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Richmond, California

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Richmond, California
File:Richsky.JPG
Official seal of Richmond, California
Seal
Nickname(s): 
The City of Pride and Purpose
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountyContra Costa
Government
 • MayorGayle McLaughlin (G)
Population
 • Total103,818
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific Standard Time Zone)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (Pacific Daylight Time)
Websitehttp://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/

Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. It is in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area and is sometimes confused with the Richmond District in San Francisco. It is a residential inner suburb, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been undergoing a shift towards a service and commercial economy since the 1970s. It almost completely surrounds the city of San Pablo, and the unincorporated areas of North Richmond, El Sobrante and East Richmond Heights.

The city is headed by mayor Gayle McLaughlin, making Richmond the largest city in the country with a Green Party mayor. As of the July 1, 2005 U.S. Census estimate, the city has a population of 102,186, while the California Department of Finance estimates the city's population at 103,468, as of January 1 2006.[1] This makes Richmond the 56th largest city in the state behind Berkeley and ahead of Santa Clara. People from Richmond are most often referred to as Richmonders, although Richmondites is the proper term. The city is also referred to as "the Rich," especially by young people.[citation needed]

File:Ohlonedude.jpg
An Ohlone native depicted on an overpass mural in East Richmond juxtaposed with a modern gas station.

History

The name "Richmond" appears to predate actual incorporation by more than fifty years. Edmund Randolph, originally from Richmond, Virginia, represented the city of San Francisco when California's first legislature met in San Jose in December 1849, and he became state assemblyman from San Francisco. His loyalty to the town of his birth caused him to persuade a federal surveying party mapping the San Francisco Bay to place the names "Point Richmond" and "Richmond" on an 1854 geodetic coast map which was the geodetic map at the terminal selected by the San Joaquin Valley Railroad; and by 1899 maps made by the railroad carried the name "Point Richmond Avenue," designating a county road that later became Barrett Avenue, a central street in Richmond.

Richmond was founded and incorporated in 1905, carved out of Rancho San Pablo, from which the nearby town of San Pablo inherited its name. Until 1919, the city had the largest winery in the world; the small abandoned village of Winehaven remains fenced off along Western Drive in the Point Molate Area. In the 1920s the Ku Klux Klan was active in the city. In 1930 the Ford Motor Company opened an assembly plant in the south side of town, which is now an abandoned industrial area (the plant moved to Milpitas in the 1970s). The city was a small town at that time, until the onset of World War II which brought on a rush of migrants and a boom in the industrial sector. Standard Oil set up operations here in 1901, including a refinery and tank farm, which are still operated by Chevron. There is a pier into San Francisco Bay south of Point Molate for oil tankers. The western terminus of the Santa Fe Railroad was established in Richmond with ferry connections at Ferry Point in the Brickyard Cove area of Point Richmond to San Francisco.

File:Redoaknew.jpg
USS Red Oak Victory under construction at the Kaiser Shipyards, 1944

At the outset of World War II, the four Richmond Shipyards were built along the Richmond waterfront, employing thousands of workers, many recruited from all over the United States, including many African-Americans and women entering the workforce for the first time. Many of these workers lived in specially-constructed houses scattered throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, including Richmond, Berkeley and Albany. A specially-built rail line, the Shipyard Railway, transported workers to the shipyards. Kaiser's Richmond shipyards built 747 Victory and Liberty ships for the war effort, more than any other site in the U.S. The city broke many records and even built one Liberty ship in a record five days. On average the yards could build a ship in thirty days. The medical system established for the shipyard workers eventually became today's Kaiser Permanente HMO.[2] One of Kaiser's medical centers is located in Richmond.

Point Richmond was originally the commercial hub of the city, but a new downtown arose in the center of the city. It was populated by many department stores such as Kress, J.C. Penney, Sears, Macy's, and Woolworth's. During the war the population increased dramatically and peaked at around 99,000 residents in 1950. By 1960 much of the temporary housing built for the shipyard workers was torn down, and the population dropped to about 71,000. Many of the people who moved to Richmond were black and came from the Midwest and South. Most of the white men were overseas at war, and this opened up new opportunities for ethnic minorities and women. This era also brought with it the innovation of daycare for children, as a few women could care for several dozen women's children, while most of the mothers went off to work in the factories and shipyards.

USS General A. W. Greely (AP-141) built in Richmond
A "Wendy the Welder" at the Kaiser Richmond Shipyards contributing to the War effort.

In the 1970s the Hilltop area including a large shopping mall was developed in the northern suburbs of the city; this further depressed the downtown area as it drew away retail clients and tenants. In the late 1990s and early 2000s the Richmond Parkway was built along the western industrial and northwestern parklands of the city connecting Interstates 80 and 580.

In the early 1900s, the Santa Fe railroad established a major rail yard adjacent to Point Richmond. The railroad constructed a tunnel through the Potrero San Pablo ridge to run a track from their yard to a ferry landing from which freight cars could be transshipped to San Francisco. Where this track crosses the main street in Point Richmond, there remain two of the last operational wigwag grade crossing signals in the United States, and the only surviving examples of the "upside-down" type. The wigwag is an antiquated type of railroad crossing signal which was phased out in the 1970s and 80s across the country. There was controversy in 2005 when the State Transportation Authority ordered the BNSF railroad company to upgrade the railroad crossing signs. A compromise was achieved that included installing new modern crossing equipment while not removing, but simply shutting off the historic ones and preserving their functionality for special events.[3]

The Pullman Company also established a major facility in Richmond in the early 20th century[4]. The facility connected with both the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific and serviced their passenger coach equipment. The Pullman Company was a large employer of African American men, who worked mainly as porters on the Pullman cars.[5] Many of them settled in the East Bay, from Richmond to Oakland, prior to World War II.

In 2006 the city celebrated its centennial. This coincided with the repaving and streetscaping project of MacDonald Avenue. The city's old rundown commercial district along MacDonald has been designated the city's "Main Street District" by the state of California. This has led to funding of improvements in the form of state grants.[6]

The city is host to the largest leash-free dog park in the United States, Point Isabel Regional Shoreline.

