most prominent landmark of Danville is the backdrop of Mount Diablo, which stands to the east at 3849 ft and provides a picturesque backdrop for Danville and neighboring towns and cities. Sycamore Creek drains some of the Mount Diablo slopes and flows through Danville.

To the north of Danville, the unincorporated town of Alamo sits in the uppermost reaches of the San Ramon Valley and extends into the surrounding hills. San Ramon, another affluent suburb, borders Danville to the south.

Interstate 680, extending along the valley to the north and south, is the main route used by traffic in and out of town. Camino Tassajara is the main thoroughfare for east–west travel, most importantly to reach the eastern subdivisions far from the interstate. Camino Tassajara also provides access to the wealthy gated community of Blackhawk.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 18.0 sqmi, all of it land.

Climate
Danville's weather typifies a Mediterranean climate. Summers are long, with hot days and cool nights. Winters are cool, with mild daytime temperatures usually in the 50s, and nighttime temperatures usually above freezing. Like in the rest of the Bay Area, summers in Danville are extremely dry, and it's not uncommon for four to six months to elapse between the last drop of rain in the spring and the first rain in the fall. Winters are rainy, but periods of several days to a week of mild, dry, sunny weather are quite common even in midwinter.

Demographics
According to Business Insider, Danville's 94506 is the 14th wealthiest zip code in America. Danville is one of the wealthiest suburbs of Oakland and San Francisco. Danville also ranks as the 2nd highest-income place in the United States with a population of at least 40,000. It is home to some of the most expensive real estate in the San Francisco Bay Area and the United States. According to CNN Money, Danville's 94506 also has the fourth highest percentage of six-figure income earners in the nation, with 78% of Danville households having at least a six-figure income.

2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Danville had a population of 42,039. The population density was 2,331.9 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Danville was 34,942 (83.1%) White, 372 (0.9%) African American, 67 (0.2%) Native American, 4,417 (10.5%) Asian, 68 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 509 (1.2%) from other races, and 1,664 (4.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2,879 persons (6.8%).

The Census reported that 41,796 people (99.4% of the population) lived in households, 56 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 187 (0.4%) were institutionalized.

There were 15,420 households, out of which 6,034 (39.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 10,389 (67.4%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,140 (7.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 449 (2.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 452 (2.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 84 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 2,801 households (18.2%) were made up of individuals, and 1,365 (8.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71. There were 11,978 families (77.7% of all households); the average family size was 3.10.

The population was spread out, with 11,196 people (26.6%) under the age of 18, 2,117 people (5.0%) aged 18 to 24, 8,050 people (19.1%) aged 25 to 44, 14,628 people (34.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 6,048 people (14.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.

There were 15,934 housing units at an average density of 883.8 /mi2, of which 15,420 were occupied, of which 13,020 (84.4%) were owner-occupied, and 2,400 (15.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.3%. 36,137 people (86.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 5,659 people (13.5%) lived in rental housing units.

Museums and historic sites

 * Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site - Tao House.
 * Museum of the San Ramon Valley (located in the restored 1891 Southern Pacific depot)
 * Blackhawk Museum
 * All Wars Memorial (located in Oak Hill Park - est. 2005)
 * Veterans Memorial Building of San Ramon Valley

Libraries
The Danville Library of the Contra Costa County Library is located in Danville. It is one of the busiest libraries in Contra Costa County by circulation.

Seasonal events

 * The Kiwanis Fourth of July parade attracts over 40,000 people each year.
 * Hot Summer Sundays Car Shows, which is held on Hartz Avenue in Downtown Danville in July and August, features hundreds of vintage pre-1960s automobiles on display with live music.
 * The FallFest in late October draws craftspeople and artists to the area.
 * Annual lighting of the Danville Oak Tree at Christmas

Parks and recreation

 * Mount Diablo State Park
 * Las Trampas Regional Wilderness
 * Front Street Park
 * Baldwin School Park
 * Danville South Park
 * Diablo Vista Park
 * Green Valley School Park
 * Greenbrook School Park
 * Montair School Park
 * Oak Hill Park
 * Osage Station Park
 * Sycamore Valley Park
 * Hap Magee Ranch Park
 * Bret Hart Park

Government
According to the California Secretary of State, as of February 10, 2019, Danville has 30,076 registered voters. Of those, 10,412 (34.6%) are registered Democrats, 10,381 (34.5%) are registered Republicans, and 7,963 (26.5%) have declined to state a political party.

Throughout its history until 2008, Danville was a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. Ronald Reagan carried it by a 3-to-1 margin in 1984. However, in 2008, Barack Obama became the first Democrat to carry Danville in a presidential election. He narrowly won it again in 2012 with a plurality. Hillary Clinton carried it in 2016 by nearly 24 points and Joe Biden won it by nearly 29 points in 2020.

The Town of Danville has a Council–manager government, with a five-person Town Council and an appointed Town Manager. Council members' terms are four years. Each year, in December, the council selects a new mayor to take office in January. The current Mayor of Danville is Karen Stepper.

