Castro Valley, California
Encyclopedia
Castro Valley is a census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...

 (CDP) in Alameda County
Alameda County, California
Alameda County is a county in the U.S. state of California. It occupies most of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,510,271, making it the 7th most populous county in the state...

, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. As of the 2000 census, it is the fifth most populous unincorporated area
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 in California, and the twenty-third in the United States. The population was 61,388 at the 2010 census.

History

Before the arrival of European settlers the area was settled by the Chocheño
Chochenyo
The Chochenyo are one of the divisions of the indigenous Ohlone people of Northern California...

(also spelled Chochenyo or Chocenyo) subdivision of the Ohlone
Ohlone
The Ohlone people, also known as the Costanoan, are a Native American people of the central California coast. When Spanish explorers and missionaries arrived in the late 18th century, the Ohlone inhabited the area along the coast from San Francisco Bay through Monterey Bay to the lower Salinas Valley...

 Native Americans.

With the arrival of Europeans, Castro Valley was part of the land granted to Mission San Jose
Mission San José
Mission San José was founded on June 11, 1797 on a site located in the "Mission San Jose District" of Fremont, California in the "Valley of San José." The settlement was the site of the first Ceasarian section childbirth in Alta California...

 in 1797. The area Castro Valley now occupies was part of the extensive colony of New Spain
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...

 in what was the state of Alta California
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...

.

Castro Valley is named after Don Guillermo Castro
Guillermo Castro
Guillermo Castro was the son of Carlos Castro of Rancho San Francisco de las Llagas, near Coyote, California in Santa Clara County. He was a soldier, rancher, surveyor, and magistrate in his lifetime.-Biography:...

, who was a soldier in the Mexican army and a rancher. Castro Valley was part of the original 28,000 acre (110 km²) land grant given to Castro, called Rancho San Lorenzo. This land grant included Hayward
Hayward, California
Hayward is a city located in the East Bay in Alameda County, California. With a population of 144,186, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda County. Hayward was ranked as the 37th most populous municipality in California. It is included in...

, San Lorenzo
San Lorenzo, California
San Lorenzo , also known as San Lorenzo Village is a census-designated place in Alameda County, California, United States. The population was 23,452 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...

, and Castro Valley, including Crow Canyon, Cull Canyon, and Palomares Canyons. Castro had a gambling habit and had to sell off portions of his land to pay gambling debts. The last of his holding was sold in a sheriff's sale in 1864 to Faxon Atherton
Faxon Atherton
Faxon Dean Atherton was an American businessman and landowner, and was a prominent citizen of San Mateo County, California. He is the namesake of Atherton, California.-Early life:...

 for $400,000.

Atherton (after whom the city of Atherton
Atherton, California
Atherton is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. Its population was 6,914 at the 2010 census. In September 2010, Forbes magazine placed Atherton's zip code of 94027 at #2 on its annual list of America's most expensive zip codes, with a median home price of $4,010,200...

 is named) in turn began selling off his portion in smaller parcels. Two gentlemen named Cull (the namesake of Cull Canyon) and Luce bought some 2,400 acres (10 km²) and began running a steam-operated saw mill in Redwood Canyon. The Jensen brothers also bought land from Atherton in 1867.

During the 1940s and 1950s, Castro Valley was known for its chicken ranches. Later it developed into a bedroom community, where workers live and commute to their jobs in the surrounding communities.

Geography

Lake Chabot
Lake Chabot
Lake Chabot is a man-made lake covering in Alameda County, California. Part of the lake lies within Oakland city limits, but most of it lies in unincorporated Castro Valley, just east of San Leandro. It was formed by the damming of San Leandro Creek....

 lies at the north of Castro Valley. Directly to the west is San Leandro
San Leandro, California
San Leandro is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is considered a suburb of Oakland and San Francisco. The population was 84,950 as of 2010 census. The climate of the city is mild throughout the year.-Geography and water resources:...

. Hayward
Hayward, California
Hayward is a city located in the East Bay in Alameda County, California. With a population of 144,186, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda County. Hayward was ranked as the 37th most populous municipality in California. It is included in...

 is to the south. To the east, the closest cities are San Ramon
San Ramon, California
-2010 census:The 2010 United States Census reported that San Ramon had a population of 72,148. The population density was 3,991.1 people per square mile...

, Dublin
Dublin, California
Dublin is a suburban city of the East Bay region of Alameda County, California, United States. Located along the north side of Interstate 580 at the intersection with Interstate 680, roughly east of Hayward, west of Livermore and north of San Jose, it was named after the city of Dublin in...

 and Pleasanton
Pleasanton, California
Pleasanton is a city in Alameda County, California, incorporated in 1894. It is a suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area located about east of Oakland, and west of Livermore. The population was 70,285 at the 2010 census. In 2005 and 2007, Pleasanton was ranked the wealthiest middle-sized city in...

