Misplaced Pages

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63-538: Richmond Inner Harbor is a deepwater body of water in Richmond, California . The harbor lies between Ferry Point and Point Isabel, between the mainland and Brooks Island in western Contra Costa County along the East Bay's northern East Shore. The harbor provides excellent protection as it lies protected by Brooks Island an extensive breakwater inside the already protected San Francisco Bay . The harbour connects to

126-491: A cost of $ 193 million. However, Caltrans issued a letter in 1998 saying it would not take over responsibility for the road unless it was brought up to expressway standards; as it was cost-prohibitive to convert it, the road remains the responsibility of the city and county. 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

189-700: A decades-long population decline ensued. The census listed 99,545 residents in 1950. By 1960 much of the temporary housing built for the shipyard workers was torn down, and the population dropped to about 71,800. Just before his April 1968 assassination , Martin Luther King Jr. had been working on plans for the Poor People's Campaign , including a multi-city tour of the U.S. with a stop in Richmond. His son, Martin Luther King III , completed

252-448: A female householder with no husband present, 2,585 (7.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,538 (7.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships , and 427 (1.2%) same-sex married couples or partnerships . 9,546 households (26.4%) were made up of individuals, and 2,707 (7.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83. There were 24,018 families (66.5% of all households);

315-543: A franchise. Starbucks closed in November 2020 along with a few other local businesses amid pandemic difficulties. There was considerable neighborhood opposition to the relocation of the Point Richmond library in 2007 when it was to be remodeled and reopened (it had been closed since 2004 due to budget issues). Instead, the city's planning commission wanted to tear it down and move it to nearby rental space so that

378-532: A major rail yard next to Point Richmond. It constructed a tunnel through the Potrero San Pablo ridge to run track from the 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

441-532: A month in cash, plus opportunities to travel beyond Richmond." In 2004, Richmond was ranked the 12th most dangerous city in America. Those rankings have changed, and Richmond is no longer ranked as a "most dangerous" city, in either California or the United States. This is in large part due to the efforts of Police Chief Chris Magnus, who established "community policing", which involves police officers engaging with affected high crime communities. Richmond lies in

504-487: A program to prevent gun violence, the Office of Neighborhood Safety. The program collects information and analyzes public records to determine "the 50 people in Richmond most likely to shoot someone and to be shot themselves." It then offers selected individuals "a spot in a program that includes a stipend to turn their lives around". "Over an 18-month period, if the men demonstrate better behavior, ONS offers them up to $ 1,000

567-417: A proposed and eventually built Starbucks coffeehouse in the neighborhood. Some residents feared that the opening of a corporate chain store would dampen a much loved way of life and cherished independent " mom and pop " commercial sector. Nevertheless, an Extreme Pizza also operates in the commercial strip, but in 2011 the community lobbied for a moratorium or ban on chains when Subway attempted to open

630-702: A seismic upgrade and remodeling. The nearby hill is Nicholl Knob, which is part of the Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline . In the historic downtown section there is the Point Richmond History Association museum, a small museum of photos and artifacts that are dedicated to local history. There is a tunnel through this hill named the Ferry Point tunnel; Santa Fe Railroad trains would use it to reach Ferry Point and allow passengers to board ferries to complete

693-680: Is Brickyard Cove a housing development in the area of a former brickyard. Nearby, at the end of Dornan Drive is the S.S. Red Oak Victory ship in former World War II Kaiser Shipyard 3, which is part of the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park ; it is a restored Victory ship built in the city during World War II . Further along lies Brickyard Cove and the Richmond Yacht Club, one of many marinas in

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756-417: Is also home to one of the last pristine moist grassland habitats in the entire Bay Area at the former Campus Bay UC Berkeley Field Station near Meeker Slough . Richmond residents, however, have limited access to other environmental benefits. Because of the refineries located in Richmond, air quality is particularly low, and residents are especially at risk of air-pollution-related health issues. In 2006,

819-645: Is home to many species of animals. Canada geese visit the city on their annual migrations. Harbor seals live on the Castro Rocks, and pigeons and gulls 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 , raccoons , ducks, foxes, owls, and mountain lions live in Wildcat Canyon and Point Pinole Regional Shoreline . A license