Danville has its own police department, which consists of 42 full-time employees, including 30 Officers and 12 civilian support staff. In addition, it has 8 Reserve officers and 32 volunteers. Allan Shields is the current police chief.

The San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District (SRVFPD) provides fire protection for Danville. A Special District, it covers 155 square miles includes the following communities: Alamo, Blackhawk, Diablo, the City of San Ramon, the southern boundary of Morgan Territory and the Tassajara Valley, all located in Contra Costa County.

Public schools
Danville Schools are included in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District.

 * (John) Baldwin Elementary School
 * Del Amigo High (Continuation)
 * Diablo Vista Middle School
 * Creekside Elementary School
 * Green Valley Elementary School
 * Greenbrook Elementary School
 * Los Cerros Middle School
 * Montair Elementary School
 * Monte Vista High School
 * Sycamore Valley Elementary School
 * Tassajara Hills Elementary School
 * Vista Grande Elementary School
 * Charlotte Wood Middle School
 * San Ramon Valley High School

Private schools

 * San Ramon Valley Christian Academy (Christian)
 * St. Isidore's School (Roman Catholic)
 * The Athenian School (non-denominational)
 * Danville Montessori School

Notable people

 * Larry Allen – football player, 14-year NFL career, member of Super Bowl XXX champion Dallas Cowboys
 * Alissa Anderegg – Miss World America 2020
 * Billy Beane – Major League Baseball outfielder, front office executive for the Oakland Athletics, subject of the book and film Moneyball
 * Doug Bowser - businessman, president of Nintendo of America
 * D'Arcy Carden - actress, The Good Place
 * Leroy Chiao – astronaut
 * E-40 – rapper; lives in Danville
 * Ellise - singer, musician
 * Elizabeth Emken – politician
 * Zach Ertz - tight end for NFL's Arizona Cardinals; attended Monte Vista High School
 * Draymond Green – power forward for NBA's Golden State Warriors
 * Kyle Harrison (born 2001) - baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants
 * Dallas Jaye - soccer player who has played professionally in the United Soccer League
 * George Komsky - Ukrainian-born tenor
 * Duane Kuiper - Major League Baseball second baseman and broadcaster for the San Francisco Giants
 * Nate Landman, NFL linebacker; attended Monte Vista High School
 * Jason Lucash – inventor of Origaudio
 * Mark Madsen - NBA player and coach; attended San Ramon Valley High School
 * Judah Miller - screenwriter and producer
 * Murray Miller - screenwriter and producer
 * Joe Morgan – Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman
 * Sara Jane Moore – attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford
 * Bob Myers - general manager of NBA champion Golden State Warriors; born in Danville
 * Vince Neil - vocalist of Mötley Crüe
 * Jeff Newman - MLB All-Star baseball catcher and manager
 * Evan O'Dorney – winner of 80th Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2007
 * Eugene O'Neill – only Nobel Prize-winning American playwright; wrote the three plays now generally considered his best work while living at Tao House (now the Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site) between 1937 and 1944
 * Greg Papa - broadcaster for San Francisco 49ers
 * A. J. Puckett - baseball pitcher for Chicago White Sox; born in Danville
 * Marchmont Schwartz (1909–1991) - college football player and coach; inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player.
 * Nate Schierholtz - baseball player; attended San Ramon Valley High School
 * Adam Schiff - U.S. Representative; attended Monte Vista High School
 * Russell Simpson - actor
 * Greg Sestero - actor; attended Monte Vista High School
 * Gale Storm - actress, singer, passed away in a Danville convalescent home
 * Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger – pilot of US Airways Flight 1549 who made an emergency water landing in the Hudson River and is credited with saving the lives of all 155 crew and passengers
 * Nancy Tellem (born 1952) – chief media officer and executive chairwoman of Eko
 * Mark Tollefsen (born 1992) - basketball player, 2018-19 top scorer in the Israel Basketball Premier League
 * Christy Turlington - supermodel; attended Monte Vista High School
 * Dana Vollmer – Olympic swimmer, 2004, 2012 and 2016 gold medalist
 * Joey Wagman - baseball pitcher
 * Andre Ward – professional boxer
 * Randy Winn - MLB outfielder 1998–2010; attended San Ramon Valley High School
 * Chris Wondolowski - soccer player for San Jose Earthquakes and United States men's national soccer team; born in Danville
 * Kevin Woo - vocalist for band U-KISS; born in Danville
 * David Zuckerman - writer, producer of Family Guy; born in Danville

title: Danville, California


text:
Diablo, California

Diablo (Spanish for "Devil") is a census-designated place (CDP) in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 1,158 at the 2010 census. It is located 2.5 mi east-northeast of Danville.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.4 sqmi, all of it land.

History
A post office was established at Diablo in 1916.

