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Martinez, California

Coordinates:38°01′10″N122°08′03″W/ 38.01944°N 122.13417°W/38.01944; -122.13417
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Martinez, California
City
Clockwise: Contra Costa County Courthouse;Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline;Contra Costa Hall of Records;Vicente Martínez Adobe
Flag of Martinez, California
Flag
Nickname:
The Bay Area's Hidden Gem (official)
Location in Contra Costa County and the state of California
Location inContra Costa Countyand the state ofCalifornia
Martinez is located in San Francisco Bay Area
Martinez
Martinez
Location in the United States
Martinez is located in California
Martinez
Martinez
Martinez (California)
Martinez is located in the United States
Martinez
Martinez
Martinez (the United States)
Coordinates:38°01′10″N122°08′03″W/ 38.01944°N 122.13417°W/38.01944; -122.13417
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountyContra Costa
IncorporatedApril 1, 1876[1]
Government
•MayorBrianne Zorn[2]
•State senatorBill Dodd(D)[3]
•AssemblymemberBuffy Wicks(D)[4]
•United States representativesJohn Garamendi(D) andMark DeSaulnier(D)[5]
Area
[6]
• Total13.63 sq mi (35.31 km2)
• Land12.63 sq mi (32.71 km2)
• Water1.00 sq mi (2.60 km2) 7.64%
Elevation
[7]
23 ft (7 m)
Population
(2020)[8]
• Total37,287
• Density2,700/sq mi (1,100/km2)
Time zoneUTC-8(Pacific)
• Summer (DST)UTC-7(PDT)
ZIP code
94553
Areacode925
FIPS code06-46114
GNISfeature IDs277553,2411045
WebsiteOfficial websiteEdit this at Wikidata

Martinez(Spanish:Martínez)[9][10]is a city and thecounty seatofContra Costa County, California,United States, in theEast Bayregion of theSan Francisco Bay Area.[11]Located on the southern shore of theCarquinez Strait,the city's population was 37,287 at the2020 census.The city is named afterCaliforniorancheroYgnacio Martínez,having been founded on hisRancho El Pinole.[12]Martinez is known for its historic center and its waterfront.

History[edit]

TheVicente Martínez Adobe,built in 1849 by a son ofYgnacio Martínez,is the oldest building in Martinez.
TheJohn Muir National Historic Site,home of famed naturalistJohn Muirfrom 1880 until his death in 1914

The beautiful, lush Alhambra Valley was probably a seasonal foraging “pantry” for the stable population of the Karkines Indians. The Karkines are a part of the Ohlone (Costanoan) Indian group.

In 1824, the western side of Martinez,Alhambra Valleywas included in theRancho El PinoleMexican land grant toYgnacio Martínez.[13]East of these lands was theRancho Las Juntas,a grant made to Irish born William Welch in 1844; his land lay between the lands of Martinez and Pacheco.

In 1847,Dr. Robert Semplecontracted to provide ferry service from Martinez toBenicia,which for many years was the only crossing on the Carquinez Strait.[13]By 1849, Martínez served as a way station for theCalifornia Gold Rush.The town was laid out in 1849 by Col. William M. Smith and named for Martinez.[14]It became the county seat in 1850, but could not incorporate at the time because it lacked the 200 registered voters required, and would not become a city until 1876.[15]

Martinez was the home of naturalistJohn Muirfrom 1880 until his death in 1914. He was buried about a mile south of the building that is now theJohn Muir National Historic Site.Also nearby is the Vicente Martinez Adobe, built in 1849 by the son of Ygnacio Martinez.[15]

The first post office opened in 1851.[14]

In 1860, Martinez played a role in thePony Express,where riders would take the ferry from Benicia (particularly if they missed the steamer in Sacramento).[16]

The firstoil refineryin the Martinez area was built in 1904 at Bull's Head Point, a then-unincorporated waterfront area two miles east of the downtown district. That area soon became known as Mococo, following the 1905 arrival of a smelting works, operated by the Mountain Copper Company (Mo Co Co).

The historicContra Costa CountyCourthouse was built in 1901.

That first facility, operated by the Bull's Head Oil Company, was followed in 1908 by a test refinery built by the Pacific Coast Oil Company. Shortly thereafter, Pacific Coast became part of Standard Oil (now Chevron), and consolidated their oil refining operations in the Point Richmond, Hercules, Rodeo waterfront corridor some 12 miles (19 km) to the west of Martinez.