. The San Leandro Hills
San Leandro Hills
The San Leandro Hills are a range of the Pacific Coast Ranges located on the eastern side of the valley which includes San Francisco Bay. They run along the southeastern city limits of Oakland, extending southeastward above the city of San Leandro and the unincorporated community of Castro Valley....

 extend along the northeastern edge of the community.

The eastern hills of Castro Valley constitute the headwaters of the San Lorenzo Creek
San Lorenzo Creek
San Lorenzo Creek is a year-round natural stream flowing through Hayward, California, into San Francisco Bay at the Hayward Regional Shoreline.-Watershed:...

 watershed and the origin of several creeks that flow into San Lorenzo Creek: Bolinas, Castro Valley, Chabot, Crow, Cull, Eden, Hollis, Kelly Canyon, Norris, and Palomares creeks.

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that 61,388 people, 22,348 households, and 16,112 families resided in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 3,690.3 people per square mile (1,424.8/km²). There were 23,392 housing units at an average density of 1,382.6 per square mile (533.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 58.0% White (49.5% non-Hispanic), 6.9% African American (6.6% non-Hispanic), 0.5% Native American, 21.4% Asian, 0.7% Pacific Islander, 6.1% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 6.3% from two or more races. 17.4% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The Census reported that 98.0% of the population lived in households, 0.4% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1.5% were institutionalized.

There were 22,348 households out of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 54.3% were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present. 5.0% of households were unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....

 and 1.0% were same-sex married couples or partnerships. 21.7% of households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.15.

The population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 7.6% aged 18 to 24, 24.5% aged 25 to 44, 31.1% aged 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.2 years. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.

There were 23,392 housing units of which 69.0% were owner-occupied and 31.0% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.4%. 68.8% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 29.2% lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 57,292 people, 21,606 households, and 15,016 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 3,971.6 people per square mile (1,533.0/km²). There were 22,003 housing units at an average density of 1,525.3 per square mile (588.7/km²).

There were 21,606 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $76,197, and the median income for a family was $91,713 as of a 2008 estimate. About 2.7% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Castro Valley is one of the sites where Joseph Eichler
Joseph Eichler
Joseph Eichler was a 20th century post-war U.S. American real estate developer known for developing distinctive residential subdivisions of Mid-Century modern style Tract housing in California, United States. He was one of the influential advocates of bringing modern architecture from custom...

 built some of the 10,000 or so homes he built in the Bay Area.
Castro Valley has a one-screen movie theater, the Chabot Cinema.
The Castro Village complex on Castro Valley Boulevard is widely considered the commercial center of town.
The Harry Rowell Rodeo Ranch is located in Castro Valley, and is managed by the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District
Hayward Area Recreation and Park District
The Hayward Area Recreation and Park District is the park management agency for most of the parks in the city of Hayward, California and environs. It was created in 1944 and is an independent special district under California law. H.A.R.D. is the largest recreation district in California...

. Rodeos are held there regularly.

Law and government

Castro Valley is an unincorporated community and thus is governed directly by the County of Alameda. There is no city police force, with policing provided by the Alameda County Sheriff's Office
Alameda County Sheriff's Office
The Alameda County Sheriff's Office is a law enforcement agency serving Alameda County, California. The ACSO is accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies , the American Correctional Association , National Commission on Correctional Health Care and the...

. The town has its own fire protection district and school district. To date, all efforts to incorporate Castro Valley have been voted down by its residents.

Education

Castro Valley is served by the Castro Valley Unified School District
Castro Valley Unified School District
The Castro Valley Unified School District is a public preschool through adult school district. Overall, the district contains almost 9,000 students...

. Overall, the district contains almost 9,000 students. The main high school is Castro Valley High School
Castro Valley High School
Castro Valley High School is a comprehensive public high school for grades 9 to 12 and is located in the unincorporated suburban community of Castro Valley, California, U.S. Named a National Exemplary School in 1984-85 and 1988–89, it was a California Distinguished School in 1987-88 and 2000-01...

 with over 2,900 students. Castro Valley also has Redwood High School
Redwood Alternative High School
Redwood High School is an alternative/continuation public high school in Castro Valley, California. It is the only alternative/continuation high school in Castro Valley and is one of only two high schools in Castro Valley, the other being Castro Valley High School. Redwood High School was remodeled...

