Richmond

History

The Ohlone were 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 was known originally as The Potrero and then renamed as Point Stevens in early charts of San Francisco Bay. 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, the city had the largest winery in the world; The facility connected with both 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 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…

Geography

Richmond is located at . 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 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 the Bay and Red Rock Island. The city is within the 94801, 94803, 94804, 94805, and 94806 ZIP Codes. Richmond, like the rest of the East Bay, has a Mediterranean climate. 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 and the lows range from 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 in September 1971 while the coldest was in December 1990. }}

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  97,651
• Anna's Hummingbird

  Calypte anna (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  89,419
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  82,718
• California Towhee

  Melozone crissalis (Vigors, 1839) · Aves
  70,595
• Black Phoebe

  Sayornis nigricans (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  65,517
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  63,510
• Dark-eyed Junco

  Junco hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  61,166
• California/Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay

  Aphelocoma californica (Vigors, 1839) · Aves
  61,134

Largest nearby schools

• El Cerrito High
  High · El Cerrito · 1,522 students · 23.4:1 ratio
• Richmond High
  High · Richmond · 1,431 students · 21:1 ratio
• Pinole Valley High
  High · Pinole · 1,280 students · 21:1 ratio
• De Anza High
  High · Richmond · 1,237 students · 18.7:1 ratio
• Making Waves Academy
  High · Richmond · 1,124 students · 16.5:1 ratio
• Caliber: Beta Academy
  Elementary · San Pablo · 913 students · 23.4:1 ratio
• John F. Kennedy High
  High · Richmond · 823 students · 20.1:1 ratio
• Hercules High
  High · Hercules · 734 students · 26.2:1 ratio