City, Contra Costa County
© McCormack's Guides
Zip Code: 94517
Small
town, upscale, little historic, intimate, population 10,962, and expected to
rise slowly to 12,000. Located just east of Concord, at base of Mt. Diablo, and
gives the feel of plenty of open space. www.mccormacks.com
Clayton
started as a stagecoach stop and mining center. When suburbia arrived in the
1950s, Clayton incorporated itself as a legal city to avoid being gobbled up by
Concord.
Because
of its pretty setting and sentiments of residents, developers favored upscale
tract homes, large but not opulent. This attracted managers and professionals.
In the early 1990s, the city approved Oakhurst, a master planned community of
1,500 homes, duets and townhouses, golf course, country club with swimming pool
and tennis courts. The city is in-filling its remaining lots.
New
routes shunt traffic around historic downtown. Shops, saloons, exercise gym, drug store,
salon, bakery, pizzeria, restaurants in downtown.
More stores few miles west. City hall, a converted winery. Special tax to
maintain landscaping.
Click for regional or detailed map
State
in 2010 counted 4,007 single
homes, 681 single attached, 46 apartments, 5 mobiles. The largest home in town
sits on a hill, on which graze llamas, emus, goats and sheep.
Between 2000 and 2009, Clayton increased its housing stock by 71 units, all of them single homes. This gives a good picture of the housing pace and interests of the town.
Family burg growing older. About one-fourth of the residents are under age 18. Lots of
activities for kids, soccer, baseball, etc. Parade on Fourth of July. Library
with computers and 30,000 books. www.mccormacks.com
Mt.
Diablo visually dominates, in a pleasurable way. Country feeling. Horsey, with
stables on outskirts. Hiking and equestrian trails. Close to Concord (Sleep Train) Pavilion; musical performances.
Park district purchased 1,000 acres to east for open space. Dog park. Vintage
car shows. Oktober Fest. Community gym at middle school. Water quality
improved.
Quarry
operations and trucks irritate some residents.
Mt.
Diablo Unified School District. Clayton schools generally score in the 80th and
90th percentiles, among the tops in state. Lot of attention paid to schools and
education. Day care at many schools. Bonds passed to improve all schools, add
labs and high-tech wiring. State university campus nearby. See Schools.
But Mt. Diablo District, like many school districts these days, has been struggling with its finances; teachers unhappy with pay and benefits. In 2009, district voters rejected a tax increase to make up for cuts imposed by the state.
Low
crime. Zero homicides between 1997 and 2008. One in 1995, zero in 1994. Own
police department, about 13 cops. See Crime.
Commuters
brave Ygnacio Valley or Clayton roads, sometimes 20-25 minutes, to reach
freeways. Drivers from other towns clog arterials near Clayton or speed through
Clayton, annoying residents. BART stations in Pleasant Hill and Concord. County
Connection buses. www.mccormacks.com
• In 2006,
voters agreed to a tax to develop a park in the downtown. The city, in the hope
of attracting more visitors and shoppers, equipped the park with play equipment and a white gazebo.
Mt. Diablo Unified School District: www.mdusd.k12.ca.us
City
web site: www.ci.clayton.ca.us
