Richmond, California

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Richmond, California
Seal
Nickname: "The City of Pride and Purpose"
Coordinates: 37°56′13″N, 122°20′31″W
Country	United States
State	California
County	Contra Costa
Government
- Mayor	Gayle McLaughlin (G)
Area
- City	52.6 sq mi (136.2 km²)
- Land	30.4 sq mi (77.6 km²)
- Water	22 sq mi (58.5 km²)
Elevation	187 ft (57 m)
Population
- City	103,818
Time zone	Pacific Standard Time Zone (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7)
Website: http://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 often 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 surrounds the city of San Pablo, and the unincorporated areas of North Richmond, El Sobrante, and East Richmond Heights.

The BART commuter rail line and Amtrak share a station in Richmond, which serves as a regional intermodal transit interchange along with AC Transit, Golden Gate Transit, and Greyhound buses. The city is headed by mayor Gayle McLaughlin, making Richmond the largest city in the country with a Green mayor. As of the July 1, 2005 US 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 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 also is sometimes called "the Rich", althought mostly by youths^{[citation needed]}.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Climate 4 Environment 4.1 Disasters 5 Demographics 6 Economy 6.1 Top 27 employers 6.2 Business 6.3 Housing boom 7 Redevelopment 7.1 Casinos 8 Government and politics 8.1 Elected officials 9 Crime 10 Services 11 Education 12 Attractions and landmarks 13 Leisure and culture 13.1 Parks and recreation 14 Sister cities 15 Media 16 Transportation 16.1 Highways and expressways 16.2 Major trunk streets 16.3 Public transportation 16.3.1 Rail 16.3.2 Bus 16.4 Commercial and cargo rail 17 Notable citizens 17.1 Athletics 17.2 Film & TV 17.3 Music 17.4 Miscellaneous 18 Neighborhoods 19 Richmond in literature and film 20 Trivia 21 See also 22 References 23 External links

[edit] 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 the Rancho San Pablo, from which the nearby town of San Pablo has inherited its name. Until 1919 the city had the largest winery in the world and the small but 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.

Another early industry in Richmond was the Pullman railroad car maintenance facility.

At the outset of World War II, four Kaiser 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 seven 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. 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.

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 obsolete 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 reached that included installing new crossing equipment while not removing, but simply shutting off the historic ones and preserving their functionality for special events.

The Pullman Company also established a major facility in Richmond in the early 20th century [2]. 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 [3]. Many of them settled in the East Bay, from Richmond to Oakland, prior to World War II.

In 2006 the city celebrated its centennial. MacDonald Avenue was the designated main street for redevelopment, and was nicknamed "The 100 Years Street".

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

[edit] Geography

Richmond is located at 37°56′13″N, 122°20′31″W (37.936874, -122.342057).^GR1

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.[4]

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 ⅓ 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.

[edit] Climate

Monthly Annual Rainfall [5]
Month	cm./in.
JAN	124.7/4.91
FEB	112.0/4.41
MAR	89.4/3.52
APR	34.3/1.35
MAY	13.7/0.54
JUN	4.3/0.17
JUL	1.8/0.07
AUG	2.3/0.09
SEP	6.9/0.27
OCT	31.8/1.25
NOV	88.1/3.47
DEC	83.8/3.30

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.[6] 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 41.6°C/107°F in September 1971 while the coldest was -4.4°C/24 °F in January 1990. [7]

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.[9] 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.[10] 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 70s (%). This may be due to San Francisco Bay's notorious fog and also the fact that a plurality of Richmond lies on a flat coastal plain of predominantly reclaimed swamplands. Morning humidity is 75% to 92% year round; afternoon humidity is more volatile. 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 bump.[11]

Mean Annual Temperatures [12]

Celsius

Fahrenheit

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

High'

High

14°C / 57°F

16°C / 61°F

17°C / 63°F

19°C / 66°F

20°C / 68°F

22°C / 71°F

21°C / 70°F

22°C / 71°F

23°C / 73°F

22°C / 72°F

18°C / 64°F

14°C / 57°F

Low

Low

6°C / 43°F

7°C / 45°F

8°C / 47°F

9°C / 48°F

11°C / 51°F

12°C / 54°F

13°C / 55°F

13°C / 56°F

13°C / 56°F

12°C / 53°F

9°C / 48°F

6°C / 43°F

[edit] Environment

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. Mosquitoes can be a limited to moderate inconvenience.[13]. 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.

