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Central Contra Costa
Stretching from the shores of the Carquinez Strait to the foothills of Mount Diablo, the cities of Central Contra Costa County, Martinez, Concord, Pleasant Hill and Clayton, offer a wonderful quality of life to residents. Concord was recently named one of the best cities in America in which to raise a family.
These communities offer abundant possibilities for housing, recreation, shopping, and natural beauty for residents to enjoy. The mild climate of the area allows for many outdoor activities including hiking at Mt. Diablo State Park, golfing, swimming and wine tasting in the nearby world famous wine country. World class concerts are held May-October at the Sleep Train Pavillion in Concord. San Francisco is only 25 miles away, easily accessible via the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train system.
Nestled at the base of Mt. Diablo, Clayton has always had a kinship with the mountain and its scenery, animal life, foothills, meadows and creeks.
From early trappers to its raucus mining days in the 1850s, to ranching, vineyards and orchards, it has evolved into a suburban utopia that treasures nature, history, and the traditional values that founded our country.
At 600 ft elevation, Clayton is above the fog and smog, has the lowest crime rate of any city in Contra Costa County, excellent schools, parks and ball fields, a new Library, hundreds of swimming pools, and a championship country club golf course.
With a quaint historic downtown and a friendly small-town population destined to grow at about 12,500, Clayton holds onto its past with ranchettes, 4-H Clubs, Scouting, soccer and Little League, and celebrations that honor 4th of July and Veterans Day. Yet it is within an hour drive of the cosmopolitan city life of San Francisco with its high paying jobs, and the finest universities, shopping, and restaurants in the world.
Concord
Located 29 miles east of San Francisco, Concord is adjacent to beautiful Mt. Diablo. The city covers 30.68 square miles. With a 2000 census count of 121,780 residents, it is the largest city in Contra Costa County.
Neighborhoods are important to the city's family oriented lifestyle, which balances Concord's gracious early California heritage with vigorous, thoughtful development. Concord offers a range of housing options and prices, from apartments to executive residences. Quiet neighborhoods, numerous parks and large preserves of open space add to the quality of life for all residents.
A dynamic, high-rise business core, regional shopping centers and a vibrant, entertainment-driven downtown have created a strong, sustainable economy. A significant number of major corporations and technology-based companies have chosen to locate in Concord, stating well-educated workforce, convenient location and employee amenities as driving factors.
Martinez
Martinez is a small city of 36,715 residents, 12.47 square miles, where parents raise their children, antique stores fill the downtown, and Amtrak stops daily, It is the home of "Joltin" Joe DiMaggio, a local boy who made good.
Though it is smaller community than Concord or Antioch, in 1850, when it was time to select a seat for the Conta Costa County, Martinez was the most logical choice.
Martinez was home to Joe DiMaggio and the naturalist John Muir. Muir's home, now a National Historic Site, was where he wrote of his expeditions in the Sierra Nevada.
Today, Martinez is a city with a strong sense of its history and a keen appreciation for the families that are its future. More than a dozen parks and plenty of open space are located with its twelve square mile area. The waterfront now features a fine marina and related activities, such as, fishing, hiking trails, world class bocce ball courts and tournament-style baseball and softball fields. Youth programs and historical museums thrive here, along with the businesses that make this city a hub of activity.
Pleasant Hill
In the mid-1900s farming remained the order of the day in Pleasant Hill. However, a community like this couldn't avoid development forever, and a well-planned community of new homes began to out-number farms.
Squarly in the center of Contra Costa County, Pleasant Hill is a successful and comfortable suburban town in the middle of what is essentially a successful and comfortable suburban county with good schools, low crime rate and affordable housing.
Pleasant Hill has several beautiful parks and is bordered by Briones Regional Park. The real growth years for Pleasant Hill occurred in the 1950s and 1960s, when returning veterans and other Bay Area newcomers made the town one of the fastest growing communities in the Bay Area.
Today, with a recently built city hall downtown center, Pleasant Hill has been redefining its identity, shifting from a community focused upon growth to one which places the welfare of its residents as its foremost concern.
Orinda
In 1835, the Mexican government granted 13,326 acres of land to Joaquin Moraga and his cousin Juan Bernal. This land grant was identified as Rancho Laguna de los Palos Colorados. Morga's Adobe, built in 1841, remains today on a hill side above the present Del Rey Elementary School in Orinda. Although the Adobe is part of a private residence, it is a local and California State Historic Landmark.
The area south of Orinda lies on a portion of Rancho Laguna de los Palos Colorados. Orinda's northern part lies on the 22,000-acre land grant known as Rancho El Sobrante, which was received by Victor and Juan Castro from the Mexican government in 1841.
After the era of the great ranchos, with their vast herds of cattle, Orinda passed into a farming period. Ownership of the Castro Sobrante land changed several times and by 1876 William Walker Cameron had become the major landowner in the northern Orinda area. His wife, Alice Marsh Cameron (daughter of pioneer California settler and land owner, John Marsh), was interested in the writings of 17th century poetess Katherine Fowler Phillips. Miss Phillips was known by her friends as the "Matchless Orinda". The magic of the name appealed to the Camerons as is evident in the naming of their tract, Orinda Park.
Then, in 1887, approximately 1200 acres north of the present freeway were purchased by Jose and Miguel deLaveaga of San Francisco. A son, E.L. deLaveaga, subdivided the property and established the town site of Orinda in the 1920s. The deLaveaga family was responsible for much of the development and character of the community as it is today.
After the Caldecott Tunnel opened in 1937, the area north and south of the freeway began to develop more rapidly. On July 1, 1985, Orinda was incorporated with a live-member City Council as head of government.
Today, Orinda is primarily a single-family residential community with a population of about 17,000. Many of the names of the past are still familiar to the community. Among them are: Glorietta, Casa Vieja, Nelson, Fish Ranch, Bryant, Miller, Lauterwasser, Wagner and deLeveaga. Appreciation for Orinda's fascinating history is reflected in a growing number of official landmarks. The deLeveaga Station, the only remaining station of the California & Nevada Railroad, was declared a historic landmark in the year 2000. Additional Orinda Store on Orinda Way. When Orindans proudly dedicated Theatre Square and the California Shakespeare Festival Amphitheater, they were watching history being made. Orinda's present, and its future, will someday be appreciated as its history.