2010
At the 2010 census Diablo had a population of 1,158. The population density was 853.1 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Diablo was 1,065 (92.0%) White, 1 (0.1%) African American, 2 (0.2%) Native American, 55 (4.7%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 5 (0.4%) from other races, and 30 (2.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 39 people (3.4%).

The census reported that 1,102 people (95.2% of the population) lived in households, 56 (4.8%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.

There were 412 households, 135 (32.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 315 (76.5%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 17 (4.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 11 (2.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 8 (1.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 1 (0.2%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 57 households (13.8%) were one person and 31 (7.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.67. There were 343 families (83.3% of households); the average family size was 2.96.

The age distribution was 275 people (23.7%) under the age of 18, 57 people (4.9%) aged 18 to 24, 149 people (12.9%) aged 25 to 44, 423 people (36.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 254 people (21.9%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 49.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.4 males.

There were 439 housing units at an average density of 323.4 /sqmi,of which 412 were occupied, 380 (92.2%) by the owners and 32 (7.8%) by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.0%. 1,033 people (89.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 69 people (6.0%) lived in rental housing units.

2000
At the 2000 census there were 988 people, 341 households, and 308 families in the CDP. The population density was 1,016.6 PD/sqmi. There were 348 housing units at an average density of 357.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.64% White, 0.61% Black or African American, 2.94% Asian, 0.61% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. 3.54% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. In terms of real estate prices, Forbes magazine rated Diablo the fourth most expensive ZIP code in the United States.

Of the 341 households 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 85.3% were married couples living together, 3.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 9.4% were non-families. 8.2% of households were one person and 4.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.03.

The age distribution was 26.8% under the age of 18, 3.8% from 18 to 24, 17.1% from 25 to 44, 38.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% 65 or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.

The median household income was $197,904 and the median family income was in excess of $200,000. Males had a median income of $190,000 versus $62,614 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $95,419. None of the population or families were below the poverty line.

title: Diablo, California


text:
Discovery Bay, California

Discovery Bay is a census-designated place (CDP) in eastern Contra Costa County, California in the United States, about 60 miles (97 km) from San Francisco. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area. As of 2020, its population was 15,358, a 15% percent gain from 13,352 at the 2010 census.

Discovery Bay was originally a waterfront community built on a network of man-made dikes, surrounded by fresh water, except for the southeast quadrant, which comprises the golf course of Discovery Bay Country Club. Some homes have private docks with access to the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta. Newer developments have been added on former agricultural land to the west of the initial town-site. Road access is via California State Route 4.

History
Discovery Bay began as a planned community in 1964, and originally designated as "Riverside" and "River Lake." It was built on land known as the Byron Tract, which was previously used for growing barley and potatoes. In 1968, Jurgen Lunding led an effort to give the community its current name.

In July 2007, Discovery Bay received its own ZIP code: 94505. Formerly, it had shared 94514 with Byron. The ensuing celebration included a paddle boat raft-up that set a world record.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 7.0 sqmi, of which 6.2 sqmi of it is land and 0.8 sqmi of it (11.7%) is water.

Government
Discovery Bay is one of the unincorporated areas in California that have a community services district (CSD), a special district that provides some basic services that are usually provided by the county. The primary duties of the area's community services district, known as The Town of Discovery Bay Community Services District, are handling water, sewer, landscaping and recreation. The CSD Board has five members who are elected by community residents. While the CSD Board has no land use or zoning authority, the CSD can advise the county on decisions related to police and fire services, residential and commercial development, and more.

In December 2016, the CSD Board announced that Discovery Bay resident Mike Davies would become the general manager of CSD, effective January 3, 2017. He would replace the interim manager, Catherine Kutsuris. Davies had served as a police officer in Brentwood, California, including five years as chief of police there. Retiring from Brentwood Police Department in 2006, he was hired at the California Police Officers Standards and Training organization in Sacramento.

2000
At the 2000 census there were 8,981 people, 3,349 households, and 2,635 families in the town. The population density was 429.2/km$2$ (1,111.9/mi2). There were 3,781 housing units at an average density of 180.7/km$2$ (468.1/mi2). The racial makeup of the town was 87.57% White, 1.84% Black or African American, 0.84% Native American, 1.78% Asian, 0.18% Pacific Islander, 3.95% from other races, and 3.84% from two or more races. 10.43% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 3,349 households 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.3% were married couples living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.3% were non-families. 14.0% of households were one person and 2.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 2.91.

The age distribution was 24.5% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.6 males.

The median household income was $89,915 and the median family income was $90,272. Males had a median income of $66,121 versus $41,850 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $41,313. About 1.9% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty threshold, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

2010
At the 2010 census Discovery Bay had a population of 13,352. The population density was 1,896.7 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Discovery Bay was 10,909 (81.7%) White, 550 (4.1%) African American, 86 (0.6%) Native American, 522 (3.9%) Asian, 51 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 468 (3.5%) from other races, and 766 (5.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2,074 persons (15.5%).

