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Contra Costa County at a Glance

© McCormack's Guides

 

Located slightly northeast of San Francisco, Contra Costa is home to 1,042,341 residents, the great majority of whom live in 20 cities and about a dozen unincorporated towns.

The county is rippled by hills and valleys, bordered on three sides by water and dominated at its middle by Mt. Diablo, 3,849 feet high. In the winter, the mountain often dons a mantle of snow and delights the eye.

In size, the county covers about 733 square miles (about half the size of Rhode Island) and is the ninth-most populous among California's 58 counties.

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When Spanish explorers looked east from San Francisco, they saw what they called “Contra Costa,” the opposite shore, in reality present-day Alameda County. In the 1800s, Alameda split off from Contra Costa, took its own name, and left Contra Costa with a name that makes little sense but is here to stay.

Two ranges of hills and low mountains run north to south, dividing the county into three regions popularly called west, central and east. The central section divides into two valleys: Diablo, north of Walnut Creek, and San Ramon, south of Walnut Creek. East of Mt. Diablo, the land gradually flattens into the Delta of the Sacramento-San Joaquin rivers.

Many of the hills have been placed into permanent open space. Contra Costa still has its groves of walnut, pear and olive trees, its fields of corn and tomatoes, and hills dotted with cattle and horses. In summer and fall, farmers' markets come to life, fresh produce from the countryside.

But rare is the Contra Costan who supports himself by farming. Many people work in the service industries or in large office or industrial complexes.

Crime is generally low, school scores generally middling to high. In things to do and parks, the county is unusually bountiful: movies, plays, symphonies, operas, ballet, sporting events, games and activities for children and adults.

For decades, Contra Costa suffered from the suburban blahs. Restaurants, with few exceptions, were OK but not exciting. Shopping was adequate but not up to the sophistication of San Francisco.

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This has all changed. The high-class restaurants and delis have opened branches. Nordstrom and specialty stores have arrived, joining the Macys, Sears, Penneys and Target. Discount emporiums, such as Costco, Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Staples, have set up shop. Even Tiffany's has found a home, in Walnut Creek.

Weather

Temperatures rarely fall below freezing and rarely rise above 100. In most towns, rain limits itself to fewer than 24 inches a year. Breezes from the Pacific, the bays and rivers take the edge off the summer heat.

The climate being dry, humidity rarely discomforts but grass and pollen allergies irritate many. Rain confines itself almost entirely to the months between September and May. “Winter” runs from December through February, when temperatures drop to the 30s, 40s and 50s but even then sunshine fills many days.

On some days, winter fogs slip into the valleys but the sun usually burns them away by noon. To sum up the whole business: Mediterranean. If you're tired of cold, slush and snow, you'll like Contra Costa. See  Weather.

Residents

Peaceful for the most part, most of them ordinary, a fair number accomplished, many affluent. Among California's 58 counties, Contra Costa usually ranks fourth or fifth in income.

Contra Costa sits on the border of the University of California-Berkeley and numbers among its residents some of the bigger brains of California. About 40 miles to the east, at Davis, another University of California rises, and it also contributes to the local talent pool. Stanford University is, so to speak, just down the road (50 miles).

In Contra Costa, you will find all races and creeds. Churches, temples, mosques and synagogues are plentiful (or within a short drive).

The 2000 census tallied 549,409 Caucasians, 167,776 Hispanics, 103,993 Asians, 88,813 African-Americans, 5,830 American Indians and 3,466 Native Hawaiians or Pacific Islanders. Many towns and agencies promote social harmony.

In politics, residents hover about the middle, leaning left. They gave majority votes to Ronald Reagan and to Mike Dukakis, Bill Clinton, Al Gore and John Kerry. The congressional representatives are all Democrats.

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In style, the county is becoming more attuned to the values of the metropolis. Central Contra Costa has a few gay bars and a social club for gays, and over the past 20 years or so a more live-and-let-live attitude has taken hold.

