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Contra Costa County occurs as suburban county in California's San Francisco Bay Area. When of the 2000 nose count it experienced the people of 948,816. A county seat is Martinez.
History
Pre-human
Around prehistoric days, particularly a Miocene epoch, portions of the landforms now in the area (so quaggy & grassy savanna) were populated a wide range of at present out mammals, known in modern days per fossil remains excavated in the southern part of the county. These involved pigs the size of modern rhinoceros and rhinoceri the size of modern pigs. around the northern a portion of the county important coal deposits were formed in possibly earliest geologic eras. More areas of the county use at times ridges exposing ancient however intact (non ossified) seashells, embedded around sandstone shells alternating using limestone. Shells of volcanic ash ejected from either geologically recent however at present out volcanos, compacted and okay, tilted by compressive forces can be seen at a side of a bit of touring excavations. This county is an agglomeration of many distinct geological terrains, when is virtually all of the greater San Francisco Bay Area, which one of the virtually all geologically complex regions in the globe. A outstanding local mountain Mount Diablo has been formed and continues to become elevated by compressive forces sequent from either a forces of plate tectonics & at its upper reaches exposes ancient davy jones shale rock scraped from either their distant alluviation location and elevated by these groovy forces.
Native American period
There exists an extensive however little recorded man pre-Colombian history therein locality, by having the present county containing portions of regions populated by a total of native Western tribes. Although a earliest occupation by homo sapiens sapiens (Homo sapiens) appears to be astir six to ten thous& years prior to a present period of time, these counts are not definitive and will even touch far earliest days, at least when far when non–subsiding populations come caring. A known settled populations were were hunter-gatherer societies that got there is no cognition of metals & that produced utilitarian crafts for everyday use (especially woven reed baskets) of the superiority and by having graphic embellishments of neat æsthetic appeal. Extensive index trading from either tribe to tribe transferred exotic materials like obsidian (useful for a making of arrowheads) throughout the area from either far distant Californian tribes. Unlike a nomadic native American of the Great Plains it appears that these tribes did not incorporate warfare into their culture however were instead usually cooperative. In these cultures a conception of human or even collective land ownership was missing. When a culture & its values was non respected by either a number one Spanish colonizers (who considered a indigen each heathens to be converted to Christianity and easily enslavable labor) nor the 2nd U.S.A occupiers (who did their best to exterminate them), little of their history, lore or culture was recorded at the time. Virtually all of what is known unfeeling comes from either either preserved contemporaneous & excavated artefact & from inter-generational cognition passed down across to the north outlying tribes of the big region.
Spanish colonial
Early interaction one indigene Americans by using Europeans come by having a Spanish settlement via a establishment of missions within this area, by having a missions in San Jose, Sonoma, & San Francisco & particularly a establishment of the Presidio of San Francisco (a military establishment) inside 1776. Although ton this text were there is no missions established in this county, Spanish influence here was straight & extensive, through a establishment of land grants from either the King of Spain to favorite settlers. These rancheros were non little farms, however highly big — a modern county would accommodate sole two or three of the two. Sustaining a l& come the right to rule on top its denizen, two indigen & immigrant laboring souls and families.
Mexican provincial
Around 1821 Mexico gained independence from Spain. Insofar when ranchero life was caring in the remote province centered upon San Francisco, little was changed.
Bear Flag Republic and the Statehood of California
This was to vary speedily around 1846 by having a Bear Flag Revolt, where two or three settlers from either the United States declared a republic, immediately petitioning for statehood. Ensuing a Mexican-American War of 1847 the sign language & confirmation of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo California was formally transferred to the U.S. by Mexico around 1848, by owning California existence admitted to the Union inside 1850. A land titles inside Contra Costa County can be traced to multiple subdivisions of two or three original Spanish land grants from either a King of Spain. Reminders one grants can be seen a grantee's last name around two or three city & town list like Martinez, Pacheco and Moraga, with their subsequent divisions into large farms and orchards remembered in the names of streets, residential subdivisions, and business parks. Two or three mansions from either a extra prosperous farms use at times been preserved when museums & ethnical centers & one of a other rustic examples has been preserved as a working demonstration spread, [http://www.ci.walnut-creek.ca.us/openspace/osborges.htm Borges Ranch].