The census reported that 13,315 people (99.7% of the population) lived in households, 37 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.

There were 4,702 households, 1,879 (40.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 3,133 (66.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 369 (7.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 231 (4.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 297 (6.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 42 (0.9%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 686 households (14.6%) were one person and 193 (4.1%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.83. There were 3,733 families (79.4% of households); the average family size was 3.12.

The age distribution was 3,588 people (26.9%) under the age of 18, 837 people (6.3%) aged 18 to 24, 3,571 people (26.7%) aged 25 to 44, 3,871 people (29.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,485 people (11.1%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 39.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.1 males.

There were 5,403 housing units at an average density of 767.5 /sqmi,of which 4,702 were occupied, 3,873 (82.4%) by the owners and 829 (17.6%) by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.3%. 10,578 people (79.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 2,737 people (20.5%) lived in rental housing units.

Education
Schools in Discovery Bay are part of the Byron Union School District. There are two K–5 schools in the district, and both were named California Distinguished Schools in 2012: Discovery Bay Elementary and Timber Point Elementary. Excelsior Middle School is located in Byron and is the district's sole 6–8 school. Major renovations and new buildings were completed at Excelsior Middle School in 2012. It was a California Distinguished School in early 2004. High school students (9–12) attend Liberty High School in the Liberty Union High School District, located in nearby Brentwood. Liberty High School students have founded an arts group known as "PADA" and have arranged with city officials to allow select students to paint and personalize certain electrical boxes, walls, etc. in the theme of the town. Plans for a fifth high school on the south side of State Route 4 are on hold.

title: Discovery Bay, California


text:
East Richmond Heights, California

East Richmond Heights is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. Its population was 3,280 at the 2010 census.

Geography
Situated at the north end of the Berkeley Hills, East Richmond Heights overlooks the northern part of the San Francisco Bay. This small residential community is bordered by El Cerrito to the south, with the Richmond Heights neighborhood of Richmond to the west, and Wildcat Canyon Regional Park to the north and east.

Arlington Boulevard, a major north-south thoroughfare traversing the Berkeley and El Cerrito portions of the Berkeley Hills, runs through the center of the community and terminates at its north end. Interstate 80 is located about one-half mile to the west, and provides access to the community via its Solano and McBryde Avenue exits.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the community has a total area of 0.6 sqmi, all of it land.

Government and municipal services
Police services for the community are provided by the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office Bay Station. Traffic services are handled by the California Highway Patrol. The county contracts with the adjacent city of Richmond to provide fire fighting services. Garbage, recycling, and compost collection are provided by Republic Services. Mail delivered to addresses within the community are addressed to the city of Richmond or El Cerrito depending on their location within the CDP. Nonetheless, these addresses are not located within Richmond or El Cerrito.

The East Richmond Heights Municipal Advisory Council (ERHMAC), a council of community residents established by the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, advises the board on issues of concern to the community.

Education
It is in the West Contra Costa Unified School District.

East Richmond Heights is home to Mira Vista Elementary School, which is part of the school district. Additionally, Adams Middle School (now closed), a portion of Serra Adult School (now West County Mandarin School) and Saint David School are also located within the CDP. Also, one of the country's oldest cooperative elementary schools, Crestmont School, is located within the CDP on Arlington Boulevard.

Commerce
This mostly residential community is home to a few small retail businesses including a market and laundromat.

2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that East Richmond Heights had a population of 3,280. The population density was 5,653.6 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of East Richmond Heights was 1,995 (60.8%) White, 395 (12.0%) African American, 13 (0.4%) Native American, 407 (12.4%) Asian, 8 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 187 (5.7%) from other races, and 275 (8.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 465 persons (14.2%).

The Census reported that 99.9% of the population lived in households and 0.1% were institutionalized.

There were 1,385 households, out of which 364 (26.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 614 (44.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 164 (11.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 69 (5.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 104 (7.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 30 (2.2%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 395 households (28.5%) were made up of individuals, and 137 (9.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37. There were 847 families (61.2% of all households); the average family size was 2.92.

The population was spread out, with 585 people (17.8%) under the age of 18, 203 people (6.2%) aged 18 to 24, 793 people (24.2%) aged 25 to 44, 1,162 people (35.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 537 people (16.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.2 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males.

There were 1,452 housing units at an average density of 2,502.8 /sqmi, of which 1,385 were occupied, of which 1,092 (78.8%) were owner-occupied, and 293 (21.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.3%. 2,622 people (79.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 654 people (19.9%) lived in rental housing units.

