El Cerrito

El Cerrito (Spanish for "The Little Hill") is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, and forms part of the San Francisco Bay Area. El Cerrito was founded by refugees from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. It was incorporated in 1917 as a village with 1,500 residents. As of the census in 2000, there were 23,171 people, 10,208 households and 5,971 families in the city. It has a population of 25,962 according to the 2020 census. The city ranges in elevation from 20 to 934 feet, with an average elevation of 69 feet (21 m) It is located on the eastern shore of San. Francisco Bay in the extreme south-west corner of Contra. Costa County. Local landmark Albany Hill is in Albany, just across the border with El. Cerrito. The Hayward Fault runs through El Cerritos, and it is within 490 feet (150 meters) of Berkeley to the southeast, and approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) from the University of California Berkeley campus. It is bordered by Albany and Kensington to the south, the Richmond annex to the west, East Richmond Heights to the north, and Wildcat Canyon Regional Park to the east. The 2010 racial makeup of the city was: White, Asian, African American, Native American, Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2,621 persons (11.1%). The 2010 Census reported that 23,456 people (99.6% of the population) lived in households, 48 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 45 (0,2%) were institutionalized.

History

El Cerrito was founded by refugees from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. A post office opened at the settlement in 1909 and the refugee camp became known as Rust, after Wilhelm F. Rust, its first postmaster. The village's residents did not care for the name and changed it to El Cerrito (meaning "little hill" or "knoll") in 1916, in reference to the many individual hills in the village. The communities of Stege Junction, Rust, Schmidtville, and Schindler, were all included in the new city. A year later, El Cerrito was incorporated as a village with 1,500 residents. The 1920 census shows that the Schmidtville community had many Italian immigrants. The post office operated at Schmidtville from 1900 to 1901. The community was incorporated in August 1917, and the post office was closed the following year. The city's name was changed from Rust to Cerrito in 1916. It was officially incorporated in 1917 and became a city in 1918. It is now located in the San Francisco Bay Area and has a population of 1,527. The town's name is Spanish for 'little hill' or 'knoll' and was adopted by the city after the 1906 earthquake. It also means 'little mountain or hill' in Spanish, and 'cerrito' in English, which means 'hill or hill-like' in the Spanish language. The name was adopted after the village's first mayor was killed in a car accident in 1915.

Geography

El Cerrito is located on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in the extreme south-west corner of Contra Costa County. The city ranges in elevation from 20 to 934 feet, with an average elevation of 69 feet (21 m) El CerritoSpanish, "the little hill"takes its name from Albany Hill. The Hayward Fault runs through the city, and is located within 490 feet (150 meters) of Berkeley to the southeast, and approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) from the University of California Berkeley campus. The area has a total area of 3.7 square miles (9.6 km²), all of it land. El Cerrio is bordered by Albany and Kensington to the south, the Richmond annex to the west, East Richmond Heights to the north, and Wildcat Canyon Regional Park to the east. Local landmark Albany Hill is in Albany, just across the border with El Cerritos. The hilly areas of El Cerito provide views of its neighboring city, the Golden Gate Bridge, and of the San Francisco Peninsula. The town is located along Interstate 80, and nearby Interstate 580. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the city's population at 2,715, with a population density of 90.2 per square mile (30.7 per km²) The city has a population of 2,816, with the population of the city in the 2010 Census at 1,716, and the 2010 American Community Survey at 3,717.

Demographics

At the 2010 census El Cerrito had a population of 23,549. The racial makeup of the city was 57.79% White, 8.54% Black or African American, 0.50% Native American, 24.38% Asian, 3.06% from other races, and 5.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2,621 persons (11.1%). The median income for a household in the city in 2007 was $57,253 and the median family income was $69,397 (these figures had risen to $77,488 and $50,488 as of 2007, respectively) The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was2.84. The median age was 43.5 years. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males. There were 10,716 housing units at an average density of 2,905.6 per square mile (1,121.9/km²),of which 10,142 were occupied, 6,145 (60.6%) by the owners and 3,997 (39.4%) by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1%; the rental vacancy ratewas 5.4%. 14,474 people (61.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 8,982 people (38.1%) lived in rental housing units. The city is located on the San Francisco Bay.

