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Richmond, California

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Richmond, California
File:RichmondBridge.jpg
Official seal of Richmond, California
Seal
Nickname(s): 
The City of Pride and Purpose
Map
CityRichmond
Government
 • MayorIrma A. Anderson (D)
Population
 • Total
103,818
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific Standard Time Zone)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (Pacific Daylight Time)
Websitehttp://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/

Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, USA. It is in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It almost surrounds the city of San Pablo, and the unincorporated areas of North Richmond, El Sobrante, and East Richmond Heights. Bay Area Rapid Transit and Amtrak share a station in Richmond, which serves as a regional transit interchange. The mayor is Irma A. Anderson, a Democrat. She is notably the first African American female mayor of the city. As of the July 1, 2005 US Census estimate, the city has a population of 102,186, while the California Department of Finance estimates the city's population at 103,468, as of January 1, 2006. The population is well above 110,000 due to rapid growth.[1]

History

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 Richmond was founded and incorporated in 1905 and was carved out of the Rancho San Pablo, from which the nearby town of San Pablo has inherited its name. Until 1919 the city had the largest winery in the world and the small but abandoned village of Winterhaven remains fenced off along Western Drive in the Point Molate Area. In the 1920s the Ku Klux Klan was active in the city. In 1930 Ford Motor Company opened an assembly plant in the south side of town; it is now an abandoned industrial area. The plant moved to Milpitas in the 1970s. The city was a small town at that time, until the onset of World War II which brought on a rush of migrants and a boom in the industrial sector. The former Standard Oil set up operations here, including a refinery with storage tanks over the western hills, and a pier into San Francisco Bay off of Point Molate on which oil tankers dock. The western terminus of the Santa Fe Railroad was established in Richmond with ferry connections at Ferry Point in the Brickyard Cove area of Point Richmond. Point Richmond had originally been the commertial hub of the city, but a new downtown arose in the center of the city. The new downtown was populated by many department stores such as Kress, J.C. Penney, Sears, Macy's, and Woolworth's. During the war the population increased dramatically and topped-off at around 99,000 residents in 1950. By 1960 the temporary housing built for those building ships for the Navy was torn down and the residents moved away and the population dropped to about 71,000 people. Many of the people that moved to Richmond moved from the Midwest and South. Many of these people were black people and women. Most of the white men were overseas at war and this opened up new opportunities for minorities and women. The women found a new sense of independance and did not return to the home after the war. This changed the sex politics and gender roles of the country and the world. This era also brought with it the innovation of Daycare for children, as a few women could care for several dozen women's children while most of the mothers went off to work in the factories and shipyards. In the 1970s the Hilltop area was developed in the northern suburbs of the city, this further depressed downtown and department stores such as Emporium, Sears, J.C. Penney, and Macy's were brought back to the city limits. In the late 1990s and early 2000s the Richmond Parkway was built along the western industrial and northwestern parklands of the city connecting Interstates 80 and 580.

Geography and climate

Location of Richmond, California
Location of Richmond, California

Richmond is located at 37°56′13″N 122°20′31″W / 37.93694°N 122.34194°W / 37.93694; -122.34194Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (37.936874, -122.342057)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 52.6 mi² (136.2 km²). 30.0 mi² (77.6 km²) of it is land and 22.6 mi² (58.5 km²) of it (42.98%) is water.

The city borders San Francisco Bay to the southwest and San Pablo Bay to the northwest, and includes all or part of Brooks Island, Red Rock Island, and the Brother Islands.

There are several cities and unincorporated communities surrounding or bordering Richmond. To the south is the city of Albany, in Alameda County. The cities of El Cerrito and San Pablo, along with the unincorporated areas of Kensington, East Richmond Heights, Rollingwood, El Sobrante, and North Richmond are almost surrounded by Richmond's city limits. To the north, Richmond borders the city of Pinole and the unincorporated areas of Bayview-Montalvin, and Tara Hills. Richmond borders Alameda, San Francisco, and Marin counties in the Bay.

Climate

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 °F (14 °C) to 73 °F (23 °C) and the lows between 43 °F (6 °C) to 56 °F (13 °C) year round.[2] On average the warmest month is September and Richmond usually enjoys a strong "Indian Summer" every year; which is warmer than the "real" summer itself. January is on average the coldest month.