2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,357 people, 1,377 households, and 885 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 5,930.4 PD/sqmi. There were 1,406 housing units at an average density of 2,483.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 64.13% White, 13.94% Black or African American, 0.66% Native American, 10.72% Asian, 0.54% Pacific Islander, 3.90% from other races, and 6.11% from two or more races. 10.66% of the aforementioned population groups are also Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,377 households, out of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the CDP the population was spread out, with 19.0% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 31.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $89,500, and the median income for a family was $93,274. Males had a median income of $62,798 versus $36,844 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $38,833. About 1.52% of families and 2.63 % of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

The percentages of languages spoke by residents in East Richmond Heights are 87.80% English, 8.59% Spanish, 1.54% Vietnamese, 1.37 Cantonese, 0.68% Japanese.

title: East Richmond Heights, California


text:
El Cerrito, California

El Cerrito (Spanish for "The Little Hill") is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, and forms part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It has a population of 25,962 according to the 2020 census. El Cerrito was founded by refugees from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. It was incorporated in 1917 as a village with 1,500 residents. As of the census in 2022, there were 25,583 people and 10,637 households in the city.

History
El Cerrito was founded by refugees from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. They settled in what was then Don Víctor Castro's Rancho San Pablo, adjacent to the ranch owned by the family of Luís María Peralta, the Rancho San Antonio. A post office opened at the settlement in 1909 and the refugee camp became known as Rust, after Wilhelm F. Rust, its first postmaster. The village's residents did not care for the name and changed it to El Cerrito (meaning "little hill" or "knoll") in 1916, in reference to nearby Albany Hill. A year later, El Cerrito was incorporated as a village with 1,500 residents.

El Cerrito was incorporated in August 1917. The communities of Stege Junction, Rust, Schmidtville, and Schindler were all included in the new city. The 1920 census shows that the Schmidtville community had many Italian immigrants. A post office operated at Schmidtville from 1900 to 1901.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.7 sqmi, all of it land. The city ranges in elevation from 20 to 934 feet, with an average elevation of 69 ft.

El Cerrito is located on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in the extreme southwest corner of Contra Costa County. The hilly areas of El Cerrito provide views of San Francisco and of the Golden Gate Bridge. El Cerrito is located along Interstate 80 and is near Interstate 580. It is bordered by Albany and Kensington to the south, the Richmond annex to the west, East Richmond Heights to the north, and Wildcat Canyon Regional Park to the east.

The namesake of El Cerrito ("the little hill" in Spanish), local landmark Albany Hill, is not located in El Cerrito itself but just across the border in the municipality of Albany. The Hayward Fault runs through El Cerrito. El Cerrito is within 490 ft of Berkeley to the southeast, and is approximately 5 mi from the University of California Berkeley campus.

2010
At the 2010 census El Cerrito had a population of 23,549. The population density was 6,385.3 PD/sqmi. The 2010 racial makeup of El Cerrito was:
 * 12,543 (53.3%) White,
 * 6,439 (27.3%) Asian,
 * 1,819 (7.7%) African American,
 * 107 (0.5%) Native American,
 * 37 (0.2%) Pacific Islander,
 * 1,079 (4.6%) from other races, and
 * 1,525 (6.5%) from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2,621 persons (11.1%).

The census reported that 23,456 people (99.6% of the population) lived in households, 48 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 45 (0.2%) were institutionalized.

There were 10,142 households, 2,394 (23.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 4,703 (46.4%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,047 (10.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, and 416 (4.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 509 (5.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 189 (1.9%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 2,953 (29.1%) were one person and 1188 (11.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.31. There were 6,166 families (60.8% of households); the average family size was 2.84.

The age distribution was 4,087 people (17.4%) under the age of 18, 1,281 people (5.4%) aged 18 to 24, 6,918 people (29.4%) aged 25 to 44, 7,036 people (29.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 4,227 people (17.9%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 43.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.

There were 10,716 housing units at an average density of 2905.6 /mi2,of which 10,142 were occupied, 6,145 (60.6%) by the owners and 3,997 (39.4%) by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.4%. 14,474 people (61.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 8,982 people (38.1%) lived in rental housing units.

2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 23,171 people in 10,208 households, including 5,971 families, in the city. The population density was 6,356.5 PD/sqmi. There were 10,462 housing units at an average density of 2,870.1 /mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 57.79% White, 8.54% Black or African American, 0.50% Native American, 24.38% Asian, 0.25% Pacific Islander, 3.06% from other races, and 5.48% from two or more races. 7.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 10,208 households 20.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.4% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.5% were non-families. 30.4% of households were one person and 12.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.81.

The age distribution was 15.9% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% 65 or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $57,253, and the median family income was $69,397 (these figures had risen to $77,650 and $97,488 respectively as of a 2007 estimate ). Males had a median income of $50,316 versus $40,866 for females. The per capita income for the city was $32,593. About 3.5% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

At home the percentages of the languages residents speak are English 70.47%, Spanish 6.26%, Chinese 5.96%, Japanese 2.70%, Mandarin 1.80%, Cantonese 1.57%, Persian 1.43%, Tagalog 1.30%, Korean 1.08%, French 0.90%, German 0.83%, Formosan 0.73%, Italian 0.66%, Vietnamese 0.57%, Urdu 0.50%, and 3.23% of people spoke some other language which represented less than 0.50% of the population.

