34-570: The Tucker House is located in Martinez, California . Originally located at 40 Escobar Street, this luxurious 4 story, 4 bedroom, 2 bath mansion was built for Captain John Tucker, a former sea captain from Nantucket, Massachusetts , who settled in Martinez, become a wheat farmer and built a mansion atop the hill on Escobar Street in 1877. The persons who moved into the house included not only
68-511: A 2010 article in the San Jose Mercury News , a Martinez couple, Joey and Linda Piscitelli, both general contractors who restore houses for a living, decided to buy Tucker House in 2005. When they started cleaning up the old house, they began to discover various mysteries. When they opened the attic, they found that it had been divided into eight separate cubicles, each containing a mattress. This led them to do further research into
102-806: A full print edition when the local shelter-in-place restrictions are lifted. The newspaper continued to operate its online news website presence during the pandemic restrictions. WestCAT provides service to the El Cerrito del Norte BART station . The County Connection is the primary local bus operator providing service throughout the area. Among its destinations are the Concord , Pleasant Hill , and Walnut Creek BART stations. The County Connection also provides paratransit service. Tri Delta Transit runs express service between Martinez and eastern Contra Costa County. State Route 4 runs through Martinez westward to Hercules and eastward through Stockton and
136-645: A local news website covering community news and events, and the local news and talk blog Claycord.com. In December 2019, there was a flurry of reports from reliable sources including the Associated Press and the San Francisco Chronicle that the 161 year-old Martinez News-Gazette, one of the longest-running newspapers in California, may have to cease publication. But as of late May 2020, the threatened cessation did not materialize and
170-415: A male householder with no wife present. There were 928 (6.5 percent) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 137 (1.0 percent) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,920 households (27.4 percent) were made up of individuals, and 1,078 (7.5 percent) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42. There were 9,173 families (64.2 percent of all households);
204-519: A role in the Pony Express , where riders would take the ferry from Benicia (particularly if they missed the steamer in Sacramento). The first oil refinery in the Martinez area was built in 1904 at Bull's Head Point, a then-unincorporated waterfront area two miles east of the downtown district. That area soon became known as Mococo, following the 1905 arrival of a smelting works, operated by
238-667: Is a city in and the county seat of Contra Costa County, California , United States, in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area . Located on the southern shore of the Carquinez Strait , the city's population was 37,287 at the 2020 census . The city is named after Californio ranchero Ygnacio Martínez , having been founded on his Rancho El Pinole . Martinez is known for its historic center and its waterfront. The beautiful, lush Alhambra Valley
272-502: Is a private Catholic school that serves grades K-8. Alhambra High School serves as the district's comprehensive high school. As of 2006, the district's K-12 enrollment was 4,194. Part of Martinez is served by the Mount Diablo Unified School District , whose Hidden Valley Elementary School is located in Martinez. St. Catherine of Siena School , a private Roman Catholic elementary school, also serves
306-652: Is one of the only two places in the Bay Area, the other being Golden Gate Bridge , where the Bay Area Ridge Trail and the San Francisco Bay Trail converge. The Bay Trail is a planned recreational corridor that, when complete, will encircle San Francisco and San Pablo bays with a continuous 400-mile (640 km) network of bicycling and hiking trails. It will connect the shoreline of all nine Bay Area counties, link 47 cities, and cross
340-567: The National Park Service in 1916. The home contains Muir's "scribble den," as he called his study, and his original desk, where he wrote about many of the ideas that are the bedrock of the modern conservation movement . The Muir house was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1960. It became a National Historic Site in 1964, is California Historical Landmark #312 and
374-579: The Sierra Nevada to near the border of Nevada . Interstate 680 runs northward across the Benicia–Martinez Bridge toward Sacramento via Interstate 80 and southward toward San Jose . According to Sister Cities International , Martinez is paired with: John Muir National Historic Site The John Muir National Historic Site is located in the San Francisco Bay Area , in Martinez , Contra Costa County, California . It preserves
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#1732772597864408-593: The 14-room Italianate Victorian mansion where the naturalist and writer John Muir lived, as well as a nearby 325-acre (132 ha) tract of native oak woodlands and grasslands historically owned by the Muir family. The main site is on the edge of town, in the shadow of State Route 4 , also known as the "John Muir Parkway." The mansion was built in 1883 by Dr. John Strentzel , Muir's father-in-law, with whom Muir went into partnership, managing his 2,600-acre (1,100 ha) fruit ranch. Muir and his wife, Louisa, moved into