But this is not San Francisco. You are welcome to your values but if they are out of the ordinary it is sometimes considered bad taste to flaunt them. Every once in a while, a nightclub gets wild and the controlling agencies shut it down or curtail its operations.

Contra Costa has its poor neighborhoods and it has its homeless. It has its arguments about politics, affirmative action, immigration, crime, education, the environment and so on. In many aspects, Contra Costa is typically American but it's a little too cosmopolitan and too diverting to be truly typical.

Schools

Contra Costa County has some of the highest-scoring schools in the state and a few of the lowest-scoring. Most of the remaining, compared to other California public schools, score well above the 50th percentile. See Schools.

Almost every city has one or several private schools but the great majority of students are educated in public schools. In the 1980s, state-funding fell short of what was required to keep schools in good condition but many school districts have passed construction bonds to make up some of the deficiencies. Flush with money (the booming late 90s and early 2000s), the state gave local schools extra money to lower class sizes in grades one, two and three. In 1998, voters passed a $9 billion bond to build schools statewide. This has helped Contra Costa.

After the high-tech sector collapsed in 2001, state revenues plummeted and for several years school funding suffered. The state is still running a deficit but with revenues up, more money is being sent to the schools. In 2006, voters approved another state bond to build and renovate schools and the local districts are still passing bonds.

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Contra Costa has three community colleges, two satellite community college campuses, two private colleges and a branch campus of a California State University. Several other private and public institutions offer courses around the county.

Commuting

North to south, Contra Costa runs about 25 miles, east to west about 43 miles. When freeways are clear, you can drive end to end, on either axis, in less than an hour. Unfortunately, at rush hours the freeways are rarely clear. Traffic congestion bedevils the county. BART (rail commute) and buses help move people from place to place.

Many improvements have been made to local roads and freeways. In the 1990s, BART opened stations in North Concord, in Bay Point (near Pittsburg) and in Dublin, close to San Ramon.

But traffic still jams at the Caldecott Tunnel and at the Bay Bridge. Highway 4 to East Contra Costa congests almost daily. The east span of the Bay Bridge is being rebuilt and this has worsened traffic.

The major problem: too many cars and solo drivers. In 2004, the state tallied within the county 817,234 cars and trucks or about eight for every ten residents, including children. One recent study disclosed that 70 percent of all commuters from Contra Costa drive solo. And believe it or not, this was “good” compared to other local counties.

On the plus side, voters in 2004 agreed to extend a half-cent sales tax for 25 years. The money will be used to improve all local freeways and to drill a fourth tunnel through the Caldecott Hills (to Alameda County). Another bridge will open 2007; it will cross the Carquinez Strait in Martinez. Slowly Highway 4 is being widened and improved and if more money can be found, work on the freeway will be accelerated.

If you have a local job, the commute is usually short, especially if you work staggered hours. Contra Costa has dozens of large industrial plants or refineries. Large office complexes have been erected in Walnut Creek, San Ramon and Concord.

If you are commuting some distance, take a look at alternatives. See Commute.

Parks and Recreation

Cities and various agencies have poured millions into parks, recreation, education and culture. Walnut Creek about ten years ago opened a Regional Center for the Arts — musicals, plays, operas, dance, concerts, talks, art exhibits. Very popular. Shakespeare is staged every summer at an outdoor theater near Orinda.

Reba McIntire, Willie Nelson, the Boston Pops, Celine Dion, Bruce Springsteen and many other stars have played the Music Pavilion at Concord. University of California-Berkeley is a cornucopia of the arts: concerts, recitals, dance, plays and more. The Bay Area has about a half dozen performing centers or auditoriums or stadiums that host the touring plays and the major rock stars, singers or performers.

Sturgeon, striped bass and catfish fill the waters. Many towns have public swimming pools, and private pools are common. Hiking and horse trails wind throughout the county.

