Top Landmarks in Concord, California [2020]

Concord is the largest city in County Contra Costa, California. At the 2010 census the city had a population of 122,067 making it the 8th largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area. Established as the city of Todos Santos by Salvio Pacheco in 1869, the name was changed to Concord within months. The city is a major suburban center of the East Bay metropolitan area within the San Francisco Bay area and is located 47 km (29 miles) east of San Francisco.

History

The valleys north of Mount Diablo were inhabited by the Miwok people who hunted elk and fished in the numerous streams that flowed into the San Francisco Bay from the mountains. In 1772 Spanish explorers started visiting the area but did not settle there. In 1834 the Mexican land grant Rancho Monte del Diablo at the base of Mount Diablo was granted after Salvio Pacheco (to whom the nearby town of Pacheco is named).

Concord was established on the initiative of Pacheco in 1869 under the name of Todos Santos (“all saints”; a name stillborn between Willow Pass Road and Salvio Street in the central city square and park). It gained notoriety in the 19th century when most Pacheco residents moved to Concord to escape the fire and flood destruction that devastated Pacheco’s formerly thriving economy. On 5 February 1905 Concord was incorporated.

The region around Concord, in nearby Ygnacio and Clayton Valleys, was a large agricultural area. Cultivated crops included grapes, walnuts , almonds, barley, hay and even tomatoes. The region to the east (now the location of Concord Naval Weapons Station) was the location of a few large wheat ranches over 5,000 acres (20 km2), and was almost a wheat sea all the way to the marshes bordering Suisun Bay. During Prohibition, many vineyards were abandoned, and replaced with walnut orchards. The town of Cowell produced cement, which is now incorporated into Concord.

The first Concord post office opened in 1872.

Government

In the California State Legislature, Concord is represented by Democrat Steve Glazer in the 7th Senate District, and Democrat Tim Grayson in the 14th Assembly District.

Federally, Concord is represented by the Democrat Mark DeSaulnier in California’s 11th Congressional District.

Politics

In 2017, Concord had 65,061 registered voters with 31,759 (48.8%) registered as Democrats, 14,447 (22.2%) registered as Republicans, and 15,623 (24%) decline to state voters.

Economy

For the last forty years, Concord has been predominantly a residential community for San Francisco and Oakland, but employment within the city has risen over the last decades. Round Table Pizza has its headquarters in Concord, and companies with close regional links to the Bay Area, such as Chevron and Bank of America, have set up large back-office operations there, diversifying the local economy. Concord also has a wide retail sector like the Sunvalley Mall, which used to be one of the 50 biggest US shopping centers, auto dealerships, Costco, and Fry’s Electronics. Atrivo had been based in Concord prior to its dissolution.