In 1913, the Golden Eagle facility became the third oil refinery to be built in the area. It was located in the newly created company town of Avon, immediately to the East of Martinez. A fourth refinery, built by theShell OilCompany on land adjacent to the Martinez City limits, went online in January 1916. The Shell Oil refining facility is still operational today (Currently owned by PBF Energy), maintaining the city's position as a significant petroleum processing center. The Golden Eagle Refinery (currently owned by Marathon Petroleum Company) was idled in April 2020 as a response to lower petroleum demand during theCOVID-19 pandemic.[17][18][19]

Folk etymology in Martinez claims the invention of theMartini cocktailand that it is named for the city.[20]

Geography[edit]

TheBenicia-Martinez Bridge,which crosses theCarquinez Strait,connects Martinez in the south toBeniciain the north (top).

According to theUnited States Census Bureau,the city has a total area of 13.1 square miles (34 km2), of which 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2) (7.64 percent) is covered by water.

The city is largely surrounded by water and regional open-space preserves. TheMartinez–Benicia Bridgecarries Highway 680 across the eastern end of theCarquinez StraittoSolano County.The city is a densely built downtown valley threaded byAlhambra Creekand north of Highway 4. Suburban areas stretch south of Highway 4 to join the neighboring city ofPleasant Hill.Unincorporated areas include the ruralAlhambra Valleyand the Franklin Canyon area.

TheMartinez Regional Shorelinebounds the city to the north along the Carquinez Strait.Carquinez Strait Regional Shorelineincludes the Franklin Hills west of downtown, stretching west to the unincorporated community ofPort Costaand the town ofCrockett.Briones Regional Parkborders the Alhambra Valley to the south.Waterbird Regional Preserveand theMcNabney Marshborder the city and Highway 680 to the east.[21]Martinez's location at the east end of the Carquinez Strait as it widens to Suisun Bay includes dramatic water views stretching to theSierrarange. From surrounding ridge tops views stretch to nearbyMount Diablo,Mount Saint Helena,Mount Tamalpais,and others.

Aerial view of Martinez (bottom);Beniciais located across theCarquinez Strait(top).

Martinez is one of the only two places in the Bay Area, the other beingGolden Gate Bridge,where theBay Area Ridge Trailand theSan Francisco Bay Trailconverge. The Bay Trail is a planned recreational corridor that, when complete, will encircleSan FranciscoandSan Pablobays with a continuous 400-mile (640 km) network of bicycling and hiking trails. It will connect the shoreline of all nine Bay Area counties, link 47 cities, and cross the major toll bridges in the region, including theBenicia–Martinez Bridge.To date, approximately 240 miles (390 km) of the alignment—over half the Bay Trail's ultimate length—have been completed. The Bay Area Ridge Trail ultimately will be a 500+ mile trail encircling theSan Francisco Bayalong the ridge tops, open to hikers, equestrians, mountain bicyclists, and outdoor enthusiasts of all types. So far, over 300 miles (480 km) of trail have been dedicated for use.East Bay Regional Park District'sIron Horse Regional Trailwill join the Bay Trail along the waterfront, and theContra Costa Canal Trailthreads through the city from Pleasant Hill to the south.

Climate[edit]

Martinez has a mildMediterranean climate(Köppen climate classification:Csa/b).[22]Summers are warm and dry, with some morning fog during sea breezes. The maritime influence is much less significant than in other parts of the Bay Area that are closer to the Pacific, which causes very high daytime averages compared toSan FranciscoandOaklandin summer. However, nights normally cool off significantly, which results in daytime highs around 87 °F (31 °C) and nighttime lows of 55 °F (13 °C) during July and August.[23]Winters are wet and cool with occasional frost. The majority of the city is within a USDAhardiness zoneof 9b.