, an alternative high school with approximately 193 students in 2005. The school district includes the Castro Valley Adult School.

There is also a Roman Catholic school, called Our Lady of Grace (K-8), which is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland
Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Northern California. The diocese comprises Alameda and Contra Costa Counties in the San Francisco Bay Area...

. Redwood Christian Schools has two elementary schools in Castro Valley: Crossroads Christian Elementary and Redwood Christian Elementary. Castro Valley also holds a private elementary school and preschool called Camelot Elementary.

Transportation

Interstate 580
Interstate 580 (California)
Interstate 580 is an 80-mile east–west Interstate Highway in Northern California. The heavily traveled spur route of Interstate 80 runs from San Rafael in the San Francisco Bay Area to Interstate 5 near Tracy in the Central Valley...

, which approaches from the east, makes a turn northward at Castro Valley. Interstate 238
Interstate 238
Interstate 238 is a short auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States. Part of State Route 238 until 1983, and still considered the same route by the California Department of Transportation , it connects Interstate 580 in Castro Valley...

, which originates in Castro Valley, connects I-580 to Interstate 880
Interstate 880
Interstate 880 is an Interstate Highway in the San Francisco Bay Area connecting San Jose and Oakland, running parallel to the southeastern shore of San Francisco Bay...

. In addition to being served by those two freeways, Castro Valley is served with public transportation by bus system AC Transit
AC Transit
AC Transit is an Oakland-based regional public transit agency serving the western half of Alameda County and parts of western Contra Costa County in the western, Bay-side area of the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area...

, and rapid transit system BART with a station.

Historically, Castro Valley Boulevard was part of the first transcontinental highway system, the Lincoln Highway
Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States of America.Conceived and promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey,...



Services

Eden Medical Center operates in Castro Valley. It provides basic emergency medical services
Emergency medical services
Emergency medical services are a type of emergency service dedicated to providing out-of-hospital acute medical care and/or transport to definitive care, to patients with illnesses and injuries which the patient, or the medical practitioner, believes constitutes a medical emergency...

 for the area.

Notable residents

  • Amy Berg
    Amy Berg (writer)
    Amy Berg grew up in Castro Valley, California, USA. She is an American TV writer and producer, known best for her work on Eureka, Leverage, The Huffington Post and The 4400 Her other television credits include Boomtown, North Shore and Threshold. She was also a featured performer at w00tstock...

    , television writer and producer
  • David Bingham
    David Bingham (American soccer)
    David Bingham , is an American goalkeeper currently playing for the San Jose Earthquakes in Major League Soccer.-College and Amateur:...

    , soccer player
  • Cliff Burton
    Cliff Burton
    Clifford Lee "Cliff" Burton was an American musician, best known as the bass guitarist for the American heavy metal band Metallica....

    , bassist of Metallica, attended Castro Valley High School
    Castro Valley High School
    Castro Valley High School is a comprehensive public high school for grades 9 to 12 and is located in the unincorporated suburban community of Castro Valley, California, U.S. Named a National Exemplary School in 1984-85 and 1988–89, it was a California Distinguished School in 1987-88 and 2000-01...

  • Jason Castro (baseball)
    Jason Castro (baseball)
    Jason Michael Castro is a catcher for the Houston Astros.-Career:Castro played high school baseball for Castro Valley High School....

    , Baseball player, born in Castro Valley
  • Frank Cepollina
    Frank Cepollina
    Frank J. "Cepi" Cepollina was born in 1936 in Castro Valley, California is an American engineer and inventor. He was officially inducted to the National Inventors Hall of Fame for his pioneering concept of in-orbit satellite servicing in May 2003...

    , engineer
  • Tim Davis, football coach
  • Jack Del Rio
    Jack Del Rio
    Jack Del Rio is an American football coach and former player. Del Rio played both football and baseball for the University of Southern California Trojans, and then spent eleven years playing linebacker in the National Football League . He retired from playing in 1996 and went into coaching,...

    , head coach of the NFL team The Jacksonville Jaguars
    Jacksonville Jaguars
    The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

  • Val Diamond
    Val Diamond
    Val Diamond is a stage performer and San Francisco icon. She is best known for her role in Beach Blanket Babylon.Diamond grew up in Castro Valley, California, the daughter of Harold and Lilly. Her father is Jewish and her mother is an Italian immigrant. She began her acting career in high school,...

     of Beach Blanket Babylon
    Beach Blanket Babylon
    Steve Silver's Beach Blanket Babylon is America's longest-running musical revue. The show began its run in 1974, at Club Savoy Tivoli and has since moved to the larger Club Fugazi in the North Beach district of San Francisco...

