Richmond

Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905, and has a city council. 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. During Gayle McLaughlin's mayoralty, Richmond was the nation's largest city with a Green Party mayor. Richmond was carved out of Rancho San Pablo, from which the nearby town of San Pablo inherited its name. Until the enactment of prohibition in 1919, 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. In 1930 the Ford Motor Company opened the Richmond Assembly Plant, which moved to Milpitas in 1956. The old Ford plant has been a National Historic Place since 1988. During the outset of World War II, the four Richmond Shipyards were built along Richmond's waterfront, employing thousands of workers, many recruited from other parts of the country. Many of these workers lived in specially constructed houses scattered throughout Richmond, Berkeley and Albany. Kaiser's Richmond shipyards built 747 Victory and Liberty ships for the war effort, more than any other site in the U.S. The medical system established for the shipyard workers at the Richmond Field Hospital eventually became today's Kaiser Permanente HMO. It remained in operation until 1993, when it was replaced by the Richmond Medical Center hospital, which has expanded to a multi-building campus.

Etymology

Richmond is the primary city name, but also N Richmond, North Richmond, Point Richmond, Pt Richmond are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is Richmond, California. The name "Richmond" predates incorporation of the city by more than fifty years. Edmund Randolph, originally from Richmond, Virginia, represented the city of San Francisco when California's first legislature met in San Jose in December 1849. 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. 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 city of Richmond incorporated in 1905. The first post office opened in 1900. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad purchased the railroad making their terminus at Richmond. It opened its post office in 1900, and the city's name was changed to Richmond in 1903. The name Richmond was first used in 1854, when the map was used at the terminal selected by the San. Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad. It was used on maps until the early 1900s, when it was replaced by "point Richmond Avenue" The city's nickname is now "The City of Richmond" or "The Richmond of the Bay" for short. It is located in San Francisco's Bay Area, on the eastern tip of the peninsula of the Baja Peninsula, and is home to San Francisco International Airport and the Golden Gate Bridge. It has a population of more than 100,000.

History

The Ohlone were the first inhabitants of the Richmond-area, settling an estimated 5,000 years ago. Standard Oil set up operations there in 1901, including what is now the Chevron Richmond Refinery and tank farm, which Chevron still operates. The Santa Fe Railroad's western terminus was established in Richmond with ferry connections at Ferry Point in the Brickyard Cove area of Point Richmond to San Francisco. In 1930 the Ford Motor Company opened the Richmond Assembly Plant, which moved to Milpitas in 1956. The old Ford plant has been a National Historic Place since 1988. In 2004 it was purchased by developer Eddie Orton, who converted it into an events center (Ford Point BuildingThe Craneway) Richmond was a small town at that time, until the onset of World War II brought a rush of migrants and a boom in the industrial sector. Kaiser's Richmond shipyards built 747 Victory and Liberty ships for the war effort, more than any other site in the U.S. The city broke many records and even built a Liberty ship in a record five days. By 1960 much of the temporary housing built for the shipyard workers was torn down, and the population dropped to about 71,000. Many Black Americans from the South and to a lesser extent the Midwest migrated to Richmond to take up jobs as production in heavy industry and transport expanded to meet the needs of the war economy. During the war Richmond's population increased dramatically, peaking at around 120,000 by 1945. When the war ended, and a decades-long population decline ensued.

Geography

Richmond is located at 37°5609N 122°2052W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 52.5 square miles (136 km²) The city sits on 32 miles (51 km) of waterfront, more than any other city in the Bay Area. The highest recorded temperature in Richmond was 107 °F (42 °C) in September 1971. The rainy season begins in late October and ends in April, with some showers in May. Most of the rain occurs during stronger storms which occur between November and March and drop 3.34.91 inches (84125 mm) of rain per month. December and January are the darkest months with about 45% average brightness. The city experiences virtually no snowfall, and brief hail annually. The average wind speed is 69 miles per hour (1014 km/h) with stronger winds from March through August; the strongest winds are in June. Richmond usually enjoys an "Indian summer", and September is, on average, the warmest month. January and February are the rainiest months. Southern parts of the city and the ridges receive more fog than northern areas. Richmond borders Alameda, San Francisco, and Marin counties in theBay and Red Rock Island. To the north, Richmond borders the city of Pinole and the unincorporated areas of Bayview, Montalvin Manor, Hilltop Green, Tara Hills. Richmond is within the 94801, 94803, 94804, 94805, and 94806 ZIP Codes.

Environment

Richmond 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, and 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 is needed for fishing on the waterfront or city waters but not on the piers, where in addition to crabs, sturgeon are plentiful and manta rays may also be found. Richmond 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. Because of the refineries located in Richmond, air quality is particularly low, and residents are especially at risk of air-pollution-related health issues.Mayor McLaughlin has set a goal of installing five megawatts of solar photovoltaic generation in Richmond. The city was sued by an environmental group for dumping raw sewage into the Bay in 2006. In 2006, Councilmember Tom Butt was very vocal on the subject, accusing the city council of turning a blind eye to the problem. Richmond residents, however, have limited access to other environmental benefits.

