Pittsburg, California
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This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (February 2008) |
| Pittsburg, California | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Contra Costa |
| Area [1] | |
| - 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 [2] | 26 ft (8 m) |
| Population (2000)[1] | |
| - Total | 56,769 |
| - Density | 3,639.0/sq mi (1,405/km²) |
| Time zone | PST (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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[edit] History
Pittsburg, founded in 1839, was called first "New York Landing", then "Black Diamond", before citizens voted on "Pittsburg" on February 11, 1911, in honor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[3] 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).[citation needed]
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.[citation needed] As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,769.[4]
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.[citation needed]
Pittsburg currently has one BART station, the Pittsburg/Bay Point stop located in West Pittsburg.[5]
The current zip code is 94565 for both, Pittsburg and Bay Point, and the area code is 925.
[edit] Education
Pittsburg is home to Los Medanos College[6], 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.[citation needed]
Pittsburg has two public high schools:[7]
- 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
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
- Shore Acres Elementary School
- Bel Air Elementarty School
- Rio Vista Elementary School
- Delta Vista Elementary School
There are two private schools in Pittsburg: the Christian Center and School of Saint Peter Martyr.
[edit] Redevelopment projects
- The city is currently in the process of redeveloping the older downtown.[citation needed]
- 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.[citation needed]
- 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.[citation needed]
- 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.[citation needed]
- The [Black Diamond Project will provide services to residents on the north side.
[edit] 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.[citation needed]
[edit] Notable residents
- Ken Simonton: NFL football player [played for: 49ers, Lions & Bills]
- Rydah J. Klyde: Rapper
- Joe Castro: Jazz pianist
- Dante Basco: Actor
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] 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.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ 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.
- ^ City of Pittsburg. Retrieved on 2008-05-05.
[edit] External links
- Pittsburg, California is at coordinates Coordinates:
- http://www.ccclib.org/locations/pittsburg.html Pittsburg Library's official website
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