Geography

Red Rock Island.

Richmond is located at 37°56′13″N 122°20′31″W / 37.93694°N 122.34194°W / 37.93694; -122.34194Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (37.936874, -122.342057).Template:GR

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 52.6 mi² (136.2 km²). 30.0 mi² (77.6 km²) of it is land and 22.6 mi² (58.5 km²) of it (42.98%) is water. The city enjoys 32 miles of waterfront, more than any other city in the Bay Area.[7]

The city borders San Francisco Bay to the southwest and San Pablo Bay to the northwest, and includes Brooks Island and the Brother Islands entirely, and half of Red Rock Island.

There are several cities and unincorporated communities surrounding or bordering Richmond. To the south is the city of Albany which is in Alameda County and the city of El Cerrito. The cities and unincorporated areas of, East Richmond Heights, Rollingwood and, El Sobrante lie to the East. North Richmond to the west and San Pablo to the east are almost entirely surrounded by Richmond's city limits. To the north, Richmond borders the city of Pinole and the unincorporated areas of Bayview-Montalvin, and Tara Hills. Richmond borders Alameda, San Francisco, and Marin counties in the Bay and Red Rock Island.

Climate

Monthly Climate Info[8]
Month Rainfall in. (cm.) Mean High Temp. Mean Low Temp.
January 4.91 (124.7) 57°F (14°C) 43°F (6°C)
February 4.41 (112.0) 61°F (16°C) 45°F (7°C)
March 3.52 (89.4) 63°F (17°C) 47°F (8°C)
April 1.35 (34.3) 66°F (17°C) 48°F (9°C)
May 0.54 (13.7) 68°F (20°C) 51°F (11°C)
June 0.17 (4.3) 71°F (22°C) 54°F (12°C)
July 0.07 (1.8) 70°F (21°C) 55°F (13°C)
August 0.09 (2.3) 71°F (22°C) 56°F (13°C)
September 0.27 (6.9) 73°F (23°C) 56°F (13°C)
October 1.25 (31.8) 72°F (22°C) 56°F (13°C)
November 3.47 (88.1) 64°F (18°C) 48°F (9°C)
December 3.30 (83.8) 57°F (14°C) 43°F (6°C)

Richmond, like much of the coastal East Bay, enjoys a very mild Mediterranean climate year round. The climate is slightly warmer than the coastal areas of San Francisco, the Peninsula, and Marin County; it is however more temperate than areas further inland. The average highs range from 57°F (14°C) to 73°F (23°C) and the lows between 43°F (6°C) to 56°F (13°C) year round.[8] Richmond usually enjoys an "Indian summer", and September is, on average, the warmest month. January is on average the coldest month.

The highest recorded temperature in Richmond was 107°F/41.6°C in September 1971 while the coldest was 24°F/-4.4°C in January 1990.[8]

The rainy season begins in late October and ends in April with some showers in May. Most of the rain occurs during stronger storms which occur between November and March and drop 3.3 to 4.91 inches of rain per month. January and February are the rainiest months.[8]

Like most of the Bay Area, Richmond is made up of several microclimates. Southern parts of the city and the ridges receive more fog than northern areas. Summer temperatures are higher in inland areas, where the moderating influence of San Francisco Bay is lessened. The average windspeed is 6 to 9 miles per hour with stronger winds from March through August; the strongest winds are in June.[7] The city also enjoys more than 80% sunshine 7 months out of the year and 10 with 60% or more. December and January are the darkest months with about 45% average brightness.[7] The city experiences virtually no snowfall, and brief hail annually. The city is very humid in the morning with the lowest humidity being in the high 70% range. This may be due to San Francisco Bay's notorious fog and also the fact that a majority of Richmond lies on a flat coastal plain predominantly consisting of reclaimed tidal marshes, inter-tidal flats, and seep[9]. Morning humidity is 75% to 92% year round; afternoon humidity is more variable. This percentage is in the high 20s to mid 30s (%) May through October (the summer months) and climbs or descends through 40% to 70% during the winter.[7]

Environment

File:Raildumbartrazorback.jpg
Endangered California Callper Rails like this one live in Wildcat Marsh.

Richmond is home to many species of animals. Canada Geese visit the city on their annual migrations. Harbor seals live in the Castro Rocks and pigeons and seagulls populate the sidewalks and parking lots. Tadpoles and frogs can be found in the local creeks and vernal pools. Field mice and lizards are also found. Herons and egrets nest in protected areas on Brooks Island. Deer, falcons, racoons, ducks, foxes, owls, and mountain lions live in Wildcat Canyon and Point Pinole Regional Shoreline.

A license is needed for fishing on the waterfront or city waters but not on the piers, where in addition to crabs, sturgeon are plentiful. Striped bass, bay rays, leopard sharks, perch, kingfish, and flounders are also found. Richmond is one of the few places where you can find the rare Olympia Oyster on the west coast, in the polluted waters along the refinery's shoreline. Rainbow Trout have recently returned to San Pablo and Wildcat creeks.[10]

Red-tail hawks patrol the skies. Monarch butterflies migrate through the city on their journey between Mexico and Canada. Wildcat Marsh has two ponds where Canada geese often rest, and is also the home of the endangered Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse and California Clapper Rail. Another endangered species in the city is the Santa Cruz Tarweed which survives alongside Interstate 80. Wildcat Canyon also hosts falcons and vultures.