Baseball, basketball, soccer, bocce ball, golf, bridge, racquetball, softball, tennis, Jazzercise, water skiing, water polo, water slides, fishing, sailing, camping, duck hunting, wind surfing, dining, dancing, theater, music — name almost any activity and Contra Costa will provide it. Or it can be found within a short drive, including libraries (one in every city). The Sierra and first-class skiing are four to five hours to the east. San Francisco, with its opera and symphony, is just across the Bay.

The Oakland A’s swing their bats and the Warriors shoot baskets in a sports complex about a half-hour from Walnut Creek. The Raiders play at the same complex. Drive a little farther and you can take in the Forty-Niners and the San Jose Sharks (hockey). For college basketball, there’s St. Mary’s and UC-Berkeley. The latter also fields a football team that plays the best in the nation.

The Problems

Growth has given birth to problems of traffic congestion, preserving open space, garbage disposal, water supply. Several cities restrict development.

Contra Costa has some of the safest cities in the state and a few neighborhoods that are crime infested. Most cities and neighborhoods have crime rates below average for middle-class suburbs, and crime dropped sharply in the 1990s. Even so, be cautious and take precautions. See Crime.

In 2005, Contra Costa counted 81 homicides.

Contra Costa straddles several major faults. An earthquake is not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. The prudent prepare for quakes.

Home prices are dropping or stabilizing but compared to many parts of the U.S. still quite high. In Central Contra Costa, three-bedroom homes built 50 years ago, nothing special, ordinary tract knockoffs, have sold for over $600,000.

A Short History

The Indians, called Ohlones, lived here for thousands of years. Spanish expeditions arrived in 1772 and 1776, the first American, John Marsh, in 1837.

By 1860, most of the Indians were dead, victims of bullets, disease and misguided benevolence. Also by 1850, the Mexican rancheros were on their way out. What they didn’t sell, they lost to swindlers and squatters. For the next 90 years, Contra Costa cut grain and picked grapes and walnuts, save for the shore cities which built oil refineries and other industries.

After World War II, freeways were built. Bye bye farms, hello suburbia.

The Highlights

10,000 to 3000 B.C. The Indians arrive. Tribes include the Karquin, the Cholbones, the Julpunes and the Saklan. Using bows and arrows, they hunt deer, antelope, grizzlies and condors. The bays and rivers teem with salmon. Nets are used to catch geese and ducks. Acorns are ground to make bread.

1772. The first Spaniards, seeking easy trails, visit Contra Costa.

1776. While Americans are fighting their Revolutionary War, Captain Juan Bautista de Anza explores the county and is greeted by friendly Indians. Spanish policy is to domesticate Indians at the San Francisco mission and convert them to Christianity. Measles and other diseases kill many. Before long, the Indians rebel and small battles are fought.

1821. Mexico wins freedom from Spain and to encourage settling in Contra Costa awards large estates, several about 17,000 acres, to soldiers and supporters, but many will not put down roots until 1830s. The settlers, their ranges overrun with cattle introduced by the Spaniards, turn to ranching.

1837. Dr. John Marsh arrives and buys an estate 10 miles by 12 miles near Brentwood from a Mexican ranchero discouraged by hostile Indians. The price: $500. Yankee invasion begins.

1849. Following the Mexican-American War, California becomes a state. Farmers and gold miners settle in the county, switching the economy to farming. Coal is discovered three years later near Pittsburg.

1870-1900. Railroads come to Contra Costa County.

1900s. The early decades. Santa Fe picks Richmond for its western terminal. Standard Oil, later to be Chevron, opens in Richmond one of the biggest refineries in the world. Shell Oil builds a refinery at Martinez, U.S. Steel a plant at Pittsburg. World War I spurs industry.

1937. Caldecott drilled through hills to Alameda County, opening Central County to tracts.

1940s. World War II. Richmond becomes a shipbuilding center, Pittsburg, a troop staging area, Port Chicago, a munitions depot. Workers recruited from other states will stay, veterans will come back. Contra Costa College opens.