Economy
San Pablo Avenue stretches the length of El Cerrito and is the primary commercial and retail corridor of the city, though there is a segment in which the businesses on the west side of the avenue are actually in Richmond Annex but have an El Cerrito postal address.

El Cerrito is home to El Cerrito Plaza, a large, regional mall, served by public transit at the adjacent El Cerrito Plaza station. The shopping center is surrounded by other commercial and retail businesses along San Pablo Avenue and Fairmount Avenue, including the Cerrito Theater, a restored two-screen movie theater.

The city is nominally home to Arhoolie Records (actually located in Richmond Annex), part of the Smithsonian Institution. Also located in the city was Playland-Not-At-The-Beach, a now-closed popular amusement park museum.

As of the last quarter of 2023, the top 25 sales tax producers in El Cerrito are: Barnes & Noble, Chevron, CVS Pharmacy, El Cerrito Honda, Exxon, Harbor Freight Tools, Ifshin Violins, Jack in the Box, JoAnn Fabrics & Crafts, Lucky Supermarket, Marshalls, McDonald’s, Nug, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Pastime Hardware, Pet Food Express, Petco, Petvet Petfood, Ross, Safeway, STIIIZY El Cerrito, T Mobile, Trader Joe’s, Verizon Wireless, and Walgreens.

Parks and recreation
El Cerrito city parks include both recreation/sports parks as well as undeveloped nature areas. Most notable are the 80 acre Hillside Natural Area open space, Huber Park (Terrace Drive), Cerrito Vista Park (Moeser Lane and Pomona Avenue), Arlington Park (Arlington Boulevard), Tassajara Park (Tassajara Avenue and Barrett Avenue), Poinsett Park (Poinsett Avenue), and the Canyon Trail Park and Art Center (Gatto Avenue).

The city is home to a 2.6 mi segment of the Ohlone Greenway (named after the Native American Ohlone people), a trail that runs the length of the City along a former railroad grade underneath the BART right-of-way that is popular with walkers, runners, and bicyclists, as well as the blind, deaf, and mute population.

Government
The City of El Cerrito is a Charter City that incorporated as a General Law City on August 23, 1917, and just over one hundred years later became a Charter City. The city is organized as a Council-Manager form of local municipal government, and its City Charter was adopted by the voters in November 2018. The City Council consists of five members elected at large for four-year, overlapping terms. The Council selects the Mayor for a one-year term from among its members. The Mayor and City Council provide community leadership, develop policies to guide the City in delivering services and achieving community goals, and encourage citizen understanding and involvement. The Council Members also serve as the governing body of the El Cerrito Employees’ Pension Board and the El Cerrito Public Financing Authority.

The City provides police and fire services as well as recreation, streets and roads, recycling, economic development, public improvements, building, planning and zoning, and general administrative services. Residents are provided water by East Bay Municipal Utility District and sewer services through Stege Sanitary District. PG&E provides gas and electricity services, and in addition the city is a member of MCE, a public, not-for-profit electricity provider that gives all PG&E electric customers the choice of having 60% to 100% of their electricity supplied from clean, renewable sources. Library services are provided by the County of Contra Costa. The City contracts with East Bay Sanitary for garbage and green waste collection service through a franchise agreement. Comcast, AT&T, and a host of smaller companies provide telecommunication services.

Education
El Cerrito is in the West Contra Costa Unified School District, a multi-city district that operates three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school in the city:
 * Fairmont Elementary School
 * Harding Elementary School
 * Madera Elementary School
 * Fred T. Korematsu Middle School (opened in 2015 at the site of the former Castro Elementary School, replacing Portola Middle School which was deemed seismically unsafe)
 * El Cerrito High School

Libraries
There is a branch of the Contra Costa County Library system in El Cerrito.

Transportation
Interstate 80 runs north–south through El Cerrito, with San Pablo Avenue serving as the primary surface artery. Bay Area Rapid Transit serves two stations in the city – and  – while AC Transit operates local bus service. El Cerrito del Norte station is a major hub for AC Transit, as well as North Bay regional bus operators including FAST, Golden Gate Transit, Vallejo Transit, Napa VINE, and WestCat.

The Ohlone Greenway is part of a regional north–south active transportation route, and is a popular path for bike commuters and recreational cyclists and pedestrians.

In popular culture

 * El Cerrito is mentioned in the book ttfn by Lauren Myracle. Character Angela finds out the family is moving to El Cerrito.
 * El Cerrito, referred to as "Old El Cerrito", is mentioned in the book Star Trek: The Kobayashi Maru by author Julia Ecklar. While attending Star Fleet Academy in San Francisco, Cadet James T. Kirk, on failing the Kobayashi Maru test for the second time, travels to the World Library annex in Old El Cerrito in hopes of finding a solution to the test.
 * El Cerrito is mentioned in the song "Golden Gate Fields" by Rancid.
 * Metallica wrote Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets in a small house in El Cerrito where the band lived for a while. Cliff Burton joined the band only if Metallica would agree to move to El Cerrito.
 * Game Theory's 1988 song "You Drive" mentions El Cerrito in the first line.
 * Cracker recorded a song titled "El Cerrito" released on their 2014 album Berkeley to Bakersfield.