Contra Costa's creation and division
Contra Costa County was one of a original counties of California, created around 1850 at the instance of statehood. A county was originally to become known as Mt. Diablo County, however a title was changed before incorporation as a county. A county's Spanish language name means opposite coast, because of its location paired San Francisco, in an easterly counsel, in San Francisco Bay. Southern portions of the county's territory, including a tons of the bayside portions paired San Francisco, & Northern portions of Santa Clara County were given up to form Alameda County in 1853.
Orchards, farms, and ranches
A outstanding rancheros of a Spanish time period were divided & sold for farming utilizes, by using intensively irrigated farming manufactured conceivable around occasionally areas per development of canals that brought a stream from either the eastern riverside portions of the county to the central part. supplementary areas may utilized a more limited fluids available from either either local lakes & from wells. Grove dominated in which such a body of water was available, when more, seasonally dry areas were utilized for bos taurus ranching. Within central area of the county walnuts were an especially attractive woodlet crop, using the thin-shelled English Walnut branches grafted to the healthy & disease-insubordinate U.s. Walnut root stock index. In the Moraga region, pears dominated, and numerous old (however untended) wayside trees come however picked seasonally by passers by. Around eastern county, drupe, especially cherries, is however grhave commercially, using numbers of seasonal chance for humans to pick their own fruit for the mild fee.
Railroads
A american termini of two Union Pacific transcontinental railroad routes are inside Oakland, located in Alameda County. From either Oakland, there are 2 primary routes east:
The previous Southern Pacific line north across Richmond, closely hugging the San Pablo Bay coastline to Martinez, where it crosses Suisun Bay on a lift bridge prior to proceedings to Sacramento and the crossing of the Sierra Nevada via Donner Pass.
The previous Western Pacific line which runs to the south across Niles Canyon, Livermore and over Altamont Pass en route to Sacramento and the Feather River canyon/Beckwourth Pass crossing of the Sierra Nevada.
A Burlington Northern Santa Fe has the terminus of its transcontinental route within Richmond. Originally built per San Francisco & San Joaquwithin Valley Railroad in 1896, a line was purchased per Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway shortly thereafter. A line leaves Richmond across industrial & residential area of West County prior to striking due east across Franklin Canyon & Martinez on its way to Stockton, Bakersfield and Barstow.
These railroads spurred a development of industry in a county throughout the late Nineteenth & early Twentieth centuries, particularly camping development of the Standard Oil (now Chevron) refinery and port complex inside Richmond.
There were a heavy total of short lines in a county between the late 19th century & the early 20th century. the rights of way of a total one railroads when well served when utility rights of way, particularly for fluids service, & then were preserved, & in the late 20th century enhanced as walk, jogging, and wheel riding trails in the central part of the county.
Tremendously of the american region of the county was swell served per trans-bay electrified commuter railway line of the Key System, until its ultimate decline in the late 1940's.
Irrigation canals
The concrete-lined & fenced irrigation canal however makes the loop across central county & provided industrial & farming grade fluids to farms & industry. Spell there is no hanker utilized for extensive irrigation, these are however conceivable for adjoining landholder (today big suburban lot owners) to obtain pumping permits. Virtually all of this a lake is destined for the heavily industry touching Martinez. When using a railroad rights of way there exists currently an extensive public trail technique along these canals.
Commuter railroads
A development of commuter railroads proceeded together using a section of farms into parcels. Within a select few subjects, like a development of Saranap, a equivalent creator controlled two a railroad & the development. These early suburbanization developments were an extension of the sooner development of trolley car suburbs in what are at present considered a extremely urban environments of the close East Bay.