1950s. Freeways march across county, completing what Caldecott began. New towns, Pleasant Hill, San Ramon, spring up. Diablo Valley College opens.

1960s and 1970s. Baby boom sags. BART opens. Suburbia spreads to East County. Office complexes built in San Ramon Valley. Concord Music Pavilion opens.

1980s. Suburbia says no to some growth. Developers fret. Freeways snarl. Much debate over how to solve modern problems, foremost traffic.

1990s. Central County freeways improved, key interchange rebuilt. BART extends service to Dublin and Pittsburg area. Home prices droop, revive, soar. Residents fight developments. Crime drops sharply.

2000s. Contra Costa started 1900 with 18,406 residents and finished with 930,025, a century of rapid growth. Peregrine falcons, almost wiped out by the pesticide DDT, make a comeback on Mt. Diablo.

2001. California economy goes soft but Contra Costa, which has a diversified economy, fares better than other regions.

2002. Work begins to replace the east span of the Bay Bridge, which was damaged in the 1989 earthquake. Work starts on new bridges at Martinez and Crockett. The second is open, the first should open in 2007.

2003. Arguments intensify over setting “urban limit” lines and encouraging fill-in housing, particularly at freeways access points and BART stations. Traffic remains probably the number one concern in the county. In some communities, new housing, even in small amounts, provokes fights and protests.

2004. Contra Costans dig deeper for their schools. The population crosses the 1 million mark.

2005. Fed budget includes money to speed widening of Highway 4. Several school districts ask voters to approve higher taxes to run operations — and the answer is yes.

After complaining for years about development, some towns vote to keep on building.

2006. Concord moves closer to annexing former military base to develop thousands of homes. Home prices drop but many sellers hang tough for their asking price. Although registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 234,084 to 144,015, Contra Costans go for Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006 election. The governator won 158,565 local votes, his Democrat opponent, Phil Angelides, 128,578.

Local Talent

Born or raised in Contra Costa County were Richard Crenna, Concord (“Rambo,” “The Real McCoys,” “Our Miss Brooks”); Aldo Ray, Crockett (“The Naked and the Dead”); comedian Ronnie Schell, Richmond; jazz musician Dave Brubeck, Concord; Tom Hanks, Pleasant Hill.

Actress Katherine Ross, Walnut Creek (“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”); actress Markie Post, Walnut Creek (“Night Court”); John and Tom Fogarty, El Cerrito (Creedence Clearwater Revival band); and Blossom Seeley, San Pablo (a singer of the Twenties and Thirties.)

Gridiron Hall of Fame includes Norm Van Brocklin, Walnut Creek; Gino Marchetti, Antioch; Jim Turner, Crockett, who kicked three field goals in Super Bowl III (Jets 16, Colts 7); and John Henry Johnson, Pittsburg.

The Boys of Summer

Baseball stars: Lefty Gomez, Rodeo; Willie McGee, Richmond; Tug McGraw, Martinez; Dale Sveum, Pinole; Michael Felder, Richmond; Tom Candiotti, Concord; and the star of all, Joe Dimaggio, Martinez.

The Swift & Agile

Speedy Contra Costans: Swimmers Donna deVarona, Lafayette, John Hencken, Kensington, Matt Biondi, Moraga, and Natalie Coughlin, Concord, and runner Eddie Hart, Pittsburg. All won Olympic gold medals. For team efforts in synchronized swimming, several members of a Walnut Creek team won Olympic medals.

Tom Gloy, Lafayette, and Fred Agabashian, Alamo, Indy drivers; Brad Lackey, Walnut Creek, World Motorcross champion; Dick Mann, Richmond, Grand National champ, motorcycles. Limber Contra Costans: gymnasts Julianne McNamara, San Ramon, Olympic gold medalist; Tracee Talavera, Walnut Creek, silver.

From Pittsburg, James Page, welterweight champ of the world.