Economy

El Cerrito is home to El Cerrito Plaza, a large, regional mall. The city is nominally home to Arhoolie Records (actually located in Richmond Annex), part of the Smithsonian Institution. Playland-Not-At-The-Beach, a now-closed popular amusement park museum, was also located in the city. San Pablo Avenue is the primary commercial and retail corridor of the city, though there is a segment in which the businesses on the west side of the avenue are actually in Richmond annex but have an El Cerrito postal address. The Cerrito Theater, a restored two-screen movie theater known for offering beer, wine, and a full dining menu, is located on the city's west side. El Cerrio Plaza is served by public transit at the adjacent El Cerriso Plaza station. It is also home to the San Francisco Giants baseball team, which is based in the nearby San Francisco suburb of San Francisco. The San Francisco Warriors football team is coached by former San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Curry. The team won the World Series of football in 1998 and 1999, and reached the quarterfinals of the 2008 Winter Olympics. It also won the Super Bowl in 2008 and the 2010 Winter Olympics, the first time the city has done so since 1998. The 2014 Winter Olympics were held in San Francisco, and the city won the gold medal for the second time in the history of the event. The U.S. Open tennis tournament was held in El Cerrido in 2010.

Parks and recreation

El Cerrito city parks include both recreation/sports parks as well as undeveloped nature areas. Most notable are the 80-acre (320,000 m2) Hillside Natural Area open space. The city is home to a 2.6-mile (4.2 km) segment of the Ohlone Greenway, a trail that runs the length of the City along a former railroad grade underneath the BART right-of-way. The trail is popular with walkers, runners, and bicyclists. The blind, deaf, and mute population is also a large part of the city's population. El Cerrito is located on the San Francisco Bay Area's Bay Area Peninsula. It is located between San Francisco and San Jose, California. It has a population of 2.3 million. The City is located near the San Fransisco Bay Area, which is also home to the Bay Area Air Reserve Station and the San Jose International Airport. It also has a number of parks and nature areas, including the Canyon Trail Park and Art Center and Cerrito Vista Park, which are located near Pomona Avenue and Moeser Lane. The town has a history of being heavily involved in the arts and culture, particularly through its involvement in the Oakland Museum of California and the Oakland Historical Society. It was founded in 1883. The current mayor is a former mayor of the same city, and served as mayor from 1989 to 1994. The mayor was a member of the Board of Trustees of the California League of American Indians and Peoples.

Government

The California State Auditor's High Risk Cities report (which analyzed 2016-17 data) named El Cerrito as the 7th most fiscally at-risk city in California. In a letter to the community, the City Manager criticized the State auditor's analysis for lacking important context and providing inadequate analysis. After an on-site assessment, the State Auditor received authorization from the California Legislature to conduct a full audit of the City of El Cerrio in order to determine the causes of its fiscal distress, which is expected to be released in March, 2020. Subsequently, in its next two annual High Risk cities reports, the Auditor listed El Cerritos as 8th most at- risk (2017-18 data) and 6th mostat-risk (2018-19 data) The local East Bay Times newspaper dubbed El Cerito "the worst managed city in the Bay Area" The City Manager acknowledged that City budgets are tight, and defended the city's fiscal management practices. The State Auditor will release its full audit in March 2020, which will determine the cause of the fiscal distress and how to correct it. The full audit will be released at the end of the 2020 fiscal year. For confidential support call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or visit http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/. For support on suicide matters call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 or visit a local Samaritans branch or click here.

