Walnut Creek

Walnut Creek is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. With a total population of 70,127 per the 2020 census, Walnut Creek serves as a vibrant hub for its neighboring cities because of its location at the junction of the highways from Sacramento and San Jose (I-680) and San Francisco/Oakland (SR-24) Its active downtown neighborhood features hundred-year-old buildings and extensive high-end retail establishments. The city shares its borders with Clayton, Lafayette, Alamo, Pleasant Hill, and Concord. In the postwar period of suburban development, its population more than quadrupled to 9,460 in 1960. Growth has accelerated since the late 20th century, and the population in 2019 was estimated at slightly more than 70,000. The waterway that runs through the actual town has been routed through a series of tunnels at the southwest end of Macy's Charro Restaurant and just southwest of the end of Elro Restaurant. The town is located at 37°5423°N 122°0°W, and both the San Ramon Valley and the Ygnacio Valley lie in the western slopes of Mount Diablo. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.2 sq mi (51.2 km²) The city is about 16 miles (26 kilometers) east of the city of Oakland, and shares a border with Clayton.

History

Walnut Creek is the primary city name, but also Lafayette are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is City of Walnut Creek. There are three bands of Bay Miwok Native Americans associated with the area of Walnut Creek (the stream for which the city is named): the Saclan, the Volvon and the Tactan. The city has developed within the earlier area of four extensive Mexican land grants. On October 21, 1914, the town and the surrounding area were incorporated as the 8th city in Contra Costa County. In the postwar period of suburban development, its population more than quadrupled from 2,460 in 1950 to 9,903 in 1960. Growth has accelerated since the late 20th century, and the population in 2019 was estimated at slightly more than 70,000. Today, the AntiochSFO+Millbrae line of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) serves Walnuts Creek with a station adjacent to Highway 680. A branch line of. the Southern Pacific ran through Walnut creek until the late 1970s. Portions were adapted by East Bay Regional Park District for the Iron Horse Trail, which is used by walkers, runners and bikers. The intersection of Mt. Diablo Boulevard and North Main Street is now at this site. In 1850 Hiram Penniman laid out the town site and realigned Main Street to what it is today. In December 1862 a United States Post Office was established here, named "Walnut Creek". Pioneer Homer Shuey platted the downtown street patterns in 1871-1872 on a portion of one of his family's large cattle ranches. These streets have been maintained to the present.

Geography and climate

Walnut Creek is located at 37°5423N 122°0354W. Portions lie in both the San Ramon Valley and the Ygnacio Valley below the western slopes of Mount Diablo. The city has a total area of 19.8 sq mi (51.2 km²), 0.06 percent of which is water. The actual waterway that runs through the town has been routed underneath downtown through a series of tunnels. The Ruth Bancroft Garden is a renowned botanical garden that showcases the diversity of plants that can be successfully grown. Walnut Creek's warm summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csb) is typical of California's interior valleys. In summer, high pressure results in almost unbroken sunshine and virtually no precipitation. Days start out cool but quickly warm up, with high temperatures normally in the 80s Fahrenheit (27 to 32 °C) or hotter during heatwaves. In the winter, the jet stream moves far enough south so that Pacific storms can bring much-needed rain average annual rainfall approximates 20 inches (510 mm), with slight variations occurring in microclimates based on elevation and topography. In 1974, voters approved a $6.7 million bond measure to acquire and protect open space: the city purchased 1,800 acres (730 ha) of undeveloped hillsides, ridge lines, and park sites. The East Bay Regional Park District operates Diablo Foothills Regional Park and Castle Rock Regional Recreation Area.

Public transit and bike trails

The city has two Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stations. Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill are both served by the AntiochSFO+Millbrae line. Central Contra Costa Transit Authority (County Connection/CCCTA) provides bus service throughout the city and Contra Costa County at a modest cost. County Connection also operates three free weekday shuttles within city limits. The city is transected by the Iron Horse Trail (running northsouth) through its downtown, as well as the Contra Costa Canal Trail (running eastwest) at the north end of the city. Both these trails, in addition to city bike lanes, make bicycle transportation feasible both for recreation and as an alternative commute. The Downtown Trolley/Route 4 loops from Walnut creek BART to Broadway Plaza; Route 5 runs from Walnuts Creek BART to Creekside; and Route 7, which runs from Pleasant Hill BART to Shadelands Business Park. The Contra Costa Trail runs through the city's north end, and runs north-south through the town's south end. The Iron Horse trail runs northsouth through its city center, and eastwest through its north end. It also runs through a section of the town that is known as the "Walnut Creek River Trail" The city also has a number of trails that run through its south end, including the "Contra Costa River Trail," which runs east-west through the downtown area. The town also has bike lanes that make it possible for people to ride their bikes in and out of town.