442-665: The Alhambra Valley to the south. Waterbird Regional Preserve and the McNabney Marsh border the city and Highway 680 to the east. Martinez's location at the east end of the Carquinez Strait as it widens to Suisun Bay includes dramatic water views stretching to the Sierra range. From surrounding ridge tops views stretch to nearby Mount Diablo , Mount Saint Helena , Mount Tamalpais , and others. Martinez
476-931: The Bay Trail along the waterfront, and the Contra Costa Canal Trail threads through the city from Pleasant Hill to the south. Martinez has a mild Mediterranean climate ( Köppen climate classification : Csa/b ). Summers are warm and dry, with some morning fog during sea breezes. The maritime influence is much less significant than in other parts of the Bay Area that are closer to the Pacific, which causes very high daytime averages compared to San Francisco and Oakland in summer. However, nights normally cool off significantly, which results in daytime highs around 87 °F (31 °C) and nighttime lows of 55 °F (13 °C) during July and August. Winters are wet and cool with occasional frost. The majority of
510-564: The Captain, but also his wife, Mary Swain Tucker, Mary's brother, Sylvester Swain, Swain's wife and daughter, and a Chinese servant known only as Vu. On Halloween, October 31, 1880, Captain Tucker died. The house was moved to 110 Escobar St. in the 1920s by City Postmaster Franklin Glass. After the house had been moved, it had served as a bordello for a while during the 1920s and 30s. According to
544-703: The Golden Eagle facility became the third oil refinery to be built in the area. It was located in the newly created company town of Avon, immediately to the East of Martinez. A fourth refinery, built by the Shell Oil Company on land adjacent to the Martinez City limits, went online in January 1916. The Shell Oil refining facility is still operational today (Currently owned by PBF Energy), maintaining
578-777: The Martinez community. The Martinez Library is part of the Contra Costa County Library and is located in Martinez. The Art Deco style building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in early 2008. Martinez and the surrounding area is served by several local newspapers, including the Martinez News-Gazette, the Martinez Tribune and the East Bay Times . Martinez is also served by Martinez Patch,
612-699: The Mountain Copper Company (Mo Co Co). That first facility, operated by the Bull's Head Oil Company, was followed in 1908 by a test refinery built by the Pacific Coast Oil Company. Shortly thereafter, Pacific Coast became part of Standard Oil (now Chevron), and consolidated their oil refining operations in the Point Richmond, Hercules, Rodeo waterfront corridor some 12 miles (19 km) to the west of Martinez. In 1913,
646-723: The average family size was 2.95. The age distribution of the population showed 7,329 people (20.5 percent) under the age of 18, 2,842 people (7.9 percent) aged 18 to 24, 9,193 people (25.7 percent) aged 25 to 44, 12,121 people (33.8 percent) aged 45 to 64, and 4,339 people (12.1 percent) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males. There were 14,976 housing units at an average density of 1,140.2 per square mile (440.2/km ), of which 14,287 were occupied, of which 9,619 (67.3 percent) were owner-occupied, and 4,668 (32.7 percent) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate
680-481: The city has a total area of 13.1 square miles (34 km ), of which 1.0 square mile (2.6 km ) (7.64 percent) is covered by water. The city is largely surrounded by water and regional open-space preserves. The Martinez–Benicia Bridge carries Highway 680 across the eastern end of the Carquinez Strait to Solano County . The city is a densely built downtown valley threaded by Alhambra Creek and north of Highway 4. Suburban areas stretch south of Highway 4 to join
714-590: The city is within a USDA hardiness zone of 9b. The 2020 United States Census reported that Martinez had a population of 38,290. The population density was 2,727.4 inhabitants per square mile (1,053.1/km ). The racial makeup of Martinez was 27,603 (77.1%) White , 1,303 (3.6%) African American , 255 (0.7%) Native American , 2,876 (8.0%) Asian , 121 (0.3%) Pacific Islander , 1,425 (4.0%) from other races , and 2,241 (6.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5,258 persons (14.7 percent). The Census reported that 34,528 people (96.4 percent of
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#1732772597864748-641: The city's position as a significant petroleum processing center. The Golden Eagle Refinery (currently owned by Marathon Petroleum Company) was idled in April 2020 as a response to lower petroleum demand during the COVID-19 pandemic . Folk etymology in Martinez claims the invention of the Martini cocktail and that it is named for the city. According to the United States Census Bureau ,
782-525: The disease had died. The other case was Captain John Tucker, who survived. This Contra Costa County, California building and structure-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a property in Contra Costa County, California on the National Register of Historic Places is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Martinez, California Martinez ( Spanish : Martínez )