Education

El Cerrito is in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. The district operates three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school in the city. There is a branch of the Contra Costa County Library system in El Cerrito. The city is home to the San Francisco Giants football team. The San Francisco Warriors play in the NFL's San Francisco Bay Area Division. The Oakland Raiders play the Oakland Raiders in the Raiders' Oakland Raiders division. The Raiders also play the San Diego Chargers in the California Raiders' San Diego County Division, which includes the city of San Diego and San Diego. The California Golden Gate Bridge is located in San Francisco's East Bay neighborhood, near the city's downtown area. It was built in the 1930s and is one of the nation's busiest bridges, with a total length of 1,856 miles. The Golden Gate is also the site of the U.S. Air Force's San Diego Air Force Base, which has a base in San Diego, California, and an airfield in San Jose, California. It is also home to a number of military bases, including the Air Force Academy and the Air National Guard Base at San Francisco. The Contra Costa National Guard is based in the town of San Francisco, which was founded in 1864. The U.N. has a presence in the area, including bases in Oakland, San Francisco and Livermore, and the San Jose Air Force base in the Bay Area, as well as a military base in Livermore.

Transportation

Interstate 80 runs north-south through El Cerrito, with San Pablo Avenue serving as the primary surface artery. Bay Area Rapid Transit serves two stations in the city. El Cerritos Plaza is a major hub for AC Transit, as well as North Bay regional bus operators including FAST, Golden Gate Transit, Vallejo Transit, Napa VINE, and WestCat. The Ohlone Greenway is a popular path for bike commuters and recreational cyclists and pedestrians. It is part of a regional north-South active transportation route, and is a favorite path for bicyclists and pedestrians in the North Bay. The city is home to the San Francisco Bay Area Museum of Natural History and Science, which is open to the public on weekdays. The museum is open from 9am to 5pm and is open on the weekends. It also offers a museum of natural history, including a large collection of photographs of the city's historic buildings and sites. The Museum's collection includes a large number of historic buildings, including the El Cerrio del Norte Museum of Art, which dates back to the 18th century. It was also the site of the first public library in San Francisco, which was established in 1881. The library is now home to a collection of more than 1,000 books, many of which have been donated by members of the community. It has also become a popular destination for tourists and visitors to San Francisco and the Bay Area, especially on weekends and during the summer.

In popular culture

Metallica wrote Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets in a small house in El Cerrito. Cracker recorded a song titled "El Cerrito" released on their 2014 album Berkeley to Bakersfield. Game Theory's 1988 song "You Drive" mentions El Cerritos in the first line. Kenny Chesney's song El Cerrio Place on his 2012 album Welcome to the Fishbowl is about someone searching for his lost love in El cerrito. The town is mentioned in the book ttfn by Lauren Myracle. It is also mentioned in Rancid's song "Golden Gate Fields" The town was the inspiration for Metallica's "Ride the Lightning" and "Master Of Puppets" in the early 1980s. The city is also the subject of the film "The Godfather: Part II" and the TV series "Tron: Legacy" The city was also the setting for the film The Godfather, Part III, and the film's sequel, "The godfather, part IV". The town's name is also used in the movie "Gone with the Wind" and in the TV show "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Planet of the Apes" It is the location of one of the main characters in the novel "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part I", where the character Angela finds out her family is moving to the town. The character of Angela is named after the town, which is where Metallica lived for a time.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in El Cerrito, 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 El Cerrito = 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 25,962 individuals with a median age of 45.6 age the population dropped by -3.65% in El Cerrito, Contra Costa County, California population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 7,100 residents per square mile of area (2,700/km²). There are average 2.23 people per household in the 9,913 households with an average household income of $70,282 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 11.50% 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 18.36%. The number of physicians in El Cerrito per 100,000 population = 232.6.

Weather

The annual rainfall in El Cerrito = 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 54, 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 El Cerrito, Contra Costa County, California which are owned by the occupant = 57.84%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 53 years with median home cost = $504,010 and home appreciation of -6.23%. 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 $4,919 per student. There are 20.1 students for each teacher in the school, 2332 students for each Librarian and 1194 students for each Counselor. 6.07% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 30.31% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 25.17% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).