Demographics

The 2010 United States Census reported that Walnut Creek had a population of 64,173. There were 32,681 housing units at an average density of 1,653.2 per square mile (638.3/km²), of which 20,262 (66.6 percent) were owner-occupied and 10,181 (33.4 percent) occupied by renters. 43,079 people (67.1 percent of the population) lived in owner- occupied housing units and 20,092 people (31.3%) lived in rental housing units. The average household size was 2.08. The median age was 47.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.4 males. The population was spread out, with 10,719 people (16.7 percent) under the age of 18, 3,599 people (5.6%) aged 18 to 24, 15,137 people (23.6) aged 25 to 44, 17,653 people (27.5 percent) aged 45 to 64, and 17,065 people (26.6) who were 65 years of age or older. The racial makeup of the city was 50,487 (78.7%) White, 1,035 (1.6%), 155 (0.2%) Native American, 8,027 (12.5%) Asian and 1,624 (2.5) Pacific Islander. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5,540 persons (8.6%).

Government

City Council members are elected at-large to staggered, four-year terms, in elections held in even-numbered years. Walnut Creek is located in California's 11th congressional district, represented by Mark DeSaulnier (DConcord) The city has 46,149 registered voters. Of those, 21,391 are registered Democrats, 10,708 are registered Republicans, and 12,147 have declined to state a political party. On the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, the city is split between Supervisorial District 2 and District 4. In the California State Legislature, the town is in the 14th Assembly District and the 16th Assembly district. The town is also in the 7th Senate District and in the 11th House of Representatives district. As of 2022, the current elected representatives are Matt Francois (Mayor), Cindy Silva (Mayor Pro Tem), Loella Haskew, Cindy Darling and Kevin Wilk (Council members), and Matt Francois again as mayor. The current mayor is Matt Francois, and the current mayor Pro Tem is Cindy Silva, as of 2022. The city is located on California's Interstate 880, which runs from San Francisco to San Francisco. It is also part of the San Francisco Bay Area, which connects to the Bay Area via San Francisco and San Diego. It has a population of 2.4 million people (or 1.7 million people in total). The city's population is based on Census data from the 2010 Census.

Education

Walnut Creek residents attend schools in five public school districts. The Walnut Creek School District has five elementary schools, one magnet school (K8), and one middle school in the city. Some residents are served by schools from the Mount Diablo Unified School District (K12), the Acalanes Union High School district (912), and the San Ramon Valley Unified School district. Walnut creek is home to several private schools, including Las Lomas High School and the Center for Independent Study. The city has two public libraries: the Walnuts Creek Library and the Ygnacio Valley Library of the Contra Costa County Library. The library was officially opened on July 17, 2010. The new library, designed by Group 4 Architecture, Research + Planning, Inc., has 42,000 square feet (3,900 m2) and an underground parking garage. It is also known as the Thurman G. Casey Memorial Library. It was built on the site of a former library that was built in 1961 at the southern end of Civic Park. On February 26, 2008, the city demolished the Wal nut Creek Library, that wasBuilt in 1961. Mayor Gwen Regalia hosted a groundbreaking on the same site for the new library on May 19, 2008. Construction was completed in 2010 and the library wasofficially opened in July of that year. It has a library that opened in 1975, and a branch of the library opened in 1974. It's located in the Y gnacio Valley Branch, which opened in1975.

Economy

Companies based in Walnut Creek include Central Garden & Pet (makers of the AvoDerm, Amdro, Kaytee brands, among others), American Reprographics Company, CSE Insurance Group, Maximum Games, and the PMI Group. The city is home to the U.S. Air Force Academy, which was founded in 1969. The U.N. World Trade Center is based in nearby San Francisco. The town has a population of more than 1.5 million, according to the latest census data. It is the second largest city in the state, after San Francisco, behind San Francisco and San Diego. The area's economy is one of the fastest-growing in the United States, with an annual growth rate of 2.7 percent. The economy is expected to grow by 2.4 percent in the next three years, and 2.8 percent in 2015. The region's population will reach 1.7 million by the end of the year. The growth rate is expectedto be the highest in the past five years, followed by California in 2015 and 2016. It will be the second-largest city in California after San Diego in 2015, after the city of San Francisco in 2014. The population will grow by 1.8 million by 2015, and 1.9 million by 2016. The rate will be 3.1 percent in 2017. It has the highest unemployment rate in the country, and it is the third-highest in the West Coast region, after California and California.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Walnut Creek, 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 Walnut Creek = 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 70,127 individuals with a median age of 48.3 age the population dropped by -0.64% in Walnut Creek, Contra Costa County, California population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 3,500 residents per square mile of area (1,400/km²). There are average 2.08 people per household in the 30,263 households with an average household income of $74,456 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.80% 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 22.06%. The number of physicians in Walnut Creek per 100,000 population = 232.6.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Walnut Creek = 20.6 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 55. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 262. 88 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 34.9 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 Walnut Creek, Contra Costa County, California which are owned by the occupant = 64.21%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 36 years with median home cost = $459,660 and home appreciation of -9.62%. 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 $4,778 per student. There are 19.7 students for each teacher in the school. 21157.33% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 33.30% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 20.34% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).