The highest recorded tempature in Richmond was 107 °F in September 1971 while the coldest was 24 °F in January of 1990. [3]

The rainy season begins in late October and ends in April with some showers in May. Most of the rain however occurs during stronger storms which occur between November and March and drop 3.3 to 4.91 inches of rain per month. January and February are the rainiest months.[4]

Like most of the Bay Area, Richmond is made up of several microclimates. Southern parts of the city recieve more fog than northern areas. Summer temperatures are higher in inland areas, where the moderating influence of San Francisco Bay is lessened.

Demographics

Historical Population
1910 6,802
1920 16,843
1930 20,093
1940 23,642
1950 99,545
1960 71,854
1970 79,043
1980 74,676
1990 87,425
2000 99,216
Present 103,818

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 99,216(what street signs say entering city, population well above 110,000) people, 34,625 households, and 23,025 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,309.5/mi² (1,277.8/km²). There were 36,044 housing units at an average density of 1,202.3/mi² (464.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 31.36% White, 36.06% Black or African American, 0.64% Native American, 12.29% Asian, 0.50% Pacific Islander, 13.86% from other races, and 5.27% from two or more races. 26.53% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 34,625 households out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.5% were married couples living together, 20.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.44.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $44,210, and the median income for a family was $46,659. Males had a median income of $37,389 versus $34,204 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,788. About 13.4% of families and 16.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.1% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.

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Economy

Many industries have been pursued in Richmond. It had a dynamite and gunpowder works (closed in 1960), the last active whaling station in the country at Point Molate (closed in 1971), and one of the world's largest wineries (closed by Prohibition in 1919).

During World War II Richmond was developed rapidly as a heavy industrial town, chiefly devoted to shipbuilding. Its major activity now is as a seaport, and 26 million tons of goods were shipped through Port Richmond in 1993, mostly oil and petroleum products. Chevron USA has a major oil refinery in the city, with a storage capacity of 15 million barrels (2,400 m³). The Social Security Administration employs over 1,000 at its regional office and program service center in downtown Richmond. Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in the Downtown is one of the largest employers. Many proposals have been approved in the city of Richmond. MacDonald Avenue Project- The MacDonald Avenue project is to help save Richmond's grand main street. It has already been started, and it includes new, modern street lights, new sidewalks, plants on the side of streets and the median, new streets, and a new parking building in Downtown Richmond. It will began at San Pablo Avenue and run all the way to Highway 93. The MacDonald 80 Shopping Center- the former Wards will made into a Target; it is part of the MacDonald Avenue project. Making the new 100 years- Richmond is creating its new 100 years. It is changing all the city's problems, and putting it in the past. So far, MacDonald Avenue, nicknamed the 100 year street, main street, the parade street. To raise money, Richmond has had many concerts featuring Lenny Williams and Eugene Cole. They have also returned their original, parade, except it was on Juneteenth. Richmond has also approved many casinos in the city limits. The Richmond Greenway project, will turn 3 miles of abandoned railroad to a greenway, for residents to walk on.

Shopping

The Hilltop Area includes Hilltop Mall, which features a Sears, J.C. Penney, Macy's, and many other chain stores. It also includes Hilltop Auto Mall with Ford, Honda, Toyota, Chevrolet car dealerships, among others. In the late 90s Hilltop Plaza was built featuring a Barnes & Noble, Circuit City, International House of Pancakes, Chevron, PetSmart, and a Century Theatres Multiplex with 16 rooms, the first movie theatre in decades.

23rd street has become a predominantly Latino neihbogrhood over there years. The businesses on this trunk route are now majority Latino owned and operated. They include laundramats, hair salons, grocery markets, and taquerias, amonsgt others.

In the downtown area Richmond Shopping Center was built as part of the city's revitalization efforts. The center is anchored by a Foods Co. supermarket and features a Walgreen's pharmacy, independent shops, and fast food joints including a Burger King.

Pacific East Mall on Pierce St has many Asian stores, including 99 Ranch Supermarket, many Asian restaurants, and a Chinese bookstore.

Big-box stores in town include Costco in the Point Isabel area and a Home Depot, which is partially in Richmond and partially in El Cerrito. A Wal-Mart has been proposed in the city, however as with many of that company's expansion efforts, especially in the Bay Area it has been met with neighborhood opposition, similar to that of neighboring Hercules.