A baby grey whale was beached on the Point Richmond shore in May, 2007 whose rotting corpse was bothersome to neighbors. It took a while to remove it since various agencies argue over whom would have to pay for it.[11][12][13][14][15]

Disasters

Map showing the Hayward fault running through the eastern Richmond hills and the hilltop area through to San Pablo Bay

Richmond lies in the volatile California region that has a potential for devastating earthquakes. Many buildings were damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. There was also minor damage in the Richmond earthquake in 1995. The city has also had at least one minor tornado. The Chevron refinery often releases toxic gases and had many highly noted chemical leaks in the 1990s. The company has been fined thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars. The chemicals most often released are chlorine and sulfur trioxide.[16] Richmond lies in the volatile California region that has a potential for devastating earthquakes. Many buildings were damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. There was also minor damage in the Richmond earthquake in 1995. The city has also had at least one minor tornado. The Chevron refinery often releases toxic gases and had many highly noted chemical leaks, particularly in the 1990s. The company has been fined thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars. The chemicals most often released are chlorine and sulfur trioxide.[16] Many media reports often begin with the embarrassing opening line, "Richmond: A city better known for failing schools, gun violence, poverty, and 'environmental catastrophes' ..." on account of the city's industrial base and its chemical leaks, particularly those of Chevron.

In 1993 industrial accident, a General Chemical company rail tanker car containing oleum was overheated and exploded. This resulted in a 17-mile area contaminated with the poisonous gas, and led to 25,000 people landing in the hospital. The incident led to lawsuits, and has been referred to as a mini-bhopal.[17]

Demographics

Historical Population
1905 2,150^
1910 6,802
1920 16,843
1930 20,093
1940 23,642
1950 99,545
1960 71,854
1970 79,043
1980 74,676
1990 87,425
2000 99,216
Present 103,464†
2015 110,916‡
2030 128,016‡
† Most recent estimate, 2006[18]
‡ ABAG Projections[19]
^ Earliest info available[18]

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 99,216 people in the city, living in 34,625 households, with 23,025 families in the city. The population density was 3,309.5/mi² (1,277.8/km²). There were 36,044 housing units at an average density of 1,202.3/mi² (464.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 21.36% white, 36.06% black or African American, 0.64% Native American, 12.29% Asian, 0.50% Pacific Islander, 13.86% from other races, and 5.27% from two or more races. 26.53% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 34,625 households, 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.5% were married couples living together, 20.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.44.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $44,210, and the median income for a family was $46,659. Males had a median income of $37,389 versus $34,204 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,788. About 13.4% of families and 16.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.1% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over. Richmond has the 507th highest income in the state ahead of Isleton and behind Sun City.

75.4% of inhabitants over the age of 25 were high school graduates, while 22.4% had bachelor's degrees, and 8.3% had a graduate or professional degree. 7.7% of the population was unemployed and those who were employed took, on average, 34.3 minutes to commute to their place of work.[7]

33.2% of the population aged 15 and over has never married, while 46.3% is currently wed. 11.1% have already divorced, 3.1% is currently separated, and 6.4% has been widowed.[7]

20.6% of the population was born outside the U.S., of which 15.4% were born in Latin America and 8.7% in Asia.[7]

During the day the population shrinks by 6.2% due to commuting while 23.3% of the population works within the city limits. 20.5% of the jobs in the city are in the educational, health, and social service fields, while 10.9% are professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste disposal, and 10.4% are in retail.[7]

7.0% of Richmonders are veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces compared with 10.9% nationally. 33.2% are foreign born while 12.4% are nationwide. 48.1% of men and 43.2% of women are married conversely 55.9 and 51% of Americans are respectively. Nearly half (46.7%) speak a language other than the English language at home. 65.3% are employed even with the national average. The average household income is US$52,794; $6,552 higher than the national average. The average family makes 57,931 dollars while the average American household makes 55,832 dollars. The per capita income is 22,326 compared with 25,035 federally.[20]

The average home is appraised at $449,600, $282,100 higher than the U.S. average of $167,500. While this price is among the highest in the world, it is actually relatively affordable by Bay Area standards. Richmond's location, which puts downtown San Francisco within a 50-minute BART ride or a 30- to 80-minute drive, makes the city appealing to commuters.[20]

Economy

Largest employers in Richmond[18]
Rank Name Industry
1. Chevron Petrochemical
2. Kaiser Permanente Medicine
3. Berlex, Inc. Pharmaceutical
4. Costco Wholesale Wholesale retail
5. Macy's Retail
6. California Autism Foundation Advocacy
7. Palecek Imports Manufacturing
8. Veriflo Division Manufacturing
9. The Home Depot Retail
10. Dicon Fiberoptics, Inc Manufacturing

Many industries have been and are still sited in Richmond. It had a dynamite and gunpowder works (the Giant Powder Company, closed in 1960, now the site of Point Pinole Regional Shoreline), the last active whaling station in the country at Point Molate (closed in 1971), and one of the world's largest wineries (Winehaven), closed by Prohibition in 1919.

During World War II, Richmond developed rapidly as a heavy industrial town, chiefly devoted to shipbuilding. Its major activity now is as a seaport, with 26 million tons of goods shipped through Port Richmond in 1993, mostly oil and petroleum products. Chevron USA has a major oil refinery in the city, with a storage capacity of 15 million barrels (2,400 m³). The Social Security Administration employs over 1,000 at its regional office and program service center in Downtown Richmond. Kaiser Permanente's Richmond Medical Center hospital in the Downtown Richmond is one of the largest employers in the city. Galaxy Desserts is run and operated in the city. Treeskunk Productions a video game animation studio is based in the town. Bay View recording studios are located in the city, and have worked with artists such as Smash Mouth.

Business

Kaiser Permanente Richmond Medical Center in downtown Richmond.

The Hilltop Area includes Hilltop Mall, which features a Sears, J.C. Penney, Macy's, and many other chain stores. It also includes Hilltop Auto Mall and a movie multiplex with 16 theaters in the Hilltop Plaza shopping center. A controversial Wal-Mart has filled the vacant fourth anchor spot, after the demise of Emporium-Capwells. Supercenter opened in April 2007. 23rd Street has evolved into a predominantly Latino neighborhood over the last twenty years. The businesses on this trunk route are now majority Latino owned/operated and oriented.

In the downtown area, Richmond Shopping Center was built as part of the city's revitalization efforts, it is anchored by a Foods Co. supermarket and a Walgreen's pharmacy.

The MacDonald 80 Shopping Center is a very large commercial plot along the trunk route of MacDonald Avenue and was once anchored by the now defunct Montgomery Wards. After this store closed, the shopping center turned into a ghost-town, and the city is revitalizing it by attracting a large big-box store to the area from neighboring El Cerrito. Target is in the process of building a Target Greatland in the location as an anchor for a new shopping center.

Big-box stores already in the town include Costco in the Point Isabel area and a Home Depot, which is partially in Richmond and partially in El Cerrito.

Construction boom

The former Richmond Shipyards were transformed starting in the late 1980s into a multiunit residential area, Marina Bay.

Starting in the early 2000s, the city began an aggressive redevelopment effort spurring exurban tract housing, condominiums, townhomes, a transit village, and terraced hillside subdivisions. Since 1996, new homes have increased in price by 32%,[7] and there has been a 65.6% increase in the total amount of new dwellings built annually.

Country Club vista is a development surrounding the Richmond Country Club to the south and north. It includes suburban style tract houses with cul-de-sac courts and small yards.

Seacliff, at Point Richmond, is a development of luxury waterfront homes built on a terraced hillside.

San Marcos is a series of about ten condominium multistory buildings between Hilltop Mall and Country Club Vista.

Richmond Transit Village has been constructed in the former west parking lot and an adjacent empty lot of the combined Richmond BART and Amtrak station. The development is part of the city's downtown revitalization efforts.

Casinos

Many casinos have been proposed for the West Contra Costa area. Point Molate would have a casino, resort, and a luxury shopping mall. Sugar Bowl Casino proposes a casino, steakhouse, and a buffet. Casino San Pablo has already been built in neighboring San Pablo, with 2,500 slots. The projects have been the subject of much civic debate supporters contend that the often cash-strapped government would get a major new source of revenue, while opponents air their concerns over the ramifications including an increase in already high crime rates, lowered property values, and worsening neighborhood quality of life.

Point Molate is currently slated to either become a housing and conference center or a casino resort shopping area, or even a large regional park if Mayor McLaughlin has her way.[21]

Government and politics

Elected officials

Main article: Richmond City Council (Richmond, California)
File:City Council 2005.jpg
Richmond City Council group photograph (2005). From left: Jim Rodgers, Richard Griffin, María Viramontes, Gayle McLaughlin, Irma Anderson, Mindell Penn, Nathanial Bates, John Márquez, Tom Butt
City Councilmembers[22]
1 Gayle McLaughlin, (G) Mayor
2 María Viramontes, (D) Vice Mayor
3 Ludmyrna "Myrna" Lopez, (D)
4 Nathanial Bates, (D)
5 Harpreet S. Sandhu, (D)
6 John E. Márquez, (D)
7 Tom Butt, (D)
8 Tony K. Thurmond, (D)
9 Jim Rogers, (D)

Politically, the city is a Democratic stronghold. It is governed by a 9-member city council; the mayor and vice mayor are also included in the count. By the early 1990s, not a single Republican remained on the council and most mayors have been African-American. Rosemary Corbin was the mayor throughout the 1990s and was an exception, as she is white. In the early 2000s Gayle McLaughlin was the first Green elected to the council, with the support of the Richmond Progressive Alliance (RPA), a coalition of liberal Democrats, progressive independents, and Greens. In November 2006, McLaughlin was elected mayor. The city council has four African Americans, four whites and two Latinos.

Richmond has formerly been home to black culture and activist movements, most notably the Black Panther Party.

Richmond, like all of California, is served by Senators Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein. In the United States House of Representatives, the city is served by Congressman George Miller, for the state senate by Don Perata and state assembly member Loni Hancock, and at the county level by John Gioia. All are Democrats.

In 2006 the city implemented a computer program that it had ordered from a German firm that provides the city with statistical interactive maps. These maps cover such areas as signage locations, streets, crime hot-spots, and zoning information.[23]

There has recently been controversy regarding appointments of councilpersons Sandhu and Thurmond who where not elected at-large or where appointed to the ballot on a Yes/No basis.[24]

Crime

The city of Richmond has in recent years suffered from a high crime rate, so serious that the city council at one point requested a declaration of a state of emergency and asked for the intervention of the Contra Costa County Sheriff and the California Highway Patrol in order to stop crime waves.[25] Murder, vehicle theft and larceny rates are all high, although they tend to be concentrated in certain areas such as as the Iron Triangle and areas surrounding the unincorporated district called North Richmond, which is outside the jurisdiction of the City and the Police Department.

Richmond is statistically the second most dangerous city in California, surpassing Oakland in 2004, and was named the 8th most dangerous city in the country.[26] For every 100,000 people there were 38.3 murders, 50.4 rapes, 485.8 robberies, 512 assaults, 1110.7 burglaries, 3497.4 counts or larceny and 2471.4 thefts of vehicles.[7] Richmond had 40 murders in 2006. The record of 62 homicides occurred in 1991.[27]

Current mayor Gayle McLaughlin ia a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition,[28] an organization formed in 2006 and co-chaired by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston mayor Thomas Menino.

Richmond is also home to the West County Detention Center in the Point Pinole area. It is a large male and female county prison.

Education

Richmond's De Anza High School

The public schools in Richmond are administered by the West Contra Costa Unified School District, formerly the Richmond Unified School District. This district encompasses the cities, towns, CDPs, and unincorporated areas of Western Contra Costa County. These include: Richmond, San Pablo, El Cerrito, Kensington, Pinole, Hercules, Rodeo, North Richmond, El Sobrante, Crockett, Bayview-Montalvin, Rollingwood, East Richmond Heights, and Tara Hills. There are also many private schools, mostly Catholic schools under the authority of the Diocese of Oakland.