816-458: The first president of the Sierra Club , in the wake of his battle to prevent Yosemite National Park 's Hetch Hetchy Valley from being dammed , playing a prominent role in the creation of several national parks, writing hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles and several books expounding on the virtues of conservation and the natural world, and laying the foundations for the creation of
850-589: The history of the house, revealing the secret of its use as a bordello. The new owners found scores of old medicine bottles, in addition to an 1879 medical almanac. Researching historical records, the Piscitellis learned that the Pacific Medical and Surgical Journal had reported in 1874, that Martinez had experienced an epidemic of Scarlatina (better known today as scarlet fever). Only two of these cases were classed as serious. A young child who contracted
884-690: The house in 1890, and he lived there until his death in 1914. In 1897, for the sum of $ 10, Muir and Louisa ceded a right of way to the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad . The document describes the land upon which the Alhambra Trestle is located. The railway was completed in 1900 and used by the Muirs to ship their fruit. While living here, Muir realized many of his greatest accomplishments, co-founding and serving as
918-488: The lands of Martinez and Pacheco. In 1847, Dr. Robert Semple contracted to provide ferry service from Martinez to Benicia , which for many years was the only crossing on the Carquinez Strait. By 1849, Martínez served as a way station for the California Gold Rush . The town was laid out in 1849 by Col. William M. Smith and named for Martinez. It became the county seat in 1850, but could not incorporate at
952-628: The major toll bridges in the region, including the Benicia–Martinez Bridge . To date, approximately 240 miles (390 km) of the alignment—over half the Bay Trail's ultimate length—have been completed. The Bay Area Ridge Trail ultimately will be a 500+ mile trail encircling the San Francisco Bay along the ridge tops, open to hikers, equestrians, mountain bicyclists, and outdoor enthusiasts of all types. So far, over 300 miles (480 km) of trail have been dedicated for use. East Bay Regional Park District 's Iron Horse Regional Trail will join
986-560: The neighboring city of Pleasant Hill . Unincorporated areas include the rural Alhambra Valley and the Franklin Canyon area. The Martinez Regional Shoreline bounds the city to the north along the Carquinez Strait. Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline includes the Franklin Hills west of downtown, stretching west to the unincorporated community of Port Costa and the town of Crockett . Briones Regional Park borders
1020-533: The newspaper appears to have weathered that storm. The newspaper did cease publication of a print edition effective April 2, 2020, but this was characterized as a temporary measure arising from a lack of advertising revenue. This in turn arose as many local businesses were forced to suspended operations or even ceased to exist, when the area was under shelter in place regulations arising from the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. The newspaper plans to resume
1054-429: The population) lived in households, 235 (0.7 percent) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1,061 (3.0 percent) were institutionalized. There were 14,287 households, out of which 4,273 (29.9 percent) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 6,782 (47.5 percent) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,751 (12.3 percent) had a female householder with no husband present, 640 (4.5 percent) had
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1088-609: The time because it lacked the 200 registered voters required, and would not become a city until 1876. Martinez was the home of naturalist John Muir from 1880 until his death in 1914. He was buried about a mile south of the building that is now the John Muir National Historic Site . Also nearby is the Vicente Martinez Adobe, built in 1849 by the son of Ygnacio Martinez. The first post office opened in 1851. In 1860, Martinez played
1122-823: Was 1.4 percent; the rental vacancy rate was 4.9 percent. 23,876 people (66.6 percent of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 10,652 people (29.7 percent) lived in rental housing units. According to the city's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: Covering most of Martinez, the Martinez Unified School District encompasses four elementary schools, one middle school, one high school, and two alternative/independent study schools. Students in K-5 attend John Swett, John Muir, Las Juntas, or Morello Park Elementary School. Martinez Junior High School serves students in grades 6 through 8. St. Catherine of Siena
1156-681: Was probably a seasonal foraging “pantry” for the stable population of the Karkines Indians. The Karkines are a part of the Ohlone (Costanoan) Indian group. In 1824, the western side of Martinez, Alhambra Valley was included in the Rancho El Pinole Mexican land grant to Ygnacio Martínez . East of these lands was the Rancho Las Juntas , a grant made to Irish born William Welch in 1844; his land lay between
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