Concord

Concord is the largest city in Contra Costa County, California. Founded in 1869 as Todos Santos by Don Salvio Pacheco II, a noted Californio ranchero, the name was later changed to Concord. The city is a major regional suburban center within the San Francisco Bay Area, and is 29 miles (47 kilometers) east of San Francisco. The Port Chicago disaster was the largest number of casualties among African Americans in any one incident during that war. On the evening of July 17, 1944, a massive explosion instantly killed 320 sailors, merchant seamen, and civilians working at the pier. A subsequent refusal by 258 black sailors to load any more ammunition was the beginning of the Navy's largest-ever mutiny trial, in which 50 men were found guilty. The area around Concord in the surrounding Ygnacio and Clayton Valleys was a large agricultural area. Crops that were grown included grapes, walnuts, almonds, wheat, hay, and even tomatoes. During Prohibition, many vineyards were removed and replaced with walnut orchards. The town of Cowell, now incorporated into Concord, produced cement. Much of the area immediately around downtown has recently been redeveloped, with new high-density apartment and condominium projects to take advantage of the proximity to public transportation and to the area surrounding the park. Despite this, some crime and homelessness remain issues in the downtown area. In the far northern edge of town is a primarily industrial area, dominated by the Tesoro Refinery (which is actually not located within city limits).

History

The valleys north of Mount Diablo were inhabited by the Miwok people, who hunted elk and fished in the numerous streams flowing from the mountain into the San Francisco Bay. In 1772, Spanish explorers began to cross the area but did not settle there. In 1834, the Mexican land grant Rancho Monte del Diablo was granted to Salvio Pacheco. Concord was incorporated on February 5, 1905. The first Concord post office opened in 1872. The munitions on board a Navy cargo ship exploded while being loaded during World War II, resulting in the largest number of casualties among African Americans in any one incident during that war. A subsequent refusal by 258 black sailors to load any more ammunition was the beginning of the Navy's largest-ever mutiny trial, in which 50 men were found guilty. Future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall sat in on most of the proceedings and declared that he saw a prejudiced court. The town of Cowell, now incorporated into Concord, produced cement. During Prohibition, many vineyards were removed and replaced with walnut orchards. The area around Concord in the surrounding Ygnacio and Clayton Valleys was a large agricultural area. Crops that were grown included grapes, walnuts, almonds, wheat, hay, and even tomatoes. The site of the Concord Naval Weapons Station was the site of a few enormous wheat ranches over 5,000 acres (20 km²), and was almost a sea of wheat all the way to the marshes bordering Suisun Bay.

Geography

The focal point of downtown Concord is Todos Santos Plaza, which is known for its farmers market, free summer concerts, and large number of surrounding restaurants. To the north and east of downtown is the older residential area of Concord, with many homes dating back to before World War II. In the far northern edge of town is a primarily industrial area, dominated by the Tesoro Golden Eagle Refinery (which is actually not located within city limits) The southeastern area of the city, centered along Clayton Road, is primarily residential and was mostly developed in the 1960s and 1970s. The city is bordered on the west by Pleasant Hill and the unincorporated community of Pacheco, on the south by Walnut Creek, and on the northeast by Pittsburg and Bay Point. Although it shares no border with Concord, Martinez (the county seat) is located almost immediately adjacent to Concord on the northwest. The North Concord BART station is also known as Martinez BART. It is located at 37°5841N 122°0152W. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 30.5 square miles (79 km²), all of it land. Concord is 29 miles (47 km) northeast of San Francisco, 22 miles (35km) northeast from Oakland, 65 miles (105 km) southwest of Sacramento, and 51 miles (82 km) north of San Jose. Despite this, some crime and homelessness remain issues in the downtown area.

Climate

Concord has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb), with warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. Average annual precipitation is 18.31 in (465 mm), falling on an average of 57 days annually. The highest recorded temperature was 113 °F (45.0 °C) on September 1, 2017. The wettest year was 1995, with 26.62 inches (676.1 mm) and the driest was 2007, with 10.57 inches (268.5 mm). The most rainfall in one month was 11.79 inches (299.5mm) in December 2005, which included the 24-hour maximum rainfall of 3.95 inches (100 mm) on December 31. The lowest record temperature was 24 °F on December 23, 1998, with a temperature of 4.4 °C. There are 45.0 days with highs of 90°F (32.2 °C), and 3.8 days with lows of 32 °F or lower. The average January temperature is 57.2 °F  (14.0 °C) and a minimum of 41.6 °F  °C (5.3 °C). The average July temperatures are a maximum of 87.8 °F [31.0°C] and a  minimum of 58.2°F [14.6°C]. The average annual rainfall is 18 in (465 mm) on an average of 57 days annually.

Demographics

The 2010 United States Census reported that Concord had a population of 122,067. The population was spread out, with 28,000 people (22.9%) under the age of 18, 10,946 people (9.0%) aged 18 to 24, 35,834 people (29.4%) aged 25 to 44, 32,903 people (27.0) aged 45 to 64, and 14,384 people (11.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. There were 47,125 housing units at an average density of 1,542.8 per square mile (595.7/km²), of which 44,278 were occupied, of which 27,069 (61.1%) were owner-occupied, and 17,209 (38.9) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.0%. 71,004 people (58.2% of the population) lived in owner- occupied housing units and 50,016 people (41.0%), of any ethnicity, lived in rental housing units. The average household size was 2.73; the average family size was 3.22. The median age was 37.0 years. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that 121,020 people (99.1%), lived in households, 512 (0.4%), and 535 (1.2%) were institutionalized.