Lady bugs, humming birds, and bats are important in fertilizing local plantlife.

Stray and domestic cats, ferrets, squirrels, dogs, and rabbits roam the neighborhoods. 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. The park 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. The soils of the entire city are plentiful with ants and spiders. Snails can be found in most gardens.

[edit] Disasters

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 refinary often releases toxic gases and had many highly noted chemical leaks in the 1990s especially. The company has been fined thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars. The chemicals most often released are chlorine and sulfur trioxide.[14] Many media reports often begin with the embarrassing opening line, "Richmond: A city better known for failing schools, gun violance, poverty, and 'environmental catastrophes'..." Due to the city's industrial base and its chemical leaks, particularly that of Chevron.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 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.

Historical Population
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

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 [15]

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.[16]

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.[17]

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.[18]

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% is retail.[19]

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 city is the 44th blackest in the nation by percentage tying with Chattanooga.^{[citation needed]}

The average home is appraised at 449,600, 282,100 dollars higher than the nationwide average of 167,500 dollars, this is quite affordable although not inexpensive for Bay Area prices, which are amoung the highest in the world. They are within an appealing price range with regards to the city's central location within a fifty minute BART ride to downtown San Francisco or a 20 to 80 minute drive depending on traffic. [21]

[edit] Economy

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, 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 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.

The city has been appraised at a total valuation of US$8,123,083,355.[22]

[edit] Top 27 employers

The top employers of the city range from retail giants like department stores and home improvement stores to local industries. The city is home to an oil refinery and also high-tech companies and labs.[23]

1. Chevron U.S.A. Inc., petrochemical company
2. The Permanente Medical Group,
3. Berlex, Inc., pharmaceutical company
4. Costco Wholesale, wholesale retailer of consumer goods, food
5. Macy's, department store
6. California Autism Foundation, advocacy group for Autism
7. Palecek Imports, Inc.,
8. Veriflo Division,
9. The Home Depot, retailer of construction and home improvement goods
10. Dicon Fiberoptics, Inc., fiber-optics manufacturer
11. Inovis, Inc.,
12. TPMG Regional Laboratory,
13. Sealy Mattress Company, mattress retailer, distributer
14. Sears Roebuck & Company, department store
15. Richmond Wholesale Meat Company, meats retailer
16. Alan Ritchey, Inc. (UPS), mail depot
17. Grace Baking Company, baked goods manufacturing and distribution
18. Mulberry Thai Silks, Inc.,Thai garments and silks distribution company
19. Kaiser Permanente Optical Manufacturing, corrective lenses manufacturer and distributer
20. J.C. Penney Corporation, department store
21. Kensington Laboratories, Inc.,
22. MHN Services,
23. Safeway Stores, Inc. Bakery, baked goods manufacturing and distribution
24. Sims Metal America,
25. Foss Maritime Company,
26. Making Waves Education Program,
27. Wine Warehouse - North, vintner distributor

[edit] Business

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 been proposed to fill the vacant fourth anchor spot, after the demise of Emporium-Capwells. [Although it is not a Supercenter as some had hoped, the new Wal-Mart will open at Hilltop Mall 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.

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.

[edit] Housing boom

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

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%[24] and 65.6% in 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.

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

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

[edit] Redevelopment

Point Molate is currently slated to either become a housing and conference center or a casino resort shopping area, or even a large city park if Mayor McLaughlin has her way.[25] Firtermore MacDonald Avenue is currently being repaved and a median island being added along with completion of the Richmond Transit Village and the new Macdonald 80 Shopping Center.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Government and politics

[edit] Elected officials

City Councilmembers[26]
1	Gayle McLaughlin, (G) Mayor
2	María Viramontes, (D) Vice Mayor
3	Ludmyrna "Myrna" Lopez, (D)
4	Nathanial Bates, (D)
5	Gayle McLaughlin, (G)
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 '90s 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.

Great American Boycott of 2006 About 25,000 participated, and the predominantly Latino storefronts of the 23rd Street business district were all closed for the general strike and the usually bustling district became a one-day ghost town. Many Latinos from the area protested in San Francisco. There was also a protest on 23rd Street in Richmond. One lane on 23rd Street was left open to allow traffic to pass.