Heavy industry
Owing to its extensive waterfront in San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun bays the northwestern & northern segments keep around yearn been web sites for heavily industry, including the a total of however active petroleum refinery (particularly Standard Oil withinside Richmond & Shell/Valero in Martinez) chemical plants (Dow Chemical) and the when material integrated steel mill (Posco Steel, formerly United States Steel that is now reduced to secondary production of strip sheet & wire. A San Joaquin River forms a continuation of a northern boundary turns southwards to form the eastern boundary of the county. A bit of real Sacramento Delta "islands" (actually leveed previous lakes) come involved in that corner of the county.
1941-45
When you took World War II, Richmond hosted one of the two Bay Metropolitan area web sites of Kaiser Shipyards & wartime pilots were trained at what is today Concord/Buchanan Field Airport. In addition, the big Naval Weapons Depot & munitions ship loading facilities at Port Chicago remain active to this day. the dock were a places of a devastating explosion. Port Chicago was bought out & demolished per Federal Government to form a safety island touching the Naval Weapons Station dock. At once a Atlas Powder Company (afterwards closed) at a town of Hercules produced gunpowder & dynamite. A places of the previous Atlas Powder Company is placed at Point Pinole Regional Shoreline[http://www.ebparks.org/parks/ptpinole.htm], a share of the East Bay Regional Parks District[http://www.ebparks.org].
Early postwar period
Sustaining a postwar baby boom & the want for suburban residing, big tract housing developers would buy big central county farmsteads & evolve the children by owning roads, utilities and housing. When mostly rural walnut plantatiin & ranch, the region wwhen number one developed as moo dollars and cents, big lot suburbithe, by owning a average moo numbers residence existence situated on a "quarter acre" lot — actually the little less at 10,000 square feet (930 m²). A few of the expansion one suburban areas was attributable to white flight, although in this politically liberal vicinity, the phenomenon was mostly due to economic science, the want for a additional rural environment, & senior high quality.
Technical innovators
In the 1970's & Eighty's several microscopic & innovative technical indicator even house were began in that county, virtually all of which come then there are no hanker present, with either failed, been absorbed into big corporations, or with outgrown their original location are at present elsewhere in the Bay Front yard.
Corporate headquarters
When you took a 1980's & early 1990's, several corporations that were erst housed in the further central area followed their employees by moving to big suburban & edge city professional areas & professional parks.
a total of big corporations today use headquarters inside big developments along what is known as the 680 corridor, that section of Interstate Highway 680 that extends from either Concord northward to San Ramon in the south, continuing into inland Alameda County from Dublin to Pleasanton.
West County
A housing equity in a vicinity was extensively developed fallowing the wonderful San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. Lot of the housing index within these areas is becoming quite expensive. Alternatively to moving to either a super expensive central county, or even a as well-distant East County, this front yard is becoming gentrified, with the mix of races & income levels — a character actively sought by occasionally housing emptor. the downside of this occurs as corresponding want of low-priced housing for people around lower berth paying service jobs — a condition autochthonous throughout a vicinity. When a public schools are non of a quality seen in the central county, numbers of of the middle class residents of the locality send their babies to expensive buck private schools, farther limiting the handiness of resources to the public schools.