Crime

In 2004, the city of Richmond had the highest rate of crime in the United States. In 2009, the rate dropped to the lowest level in the city's history. The city is now one of the most crime-free cities in the U.S., according to a new report by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) The city's crime rate has been in the low to mid-teens since the early 1990s, according to the report. It is now in the mid-to-high 20s for the first time since the late 1990s. The report says the city has made progress in reducing crime, but it is still in the early stages of a process that will take years to reach its goal of a low to low crime rate of 10 per cent or less. It also says that the city is making progress in the prevention of crime, especially among young people, who are more likely to be involved in crime than older people. It says the number of arrests for drug-related crimes has also dropped since the start of the recession. The state has also made strides in the fight against the drug trade, which is estimated to be worth $1.5 billion a year to the state's economy. The federal government has also taken steps to make it easier for people to report crimes, such as drug possession and drug dealing, to the police. The U.N. has a program to help young people who are at risk of drug abuse.

Disasters

Richmond lies in the volatile California region that has a potential for devastating earthquakes. Many buildings were damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. 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. The city's shoreline and wildlife were seriously affected by the 2007 San Francisco Bay oil spill. There are 17 emergency warning sirens in the city; they are tested on the first Wednesday of every month, at 11 am, and are usually used to warn of toxic chemical releases from the Chevron Richmondrefinery. On April 15, 2010, a sinkhole roughly 30 feet (9.1 m) deep appeared at the intersection of El Portal Drive and Via Verdi. Although no one was hurt, a car fell into the sinkhole. On August 6, 2012, a fire erupted in the Chevron refinery, resulting in 15,000 residents in the surrounding area seeking medical treatment. On July 26, 1993, 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 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. Keller Beach was closed to public access for swimmers after the 2007 oil spill, but was later reopened. The area around the city has also had at least one minor tornado.

Demographics

The 2010 U.S. census reported that Richmond had a population of 103,701. The racial makeup of Richmond 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, 0.7% Vietnamese,0.4% Korean) The city's population was 22% African-American as of 2015, while it was 44%African-American in 1990. The 2020 US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race. The population of Richmond as of the census of 2000 was 99,216 people, 34,625 households, and 23,025 families in the city. 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. There were 39,328 housing units at an average density of 749.4 per square mile (289.3/km²), of which 36,093 were occupied, of which 18,659 were owner-occupied.

Economy

Richmond was once a heavy industrial town, chiefly devoted to shipbuilding. Its major activity now is as a seaport, with 26 million tons of goods shipped through Port Richmond in 1993, mostly oil and petroleum products. The Social Security Administration employs over 1,000 at its regional office and program service center in Downtown Richmond. Kaiser Permanente's Richmond Medical Center hospital in the Downtown Richmond is one of the largest employers in the city. The former Richmond Shipyards were transformed starting in the late 1980s into a multiunit residential area, Marina Bay. Starting in the early 2000s, the city began an aggressive redevelopment effort spurring exurban tract housing, condominiums, townhomes, a transit village, and terraced hillside subdivisions. Since 1996, new homes have increased in price by 32%, and there has been a 65.6% increase in the total amount of new dwellings built annually. On September 11, 2013, the seven-member Richmond City Council decided to pursue a scheme for eminent domain to buy out mortgages. The vote was on "[setting up a Joint Powers Authority to bring more cities into the plan". However, at least five votes would be needed before any such plans could actually be made. The city of Ontario and San Bernardino County had considered such plans but decided not to pursue them. A controversial Kohl's department store has been proposed for Point Isabel. A video production and editing studio, is located in Harborfront area along the southeast shoreline.

Casinos

Many casinos have been proposed for the West Contra Costa area. Sugar Bowl Casino proposes a casino, a steakhouse, and a buffet near the border between North Richmond and the city of Richmond's Parchester Village. Point Molate is currently slated to either become a housing and conference center, a casino resort shopping area, or a large regional park. Casino San Pablo has already been built in neighboring San Pablo, with 2,500 slots. The city council voted down the project in 2011, citing the inability to negotiate several key points with the developer. The Guideville Band of Pomo Indians was given the opportunity of 150 days to create a non-casino plan for the site such as alternatives in the environmental report for a convention center, hotel, spa, and housing. 58% of voters opposed the $1 billion project, and the council was unable to reach a compromise with the tribe on key points. The council was chagrined at the fact that there was no guarantee that the jobs would go to Richmonders. The project was voted down by the city council in 2011; the council has not voted on the project since. The tribe has spent $15 million on lobbying and reports required by Richmond to gain approval of the project. It has been approved by the Pomo Tribe's Scotts Valley Band for the casino to be in the footprint of the buildings on the former naval depot site. In 2010, the city approved the environmental review of the plan in which the tribe agreed to contain development of the casino. This approval won over the region's strict environmentalists.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Richmond, Contra Costa County, California = 25.3. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 35. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 30. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Richmond = 5.4 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 116,448 individuals with a median age of 35.2 age the population grows by 3.58% in Richmond, Contra Costa County, California population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 3,678.94 residents per square mile of area (1,420.43/km²). There are average 2.84 people per household in the 35,575 households with an average household income of $55,334 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 18.20% of the available work force and has dropped -5.07% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 11.66%. The number of physicians in Richmond per 100,000 population = 232.6.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Richmond = 23.1 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 59. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 262. 70 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 42.5 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 55, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Richmond, Contra Costa County, California which are owned by the occupant = 49.59%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 44 years with median home cost = $143,450 and home appreciation of -15.47%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $7.60 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,082 per student. There are 20.6 students for each teacher in the school, 2867 students for each Librarian and 930 students for each Counselor. 6.66% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 14.18% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 8.29% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).