Casinos

Many casinos have been proposed for the West Contra Costa area. Point Molate would have a casino, resort, and a luxury shopping mall. Sugar Bowl Casino proposes a casino, steakhouse, and a buffet. Casino San Pablo has already been built in neighboring San Pablo; with 2,500 slots. The projects have been the subject of much civic debate supporters contend that the often cash-strapped government would get a major new source of revenue, while opponents air their concerns over the ramifications including an increase in allready high crime rates, lowered property values, and worsening neighborhood quality of life.

Government and politics

The city, is a Democratic stronghold, due to its urban location, laissez-faire San Francisco attitude, and a sizeable Black population. The city is governed by a 9-member city council, a Mayor, and a Vice Mayor; who is also a councilmember. By the early 1990s not a single Republican remainded on the council and most mayors were black. Rosemary McCormick was the mayor thoughout the 90s and was an exception, as she is white. By the onset of the millennium the Green Party took the council in its sights and elected Gayle McGlauughin as the first Green to the council, under the support of the Richmond Progfessive Alliance (RPA) a coalition of liberal Democrats, Progerssive Independents, and Greens, fed up with the Democratic party. She is now running for mayor and is challenging Mayor Anderson in the 2006 mayoral election. She would be one of only a handful of Green mayors in the county.

At present there is a great civic debate over whether City Hall should be moved to offices in the Marina Bay neighborhood, since the existing city hall is in dire need of expensive retrofitting.

Great American Boycott of 2006 The predominatly Latino storefronts of the 23rd Street business district were all closed for the general strike and the usually bustling district became tantamount to a one-day ghost town. Many Latinos from the area protested in San Francisco. There was also a protest in Richmond all on 23rd Street. One lane on 23rd Street was closed to allow traffic to pass. About 25,000 participated.

Education

Richmond is under the auspices of the West Contra Costa School District, formerly the Richmond School District, this district encompasses the cities, town, CDPs, and unincorporated areas of Western Contra Costa County. The district provides elementary, middle, and high school learning environments. These include: Richmond, San Pablo, El Cerrito, Kensington, Pinole, Hercules, Rodeo, North Richmond, El Sobrante, Crockett, Bayview-Montalvin, Rollingwood, East Richmond Heights, and Tara Hills. For private education Richmond and the entire county lie in the Oakland Diocese, which has many elementary/middle schools and high schools throughout. The Contra Costa Community College District serves the entire county and Richmonders attend classes at Contra Costa College, most of the campus is in San Pablo, allthough some of the land is in El Sobrante. Many students attend schools outside the city, especially high schools since the local school district encompasses many municipalities. The population of the city has continued to increase for years while the number of classrooms and square footage at public schools has not. Many schools are overcrowded compared to state averages and standards of more affluent communities. The average classroom size is 35 students, while this number is 29 statewide. The school with the most students is 665 at César Chávez Elementary School. Many schools now have after school programs.[citation needed]

High Schools

Public Schools

Private Schools

Middle Schools (Junior Highs)

  • Adams Middle School, 5000 Patterson Circle
  • Levonya DeJean Middle School, MacDonald Avenue

Elementary Schools

Public K through 6 Elementary Schools

  • César Chávez Elementary School, 960 South 17th Street
  • Coronado Elementary School, 2001 Virginia Avenue
  • Ford Elementary School, 2711 Maricopa Avenue
  • Grant Elementary School, 2400 Downer Avenue
  • Harbor Way Elementary School, 214 South 11th Street
  • Highland Elementary School, 2829 Moyers Road
  • King Elementary School, 234 South 39th Street
  • Lincoln Elementary School, 29 6th Street
  • Murphy Elementary School, 4350 Valley View Road
  • Nystrom Elementary School, 230 South Harbour Way
  • Peres Elementary School, 719 5th Avenue
  • Stege Elementary School, 4949 Cypress Avenue
  • Valley View Elementary School, 3416 Maywood Drive
  • Verde Elementary School, 2000 Glamarita
  • Washington Elementary School, 565 Wine Street
  • Wilson Elementary School, 629 42nd street

Private Schools

  • St. Joseph School (Catholic)
  • St. John School (Catholic)
  • St. David School (Catholic), 871 Sonoma Street
  • El Sobrante Christian Academy

Schools in neighboring areas

Adult Education

Attractions and Landmarks

Point Richmond, which is in effect a town within Richmond is known for its small town charm and its quaint mom and pop shops. The Point, as it is known by locals offers visitors and locals alike owner-operated stores, coffee shops, and historic benches and streetlights. The Hotel Mac Restaurant is the best restaurant in Point Richmond, and the Baltic is one of many nightclubs in Richmond. It has one Starbucks.