882-576: Is land and 22.4 square miles (58 km ) (comprising 42.71%) is water. The city sits on 32 miles (51 km) of waterfront, more than any other city in the Bay Area. 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

945-473: Is lessened. The average wind speed is 6–9 miles per hour (10–14 km/h) with stronger winds from March through August; the strongest winds are in June. The city also enjoys more than 80% sunshine seven months out of the year and ten months with 60% or more. December and January are the darkest months with about 45% average brightness. The city experiences virtually no snowfall, and brief hail annually. Richmond

1008-473: Is needed for fishing on the waterfront or city waters but not on the piers, where in addition to crabs, sturgeon are plentiful and bat rays may also be found. Striped bass , bat rays , leopard sharks , surf perch , jacksmelt , sturgeon , white croaker , 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 waters along

1071-633: The Richmond Assembly Plant , which later moved to Milpitas in 1956. The old Ford plant in Richmond has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1988. In 2004 it was purchased by developer Eddie Orton, who converted it into an events center named Ford Point Building–The Craneway. At the onset of World War II , the four Richmond Shipyards were built along Richmond's waterfront, employing thousands of workers, many migrating to Richmond from other parts of

1134-529: The San Francisco Bay . Richmond is one of two cities, the other being San Rafael , that sits on the shores of both San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay . Its population was 116,448 as of the 2020 census making it the second largest city in the United States named Richmond after Richmond, Virginia . The name "Richmond" predates incorporation of the city by more than fifty years. Edmund Randolph , originally from Richmond, Virginia , represented

1197-545: The San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad . By 1899 maps made by the railroad carried the name "Point Richmond Avenue", a county road that later became Barrett Avenue, a central street in Richmond. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad purchased the railroad making their terminus at Richmond. The first post office opened in 1900, and the city of Richmond incorporated in 1905. The Ohlone were

1260-560: The "upside-down" type. The wigwag is a type of railroad crossing signal that 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 signals. A compromise was achieved that included installing new modern crossing gates, red lights and bells while not removing, but simply shutting off,

1323-600: The Bay and Red Rock Island. The city is within the 94801, 94803, 94804, 94805, and 94806 ZIP Codes . 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 to 73 °F (14 to 23 °C) and

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1386-563: The Hispanic population, 27.3% were of Mexican origin, 4.7% Salvadoran , 1.7% Guatemalan , and 1.2% Nicaraguan heritage. The census reported that 102,118 people (98.5% of the population) lived in households, 670 (0.6%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 913 (0.9%) were institutionalized. There were 36,093 households, out of which 13,487 (37.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 14,502 (40.2%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 6,931 (19.2%) had

1449-409: The National Register of Historic Places since 1978. The neighborhood is dominated to the north by several industrial operations, including a large Chevron refinery, several smaller chemical manufacturing facilities and an active Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight yard. Long distance freight trains are put together in this yard, largely consisting of container cars and automobile transports loaded from

1512-695: The Poverty in America Tour in 2007, stopping in Richmond. Unrest in late June 1968, sparked by the police shooting of a 15-year-old boy, damaged businesses in downtown along Macdonald Avenue. Most notably, the Travalini Furniture Store was destroyed by fire, which was assumed to be the result of the violent protests, but according to Fraser Felter, who was a reporter for the Richmond Independent , police sources told him

1575-569: The Santa Fe Channel and its chanellets in addition to the Richmond Marina Bay and Campus Bay . Baxter Creek and Meeker Slough Creek's mouths and deltas drain into the harbor. This Contra Costa County, California –related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Richmond, California Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California , United States. The city

1638-647: 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. Many of them settled in the East Bay, from Richmond to Oakland, before World War II. From 1917 and throughout the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan was active in the city. In 1930 the Ford Motor Company opened

1701-693: The average family size was 3.43. The age distribution of the population shows 25,800 people (24.9%) under the age of 18, 10,364 people (10.0%) aged 18 to 24, 30,846 people (29.7%) aged 25 to 44, 26,109 people (25.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 10,582 people (10.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males. There were 39,328 housing units at an average density of 749.4 units per square mile (289.3 units/km ), of which 36,093 were occupied, of which 18,659 (51.7%) were owner-occupied, and 17,434 (48.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate

1764-523: The building, reusing the land for a mixed-use development including residential, retail, and logistics facilities. In the late 1990s the Richmond Parkway was built along Richmond's western industrial and northwestern parkland, connecting Interstates 80 and 580. Construction of the Parkway, which follows the alignment of SR 93 as proposed in 1958, started in 1990 and completed in 1996 at

1827-709: The city council requested a declaration of a state of emergency and asked for the intervention of the Contra Costa County Sheriff and the California Highway Patrol . Murder, vehicle theft, and larceny rates remain high, although they tend to be concentrated in the Iron Triangle and adjacent unincorporated North Richmond , which is outside the jurisdiction of the Richmond Police Department . By 1991,

1890-502: 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 . Richmond was a small town at that time, with some industrial development centered on the waterfront based around the railroad and oil refineries. The Pullman Company also established a major facility in Richmond in the early 20th century. The facility connected with both

1953-551: The city is the Santa Cruz tarweed which survives alongside Interstate 80. Wildcat Canyon also hosts falcons and vultures. Threatened black rails also live in the city's marshes. After a baby gray whale was beached on the Point Richmond shore in May 2007, its rotting corpse became bothersome to neighbors. Removal was delayed as various agencies argued over which would have to pay for it, at an eventual cost of $ 18,000. Richmond

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2016-584: 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. Out of fondness for his hometown, Randolph persuaded a federal surveying party, surveying and mapping the San Francisco Bay, to place the names "Point Richmond" and "Richmond" on their 1854 geodetic coastal map. The map was used at the terminal selected by

2079-406: The city was sued by an environmental group for dumping raw sewage into the Bay. Councilmember Tom Butt was very vocal on the subject, accusing the city council of turning a blind eye to the problem. A 60-acre, 10.5-megawatt solar farm was opened within the city in 2018. The farm sits on a former landfill owned by Chevron . The city has in the past suffered from a high crime rate; at one point,

2142-572: The city's "Main Street District" by the state of California. This has led to funding of improvements in the form of state grants. Richmond is located at 37°56′09″N 122°20′52″W  /  37.93583°N 122.34778°W  / 37.93583; -122.34778 . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 52.5 square miles (136 km ), of which 30.1 square miles (78 km )

2205-462: The city's all-time high of 62 homicides, among a population of 98,000, was seven times the national average. The portion of these homicides that were drug- or gang-related increased from 5 percent to 55 percent between 1989 and 1991. Despite the city making extreme headway in crime reduction and prevention, Richmond received widespread attention in 2009 when a girl was gang raped at a homecoming dance at Richmond High School. In 2007, Richmond opened

2268-429: The city. There are condominiums and brand new luxury tract homes terraced into the hills as well as homes built over the water on piles along two spits. Point Richmond's shoreline was the location of a 20-foot (6.1 m) beached gray whale calf in May 2007, the source of considerable odor in the area. After a delay in obtaining permits and disputes over who would pay, the carcass was towed out to sea. One of

2331-562: The city; they are tested on the first Wednesday of every month, at 11 am PST (12 pm PDT), and are usually used to warn of toxic chemical releases from the Chevron Richmond Refinery . In a July 26, 1993, industrial accident, a General Chemical company rail tanker car containing oleum overheated and exploded in the General Chemical railyard. This resulted in a 17-mile (27 km) area contaminated with

2394-581: The country after being recruited. These new workers generally lived in housing constructed specifically for the wartime boom, scattered throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, including Richmond, Berkeley and Albany. Many of these new migrants were Black Americans from the South and to a lesser extent the Midwest who took jobs in heavy industry and transport as those industries expanded to meet

2457-504: The crossing), are one of only a handful still in existence nationwide. The neighborhood is divided by a ridge, which separates it into a "Bay side" and a "town side." Many houses, which include historic Victorians , offer a view of the bay. Many of the area businesses are housed in century-old buildings dating back to before the founding or incorporation of the town. The Plunge is a local landmark swim center, reopened in August 2010 after

2520-579: The eastern end of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge , between Interstate 580 and the San Francisco Bay . Originally a tiny village known as East Yards surrounded by abandoned farm lands, Point Richmond was Richmond's central downtown area from the late 19th century until the early 20th century, when the present downtown superseded it as the busiest part of town. Since then, its trademark " mom-and-pop " shops have largely survived. The Point Richmond Historic District has been listed on

2583-632: The fire was set to avoid a debt instead by destroying store records. In the 1970s, the Hilltop area was developed in Richmond's northern suburbs, further depressing the downtown area as it drew retail clients and tenants away to the large indoor Hilltop Mall, which opened in 1976. The shopping mall, last named Hilltop Horizon , was opened under Taubman Centers , and has been sold since then to GM Pension Trust (1998), Simon Property Group (2007), Jones Lang LaSalle (2012), LBG Real Estate (2017), and Prologis (2021), who announced plans to close and demolish

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2646-589: The first inhabitants of the Richmond area, settling an estimated 5,000 years ago. They spoke the Chochenyo language , and subsisted as hunter-gatherers and harvesters . The site that would eventually become the city of Richmond was part of the Rancho San Pablo land granted to Don Francisco María Castro , from which the nearby town of San Pablo inherited its name; the Point Richmond area

2709-426: The historic ones and preserving their functionality for special events. Standard Oil set up operations on land sold by Emily Tewksbury in 1901, including what is now the Chevron Richmond Refinery and tank farm , which Chevron still operates. There is a pier into San Francisco Bay south of Point Molate for oil tankers. The city of Richmond was incorporated in 1905. Until the enactment of prohibition in 1919,

2772-512: The intersection of El Portal Drive and Via Verdi. Although no one was hurt, a car fell into the sinkhole. On August 6, 2012, at around 6:15 PM, a large fire erupted at the Chevron refinery, sending significant plumes of toxic smoke into the surrounding area and resulting in over 15,000 people to seek medical treatment at local hospitals. Just minutes after the fire was reported, Contra Costa Health Services notified residents “ shelter in place ”;

2835-767: The last remaining portions of the channel and marshlands that once separated the island of Point Richmond with the mainland is the Herman Slough Creek in the north end of the neighborhood along with the Santa Rita Channel where the marinas are now located. It is served by AC Transit line 72M , which begins in Jack London Square and terminates in Point Richmond, and by Golden Gate Transit 's commuter route 42 and express route 40 to San Rafael Transit Center in Marin County . There

2898-487: The local siren system was activated and several messages were issued through the Emergency Alert System warning people of the fire and hazardous materials incident. The fire was reported contained at around 10:40 PM. The 2010 United States census reported that Richmond had a population of 103,701. The population density was 1,976.0 inhabitants per square mile (762.9/km ). The racial makeup of Richmond

2961-566: The lows range from 43 to 56 °F (6 to 13 °C) year round. 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 (42 °C) in September 1971 while the coldest was 24 °F (−4 °C) in December 1990. The rainy season begins in late October and ends in April, with some showers in May. Most of

3024-616: The nearby Port of Richmond, as well as some brought up from the Port of Oakland. The 24-hour operations of the switch engines are a constant feature of life in the Point. Residents have a love-hate relationship with the trains, pushing the railroad to modify operations to make them quieter and less disruptive to traffic but also fighting to save the wig wag signals when BNSF made plans to remove them. The wig wag signals, while no longer operating (newer gates, red lights and bells have been installed at

3087-480: The needs of the war economy, while increased numbers of women also joined the industrial workforce for the first time as large numbers of working-age men were drafted for the war effort. During the war, Richmond's population increased dramatically, rising from 23,000 in 1940 to 114,899 in 1942 and peaking at around 120,000 by 1945. A specially built rail line, the Shipyard Railway , transported workers to

3150-438: 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 . The city's shoreline and wildlife were seriously affected by the 2007 San Francisco Bay oil spill . Beaches and shoreline were closed, but later reopened. Keller Beach was closed to public access for swimmers. On April 15, 2010, a sinkhole roughly 30 feet (9.1 m) deep appeared at

3213-444: The rain occurs during stronger storms which occur between November and March and drop 3.3–4.91 inches (84–125 mm) of rain per month. January and February are the rainiest months. 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