Notable people

 * Catherine Asaro, science-fiction author, grew up in El Cerrito
 * Jeff Atwood, co-founder of Stack Overflow
 * Paul Baloff, lead vocalist of metal band Exodus
 * Les Blank, documentary filmmaker (1935–2013)
 * Ernie Broglio, former Major League Baseball player
 * Doug Clifford, musician
 * Emily Compagno, television journalist and Fox News host
 * Stu Cook, musician
 * Drew Gooden, Milwaukee Bucks forward, attended El Cerrito High School; during his tenure, basketball team went to and lost state basketball final
 * John C. Dvorak, right-wing podcaster
 * John Fogerty and Tom Fogerty, musicians from the band Creedence Clearwater Revival, grew up in El Cerrito; Band reunited to play its last concert during El Cerrito High School reunion at Golden Gate Fields in Albany
 * Karen Grassle, actress, Little House on the Prairie, resident of El Cerrito
 * Pumpsie Green, first African American to play for the Boston Red Sox
 * Larissa Kelly, record-setting Jeopardy! champion
 * Tung-Yen Lin, structural engineer who founded T. Y. Lin International
 * Thomas Pridgen, former drummer for the band The Mars Volta
 * Susan Rasky, journalist
 * Maria Remenyi, Miss California USA 1966, Miss USA 1966
 * Alice Schwartz, co-founder of Bio-Rad Laboratories, billionaire
 * Marcus Semien, Major League Baseball player
 * Adam Sessler, co-host of X-Play on G4
 * Chris Strachwitz, founder of Arhoolie records
 * Maw Shein Win, first Poet Laureate of El Cerrito
 * Tess Taylor, poet and CNN contributor
 * Gail Tsukiyama, author
 * Joyo Velarde, musician
 * Matt Young, former Major League Baseball player

title: El Cerrito, California


text:
El Sobrante, Contra Costa County, California

El Sobrante is a census-designated place (CDP) in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 12,669 at the 2010 census.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.8 sqmi, all of it land.

El Sobrante is unincorporated and lies within Contra Costa County. Main roads include San Pablo Dam Road (a major road running from Richmond and San Pablo, through El Sobrante, past EBMUD's San Pablo Reservoir), Valley View Road and Appian Way. San Pablo Dam Road and Appian Way both connect to Interstate 80 to the west.

El Sobrante also contains the San Pablo Creek, which runs adjacent to San Pablo Dam road, and adjacent to the El Sobrante - Contra Costa County Library.

History
Between 5000 and 1000 BC, an indigenous tribe of people called the Huichin, an Ohlone people, came to the East Bay, including El Sobrante. One of the Huichin villages was located where the El Sobrante Library now stands. The Huichin left a now-buried shell mound beside San Pablo Creek. Ohlone people still live in the bay area and other parts of the world today.

Between November 1794 and May 1795, the Huichin were forcibly converted to Christianity by Spanish missionaries. After all of the Huichin were removed to Mission San Francisco, they suffered an epidemic of European diseases as well as food shortages, and died in great numbers, resulting in alarming statistics of death and escapes from the missions. In pursuing the runaways, the Franciscans sent neophytes first and (as a last resort) soldiers to go round up the runaway "Christians" from their relatives, and bring them back to the missions. Thus illness spread both inside and outside of the missions.

After Mexican independence from Spain in the early 19th century, Spanish colonists were given land grants, one of which was Rancho El Sobrante, deeded to Juan Jose and Víctor Castro in 1841. The grant's boundaries were unusually complicated, as they were to be determined by the boundaries of the surrounding grants: San Antonio, San Pablo, El Pinole, Boca de la Cañada del Pinole, Acalanes, and La Laguna de los Palos Colorados. In this sense, the rancho was el sobrante, the remaining area. Legal disputes concerning the borders and the claims of squatters continued for four decades, with much of the land sold to pay court and attorney costs. Victor Castro was left with 549 acre of the original grant. He built an adobe dwelling in what is now El Cerrito, and became one of the first members of the Board of Supervisors of Contra Costa County. Castro died at the age of 90 in 1897. Some of his descendants still live in the area of Castro Ranch Road.

El Sobrante was called "Oak Grove" by industrial concerns in 1887 when the California and Nevada Railroad put a spur into the area for the purpose of carrying lumber cut from the hills. Then the name Sobrante was applied, with the addition of the Spanish definite article "El" coinciding with the opening of the first post office in 1941.

By the early 20th century, Rancho El Sobrante had been reduced to a number of smaller ranches, generally following a dirt road along San Pablo Creek. Many of these ranches were further subdivided. As roads were paved and homes were constructed, El Sobrante changed from a rural to a semi-rural community.