Climate data for Martinez, California
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 74
(23) 		80
(27) 		88
(31) 		98
(37) 		104
(40) 		110
(43) 		115
(46) 		107
(42) 		108
(42) 		103
(39) 		82
(28) 		74
(23) 		115
(46)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 55.2
(12.9) 		60.9
(16.1) 		66.0
(18.9) 		71.7
(22.1) 		78.9
(26.1) 		85.3
(29.6) 		89.0
(31.7) 		88.1
(31.2) 		84.9
(29.4) 		76.4
(24.7) 		64.0
(17.8) 		55.6
(13.1) 		73.0
(22.8)
Daily mean °F (°C) 46.9
(8.3) 		51.2
(10.7) 		55.1
(12.8) 		58.7
(14.8) 		64.2
(17.9) 		69.3
(20.7) 		71.7
(22.1) 		71.2
(21.8) 		69.1
(20.6) 		62.6
(17.0) 		53.6
(12.0) 		47.1
(8.4) 		60.1
(15.6)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 38.6
(3.7) 		41.4
(5.2) 		44.1
(6.7) 		45.7
(7.6) 		49.5
(9.7) 		53.2
(11.8) 		54.5
(12.5) 		54.3
(12.4) 		53.3
(11.8) 		48.9
(9.4) 		43.2
(6.2) 		38.5
(3.6) 		47.1
(8.4)
Record low °F (°C) 20
(−7) 		25
(−4) 		29
(−2) 		29
(−2) 		34
(1) 		31
(−1) 		41
(5) 		42
(6) 		40
(4) 		34
(1) 		25
(−4) 		19
(−7) 		19
(−7)
Averageprecipitationinches (mm) 3.93
(100) 		3.61
(92) 		2.92
(74) 		1.20
(30) 		0.47
(12) 		0.10
(2.5) 		0.02
(0.51) 		0.05
(1.3) 		0.18
(4.6) 		0.95
(24) 		2.52
(64) 		3.44
(87) 		19.39
(491.91)
Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) 11 10 9 6 3 1 0 0 1 3 8 10 62
Source: Western Regional Climate Center[24]

Demographics[edit]

View from the Martinez Marina
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1870560—
18901,609—
19001,380−14.2%
19102,11553.3%
19203,85882.4%
19306,56970.3%
19407,38112.4%
19508,26812.0%
19609,60416.2%
197016,50671.9%
198022,58236.8%
199031,80840.9%
200035,86612.8%
201035,824−0.1%
202038,2906.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]

The2020 United States Census[25]reported that Martinez had a population of 38,290. The population density was 2,727.4 inhabitants per square mile (1,053.1/km2). The racial makeup of Martinez was 27,603 (77.1%)White,1,303 (3.6%)African American,255 (0.7%)Native American,2,876 (8.0%)Asian,121 (0.3%)Pacific Islander,1,425 (4.0%) fromother races,and 2,241 (6.3%) from two or more races.HispanicorLatinoof any race were 5,258 persons (14.7 percent).

The Census reported that 34,528 people (96.4 percent of the population) lived in households, 235 (0.7 percent) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1,061 (3.0 percent) were institutionalized.

There were 14,287 households, out of which 4,273 (29.9 percent) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 6,782 (47.5 percent) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,751 (12.3 percent) had a female householder with no husband present, 640 (4.5 percent) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 928 (6.5 percent) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 137 (1.0 percent) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,920 households (27.4 percent) were made up of individuals, and 1,078 (7.5 percent) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42. There were 9,173families(64.2 percent of all households); the average family size was 2.95.

The age distribution of the population showed 7,329 people (20.5 percent) under the age of 18, 2,842 people (7.9 percent) aged 18 to 24, 9,193 people (25.7 percent) aged 25 to 44, 12,121 people (33.8 percent) aged 45 to 64, and 4,339 people (12.1 percent) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.

There were 14,976 housing units at an average density of 1,140.2 per square mile (440.2/km2), of which 14,287 were occupied, of which 9,619 (67.3 percent) were owner-occupied, and 4,668 (32.7 percent) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4 percent; the rental vacancy rate was 4.9 percent. 23,876 people (66.6 percent of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 10,652 people (29.7 percent) lived in rental housing units.

Economy[edit]

Downtown Martinez

Top employers[edit]

According to the city's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[26]the top employers in the city are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 Contra Costa County 10,065
2 Veterans Health Administration 962
3 Kaiser Permanente 730
4 Equilon Enterprises 702
5 Martinez Unified School District 672
6 Wal-Mart 275
7 Safeway 190
8 City of Martinez 136
9 The Home Depot 125
10 Brand Energy & Infrastructure Service 120

Education[edit]

The historicArt DecostyleMartinez Librarywas built in 1941.