The city hosts eight high schools: De Anza High School (named after explorer Juan Bautista de Anza, Salesian High School, Richmond High School , and Kennedy High School). There are also three middle schools, sixteen elementary schools, and seven elementary-middle schools. Richmond also hosts three adult education schools.

The Contra Costa Community College District serves all of Contra Costa County, and Richmonders who decide to attend a community college typically go to Contra Costa College, located in the neighboring city of San Pablo.

79.8% of Richmonders have a high school diploma or equivalent compared with 84.2% nationally, however 27.1% have a bachelor's degree compared with a statistically negligible differently 27.2% countrywide.[20]

All Richmond schools have banned, junk food, such as candy, soda, twinkies, pizza, and other like items in attempt to curb childhood obesity and change children's eating habits. It has been speculated that this was done preemptively since some believe the state will soon mandate such restrictions.[29]

Since the implementation of an exit exam requirement for California high schools, the CAHSEE, Richmond high school students have been protesting the requirement. In 2007, over 28% of Richmond High School students has passed the CAHSEE, a prerequisite for graduating.[30]

Attractions and landmarks

Point Richmond, which is in effect a town within Richmond is known for its small-town charm and its quaint shops. The Point, as it is known by locals, offers owner-operated stores, coffee shops, and historic benches and streetlights.

The Masquers Playhouse is a performing arts center that offers shows and productions year round. Hotel Mac is one of the oldest buildings in the area and has classic early 1900s architecture, like many other buildings in the area. There is also The Plunge, a Natatorium which has been closed due to seismic safety issues. The city expressed a desire to demolish the building at one point, however this was halted by the actions of a neighborhood opposition and a fundraising campaign which continues its mission to "Save the Plunge!".

The Red Oak Victory at Ferry Point in Brickyard Cove, 2006

The Ferry Point Tunnel is one of the oldest tunnels in California. Built in 1899, this structure still gives access to many attractions and neighborhoods in Brickyard Cove. The tunnel goes to the Golden State Railroad Museum, the USS Red Oak Victory, and many beaches and parks, and to Ferry Point where an abandoned ferry-rail pier still stands with a historic ferry slip still standing, though somewhat damaged from a fire. It can be viewed from a parallel adjacent fishing pier.

The USS Red Oak Victory (AK-235) is a restored World War II Victory ship, the 558th ship made in Richmond. Liberty and Victory ships transported troops and supplies during World War II.

During World War II the city sprawled and the population of the city increased dramatically. This led city leaders to construct the Richmond Civic Center in 1957. This center houses the city hall, a small convention center, library, hall of justice, police headquarters, and arts center.

The Richmond Public Library, the only public library independent of the Contra Costa County Public Libraries system, lies in the heart of the civic center. It houses over 204,686 books, 4,014 audio materials, 5,277 video materials, and 491 serial subscriptions.[7]

The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge extends 5.5 miles across San Pablo Bay. The bridge is the origin of the term rollercoaster span, due to its curves, bumps, and appearance which also have earned the bridge the nickname of The Rollercoaster Bridge. It was built in 1957, and connects Contra Costa County with Marin County. Automobiles are charged a $4 toll in the westbound (towards Marin) direction only.

The Golden State Railroad Museum is a complex series of miniature railroad exhibits in a museum in the Brickyard Cove area of Point Richmond. A visitor can operate trains of various eras, and there are miniature freight and passenger terminals, trestles, tunnels, and meticulously detailed town and city scenes, many of which are copied from real life scenes of the 1950s.

The Santa Fe Railroad Terminal operated as the western terminus for the railroad from the late 19th century to the late 20th century. It has now been transformed into a museum to exemplify the feel of the terminal in that era.

At the corner of Washington and Park avenues lies the Indian Statue. It was constructed in 1909 by the Women's Improvement group.

Keller Beach is the city's only beach, located at Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline, a park in Brickyard Cove. It offers picnicking, sunbathing, wading, and swimming. The beach is overlooked by vehicles exiting the Brickyard Cove drive, Ferry Point tunnel and houses on the steep cliffs above. The beach, as with most of the cove, offers spectacular panoramic bay views of the Oakland hills, bridges, the San Francisco skyline and the Golden Gate.

Point Molate Beach Park is a park on the western coast of Richmond along Western Drive. It was originally a Chinese shrimp camp in the 1870s.

Point San Pablo yacht harbor accommodates hundreds of private boats.

East Brother Light Station on East Brother Island (one of the Brother Islands) is host to an exclusive bed and breakfast. It is only accessible by private boat. Visitors come and stay for the day and picnic for free or they may pay for a room.

Rosie logo

The Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park is in Richmond, and commemorates women's shipbuilding and support for the war effort in the 1940s.

The city also has a tiny airfield in between Breuner Marsh and Point Pinole in the Parchester Village neighborhood.

Leisure and culture

Several regional parks administered by the East Bay Regional Park District lie within the city, including the Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline and the Point Pinole Regional Shoreline. They are linked by the San Francisco Bay Trail. Part of the former shipyard is now a marina.

The Richmond Art Center, founded by Hazel Salmi in 1936, is one of the oldest continually operating non-profit art centers on the entire West Coast of the United States. Its programming includes exhibitions, adult and youth education, and community initiatives. The Center currently (as of 2005) provides some of the only arts education programming in the Richmond City School District, relying primarily on public donations and private grants as its means of support.

There is also the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, Hilltop Multiplex, or Masquers Theaters in Point Richmond.

The Richmond Progressive Alliance and Green Party are active political parties in Richmond. The House Rabbit Society has its national headquarter in Richmond.

Richmond is home to the National Institute of Art and Disabilities Art Center, also known locally as the NIAD Art Center. NIAD is a non-profit organization hosting over sixty client artists weekly. NIAD's client artist's work can be seen at NIAD's on-site gallery, the Florence Ludins-Katz Gallery. NIAD has a gift shop.

There are dozens of gathering places for various religions in the city, and some which are not represented in the city can be found nearby. Christian denominational churches include the: Kingdom Hall of Jehovahs Witnesses; Kingdom Land Baptist Church; Grace Baptist Church; Grace Lutheran Church; Temple Baptist Church; Unity Church of Richmond; Holy Trinity Episcopal Church; Holy Mission Christian Center; St. David Catholic Church. Furthermore there is a Muslim mosque (Muhammad Mosque); a Sikh gurdwara in El Sobrante; a Hindu temple in Vallejo; a Unitarian Universalist church in El Cerrito; a Roman Catholic cathedral in Oakland; a Jewish Synagogue (Temple Beth Hillel) in El Sobrante; and a Buddhist priory in Albany called the Berkeley Buddhist Priory.

From 1996 to 2002 a "geekfest" was held on the beach in Point Molate every few weeks or monthly by S.P.A.M. Records. The festival was a community service for under 21s.

Parks and recreation

Beach goers wading at Keller Beach in Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline in southern Richmond between Point Richmond and Brickyard Cove.

A new national park, Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park is now under construction in the former Kaiser shipyards and other wartime industrial and community sites in Richmond.

Richmond was selected for the park because it has many intact buildings that were constructed for 56 wartime industries. Its four shipyards produced an amazing 747 large ships and set production records. The home front changed Richmond from a predominantly rural community of 23,600 residents to a diverse population of over 100,000 people within a year. Industries operated around the clock and public housing, schools, day care centers, health care and merchants mobilized to support the new workforce that arrived on the city's doorstep. Fortunately, Richmond's turbulent and productive home front years were well chronicled and photographed. A centerpiece memorial to the six million women who labored on the home front who are symbolized by Rosie the Riveter, on the Richmond waterfront and within the new national historical park. The National Park Service provides interpretive services at a variety of sites and operate a Visitor Center in the crane way of the Ford Assembly Building.

Richmond also has number of local parks and two large regional parks are under the authority of the East Bay Regional Parks District, a consortium of most of the Parks and Recreation lands and facilities of Alameda and Contra Costa County.

Wildcat Canyon Regional Park is by far the largest park in the city. It features San Pablo Creek, trails, forests, picnic areas, and a play structure for children, as well as horses for rent and mountain biking trails. High school students practice cross-country in the park. It is situated in the eastern Richmond hills and stretches into Berkeley as it crosses into Alameda county as Tilden Regional Park.

The Richmond Greenway is a project costing millions of dollars to transform an old rail line into a walking, jogging, and biking trail. It will span east to west from the end of the Ohlone Trail that follows the BART like from El Cerrito to Berkeley. It will also follow the BART line to Richmond station and continue to Point Richmond. Pedestrian bridges will be used to cross major avenues such as San Pavlo Avenue and 23rd Street. An additional side project will add a bike lane/bike trail between the Richmond Greenway and the Ohlone trail at Potrero Avenue via 23rd Street, Carlson Boulevard, Cutting Boulevard, and Potrero. It is currently under construction.

The city boasts 292.6 acres of parkland in addition to four marinas: the Brickyard Cove Yacht Club, Point San Pablo Yacht Club, Marina Bay Marina, and Channel Marina in the Santa Fe channel.

Sister cities

Richmond, California has three sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:

Media

File:Richpost07.jpg
Front cover of the Richmond Post.

Newpapers

There are four local newspapers: the Richmond Post, Fronteras (a Spanish-language newspaper), the Richmond Globe, and the West County Times, variation of the County Times. Richmond is also host to the West County Times one of several regional times newspapers for the East Bay.

Television

A local cable access TV station, KCRT-TV, mainly plays historical archives but also airs City Council Meetings and music videos.

Radio

KNEW (AM) transmits from towers at Point Isabel.

Infrastructure

Richmond has a variety of transportation offerings. The city has two interstates; also, the Richmond Parkway is being proposed for conversion into a state highway. Amtrak and BART share a station. There is the Port of Richmond and many marinas throughout the coast of the city. Richmond is also host to several transit centers. The cities streets and points of interest are served locally and regionally by AC Transit and regionally only by WestCat, Golden Gate Transit and Vallejo Transit. AC Transit has a vehicle depot and maintenance facility as does the BART system. AC Transit operates most of the bus service and was preceded by the historic Key System which operated buses and a light-rail streetcar line along San Pablo Avenue between Richmond and Oakland. AC Transit also hosts one of the only hydrogen fuel generators, pumps, or fuel stations in Northern California. It was inaugurated in 2002.[31]

Highways and expressways

Richmond-San Rafael Bridge
  • Interstate 80 cuts through the eastern and northeastern portions of town, through a mostly residential area, connecting to Pinole, Hercules and then on to Vallejo via the Carquinez Bridges to the north and to El Cerrito, Albany, and Berkeley to the south locally and further down to, Oakland and San Francisco. Interstate 80 is the most congested in the entire Bay Area and the portion running through West County including the entire portion running through Richmond has been ranked as the worst since 2000 due to the high volumne of traffic.[32]
  • The Richmond Parkway, built in the late 1990s and early 2000s connects I-580 in the Point Richmond area in the southwest to the Hilltop Area and I-80, it runs along the city's heavily industrial western side and through unincorporated area of North Richmond. It has been proposed that it be upgraded to, California State Route 93 and being transferred to the authority of the state highway authority, Caltrans.

Major trunk streets

  • MacDonald Avenue is the "mainstreet" of Richmond, running east-west from Point Richmond through downtown to San Pablo Avenue. It is nicknamed the Parade Street, 100 year street, and the Main street. The latter comes from the Richmond redevelopment agency's plan to deem this street the Main Street of town. It is currently being repaved and refitted with new lampposts and trees.
  • Cutting Boulevard parallels MacDonald Ave to the south, traveling from Point Richmond to Arlington Ave. near the top of the hills. It is a busy commercial and commute route. In 1990, a major improvement program was designed by the city also involving Knox Freeway.
  • 23rd Street runs through the heart of the city north-south from where it turns to Marina Bay Parkway at I-580 through this heavily Latino business district and neighborhood to San Pablo Avenue in the city of San Pablo.
  • Barrett Avenue parallels MacDonald Ave several blocks north; it is slightly less traveled and has less activity than McDonald.
  • Marina Bay Parkway serves as a link between I-580 and the Marina Bay neighborhood, it turns into 23rd street after crossing 580.
  • Marina Way and Harbour Way/Harbour Way South run north-south.
  • Giant Highway, named for the former Giant Powder Company, runs in the northern part of town between San Pablo Avenue and the Leroy Heights neighborhood.
  • Hilltop Drive is a trunk street which runs from Richmond Parkway, crosses San Pablo Avenue, passes Hilltop Mall and continues over Interstate 80 into the neighboring city of El Sobrante.