Masquers Theature is a performing arts center that offers shows and productions year round. Hotel Mac is one of the oldest buildings in the area and has classic early 1900s architecture, along with many of the buildings found in the area it is over one hundred years old. There is also The Plunge, a Natatorium which is beloved by the community. It has been closed due to the building being unsafe for earthquake conditions and the city wanted to demolish it at one point, however this was haulted by neighborhood opposition and a fundraising campaign continues to, "Save the Plunge!" which is the grassroots slogan.

Ferry Point, The Ferry Point Tunnel, is one of the oldest tunnels in California. Built in 1899, this structure still stands, bringing access to many attractions and neighborhoods in Point Richmond. This tunnel goes to the Golden State Railroad Museum, the S.S Red Oak Victory ship, and many beaches and parks.

S.S. Red Oak Victory Ship A restored World War II liberty ship, it was the 558th ship made in Richmond. Liberty ships transported troops and supplies during World War II. Squeeze in the ship, and see what a warship looked like in World War II. Richmond once was home to the Kaiser Shipyards.

During World War II the city sprawled and the population of the city to increased dramatically. This led city leaders to construct the Richmond Civic Center in 1957. This center houses the city hall, a small convention center, library, hall of justice, police headquarters, and arts center.

File:Richmond-San-Rafael-Bridge.jpg
Richmond-San Rafael Bridge

The Richmond-San Rafael bridge extends 5.5 miles, accross San Pablo Bay. The bridge is the origin of the term rollercoaster span, due to its curves, bumps, and appearance which also have earned the bridge itself the nickname of, The rollercoaster bridge. It was Built in 1957, and it connects Contra Costa County with Marin County. Automobiles are charged a 3-dollar toll in the westbound (towards Marin) direction only.

The Golden State Railroad Museum is complex series of miniature railroad exhibits in a museum in the Brickyard Cove area of Point Richmond. A visitor can operate trains of various eras which chug past miniature freight and passenger terminals, trestles, tunnels, and meticulously detailed town and city scenes, many of which are copied from real life scenes in of the 1950s era.

The Santa Fe Railroad Terminal operated as the western terminus for railroad from the late 1800s and late 1900s. It has now been fixed into a museum to exemplify the feel of the terminal in that era. 0 At the corner of Washington and Park avenues lies the Indian Statue. It was constructed in 1909 by the Women Improvement group.

Keller Beach is the city's only beach. It is located at Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline, a park in Brickyard Cove. The beach offers picnicking, sunbathing, wading, and swimming. The beach is looked on upon by vehicles exiting the Brickyard Cove drive, Ferry Point tunnel and houses on the steep cliffs above. The beach, as with most of the cove, offers spectacular panoramic bay views of the Oakland hills, bridges, the San Francisco skyline and the Golden Gate.

Point Molate Beach Park is a park on the western coast of Richmond along Western Drive. It was originally a Chinese shrimp camp in the 1870s.

Point San Pablo yacht harbor is the port of call for hundreds of private boats.

Leisure and culture

Several regional parks administered by the East Bay Regional Park District lie within the city limits, including the Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline and the Point Pinole Regional Shoreline. They are linked by the San Francisco Bay Trail. Part of the former shipyard is now a Marina.

Richmond is home to primarily African American and Latino residents. Many of the African Americans arrived in Richmond during World War II to work at the shipyards and factories in Richmond. Richmond has formerly been home to black culture and activist movements, most notably the Black Panther Party. While the African American population is not currently growing, Richmond has seen increased Latino immigration as many Latinos replace African Americans in Richmond. Richmond has also seen an increase in the Asian population. The White population is expected to grow in 2007.

The Richmond Art Center [5], founded by Hazel Salmi in 1936, is one of the oldest continually operating non-profit art centers on the entire West Coast of the United States. Its programming includes exhibitions, adult and youth education, and community initiatives. The Center currently (as of 2005) provides some of the only arts education programming in the Richmond City School District, relying primarily on public donations and private grants as its means of support.