2020
The 2020 United States Census reported that El Sobrante had a population of 15,524. The racial makeup of El Sobrante included 5,545 White residents, 2,603 from other races, 2,252 from two or more races, 2,915 Asians, 1,817 African Americans, 292 Native Americans, and 100 Pacific Islander. There were 4,646 residents of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.

2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that El Sobrante had a population of 12,669. The population density was 4,581.4 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of El Sobrante was 6,405 (50.6%) White, 1,673 (13.2%) African American, 127 (1.0%) Native American, 1,986 (15.7%) Asian, 113 (0.9%) Pacific Islander, 1,384 (10.9%) from other races, and 981 (7.7%) from two or more races. There were 3,036 Hispanic or Latino residents, of any race (24.0%).

The Census reported that 12,620 people (99.6% of the population) lived in households, 49 (0.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 4,759 households, out of which 1,600 (33.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,154 (45.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 757 (15.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 301 (6.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 312 (6.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 67 (1.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,170 households (24.6%) were made up of individuals, and 373 (7.8%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65. There were 3,212 families (67.5% of all households); the average family size was 3.16.

The population included 2,696 (21.3%) under the age of 18, 1,126 (8.9%) aged 18 to 24, 3,340 (26.4%) aged 25 to 44, 3,910 (30.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,597 people (12.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.

There were 5,136 housing units at an average density of 1,857.3 /sqmi, of which 4,759 were occupied, of which 2,952 (62.0%) were owner-occupied, and 1,807 (38.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.2%. 7,829 people (61.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 4,791 people (37.8%) lived in rental housing units.

2000
As of the 2000 census, there were 12,260 people, 4,676 households, and 3,170 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,953.1 PD/sqmi. There were 4,803 housing units at an average density of 1,548.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 60.35% White, 12.16% Black or African American, 0.67% Native American, 12.50% Asian, 0.29% Pacific Islander, 6.97% from other races, and 7.06% from two or more races. 15.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,676 households, out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were married couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the CDP, 24.7% were under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $48,272, and the median income for a family was $59,342. Males had a median income of $44,232 versus $34,661 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $24,525. About 6.6% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

El Sobrante is also home to a growing Sikh population. The center of the Sikh community is the Gurdwara Sahib of El Sobrante (known for its large golden dome), which sits high in the hills above San Pablo Dam Road.

Education
The El Sobrante Library of the Contra Costa County Library is located in El Sobrante. The library opened in 1961, and in 1975 it received an expansion that doubled the facility's size.

El Sobrante is in the West Contra Costa Unified School District.

Schools in El Sobrante include Juan Crespi Middle School, named after Juan Crespí, the Catalyst Academy, East Bay Waldorf School, and Sheldon Elementary School.

In popular culture
According to Les Claypool in his 1996 song "El Sobrante Fortnight", an El Sobrante fortnight is "somewhere between two weeks and a decade". Former Green Day drummer John Kiffmeyer took his stage name, "Al Sobrante", from the town. The band Jawbreaker references El Sobrante as "El Sob" in their song "Boxcar", as well as Primus in their song Jerry Was a Race Car Driver.

Notable residents

 * Musicians such as Kirk Hammett of Metallica and Exodus, Marc Biederman of Blind Illusion, Les Claypool (former member of Blind Illusion currently of Primus), Larry "Ler" LaLonde of Primus and Possessed, Jason Beebout of Samiam and Isocracy and John Kiffmeyer (known professionally as Al Sobrante) of Green Day and Isocracy all grew up in El Sobrante, and most of them attended De Anza High School.  Many of these musicians have close ties. Hammett and Claypool were friends as children. LaLonde was a founding member of death metal pioneers Possessed, who toured with Metallica before joining Claypool in Primus, and Claypool auditioned to join Metallica; however Claypool was turned down because his style was too funky for Metallica.
 * El Sobrante has been the home of many notable comic book artists, such as underground Joel Beck, who grew up in El Sobrante and attended De Anza High School, and his friend Roger Brand, who assisted legendary comics artists Gil Kane and Wally Wood. Later comics creators to come out of El Sobrante include New York Times Bestselling author Landry Walker, a student of De Anza High School who went on to work on Batman, Supergirl, The Incredibles, and Star Wars comics. DC and Image Comics artist Eric Jones who grew up in El Sobrante as well, but attended Salesian High School. Eric collaborated with writer Landry Walker on such comic books on Batman, Supergirl, Phineas and Ferb, Disney Adventures Magazine, Little Gloomy, and Star Wars. In the 1990s, Star Wars comics artist Chris Fenoglio was raised in El Sobrante.
 * Other notable residents include artist's model Flo Allen, who died while living in El Sobrante. As well as pioneering hypertext author Judy Malloy who lived in El Sobrante from 1995 to 2013, and wrote much of her work while living there.