Public transportation

Rail

Amtrak provides intercity passenger rail service from Richmond Station, an intermodal connection shared with the BART system. The station is located downtown and has a transit center with connections to AC Transit and Golden Gate Transit buses as well as taxis.

There are two Amtrak lines serving this station. The regional San Joaquin Route, which runs from nearby Oakland to the south through Richmond and Martinez to the Central Valley through Stockton and Fresno, terminating in Bakersfield. Passengers wishing to continue to Los Angeles or other points throughout Southern California may transfer at Bakersfield for connecting Thruway bus services.

The second Amtrak line, the Capitol Corridor runs from San José to the capitol of the state, Sacramento, through Richmond, Fairfield, and Davis; some trains continue to the northern Sacramento suburb of Auburn. This route is one of the most heavily used Amtrak lines in the United States.

BART has one station in the city of Richmond, mentioned above, which serves as the northern terminus of the Richmond - San Francisco/Daly City and Richmond - Fremont Lines. Two other stations are located near Richmond, El Cerrito del Norte and El Cerrito Plaza, both in El Cerrito.

Bus

AC Transit provides 14 bus lines in the city including local service throughout the city including BRT line 72R along San Pablo Avenue, "Transbay" commuter service across the Bay Bridge to the San Francisco Transbay Terminal and also owl "All-Nighter" service along the BART line. The lines are: 7, 52L, 70, 71, 72, 72M, 72R, 74, 76, 376, 800, H, L, LA

In June 2007, after engaging with the community for feedback with public hearings, AC Transit implemented the West Contra Costa County Service Plan which realigned existing service finds to reroute portions of certain lines, eliminate service to areas with low ridership, and replace service in some areas with service from a different route providing direct service to areas previously requiring tedious transfers. Furthermore, a great effort was made to provide a better transfer at Richmond Station as well as the Richmond Parkway Transit Center. The changes are covered by Phase I and use no new monies which would be required to completely implement the plan: Phase II. Phase II will use Regional Measure J funds to expands service providing lines along corridors which are undeserved or not served, and increasing hours and decreasing headways. Two of the greatest changes will be extending BRT service to Richmond Parkway Transit Center and providing service along the Ohio Avenue corridor. These changes have effected the northern neighborhoods of the city and the adjacent communities of El Sobrante and San Pablo the most. Phase I was originally supposed to be implemented in late 2006, but the implementation has been delayed until June 2007. Phase II has a target date of mid-2008.[33][34][35][36]

Golden Gate Transit provides a service from San Rafael in Marin County across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to Richmond and El Cerrito del Norte BART stations with routes 40 and 42.

Vallejo Transit (line 80) and Fairfield-Suisun Transit (line 85) provide feeder services from Solano County, primariliy Vallejo but also Fairfield, Vacaville and other cities to El Cerrito del Norte BART.

WestCat provides similar feeder service from other West County cities like Pinole and Hercules. In addition to service in northern Richmond's Hilltop neighborhood. Lines are: 16, 17, 18, 19, 30Z, C3, J, JX, JPX

Commercial and cargo rail

The Union Pacific Railroad (UP) has a mainline passing through Richmond. This line was formerly operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP).

The BNSF Railway (BNSF) has a yard and that serves as the Northern California terminus of their line that goes to their main classification yard at Barstow, CA via the San Joaquin Valley. The track was formerly operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF). Many years ago, the ATSF offered rail car ferry service from Point Richmond to San Francisco. The partially-burnt remnants of the ferry pier can still be seen at Point Richmond.

The Richmond Pacific Railroad (RPRC) is a class III shortline railroad operating on 2.5 miles of track, providing switching services at Richmond's wharves. The RPRC is owned by the Levin-Richmond Terminal Corporation and was formerly known as the Parr Terminal Railroad (PRT).

Port of Richmond

The Port of Richmond located in along the city's southern coast beside the Richmond Inner Harbor boasts the third largest volume of Tonnage in the state of California annually; a total of 19 million short tonnes. It ranks number one for ports of the San Francisco Bay in vehicles and liquid bulk. In addition to these the port can also handle dry-bulk, break-bulk, and containers. Seven of the terminals are city owned in addition to 5 dry-docks while there are 11 privately owned terminals from whence 90% of tonnage emerge. The port is served by a sophisticated rail network served by four major rail companies.[37]Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). </gallery>

Notable citizens

Athletics

Others

Neighborhoods

Richmond is has many distinctive neighborhoods wealthy and blighted, the city is generally divided in the northern Hilltop/El Sobrante, eastern Central/East Richmond, Downtown/Iron Triangle and Southern Point Richmond/Marina Bay areas. See: List of Richmond neighborhoods.

Richmond in literature, film, and music

Books

  • Richmond - Windows to the Past, an oral history based photographic history by Susan Alcorn (1980).
  • In Contempt (Mass Market Paperback) by Christopher A. Darden, Jess Walter, ReganBooks; Reprint edition (February 1997) (Christopher Darden, one of the prosecutors in the criminal case against O.J. Simpson, grew up in Richmond, California.)
  • Photographing the 2nd Gold Rush: Dorothea Lange and the East Bay at War 1941-1945 (Paperback) by Dorothea Lange, Charles Wollenberg, Heyday Books (August 1995).
  • Richmond (Images of America) (Paperback) by Donald Bastin, Arcadia Publishing (SC) (November 2003).
  • Tales from the Iron Triangle: Boyhood Days in the Bay Area of the 1920s (Hardcover), by James Polese, Ocean Tree Books; 1st ed. edition (September 1994).
  • To Place Our Deeds: The African American Community in Richmond, California, 1910-1963 (Paperback) by Shirley Ann Wilson Moore, University of California Press; 1 edition (February 5, 2001).

