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El Cerrito, Contra Costa County, California

 

 
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El Cerrito, Contra Costa County, California
 
 
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El Cerrito is a city
City

A city is an urban area with a high population density and a particular administrative, legal, or historical status.Large industrialized cities generally have advanced systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, house, and transportation and more....
 in Contra Costa County
Contra Costa County, California

Contra Costa County is a primarily suburban list of California counties in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2006, the US Census Bureau estimated it had a population of 1,024,319....
, California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. The population was 23,171 at the time of the 2000 census.

errito was founded by refugees from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake

The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, California and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 A.M....
. They settled in what was then Don Víctor Castro
Víctor Castro

Don V?ctor Ram?n Castro was a landowner of Rancho San Pablo, Alta California, M?xico which later became part of Contra Costa County, California, California, USA....
's Rancho San Pablo
Rancho San Pablo

Rancho San Pablo was a land grant given in 1823 by Governor Lu?s Antonio Arg?ello to Victor Castro, a former soldier at the San Francisco Presidio and one-time alcalde of the Pueblo of San Jos?, California....
, and adjacent to the ranch owned by the family of Luís María Peralta
Luís María Peralta

D. Lu?s Mar?a Peralta was a soldier in the Spain Army, who received one of the largest of the Spanish land grants, Rancho San Antonio , a 44,800 acre plot that encompassed most of the East Bay region of California....
, the Rancho San Antonio
Rancho San Antonio (Peralta Grant)

Rancho San Antonio, also known as the Peralta Grant, was a 44,800 acre land grant by Governor Pablo Vicente de Sol?, the last Spain governor of California, to D....
. The settlers called their refugee camp Rust, which later became a village. In 1917 it was eventually incorporated and named after founder Wilhelm F.






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Encyclopedia


El Cerrito is a city
City

A city is an urban area with a high population density and a particular administrative, legal, or historical status.Large industrialized cities generally have advanced systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, house, and transportation and more....
 in Contra Costa County
Contra Costa County, California

Contra Costa County is a primarily suburban list of California counties in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2006, the US Census Bureau estimated it had a population of 1,024,319....
, California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. The population was 23,171 at the time of the 2000 census.

History

El Cerrito was founded by refugees from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake

The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, California and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 A.M....
. They settled in what was then Don Víctor Castro
Víctor Castro

Don V?ctor Ram?n Castro was a landowner of Rancho San Pablo, Alta California, M?xico which later became part of Contra Costa County, California, California, USA....
's Rancho San Pablo
Rancho San Pablo

Rancho San Pablo was a land grant given in 1823 by Governor Lu?s Antonio Arg?ello to Victor Castro, a former soldier at the San Francisco Presidio and one-time alcalde of the Pueblo of San Jos?, California....
, and adjacent to the ranch owned by the family of Luís María Peralta
Luís María Peralta

D. Lu?s Mar?a Peralta was a soldier in the Spain Army, who received one of the largest of the Spanish land grants, Rancho San Antonio , a 44,800 acre plot that encompassed most of the East Bay region of California....
, the Rancho San Antonio
Rancho San Antonio (Peralta Grant)

Rancho San Antonio, also known as the Peralta Grant, was a 44,800 acre land grant by Governor Pablo Vicente de Sol?, the last Spain governor of California, to D....
. The settlers called their refugee camp Rust, which later became a village. In 1917 it was eventually incorporated and named after founder Wilhelm F. Rust, a German
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 immigrant, with 1,500 residents. The village's residents did not care for the name and later changed it to El Cerrito.

Geography


According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data....
, the city has a total area of 3.7 square miles (9.5 km²), all of it land.

El Cerrito is bordered by Albany
Albany, California

Albany is a city in Alameda County, California, California, United States. The population was 16,447 at the 2000 United States Census....
 and Kensington
Kensington, California

Kensington is an unincorporated community and census-designated place located in the East Bay , part of the San Francisco Bay Area, in Contra Costa County, California, United States....
 to the south, Richmond
Richmond, California

Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905., El Cerrito Historical Society, June 2007, retrieved August 15, 2007 It is located in the East Bay , part of the San Francisco Bay Area....
 to the west, East Richmond Heights
East Richmond Heights, California

East Richmond Heights is an unincorporated community in western Contra Costa County, California, California, United States. The community is sometimes referred to as Richmond View, especially in the context of real estate advertisements....
 to the north, and Wildcat Canyon Regional Park
Wildcat Canyon Regional Park

Wildcat Canyon Regional Park is a East Bay Regional Parks District park located in Contra Costa County in the San Francisco Bay Area of California....
 to the east. Local landmark Albany Hill
Albany Hill

Albany Hill is a prominent hill along the east shore of San Francisco Bay in the city of Albany, California.Its indigenous Ohlone name is unknown....
 is in Albany, just across the border with El Cerrito. (El Cerrito -- Spanish, "little hill" -- takes its name from Albany Hill.) The Hayward Fault runs through El Cerrito. In addition, El Cerrito is within 150 meters (500 ft) of Berkeley
Berkeley, California

Berkeley is a city on the east shore of San Francisco Bay in Northern California, in the United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland, California and Emeryville, California....
 to the southeast.

