Oakley

History

Archeologists have found prehistoric sites in the Oakley area. One substantial shell mound was discovered early in the 20th century near what is now the eastern edge of town. The Northwest Information Center of the California Historical Resources Information System monitors the archeological investigations undertaken in Oakley. Around three dozen such projects have been completed in the past 25 years, yielding only four prehistoric sites in the city. However, the information center believes there is a high possibility that other prehistoric sites remain within the city. To enable further archaeological excavation, the site referred to as Simon Mound was purchased by the Archaeological Conservancy after many of the ancient settlement places had already been destroyed by urban encroachment. Simone Mound has provided bones and fragments from burial sites starting around 1000 A.D. and is near a similar Conservancy preserve, the Hotchkiss Mound. The first accounts of identifiable cultural community in the west delta are attributed to the Bay Miwoks, who occupied the region between 1100 and 1770 AD. The Bay Miwok people, usually called the Julpunes or Pulpunes by European explorers, were organized into "tribelets"—political units that included several fairly permanent villages and a set of seasonal campsites arrayed across a well-defined territory. Incursions of the Spanish Empire into the Oakley area began in the 1770s. The first group to enter the present-day city limits was the De Anza expedition of 1775–76. However, after a failed attempt to find a route through the tule swamps to the Sierra, the De Anza expedition returned to Monterey. Subsequent expeditions by the Spanish did not result in colonization. Europeans settled in the Delta in the 19th century, but were…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Black Phoebe

  Sayornis nigricans (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  5,709
• California/Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay

  Aphelocoma californica (Vigors, 1839) · Aves
  5,438
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  5,100
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  5,017
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,891
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,469
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,379
• Anna's Hummingbird

  Calypte anna (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  4,203

Largest nearby schools

• Liberty High
  High · Brentwood · 2,786 students · 21.4:1 ratio
• Heritage High
  High · Brentwood · 2,559 students · 22.3:1 ratio
• Freedom High
  High · Oakley · 2,527 students · 21.8:1 ratio
• Antioch High
  High · Antioch · 1,960 students · 23.1:1 ratio
• Deer Valley High
  High · Antioch · 1,851 students · 22.3:1 ratio
• William B. Bristow Middle
  Middle · Brentwood · 1,158 students · 22.7:1 ratio
• Adams (J. Douglas) Middle
  Middle · Brentwood · 1,067 students · 23.2:1 ratio
• Park Middle
  Middle · Antioch · 996 students · 24.3:1 ratio