Covering most of Martinez,[27]theMartinez Unified School Districtencompasses four elementary schools, one middle school, one high school, and two alternative/independent study schools. Students in K-5 attend John Swett, John Muir, Las Juntas, or Morello Park Elementary School. Martinez Junior High School serves students in grades 6 through 8. St. Catherine of Siena is a private Catholic school that serves grades K-8.Alhambra High Schoolserves as the district's comprehensive high school. As of 2006, the district's K-12 enrollment was 4,194.

Part of Martinez is served by theMount Diablo Unified School District,[27]whose Hidden Valley Elementary School is located in Martinez.St. Catherine of Siena School,a private Roman Catholic elementary school, also serves the Martinez community.

Libraries[edit]

TheMartinez Libraryis part of theContra Costa County Libraryand is located in Martinez. TheArt Decostyle building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in early 2008.[28]

Media[edit]

The historic post office is on theNational Register of Historic Places.

Martinez and the surrounding area is served by several local newspapers, including theMartinez News-Gazette,theMartinez Tribuneand theEast Bay Times.

Martinez is also served byMartinez Patch,a local news website covering community news and events, and the local news and talk blogClaycord.

In December 2019, there was a flurry of reports from reliable sources including theAssociated Pressand theSan Francisco Chroniclethat the 161 year-old Martinez News-Gazette, one of the longest-running newspapers in California, may have to cease publication. But as of late May 2020, the threatened cessation did not materialize and the newspaper appears to have weathered that storm. The newspaper did cease publication of a print edition effective April 2, 2020, but this was characterized as a temporary measure arising from a lack of advertising revenue. This in turn arose as many local businesses were forced to suspended operations or even ceased to exist, when the area was under shelter in place regulations arising from the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. The newspaper plans to resume a full print edition when the local shelter-in-place restrictions are lifted.[29]The newspaper continued to operate itsonline news website presenceduring the pandemic restrictions.

Transportation[edit]

Martinez station,served byAmtrak
TheAlhambra Trestle,commonly known as the Muir Trestle, carries theStockton SubdivisionofBNSF.

WestCATprovides service to theEl Cerrito del Norte BART station.TheCounty Connectionis the primary local bus operator providing service throughout the area. Among its destinations are theConcord,Pleasant Hill,andWalnut CreekBART stations. The County Connection also providesparatransitservice.Tri Delta Transitruns express service between Martinez and eastern Contra Costa County.

State Route 4runs through Martinez westward toHerculesand eastward throughStocktonand theSierra Nevadato near the border ofNevada.Interstate 680runs northward across theBenicia–Martinez Bridgetoward Sacramento viaInterstate 80and southward towardSan Jose.

Rail[edit]

Sister cities[edit]

According toSister Cities International,Martinez is paired with:

Notable people[edit]

  • Maurice Benard,(b 1963) is an actor known for playing Sonny Corinthos on the ABC soap opera General Hospital.General Hospital
  • Jeff and Paulette Carpoffare convicted fraudsters and owners of DC Solar and theMartinez Clippers
  • Yau-Man Chan,(b 1952) is a Malaysian table tennis player, technology executive, and reality television participant.
  • Trevor Davis,(b 1993) is an American football wide receiver
  • Sara Del Rey,(b 1980) is an American professional wrestling trainer and retired professional wrestler,
  • Joe DiMaggio,(1914–1999), was a baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year Hall of fame career in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees.
  • Vince DiMaggio,(1912–1986) was an All-Star Baseball center fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates
  • Ainjel Emme,(b 1978) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and recording engineer.
  • Robb Flynn,(b 1967) is a musician who is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for heavy metal bandMachine Head
  • Mark Kozelek,(b 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer and occasional actor.
  • Ella Leffland,(b 1931)[1] is an American novelist and short story writer.
  • Tug McGraw,(1944–2004) was a professional baseball relief pitcher and father of singerTim McGraw
  • Seanan McGuire,(b 1978) is a author
  • John Muir,(1838–1914), was anaturalist.
  • Richard Rodgers II,(b 1992) is an American football tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles
  • Sabato "Simon" Rodia,(1879 or 1886–1965) creator of giant folk artWatts TowersinLos Angeles
  • Victor Salva,(b 1958) is an American filmmaker.
  • J. Otto Seibold,(born 1960) is an American artist and children's book creator.
  • Robert Stephenson,(b 1993) is a professional baseball pitcher for the Colorado Rockies.
  • Norv Turner,(b 1952) is an American football coach in the National Football League (NFL)
  • Jeff Van Gundy,(b 1962) is an American commentator for ESPN and former basketball coach most famous for his time with the New York Knicks
  • Stan Van Gundy,(b 1959) is an American commentator for TNT and CBS and former basketball coach, taking Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals in 2009. He is the older brother of Jeff Van Gundy.
  • Travis Williams,(1946–1991) was an American football player for theGreen Bay Packers