Richmond is the "twin town" of Shimada, Japan.

The Richmond Progressive Alliance and Green Party are active political parties in Richmond. The House Rabbit Society has its national headquarters in Richmond.

Richmond is home to the National Institute of Art and Disabiltites [6], also known locally as the NIAD Art Center. NIAD is a non-profit organization hosting over sixty client artists weekly. NIAD's client artist's work can be seen at NIAD's on-site gallery, the Florence Ludins-Katz Gallery. NIAD has a gift shop.

Parks & Recreation

Richmond is under the authority of the East Bay Regional Parks District, a consortium of most of the Parks and Redcreation lands and facilities thought Alameda and Contra Costa County.

Wildcat Canyon Regional Park is by far the largest park in the city. It features San Pablo Creek, trails, forests, picnic areas, and a playstructure for children, as well as horses for rent and mountain biking trails. High school students practice cross-country in the park. It is situated in eastern Richmond hills and streches into Berkeley as it crosses into Alameda county as Tilden Regional Park.

File:Richmond Map.jpg
Map of the Richmond Greenway Project

The Richmond Greenway is a project coting millions of dollars to transform an old railine into a walking, jogging, and biking trail. It will be a corridor spanning east west from the end of the Ohlone Trail thay follows the BART like from El Cerrito to Berkeley. It will also follow the BART line to Richmond station and continue on to Point Richmond. Pedestrian bridges will be used to cross major avenues such as San Pavlo Avenue and 23rd Street. An additional side project will ad a bike lane/bike trail between the Richmond Greenway and the Ohlone trail at Potrero Avenue via 23rd Street, Carlson Boulevard, Cutting Boulevard, and Potrero. It is currently under construction.

National Monument

The Rosie the Riveter/World War II homefront National Historic Monument is located in Richmond and commemorates women's shipbuilding and support for the war effort in the 1940s.

Media

There are four local newspapers: the Richmond Post, Fronteras (a Spanish-language newspaper), the Richmond Globe, and the Richmond West County Times. A local cable access TV station, KCRT-TV, mainly plays historical archives but also airs City Council Meetings and music videos. Richmond is also host to the West County Times one of several regional times newspapers for the East Bay.

Transportation

Freeways, highways, parkways, interstates, expressways

  • Interstate 80 cuts through the eastern and northeastern portions of town, through a mostly residential area, connecting to Pinole, Hercules, and then on to Vallejo via the Carquinez Bridges to the north and to El Cerrito, Albany, and Berkeley to the south locally and further down to, Oakland and [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco.

Interstate 580 curves along the southern waterside of Richmond and merges into I-80 in Albany in the southern Oakland/San Francisco direction while slicing through mixed medium and heavy industries and homes through Point Richmond and onto the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge over the San Pablo Bay segment of the San Francisco Bay into San Rafael and Marin County.

Major trunk streets

  • Marina Bay Parkway, serves as a link between I-580 and the Marina Bay neighborhood, it turns into 23rd street after crossing 580.
  • Marina Way and Harbour Way/Harbour Way South, run north-south.
  • MacDonald Avenue, is the principal city street of Richmond, running east-west from Point Richmond through downtown to San Pablo Avenue. It is nicknamed, the Parade Street, 100 year street, and the Main street.
  • Cutting Boulevard, is similar to MacDonald, but secondary to it and runs from the same end points, but runs through the South Side of Richmond.
  • 23rd Street, runs through the heart of the city North-South from where it turns to Marina Bay Parkway at I-580 trhough the Latino Businesss district known by some as, Mexico Town, to San Pablo avenue in the city of San Pablo.
  • Barrett Avenue, serves as a secondary to MacDonald.
  • Giant Highway, is a street in the northern part of town whichs runs between San Pablo and the Leroy Heights neigborhood.
  • Hilltop Drive, is a trunk street running from the Richmond Parkway, crossing San Pablo avenue, passing Hilltop Mall and continuing past Interstate 80 into El Sobrante.

Public transportation

Intercity Rail

Amtrak provides intercity passenger rail service from Richmond Station, which it shares with the Bay Area Rapid Transit system, in Downtown Richmond on MacDonald. Train routes serving Richmond are:

Heavy Rail/Rapid Transit

BART has one station in the city of Richmond, mentioned above, which serves as the northern terminus of the Richmond - Millbrae and Richmond - Fremont Lines. Two other stations are located near Richmond, El Cerrito del Norte and El Cerrito Plaza, both in El Cerrito.