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3276-414: The refinery's shoreline. Rainbow trout have recently returned to San Pablo and Wildcat creeks. Red-tailed 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

3339-561: 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 shipyards broke many records, including the completion of a Liberty ship in just five days. On average the yards built a new ship in 30 days. The medical system established for the shipyard workers at the Richmond Field Hospital eventually became today's Kaiser Permanente HMO . The hospital remained in operation until 1993, when it

3402-658: The south is the city of Albany which is in Alameda County and the city of El Cerrito . The unincorporated communities of East Richmond Heights , Rollingwood , Hasford Heights, 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 Manor , Hilltop Green, Tara Hills . Richmond borders Alameda , San Francisco, and Marin counties in

3465-436: The surrounding empty lot could be turned into a lively town square. Approximately half of the Point Richmond residents vehemently rejected this and the committee dropped its plans. Still, a lot of the residents would like to tear down the building and move the library into one of the many empty office buildings. However, the nasty fight from the first attempt is still in clear vision to even discuss this matter effectively. There

3528-497: The trip to San Francisco. Part of the area on the bay side of the tunnel is known as Brickyard Cove owing to the brickyard which used to operate in the area. Point Richmond is home to Keller Beach , one of the several publicly accessible beaches in Richmond, and nearby is a picnic area and parking lot. Across from the picnic area is the Golden State Model Railroad Museum . Continuing along the road

3591-448: The volatile California region that has a potential for devastating earthquakes. Many buildings were damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake . The city has also had at least one minor tornado. The Chevron Richmond Refinery had highly noted chemical leaks in the 1990s. The company has been fined thousands, and sometimes hundreds of thousands, of dollars. Richmond has a siren system consisting of 17 emergency warning sirens located across

3654-513: Was incorporated on August 3, 1905, and has a city council . Located in the San Francisco Bay Area 's East Bay region, Richmond borders San Pablo , Albany , El Cerrito and Pinole in addition to the unincorporated communities of North Richmond , Hasford Heights, Kensington , El Sobrante , Bayview-Montalvin Manor , Tara Hills , and East Richmond Heights , and for a short distance San Francisco on Red Rock Island in

3717-451: Was 2.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 8.1%. 52,683 people (50.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 49,435 people (47.7%) lived in rented housing. Point Richmond 37°55′27″N 122°23′21″W  /  37.92417°N 122.38917°W  / 37.92417; -122.38917 Point Richmond , also sometimes referred to locally as The Point , is a neighborhood in Richmond , California , United States, near

3780-440: Was 32,590 (31.4%) White , 27,542 (26.6%) African American , 662 (0.6%) Native American , 13,984 (13.5%) Asian (4.0% Chinese , 3.5% Filipino , 1.6% Laotian , 1.2% Indian , 0.7% Vietnamese , 0.6% Japanese , 0.4% Korean , 0.2% Pakistani , 0.1% Thai ), 537 (0.5%) Pacific Islander , 22,573 (21.8%) from other races , and 5,813 (5.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 40,921 persons (39.5%). Among

3843-583: Was known originally as The Potrero and then renamed as Point Stevens in early charts of San Francisco Bay . Point Richmond was an island, but industrial development and deliberate fill connected it to the mainland by the early 1900s. On July 4, 1900, the Santa Fe Railroad 's western terminus was established at Point Richmond with ferry connections from Ferry Point in the Brickyard Cove area to San Francisco. The Santa Fe railroad also built

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3906-573: Was previously shuttle service on line 374 to the Richmond Ferry Terminal until it ceased operations in 2001. In addition to express transbay bus service to the San Francisco Transbay Terminal along route LD, there was also service directly to El Cerrito del Norte BART from Point Richmond and Brickyard Cove on line 79, but these routes were removed due to funding cuts. There was controversy in 2002 over

3969-507: Was replaced by the Richmond Medical Center hospital, which has since expanded to a multi-building campus. Point Richmond was Richmond's original commercial hub, but a new downtown arose in the center of the city along Macdonald Avenue during the war. It was populated by department stores such as Kress , J.C. Penney , Sears , Macy's , and Woolworth's . When the war ended the shipyard workers were no longer needed, and

#1998