  • Garret Dillahunt, Actor, No Country For Old Men
    No Country for Old Men (film)
    No Country for Old Men is a 2007 American crime thriller directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, and starring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin. The film was adapted from the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name...

    , born in Castro Valley
  • Craig Ferguson
    Craig Ferguson (ice hockey)
    Craig Malcolm Ferguson is a retired American-born Canadian professional ice hockey player. He was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the seventh round, 146th overall in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft. His father is former-NHL player Norm Ferguson...

    , Canadian ice hockey player
  • Tony Gemignani, world champion pizza tosser, owner of Pyzano's Pizza in Castro Valley.
  • Adam Heether, Minor League Baseball player
  • Brian Keyser
    Brian Keyser
    Brian Lee Keyser is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He played during two seasons at the major league level for the Chicago White Sox. He was drafted by the White Sox in the 19th round of the amateur draft...

    , Major League Baseball player
  • Kris LaPoint
    Kris LaPoint
    Kris LaPoint is an American water skier and 9 time National Slalom Champion. He is the older brother of former world champion Bob LaPoint.-Tournament results:* Nine-time National Slalom Champion...

    , professional water skier
  • Luenell
    Luenell
    Luenell Campbell , known professionally as Luenell, is an American comedienne and actress.She was born in Tollette, Arkansas and uses only her first name. She is the youngest of eight children...

    , actress and comedian
  • Kevin Maas
    Kevin Maas
    Kevin Christian Maas is a former Major League Baseball player. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 22nd round of the 1986 draft after attending the University Of California. He made his major league debut for Yankees on June 29, 1990 when they called him up from the Columbus Clippers...

    , Major League Baseball player
  • Rachel Maddow
    Rachel Maddow
    Rachel Anne Maddow is an American television host and political commentator. Maddow hosts a nightly television show, The Rachel Maddow Show, on MSNBC. Her syndicated talk radio program, The Rachel Maddow Show, aired on Air America Radio...

    , anchor and political analyst on MSNBC
    MSNBC
    MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...

    's The Rachel Maddow Show
    The Rachel Maddow Show (TV series)
    The Rachel Maddow Show is a news and opinion television program that airs weeknights on MSNBC at 9:00 p.m. ET. It is hosted by Rachel Maddow, who gained popularity with her frequent appearances as a liberal pundit on various MSNBC programs. It is based on her former radio show of the same name...

    and The Rachel Maddow Show on Air America Radio
    Air America Radio
    Air America was an American radio network specializing in progressive talk programming...

    .
  • "Big" Jim Martin, former guitar player for Faith No More
    Faith No More
    Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed originally as Faith No Man in 1981 by bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Wade Worthington, vocalist Michael Morris and drummer Mike Bordin. A year later when Worthington was replaced by keyboardist Roddy Bottum, and Mike...

  • Richard McCroskey (1988–), convicted mass murderer in the Farmville murders
    Farmville murders
    The Farmville murders occurred in Farmville, Virginia in September, 2009 – the quadruple bludgeoning homicide of Mark Neiderbrock, his estranged wife Debra S. Kelley, their daughter Emma Neiderbrock and her friend Melanie Wells....

  • Daniel Selby, actor and public speaker
  • Ed Sprague, Jr., Major League Baseball player
  • Jim and Jennifer Stolpa
    Snowbound: The Jim and Jennifer Stolpa Story
    Snowbound: The Jim and Jennifer Stolpa Story is a 1994 American television film.Snowbound is based on a true story. Jim and Jennifer Stolpa and their infant son Clayton are 500 miles from their home in Castro Valley, California, when they lose their way and are stranded in an endless wilderness of...

    , whose story was featured in the film Snowbound: The Jim and Jennifer Stolpa Story
    Snowbound: The Jim and Jennifer Stolpa Story
    Snowbound: The Jim and Jennifer Stolpa Story is a 1994 American television film.Snowbound is based on a true story. Jim and Jennifer Stolpa and their infant son Clayton are 500 miles from their home in Castro Valley, California, when they lose their way and are stranded in an endless wilderness of...

  • Greg Tabor
    Greg Tabor
    Gregory Steven Tabor is a former right-handed Major League Baseball second baseman and pinch runner who played for the Texas Rangers in 1987.-Baseball career and statistics:...

    , Major League Baseball player
  • Christopher Titus
    Christopher Titus
    Christopher Todd Titus is an American comedian and actor. He grew up in Newark, California. Titus came to national attention with the eponymous FOX show Titus, of which he was the star, executive producer and co-creator...

    ,comedian

External links

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