Central County
A vale traversed by Interstate 680, by State Highway Two dozen, & by portions of Interstate 580 (a Livermore Valley) are put together known as a Tri-Valley Region. West of this front yard come a cities touching or even in San Francisco & San Pablo bays, piece east of this region is the Sacramento-San Juaquin flow of any stream delta & California's Awesome Central Valley. A trey major even (& prosperous) towns east of the hills in or touching Highway Two dozen & their encompassing areas (Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda) are collectively known as Lamorinda. Owing to the superiority of its public schools (due largely to each demographics & added trend lines from either prosperous parents), this front yard has turn into the magnet for easily–off families gravid. This has caused (across normal supply-require economics) the price of housing to astounding levels. An original, unmodified a single bath, trinity chamber prominent-lot home built in the late 1940s is now priced away from a range of people by owning a average median income for the area. When a taxatiin on yearn occupied houses come quite moo, owing to the tax-limiting Proposition 13, there is little incentive for "empty nesters" to move away, farther limiting a supply for freshly entrants to the market. Proposition 13 has too discouraged a "upgrade move", instead encouraging extensive remodeling of existent creator–occupied buildings. This has lead to beneficial stability inside a bit of neighborhoods, farther increasing a desirability of several locations. When there come little patches in which houses are wholly raze & replaced using big, additional modern houses, this is less economically attractive (owing to the high dollars & cents of acquire) than is the practice of extensive remodeling, restoration, & expansion via the addition of a big master suite and removal of interior partitions to produce big rooms. There are the total of speculative remodelers world health organization might refurbish an untenanted structure above the period of the year, applying high quality materials & ends, however making plenty benefit to provide a comfortable dwelling. Although a pace housing sales has slowed recently (2004), prices prove my point to increase & a market remains attractive to the remodeling industry.
In that way the central county vicinity has turn into a mix of older suburban area, freshly developments, little lot "infill" developments, & extensive searching areas.
East County
Moo cost modern tract developments prove my point along Suisun Bay and into rural "East County" - new "bedroom" communities" to serve the now "edge cities". This results in some incredibly long and slow commutes for some county residents, as roadbuilding is (as usual) unable to keep pace with the development patterns. Some political control has been established to restrict the development somewhat, with "urban set boundaries lines" now established, but yet to prove their long term effectiveness.
Urban decay at the fringes
Other cities in the once heavily industrialized northwestern and western waterfront areas such as Richmond and Bay Point (formerly West Pittsburg) have fallen on harder times, with Richmond having difficulty balancing its school budget. This may be arguably attributed to a side effect of Proposition 13: it applies also to large industrial and merchandising companies, which have seen their share of property taxes (the bulk of which is used to support local schools) decline severely. As housing prices have not kept pace with the more central and outlying regions, the school districts are having difficulty obtaining proper funding. A lack of the availability of the kind of community support available in the more prosperous regions also contributes to the problem, with higher income residents of some of these declining areas sending their children to private schooling, creating a self reinforcing decline in the public schools.
Redevelopment
There are currently political fights over the potential redevelopment of the county seat (Martinez), with long term residents and many elsewhere in the county concerned that it will lose its remaining small-town charm and utility in an effort to become more like the county's major recreational shopping center of Walnut Creek.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,078 km² (802 mi²). 1,865 km² (720 mi²) of it is land and 213 km² (82 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 10.25% water.
It is bounded on the south and west by Alameda County, on the northwest San Francisco Bay, on the North by San Pablo Bay and Suisun Bays, and on the east by the San_Joaquin_River.
Landmarks
The most notable natural landmark in the county is Mount Diablo, at the northerly end of the Diablo Range.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 948,816 people, 344,129 households, and 242,266 families residing in the county. The population density is 509/km² (1,318/mi²). There are 354,577 housing units at an average density of 190/km² (492/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 65.50% White, 9.36% Black or African American, 0.61% Native American, 10.96% Asian, 0.37% Pacific Islander, 8.06% from other races, and 5.13% from two or more races. 17.68% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 344,129 households out of which 35.40% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.50% are married couples living together, 11.50% have a female householder with no husband present, and 29.60% are non-families. 22.90% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.00% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.72 and the average family size is 3.23.
In the county the population is spread out with 26.50% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 30.60% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 11.30% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 95.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $63,675, and the median income for a family is $73,039. Males have a median income of $52,670 versus $38,630 for females. The per capita income for the county is $30,615. 7.60% of the population and 5.40% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 9.80% of those under the age of 18 and 6.00% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Cities and towns
West County
Bayview-Montalvin
Crockett
East Richmond Heights
El Cerrito
El Sobrante
Hercules
Kensington
Pinole
Port Costa
Richmond
Rodeo
Rollingwood
San Pablo
Tara Hills
Central County
Alamo
Blackhawk-Camino Tassajara
Canyon
Clayton
Clyde
Concord
Danville
Diablo
Lafayette
Martinez
Moraga
Mountain View
Orinda
Pacheco
Pleasant Hill
San Ramon
Vine Hill
Waldon
Walnut Creek
East County
Antioch
Bay Point
Bethel Island
Brentwood
Byron
Discovery Bay
Knightsen
Oakley
Pittsburg
Other named regions and developments
Saranap
Rossmoor (A senior development incorporated into Walnut Creek, not the Southern California Rossmoor)
Museums and Historic sites
[http://www.blackhawkauto.org/ Blackhawk Automotive Museum] (This site also contains a paleontological museum of the University of California, Berkeley)
[http://www.johnmarshhouse.com/marsh_hs.htm Dr. John Marsh House]
[http://www.nps.gov/euon/ Eugene O'Neil National Historic Site]
[http://www.nps.gov/jomu/ John Muir National Historic Site]
[http://www.wildlife-museum.org/ Lindsay Wildlife Museum]
[http://www.conhistsoc.org/WalkingTour/16.html Don Salvio Pacheco Adobe]
[http://www.museumsrv.org San Ramon Valley Museum]
[http://www.ci.walnut-creek.ca.us/openspace/osborges.htm Borges Ranch]
Parks and related places
[http://www.ebparks.org/parks/briones.htm Briones Regional Park]*
[http://www.ebparks.org/parks/diablo.htm Diablo Foothills]
[http://www.ci.walnut-creek.ca.us/openspace/oshowe_homestead.htm Howe Homestead Park]
Mount Diablo State Park
[http://www.ebparks.org/parks/lastram.htm Las Trampas Regional Wilderness]*
[http://www.ci.walnut-creek.ca.us/openspace/shell_ridge.htm Shell Ridge Open Space]
[http://www.ci.walnut-creek.ca.us/openspace/oslime_ridge.htm Lime Ridge Open Space]
[http://www.ebmud.com/services/recreation/east_bay/san_pablo/default.htm San Pablo Recreation Area] (San Pablo Dam Reservoir) - Read caution if eating fish caught here.
[http://www.ci.walnut-creek.ca.us/openspace/sugarloafpage.htm Sugarloaf Open Space]
[http://www.ci.walnut-creek.ca.us/openspace/osacalanes.htm Acalanes Open Space]
*Adjoining or nearby these parks are lands of the East Bay Municipal Utility District. These require special annual permits for hiking, bicycle riding and horse riding, available for a small fee. At least one member of a party traversing these areas must have such a permit.
Trails
Iron Horse Regional Trail
[http://www.ebparks.org/parks/calrhktr.htm California State Riding and Hiking Trail]
[http://www.ebparks.org/parks/canaltr.htm Contra Costa Canal Regional Trail]
[http://www.ebparks.org/parks/deanza.htm Delta de Anza Regional Trail]
[http://www.ebparks.org/parks/brdiotr.htm Briones-Mount Diablo Regional Trail]
[http://www.ebparks.org/parks/canaltr.htm Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail]
[http://www.ebparks.org/parks/marshtr.htm Marsh Creek Trail]
California Casino Proposals
Since 2003, four Indian gaming casinos have been proposed in Richmond, California and the surrounding area of West Contra Costa County.
Proposals
Hilltop Mall to be built on a 10 acre (40,000 m²) site.
Lytton Rancheria at Casino San Pablo from the Scotts Valley band of the Pomo tribe and have 2,500 slots, (Originally 5,000). Stuck in the California Legislature, to Gov. Schwarzenegger's upset.
Point Molate Casino Resort to have a luxury shopping mall, 1,100 room hotel/resort.
North Richmond to be located on a 23 acre site and have a buffet.
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