Local Bus Service

AC Transit provides a diverse service throughout West Contra Costa south of Pinole.

'Local Service' Standard bus service that connects neighborhood and business and transit hubs and employment centers and schools as a feeder service with stops on every 1 to 2 blocks.

  • 70-Appian (Richmond Parkway Transit Center to Richmond BART/Amtrak station)
  • 71-Rumrill (El Cerrito del Norte BART station to Richmond Parkway Transit Center)
  • 72-San Pablo (Hilltop Mall to Oakland Amtrak station)
  • 72M-MacDonald (Point Richmond to Oakland Amtrak station)
  • 74-23rd Street (Marina Bay to Orinda BART station)
  • 76-Cutting (El Cerrito del Norte BART to Contra Costa College)

'Rapid Service' An express service emulating Light Rail with stops spaced about every 6 regular stops or quarter mile.

  • 72R-San Pablo Rapid (Contra Costa College to 2nd & Clay Streets)

'All-Nighter' (aka Owl) Bus service designed to run alond the most popular portions of daytime local lines but at the wee hours of the night to provide service to those without cars or other transit options late at night.

  • 376-North Richmond Night and owl service that connects most of Richmond from 10pm to appoximatly 2am in a 2 way figure 8 loop. (From Richmond BART/Amtrak to Hilltop Mall and El Cerrito del Norte BART to Richmond Parkway Transit Center)
  • 800-Richmond BART All-Nighter, a service which runs from approximatly 12 Midnight til 5 AM the next day. Its purpose is to emulate the BART line during the early morning when the trains no longer run. It is partb of the regional all-nighter network funded by the 1$ toll increase added by ballot initiative on the 7 state owned bridges in the Bay Area in 2004 for transit improvements.

'Transbay Service' Express service from the East Bay to the San Francisco Transbay Terminal (SFTT).

  • H-Arlington (Barrett Avenue & San Pablo Avenue to SFTT)
  • L-Pierce (Princeton Plaza Shopping Center to SFTT)
  • LA-Hilltop (Hilltop Park and Ride lot to SFTT)

Golden Gate Transit provides connecting service to San Rafael Transit Center and Marin County across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge with the Richmond BART/Amtrak stations and the El Cerrito del Norte BART station. With lines 40 and 42

Vallejo Transit provides Express serive to Solano County and the Cities of Vallejo, Fairfield, Cordelia, Suisun City, and Vacaville to the El Cerrito del Norte BART station with lines 85, 90, and 92.

WestCAT provides service to the El Cerrito del Norte BART station to the Richmond Parkway Transit Center, Hilltop Area, Pinole, Hercules, Rodeo, and Martinez to the El Cerrito del Norte BART station with lines J, JX (with JL and JR variations) and 30Z/JPX.

Taxis serves all major shopping centers and stations.

Intercity Bus Service

Greyhound runs service from the Richmond Parkway Transit Center.

Ferry Service (discontinued)

The Red and White Fleet ran a ferry service from the Marina Bay neighborhood from the Old Kaiser Shipyards to San Francisco's Ferry Building and to pier 29 1/2 and to the San Francisco Giants baseball games at the then Pacific Bell Park (later SBC Park, currently AT&T Park) in Mission Bay. This service was discontinued, not due to unpopularity but due to unprofitability.

Railroads

The Union Pacific Railroad (UP) has a mainline passing through Richmond. This line was formerly operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP).

The BNSF Railway (BNSF) has a yard and that serves as the Northern California terminus of their line that goes through the San Joaquin Valley to their main classification yard at Barstow, CA. At Barstow the BNSF has an east-west mainline that runs between Los Angeles - Chicago. The track was formerly operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF). Many years ago the ATSF offered rail car ferry service from Point Richmond to San Francisco and the abandoned ferry pier remains at the abandoned location.

The Richmond Pacific Railroad (RPRC) is a class III shortline railroad operating on 2.5 miles of track, providing switching services at Richmond's wharves. This RPRC is owned by Levin-Richmond Terminal Corporation and was formerly known as the Parr Terminal Railroad (PRT).