Film and television

Trivia

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ E-1 Population Estimates for Cities, Counties and the State with Annual Percent Change — January 1, 2006 and 2007 California Department of Finance, May 2007.
  2. ^ Rickey Hendricks, A Model for National Health Care: The History of Kaiser Permanente (New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1993), 40-47, 63
  3. ^ "Going Wiggy over Wig-Wags - Pt. Richmond’s Wig-Wag Controversy," by Jim Mallory, BayCrossings.com, July 6, 2002, retrieved May 18, 2007
  4. ^ Pullman Shop official website
  5. ^ A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum official website
  6. ^ TTCA Welcomes the City of Richmond Into the California Main Street Program., Business Wire, December 13, 2007, retrieved May 24, 2007
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Statistics of Richmond, California, City Data.com
  8. ^ a b c d Average Weather for Richmond, California, Weather.com.
  9. ^ Bay Area EcoAtlas, retrieved June 19, 2007
  10. ^ Born to be wild: Local trout goes global, San Francisco Chronicle, by Rick DelVecchio, April 22, 2005, retrieved May 24, 2007
  11. ^ Young whale washes up in East Bay, May 25 2007, San Francisco Chronicle
  12. ^ Beached whale's carcass to be towed to sea for burial, retrieved June 7, 2007
  13. ^ CoCo County Pays $18K To Remove Whale Carcass, retrieved June 7, 2007
  14. ^ CoCo County Pays $18K To Remove Whale Carcass Red Tape Leaves Whale Carcass Off Pt. Richmond, retrieved June 7, 2007
  15. ^ Burial at sea for hulkRed tape delayed earlier disposition of rotting remains, retrieved June 7, 2007
  16. ^ a b Chevron Fined Over March Blast, Fire, Sfgate.com, San Francisco Chronicle, September 17, 1999
  17. ^ Taking the Toxic Tour, Commongroundmag.com, Common Ground Magazine, February 2005.
  18. ^ a b c Basic Fact Sheet, City of Richmond
  19. ^ Demographic Profile Brochure, City of Richmond
  20. ^ a b c Richomnd Fact Sheet, U.S. Census Bureau
  21. ^ Time Bomb Or Treasure, Sfgate.com, San Francisco Chronicle, April 9, 2001
  22. ^ Biography and terms, City of Richmond
  23. ^ The City of Richmond, California, Implements Enterprise Framework, ESRI
  24. ^ Council shifts way it fills seats, Contra Costa Times, by Joshua Geluardi, March 11, 2007, retrieved May 25, 2007
  25. ^ 4 on council call for a state of emergency, by Jim Herron Zamora, Sfgate.com, San Francisco Chronicle, June 17, 2005, retrieved May 24, 2007
  26. ^ The Iron Triangle: Richmond's Forgotten Neighborhood, North Gate News Online.
  27. ^ Profile 4: Comprehensive Homicide Initiative, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, US Department of Justice.
  28. ^ "Mayors Against Illegal Guns: Coalition Members".
  29. ^ Contra Costa, Calif., School District Bans Soda, Junk Food, by Kara Shire, Contra Costa Times, August 30, 2003, retrieved May 24, 2007
  30. ^ "Richmond students protest Exit Exam results". Oroville Mercury Register. June 7, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ Hydrogen Fueling Station Opens In Richmond, California, in October, hydrogenus.com.
  32. ^ Crummiest commutes: I-80 tops Caltrans' list of the Bay Area's 10 worst bottlenecks, by Michale Cabanatuan, San Francisco Chronicle, June 19, 2007, retrieved June 19, 2007
  33. ^ New Date: Upcoming Service Changes, AC Transit Marketing, March 15, 2007, retrieved June 7, 2007
  34. ^ AC Transit Service Changes, retrieved June 7, 2007
  35. ^ West County Service Plan Community and Drivers Input (PDFs), retrieved June 7, 2007
  36. ^ West Contra Costa County Service Plan (PDFs), retrieved June 7, 2007
  37. ^ Richmond city website, Port Operations, retrieved June 24, 2007
  38. ^ Regional News, California Track and Running News
  39. ^ Raiders.com, Courtney Anderson profile, retrieved June 23, 2007
  40. ^ NFL.com, 2007 Draft: Prospect Profiles, Courtney Anderson, retrieved June 23, 2007
  41. ^ Athletes of Week, Sfgate.com, San Francisco Chronicle, April 11, 2007.
  42. ^ Salesian's Best sets a high bar, Sfgate.com, San Francisco Chronicle, April 29, 2007.
  43. ^ Coach Carter movie official website, CoachCarter.com, retrieved May 17, 2007
  44. ^ Baseball Reference profile of Dave Smith, Baseball-reference.com, retrieved May 17, 2007.
  45. ^ Datebase Football profile of Lamont Thompson, Databasefootball.com, retrieved May 17, 2007.
  46. ^ Secrets of living a long life, by Chip Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle, May 1, 2001, retrieved June 17, 2007
  47. ^ Lucretia Edwards Shoreline Park, City of Richmond, retrieved May 17, 2007.
  48. ^ Open Space Advocate Honored With a Park, by John Geluardi, Berkeley Daily Planet, January 2, 2004, retrieved May 17, 2007.
  49. ^ KochEntertainment.com profile of Master P, KochEntertainment.com , retrieved May 17, 2007.
  50. ^ Son of King shining light on poor, by John Geluardi, Contra Costa Times, May 1, 2007, retrieved May 25, 2007
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