El Cerrito is approximately from the University of California
University of California

The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University system and the California Community Colleges s...
 Berkeley campus
Campus

A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes library, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings....
 and it has two BART (Bay Area rapid transit
Rapid transit

A rapid transit, subway, underground, elevated railway or metro system is an railway electrification system public transport rail transport in an urban area with high capacity and frequency, and which is grade separation from other traffic....
) stations: El Cerrito del Norte
El Cerrito del Norte (BART station)

El Cerrito del Norte, often shortened to simply del Norte BART, is one of two BART stations in El Cerrito, California, just east of the Cutting Boulevard interchange of Interstate 80....
 and El Cerrito Plaza.

Places

El Cerrito Plaza
El Cerrito Plaza (Shopping Center)

El Cerrito Plaza is a shopping center in El Cerrito, Contra Costa County, California, a suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area. Originally a 350,000 square foot regional mall, it opened in 1958 around a The Emporium department store....
 is the largest shopping center in the city; containing grocery stores, several restaurants, a chain bookstore, chain pet store, chain housewares store, and pharmacy in addition to many shops and boutiques. The shopping center is surrounded by other commercial and shopping businesses along San Pablo Avenue and Fairmount Avenue respectively, including fast food and an ACE Hardware store. The Cerrito Theater, which for years was a furniture store, has been restored into a hybrid restaurant/movie theatre rechristened the speakeasy. The vintage restored Cerrito Theater signs remain; this theatre has become a big hit in the Bay Area and has been featured in many local newspapers to rave reviews. However, it was recently reported that the Theater is eleven months' in arrears on its $10,000.00 monthly rent to the city of El Cerrito, placing the future of the business in question. The Guitar Center, also located on San Pablo Avenue, is well-known among the Bay Area music scene.

El Cerrito has an array of recreational parks. Most notable are Huber Park located on Terrace Drive. Cerrito Vista Park, located on Moeser Lane and Pomona Avenue, and Arlington Park, located on Arlington Blvd. Residents can also enjoy the 80 acre tree-line Hillside Park open space.

Demographics

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....
 of 2000, there were 23,171 people, 10,208 households, and 5,971 families residing in the city. 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 6,356.5 people per square mile (2,451.1/km²). There were 10,462 housing units at an average density of 2,870.1/sq mi (1,106.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 57.79% White
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, 8.54% Black
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
 or African American
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, 0.50% Native American
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, 24.38% Asian
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, 0.25% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, 3.06% from other races
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
, and 5.48% from two or more races. 7.93% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
 or Latino
Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are Self-concept data items in which residents choose the Race in the United States or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are of Hispanic or Latino origin ....
 of any race.

There were 10,208 households out of which 20.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.4% were married couples
Marriage

Marriage is a social, spirituality, or law union of individuals. This union may also be called matrimony, while the ceremony that marks its beginning is usually called a wedding and the married status created is sometimes called wedlock....
 living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.5% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the city the population was spread out with 15.9% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.

The median income
Income

Income, refers to consumption opportunity gained by an entity within a specified time frame, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. However, for households and individuals, "income is the sum of all the wages, salaries, profits, interests payments, rents and other forms of earnings received......
 for a household in the city was $57,253, and the median income for a family was $69,397 (these figures had risen to $77,650 and $97,488 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $50,316 versus $40,866 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income

Per capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone....
 for the city was $32,593. About 3.5% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

At home the percentages of the languages residents speak are English 70.47%, Spanish 6.26%, Chinese 5.96%, Japanese 2.70%, Mandarin 1.80%, Cantonese 1.57%, Farsi 1.43%, Tagalog 1.30%, Korean 1.08%, French 0.90%, German 0.83%, Formosan 0.73%, Italian 0.66%, Vietnamese 0.57%, Urdu 0.50%, and 3.23% of people spoke some other language which represented less than 0.50% of the population.