Government

In 2017, Concord had 65,061 registered voters with 31,759 (48.8%) registered as Democrats. In the California State Legislature, Concord is in the 7th Senate District, represented by Democrat Steve Glazer, and in the 14th Assembly District. Concord is also in California's 11th congressional district,represented by Democrat Mark DeSaulnier. The town is located in the San Francisco Bay Area and is located on the San Joaquin River, which flows into the San Diego River. It is located near San Diego and San Diego County's San Diego-San Diego County line. It has a population of about 65,000 people, with about 30,000 of them living in the town of Concord. The city's population is about 50,000, with the majority of its residents living in Concord and the rest in the surrounding areas. The majority of the town's residents are Democrats, with 14,447 registered as Republicans, and 15,623 (24%) no party preference voters. It also has a small percentage of Republicans, with 22.2% of its registered voters registered as Republican. In 2017, the town had a total of 65,631 registered voters, with 31,759 of those being Democrats, and 14,447 (22.2%) of them being Republicans. The population of Concord is about 55,000. In 2013, the city had a population of 65,071.

Economy

Concord has been primarily a bedroom community for San Francisco and Oakland over the last forty years, but during the last decades, jobs within the city have increased. Concord also has a strong retail sector including the Sunvalley Shopping Center, which used to be one of the 50 largest malls in the United States. The city's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: Round Table Pizza, Atrivo, Costco, and Concord College of Art and Design, according to the city's economic report. The top year-on-year growth in Concord's economy was in the first quarter of 2013. The year-to-date growth rate in Concord has been in the mid-teens. Concord's unemployment rate is in the low to mid-twenties. It is the highest in the U.S. among cities with more than 50,000 people living in it. The average household income in Concord is about $50,000. Concord has a population of about 3,500 people, and the city has a GDP of about $1.2 billion. The highest-earning jobs in Concord are in the retail industry, followed by the health care industry, with the highest-paid jobs being in the construction industry. The lowest-earners are the financial industry, which has the lowest employment rates in Concord. The most popular industry is the retail sector, with an average annual growth rate of less than 1%. The city has the highest unemployment rate in the state of California, at 8%.

Naval Weapons Station

The Concord Naval Weapons Station (CNWS) was established in 1942. The station functioned as a World War II armament storage depot, supplying ships at Port Chicago. The CNWS supported war efforts during the Vietnam War and through the end of the Gulf War, processing and shipping out thousands of tons of material to Southeast Asia and the Middle East. In 2007, the U.S. Federal Government announced that the inland portion of the CNWS will be closed. The tidal area of the base is not scheduled for closure. The city is working on a reuse plan that may include developing the land while keeping a large portion for open-space and parks projects. Any plan for reuse is subject to approval by the Navy and will be subject to the city's approval as well as the Navy's. The naval weapons station is located in the town of Concord, New Hampshire, about 20 miles north of the city of Concord. It was closed in 2007, but the tidal area was transferred to the Army Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) and is now known as Military Ocean Terminal Concord (MOTCO) The city has had many meetings on this subject and any plans for reuse are subject to Navy approval.

Transportation

Until 1995, the city was the eastern terminus of the Concord line of Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) commuter train system. The County Connection provides limited public transportation in the city and to other points in the county. Buses run from the North Concord BART station to Martinez, the county seat. Buchanan Field Airport is a public county-owned airfield in the City of Concord. It is served by JetSuiteX, and previously served by American Eagle, WestAir Commuter Airlines, Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) and later by PSA successor USAir with the latter two airlines operating nonstop jet service between the airfield and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The city is also served by Interstate 680, and state highways 4 and 242. The city's main thoroughfares include Willow Pass Road, Concord Avenue, Concord Boulevard, Clayton Road, Monument Boulevard, Ygnacio Valley Road, Oak Grove Road and Treat Boulevard. It also has a number of smaller roads, such as Oak Grove Street and Oak Grove Avenue, which lead to the city's downtown area. Concord is located on the Bay Area Peninsula, which is home to the San Francisco Bay Area, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and San Francisco. The Bay Area has a population of 2.2 million. The City of Martinez is the largest city in Contra Costa County, with a population in excess of 1.5 million. It has the second-largest economy in the state, after Martinez, and the third-largest in the nation.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Concord, 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 Concord = 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 125,410 individuals with a median age of 37.2 age the population dropped by -0.18% in Concord, Contra Costa County, California population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 4,104.67 residents per square mile of area (1,584.85/km²). There are average 2.75 people per household in the 43,732 households with an average household income of $66,077 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 12.40% 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 17.46%. The number of physicians in Concord per 100,000 population = 232.6.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Concord = 15.7 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 56. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 263. 88 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 34.6 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 53, 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 Concord, Contra Costa County, California which are owned by the occupant = 59.22%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 39 years with median home cost = $245,920 and home appreciation of -17.94%. 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 $5,020 per student. There are 22.4 students for each teacher in the school, 1075 students for each Librarian and 2379 students for each Counselor. 8.66% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 18.49% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 7.11% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).