Richmond, like all of California, is served by Senators Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein. In the House of Representatives, the city is served by Congressman George Miller, for the state senate by Don Perata and state assemblymember 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.[27]

[edit] Crime

The city of Richmond has in recent years suffered from a high crime rate, so serious that the mayor 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. 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 most dangerous city in California, surpassing Compton in 2004.^{[citation needed]} 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.[28]. In this case, Richmond had 40 murders in 2006. The most homicides occurred in 1991 with a record of 62.^[1]

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

[edit] Services

Richmond's waste is disposed of by the Richmond Sanitary Service, which includes recycling. Sewage and water services are provided by the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). Power and gas service are provided by the Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E).

[edit] Education

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 (including De Anza High School, Salesian High School, Richmond High School , and Kennedy High School), three middle schools, sixteen elementary schools, and seven elementary-middle schools; there are also 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[29]

[edit] 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 the building being unsafe for earthquake conditions. The city wanted to demolish it at one point, but this was halted by neighborhood opposition and a fundraising campaign continues to "Save the Plunge!".

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.[30]

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 $3 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.

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. [31]

[edit] 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 [32], 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 Theatres in Point Richmond.

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

Richmond is home to the National Institute of Art and Disabilities [33], 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 (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.

[edit] Parks and recreation

One new national park, [Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park] is now taking shape 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 craneway 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 playstructure 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. [34]

Richmond boasts several marinas, including The Brickyard Cove Yacht Club, Point San Pablo Yacht Club, Marina Bay Marina, and Channel Marina.

[edit] Sister cities

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

• The "twin town" of Shimada, Japan.
• The port city of Regla, Cuba.
• Zhoushan, China.

[edit] Media

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. A local cable access TV station, KCRT-TV, mainly plays historical archives but also airs City Council Meetings and music videos. Richmond is also host to the West County Times one of several regional times newspapers for the East Bay. KNEW (AM) transmits from towers at Point Isabel.

[edit] Transportation

Richmond has a variety of Transportation offerings. The city has two interstates; a parkway is being proposed for conversion into a state highway. There is an Amtrak station and BART station. There is a port and many marinas. The city is also host to several transit centers and park and ride lots. They and 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 also hosts one of the only hydrogen Fuel generators, pumps, or fuel station in northern California. It was inaugurated in 2002.[35]

[edit] Highways and expressways

• 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 580 curves along the southern waterside of Richmond and merges into I-80 in Albany in the southern Oakland/San Francisco direction while slicing through mixed medium and heavy industries and homes through Point Richmond and onto the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge over the San Pablo Bay segment of the San Francisco Bay into San Rafael and Marin County.

• The Richmond Parkway, built in the late 90s and early 00s 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.

• San Pablo Avenue (California State Route 123) runs through Richmond and San Pablo to Pinole, Hercules and to its terminus in Crockett and south through El Cerrito, Albany, Emeryville, and until it runs into Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland.

[edit] 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 coming from the Richmond redevelopment agency's plan to dream 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 travelling from Point Richmond to Arlington Ave. near the top of the hills. It is a busy commercial and commute route. In the year 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 travelled 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, is a street in the northern part of town which runs between San Pablo 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.

[edit] Public transportation

[edit] Rail

Amtrak provides intercity passenger rail service from Richmond Station. This station is 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.

[edit] Bus

AC Transit provides local service throughout the city including BRT line 72R along San Pablo Avenue and "Transbay" commuter service across the Bay Bridge to San Francisco and also owl "All-Nighter" service along the BART line. AC has several dozen individual routes. 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 along Cutting Boulevard, while Vallejo Transit has several feeder services from Solano County, primariliy Vallejo but also Fairfield, Vacaville and other cities to El Cerrito del Norte BART. WestCat provides about half a dozen lines to that station from Martinez (the county seat), Pinole, Hercules, the Hilltop neighborhood and other areas, in addition to the County Clinic neighboring the MacDonald 80 Shopping Center.

Greyhound previously ran buses from the Richmond Parkway Transit Center, but this has been discontinued. There is now Greyhound service from Richmond BART/Amtrak Station transit center.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] 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 through the San Joaquin Valley to their main classification yard at Barstow, CA. At Barstow the BNSF has an east-west mainline that runs between Los Angeles - Chicago. 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 and the abandoned ferry pier remains at the abandoned location.

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. This RPRC is owned by Levin-Richmond Terminal Corporation and was formerly known as the Parr Terminal Railroad (PRT).