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"California Cities by Incorporation Date".California Association ofLocal Agency Formation Commissions.Archived fromthe original(Word)on November 3, 2014.RetrievedMarch 27,2013.
  2. ^"Mayor and City Council".City of Martinez.RetrievedDecember 12,2022.
  3. ^"Senators".State of California.RetrievedMarch 21,2013.
  4. ^"Members Assembly".State of California.RetrievedAugust 28,2023.
  5. ^"California's 10th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map".Civic Impulse, LLC.RetrievedSeptember 28,2014.
  6. ^"2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedJuly 1,2020.
  7. ^"Martinez".Geographic Names Information System.United States Geological Survey,United States Department of the Interior.RetrievedJanuary 21,2015.
  8. ^ab"Martinez city, California".United States Census Bureau.{{cite web}}:Missing or empty|url=(help)
  9. ^Voraz incendio arrasa con una vivienda y varios autos en Martínez,telemundoareadelabahia. Accessed December 21, 2022. (in Spanish)
  10. ^Condado Contra Costa podría contratar personal para centro de detención de Martínez,telemundoareadelabahia. Accessed December 21, 2022. (in Spanish)
  11. ^"Find a County".National Association of Counties. Archived fromthe originalon May 31, 2011.RetrievedJune 7,2011.
  12. ^Burt, Harriett; Perry, Charlene (January 4, 2012)."The Founder of the City of Martinez: Col. William Smith".Contra Costa County Historical Society.RetrievedMarch 12,2021.
  13. ^ab"Martinez Historical Society".Martinezhistory.org. Archived fromthe originalon June 13, 2013.RetrievedJuly 14,2013.
  14. ^abDurham, David L. (1998).California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State.Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 660.ISBN1-884995-14-4.
  15. ^abMartinez, CA, City HistoryArchivedAugust 2, 2015, at theWayback Machine
  16. ^"Martinez History and the Pony Express".Martinezhistory.org. Archived fromthe originalon June 13, 2013.RetrievedJuly 14,2013.
  17. ^"California Refinery".Arb.ca.gov. Archived fromthe originalon August 9, 2011.RetrievedJuly 14,2013.
  18. ^"Welcome to Shell Martinez Refinery".shell.us.Shell Oil Company.RetrievedJuly 14,2013.
  19. ^City of Martinez (March 12, 2015)."Historic Resources of Martinez".Application to the National Register of Historic Places.Martinez City Council. p. 14 of 72.RetrievedMarch 8,2018.
  20. ^"The Martini Story".cityofmartinez.org.City of Martinez. Archived fromthe originalon July 31, 2013.RetrievedJuly 14,2013.
  21. ^"The dirty business of wetlands restoration".Bay City News Foundation.December 18, 2021.RetrievedDecember 19,2021.
  22. ^"Martinez, California Climate Summary".Weatherbase.RetrievedMarch 6,2015.
  23. ^"Martinez, California Temperature Averages".Weatherbase.RetrievedMarch 6,2015.
  24. ^ "General Climate Summary Tables - MARTINEZ WTP, CALIFORNIA".Western Regional Climate Center.RetrievedMay 31,2024.
  25. ^"2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA – Martinez city".U.S. Census Bureau. Archived fromthe originalon July 15, 2014.RetrievedJuly 12,2014.
  26. ^"City of Martinez CAFR".RetrievedAugust 7,2022.
  27. ^ab"2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Contra Costa County, CA"(PDF).U.S. Census Bureau.RetrievedDecember 25,2022.
  28. ^"National Register Information System".National Register of Historic Places.National Park Service.July 9, 2010.RetrievedJanuary 12,2017.
  29. ^Jones, Rick (April 2, 2020)."Martinez News-Gazette to Suspend Print Edition [during Covid-19 pandemic shelter in place]".Martinez News-Gazette(Letter from the Publisher (Rick Jones) to the newspaper's subscribers).RetrievedMay 27,2020.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Martinez,_California&oldid=1227225558"