Notable citizens

Music

  • The Frontline's Left and Locksmith, rappers whose 2004 debut album "Who R You?/Now U Know" helped put the Bay Area back on the map in terms of hip hop.
  • Master P, rapper and founder/owner of the P. Miller brand of clothing. Founded three music stores in Richmond before hitting it big. He is the father of rapper Lil' Romeo.

Atheletics

  • David Jobe, UC Riverside Highlanders basketball player.
  • John Norman, San José State University Football Player
  • Michael McFadden, college basketball player for the san Jose State Spartans.

Others

Neighborhoods

  • Atchison Village- Many of the homes were built in the World War II as war housing. Now on the national register of historic places
  • Belding Woods- The Upper south side. Main Street is Grant Boulevard.
  • Brickyard Cove- has many houses sitting on the water, known as water sitters.
  • Brickyard Cove #2- Known as the Rocky Point Richmond Hills
  • Brickyard Landing- An apartment complex with 5 buildings, with a total of 310 housing units. Sitting on the bay next to the Point *Richmond Marina and directly across from the San Francisco Bay, the condominiums boasts one of the best views of the San Francisco bay. Surrounded by regional parks. This complex includes a swimming pool, tennis court, and a sauna and spa.
  • Carriage Hills North- Near El Sobrante, Carriage Hills North is by Castro Ranch Road. These are where many rich people live
  • Carriage Hills South- Near El Sobrante, they face the over side of Castro Ranch Road
  • Civic Center- Obviously it is by the Civic Center, Many of these homes are 1 levels, south of the Civic center, but 2 levels are north.
  • Coronado- West of South 23rd Street.
  • Cortez/Stege
  • Crescent Park- Most of these homes are apartments, near El Cerrito
  • Downtown- All commercial, except for apartments here and there.
  • East Richmond heights- None as the Richmond Hills, many big estates are in the area.
  • Eastshore
  • El Sobrante Hills
  • Fairmede/Hilltop- Fairmede homes,consist 2 level homes down Moyers road
  • Greenbriar
  • Green Ridge Heights
  • Hilltop Green
  • Hilltop Village
  • Iron Triangle
  • Marina Bay, located in Richmond's protected Inner Harbor, Marina Bay began in the early 80's as a major effort to clean up, what was once the Kaiser Permanente Shipyards. Today Marina Bay is home to 70 big and small businesses in 300,000 square feet. We like to think of Marina Bay as Richmond's redevelopment gem. Marina Bay is home to High tech businesses, a beautiful waterfront trail, lovely parks, a long shoreline esplanade, and a picturesque 750 boat berth.
  • May Valley
  • North& East
  • Panhandle
  • Parchester Village
  • Park Plaza
  • Parkview
  • Point Richmond is famous for its quaint shops and coffeehouses, the Old Corner of town. Point Richmond was once the commercial boom during the late 1800's and the early 1900's, until Downtown Richmond arrived, Point Richmond was the busiest part of town, it still has coffee shops, and small stores.
  • Pullman, many of these houses are new apartments, named after the Pullman shops in Richmond. It was named after the industry Pullman Shops, that was in Richmond, on Cutting Boulevard. The structure still stands after almost a hundred years.
  • Quail Hill- near el Sobrante. You can see many quails in a day in this district.
  • Richmond Annex
  • Richmond Village
  • Santa Fe
  • Shields-Reid- formely North Richmond, it was home to many jazz musicians
  • SW Richmond Annex

Books About Richmond

  • To Place Our Deeds: The African American Community in Richmond, California, 1910-1963 (Paperback) by Shirley Ann Wilson Moore, University of California Press; 1 edition (February 5, 2001.
  • Richmond (Images of America) (Paperback) by Donald Bastin, Arcadia Publishing (SC) (November 2003).
  • Photographing the 2nd Gold Rush: Dorothea Lange and the East Bay at War 1941-1945 (Paperback)

by Dorothea Lange, Charles Wollenberg, Heyday Books (August 1995).

  • Tales from the Iron Triangle: Boyhood Days in the Bay Area of the 1920s (Hardcover), by James Polese, Ocean Tree Books; 1st ed. edition (September 1994).
  • In Contempt (Mass Market Paperback)by Christopher A. Darden, Jess Walter, ReganBooks; Reprint edition (February 1997) (Christopher Darden, one of the prosecuters in the criminal case against O.J. Simpson, grew up in Richmond, California.)

See also

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