| Pittsburg, California | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Contra Costa |
| Area GR2 | |
| - Total | 16.82 sq mi (43.6 km²) |
| - Land | 15.60 sq mi (40.4 km²) |
| - Water | 1.22 sq mi (3.2 km²) 7.25% |
| Elevation [1] | 26 ft (8 m) |
| Population (2000)GR2 | |
| - Total | 56,769 |
| - Density | 3,639.0/sq mi (1,405/km²) |
| Time zone | Pacific (UTC-8) |
| - Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 94565 |
| Area code(s) | 925 |
| FIPS code | 06-57456 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1659783 |
| Website: http://www.ci.pittsburg.ca.us/ | |
Pittsburg, California is a city located in north central Contra Costa County, California, the outer portion of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area.
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History and Area
Pittsburg, founded in 1839, was called first "New York Landing", then "Black Diamond", before citizens voted on "Pittsburg" on February 11th, 1911, in honor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[2] The current name was chosen due to the city's relations with the steel building industry, first established by the Columbia Steel Company. The original town site fronts on the Sacramento River Delta, reflecting its origins as a deep water channel river port. (As of January 1, 2007, new state legislation will enable the city to manage its own riverfront for commercial development and subsequent port operations). Since the early 1900s, the city has grown inland to the south, then spread east and west along State Route 4, now a freeway carrying resident commuters to jobs in the San Francisco Bay-Oakland Region. The city has enjoyed continued residential redevelopment growth to the north, as well as ongoing construction of major subdivisions in the southwest hills. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,769.[3] The City has an extensive history of coal mining and industrial development since the late 1800s, with USS-POSCO Industries (a joint venture with Pohang Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. of South Korea) and Dow Chemical Company maintaining substantial plants in Pittsburg. Pittsburg currently has one BART station, the Pittsburg/Bay Point stop located in West Pittsburg.[4]
Education
Pittsburg is home to Los Medanos College[5], a two-year community college which is part of the Contra Costa Community College District. The college's name is derived from that of the Rancho Los Medanos, among the last of the huge land grants made by the Mexican Government during its sovereignty over California from 1821 to 1846; Los Medanos, loosely translated from Spanish, means The Sand Dunes. Los Medanos College opened its doors in the spring semester of 1974. Pittsburg has two public high schools:
- Pittsburg High School
- Riverside High School
The public Junior high schools in Pittsburg are
- Hillview Junior High School
- Central Junior High School
- Riverview Middle School
- Some of the students that go to Riverview Middle School also go to Riverside High School, although the majority attend Mount Diablo High School in the neighboring city of Concord.
The public elementary schools in Pittsburg include
- Willow Cove Elementary School
- Parkside Elementary School
- Stoneman Elementary School
- Los Medanos Elementary School
- Heights Elementary School
- Foothill Elementary School
- Highlands Elementary School
There are two private schools in Pittsburg: the Christian Center and School of Saint Peter Martyr. The public middle and elementary schools currently require students to wear uniforms, similar to those worn by the private schools.
Redevelopment Projects
- The city is currently in the process of redeveloping the older downtown.
- A new Marina Master Plan is under development along Pittsburg's waterfront which will include a pedestrian promenade with subsequent commercial and hotel construction and development planned in 2008.
- An extension of the existing Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) rapid transit system, which includes a BART station at Railroad Avenue, designed for construction by 2010.
- A Civic Center Master Plan by the city will promote transit-oriented and mixed-use development to coincide with the construction of the new BART station adjacent to the current Civic Center.
- The [Black Diamond Project will provide services to residents on the north side.
Recreation
The Pittsburg Delta View Golf Course, now a city-run facility, has a back nine that was designed by Alastair MacKenzie, the architect who designed the Augusta National Golf Course where the Masters championship is held.
Notable Natives/Residents
- Edward Hart: A former American athlete, winner of gold medal in 4x100 m relay at the 1972 Summer Olympics.
- NASCAR driver Marvin Burke was from Pittsburg.
- Rappers The Jacka, Husalah and Rydah J. Klyde that also make part of the group Mob Figaz are all from Pittsburg.
- Aaron Miles: Professional baseball player that lived in Antioch, CA but was born in Pittsburg.
- D. J. Williams: Linebacker for the Denver Broncos of the NFL was born in Pittsburg and graduated from De La Salle High School.
- Regan Upshaw, retired lineman for the Oakland Raiders, is a 1993 Pittsburg High School graduate.He played in Super Bowl XXXVII.
- Safety Shaunard Harts of the NFL was born in Pittsburg, and starred on the Pittsburg High School football team.
- Defensive End Joe Tafoya of the NFL's Seattle Seahawks was born in Pittsburg and played in Super Bowl XL.
- Filipino-American actors Derek Basco, Darion Basco, Dante Basco, Dion Basco are from Pittsburg.
Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 56,769 people, 17,741 households, and 13,483 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,639.0/mi² (1,405.0/km²). There were 18,300 housing units at an average density of 1,173.1/mi² (452.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 36.53% White, 25.89% Black or African American, 0.75% Native American, 12.65% Asian, 0.86% Pacific Islander, 16.11% from other races, and 7.22% from two or more races. 32.21% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 17,741 households out of which 42.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 17.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.0% were non-families. 18.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.17 and the average family size was 3.59. In the city the population was spread out with 30.8% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $50,557, and the median income for a family was $54,472. Males had a median income of $39,111 versus $31,396 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,241. About 8.7% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.1% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.
References
- ^ USGS GNIS: Pittsburg Post Office
- ^ History of Our City. Retrieved on 2007-12-03.
- ^ Pittsburg city, California profile. Retrieved on 2007-12-03.
- ^ Pittsburg/Bay Point Station overview. Retrieved on 2007-12-03.
- ^ Los Medanos Community College. Retrieved on 2007-12-03.
External links
- City of Pittsburg official website
- Pittsburg, California is at coordinates Coordinates:
- http://www.ccclib.org/locations/pittsburg.html Pittsburg Library's official website
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Contra Costa County, California |
||
|---|---|---|
| County seat: Martinez | ||
| Cities |
 |
|
| CDPs |
Alamo | Bay Point | Bayview-Montalvin | Bethel Island | Blackhawk-Camino Tassajara | Byron | Clyde | Crockett | Diablo | Discovery Bay | East Richmond Heights | El Sobrante | Kensington | Knightsen | Mountain View | Pacheco | Port Costa | Rodeo | Rollingwood | Tara Hills | Vine Hill | Waldon |
|
| Unincorporated communities |
Blackhawk | Canyon | Marsh Creek Springs | North Richmond | Saranap | Shore Acres | Tormey |
|
| Ghost towns & Lost Cities |
Eckley | Judsonville | Port Chicago | Nortonville | Selby | Somersville | Stewartville | Stege | West Hartley | Winehaven |
|