Notable people

Founders of the rock and roll
Rock and roll

Rock and roll is a form of music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its roots lay mainly in rhythm and blues, Country music, folk music, gospel music, and jazz....
 band Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater Revival was an United States rock and roll band who gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various Studio album....
, John Fogerty
John Fogerty

John Cameron Fogerty is an United States Rock music singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his time with the swamp rock/roots rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival....
 and Tom Fogerty
Tom Fogerty

Tom Fogerty was a musician best known as the lead guitar in Creedence Clearwater Revival and the elder brother of John Fogerty, the lead singer and guitar player in that band....
, grew up in El Cerrito. The band played their last concert at El Cerrito High School
El Cerrito High School

El Cerrito High School is a public school in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. It is located at 540 Ashbury Avenue, El Cerrito, Contra Costa County, California 94530...
. The Bay Area tenure of Metallica
Metallica

Metallica is an American heavy metal music band that formed in 1981 in Los Angeles. Founded when drummer Lars Ulrich posted an advertisement in a local newspaper, Metallica's line-up has primarily consisted of Ulrich, rhythm guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, while going through a number of bassists....
 started out in El Cerrito. Drew Gooden
Drew Gooden

Andrew Melvin "Drew" Gooden is an American professional basketball player who plays for the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA. Gooden is a 6'10", 250 lbs....
, who plays forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team and won their first Eastern Conference Championship in 2007....
, also went to El Cerrito High School. During his tenure, the basketball team went to, and lost, in the state basketball final.

  • Thomas Pridgen
    Thomas Pridgen

    Thomas Armon Pridgen is the current drummer for The Mars Volta....
    , current drummer for the band The Mars Volta
    The Mars Volta

    The Mars Volta is an American progressive rock group formed in 2001 by guitarist Omar Rodr?guez-L?pez and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala. They incorporate various influences including punk rock, jazz fusion, funk and Latin American music into their sound....
    .


  • Les Blank
    Les Blank

    Les Blank is an United States documentary film filmmaker best known for his portraits of American traditional musicians.Blank attended Tulane University in New Orleans, where he received a B.A....
    , documentary filmmaker (born 1935)


  • Chris Strachwitz
    Chris Strachwitz

    Christian Alexander Maria, Graf Strachwitz von Gross-Zauche und Camminetz , is the founder and president of Arhoolie Records.Strachwitz was a son of Alexander Maria Hubertus Hyacinthus, Graf Strachwitz von Gross-Zauche und Camminetz and wife Friederike Frances Adelheid von Bredow , daughter of Leopold Waldemar von Bredow ...
    , founder of Arhoolie records.


  • John Fogerty
    John Fogerty

    John Cameron Fogerty is an United States Rock music singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his time with the swamp rock/roots rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival....
    , musician from the band Creedence Clearwater Revival
    Creedence Clearwater Revival

    Creedence Clearwater Revival was an United States rock and roll band who gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various Studio album....
    .


  • Larissa Kelly
    Larissa Kelly

    Larissa Kelly is a Jeopardy! contestant from El Cerrito, California. She won a total of $222,597 over seven games, with her last appearance airing May 28, 2008....
    , all-time female Jeopardy!
    Jeopardy!

    Jeopardy! is a game show featuring trivia in topics such as history, literature, pop culture and science. The show has a decades-long Jeopardy! broadcast history in the United States since its creation by Merv Griffin in the early 1960s....
     champion


  • Matt Young
    Matt Young

    Matthew John Young is a former American Major League Baseball baseball player. Young played for a variety of teams over his career, and is best known for his unofficial no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians while a member of the Boston Red Sox....
    , former American Major League
    Major League Baseball

    Major League Baseball is the highest level of play in American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between them since 1903 ....
     baseball
    Baseball

    Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport of nine players each. The goal of baseball is to score run by hitting a thrown Baseball with a baseball bat and touching a series of four markers called base arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond. Players on one team take turns hitting against...
     player


  • Dr. Wil Burns, Editor in Chief, Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy


Schools in El Cerrito

  • Keystone Montessori School
  • Montessori Community School
  • Castro Elementary School
  • Fairmont Elementary School
  • Harding Elementary School
  • Madera Elementary School
  • Portola Junior High School
  • Prospect Sierra School
  • St. Jerome Catholic School
  • St. John The Baptist
  • Tehiyah Day School
    Tehiyah Day School

    Tehiyah Day School is a non-denominational Jewish day school in El Cerrito, Contra Costa County, California....
  • Windrush School
  • El Cerrito High School
    El Cerrito High School

    El Cerrito High School is a public school in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. It is located at 540 Ashbury Avenue, El Cerrito, Contra Costa County, California 94530...


External links