[edit] Notable citizens

[edit] Athletics

• Brian Abshire: Olympic track & field athlete (1988 Olympian) in the 3000 meter steeplechase

• Jahvid Best: Salesian High School sprinter and football player; signed a letter of intent to attend the California Golden Bears.

• Coach Ken Carter: notable Richmond High School coach, inspiration for film Coach Carter.

• Quinton Ganther: NFL Football player for the Tennessee Titans

• Franco Harris: Boise State basketball player.

• David Jobe: UC Riverside Highlanders basketball player.

• Michael McFadden: college basketball player for the San José State Spartans.

• William McGinnis: whitewater rafting inventor, champion.

• John Norman: SJSU Football Player

• Eto Onyenegecha: CSU Northridge Matadors basketball player

• Dave Smith: major league baseball pitcher for the Astros, Cubs, and Padres.

• Lamont Thompson, NFL Football defensive back for the Tennessee Titans.

[edit] Film & TV

• Carl Franklin, actor.

• Divine Brown, actress, sex worker and tabloid scandal personality

• Glenn Plummer, television and film actor.

• Ken Olandt, film and television actor.

• Richard R. Lee, television producer and host.

[edit] Music

• Flipsyde's guitarist, lead singer, Davíd López' grew up in Richmond.

• The Frontline's Left and Locksmith, rock/rap musicians.

• Joe Simon, an R&B and Soul singer.

• Larry LaLonde, member of the band Primus.

• Les Claypool, bassist for Primus was born in Richmond in 1963.

• Master P, rapper and founder/owner of the P. Miller clothing, former local businessman.

• Stephen Bradley, member of the band No Doubt.

• Members of the band Green Day lived in Richmond for a period of time.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Miscellaneous

• George Johnson, a veteran of World War I. Before his death at age 112 in 2006, he was the oldest man in California and one of the oldest people in the world.

• George Miller congressman was born in Richmond, and represents it within the seventh district of California.

• Joel Peterson, vintner

• Laci Peterson, wine distributor marketer, her body was found in Pt. Isabel.

• Lucretia Edwards, local preservation activist.

• Christopher Darden, OJ Simpson trial prosecutor, author

[edit] Neighborhoods

Richmond is generally broken into four areas, Hilltop & El Sobrante, Central & East Richmond, Downtown and North Richmond, and South Richmond including Point Richmond and Marina Bay. See: List of Richmond neighborhoods.

[edit] Richmond in literature and film

Books

• Richmond - Windows to the Past (1980) an oral history based photographic history by Susan Alcorn
• 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 & TV

• Many scenes from the Robin Williams film, Patch Adams were filmed during a week in Point Richmond.[36]
• The basketball movie, Coach Carter was filmed in Richmond High School. It was based on the story of their basketball team being benched for poor grades despite an undefeated season.
• Many parts of the Mel Gibson movie Forever Young were filmed in Point Richmond.^{[citation needed]}
• DeVry College has made a commertial showing businesses along San Pablo Avenue in Richmond.

[edit] Trivia

• The type font "Richmond" is named after this city.[37]

[edit] See also

• East Richmond Heights, California
• El Sobrante, California
• North Richmond, California
• Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park
• USS Tacoma (PF-3)

[edit] References

• [38]
• [39]

[edit] External links

• City of Richmond Official website
• Richmond Cityguide, a guide to local businesses, schools, parks, real estates, etc.
• US Census Bureau - Richmond city factsheet
• West Contra Costa Unified School District
• Richmond Annex Neighborhood Council
• Richmond Museum of History website
• Richmond Mainstreet Project - Downtown redevelopment information
• Richmond Greenway - Information about Bay Trail "Richmond Greenway" trail and bike trails project.
• [40] Pt. Richmond development lobbyists and neighborhood group
• Belding Woods
• Point Molate stuff
• Marina Bay
• Brickyard Landing
• News article on FBI raid on MS-13 hideout and Pictures
• World Gazetteer profile for Richmond
• East Brother Light Station
• Richmond entry at the World Gazetteer
• History of the Pullman Shops
• Map showing the modern location of the Pullman neighborhood
• Richmond neighborhood councils contact list
• Masquers Theature
• Article regarding Refineries and Richmond
• USGS Faultline interactive for Richmond and East Bay
• Unofficial Regla Sister CIty Web Site
• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 37.936874° -122.342057°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA