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Vallejo, California

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City of Vallejo
Nickname(s): 
Valley-Joe, V-Town, Da "V"
Motto: 
City of Opportunity
Location in Solano County and the state of California
Location in Solano County and the state of California
CountryUnited States of America
StateCalifornia
CountySolano
Founded1851
Incorporated1867
Government
 • MayorAnthony J. Intintoli, Jr.
Area
 • Total
48.8 sq mi (126.3 km2)
 • Land30.2 sq mi (78.2 km2)
 • Water18.6 sq mi (48.1 km2)  38.07%
Elevation
60 ft (20 m)
Population
 (2000)
 • Total
125,900
 • Density3,868.9/sq mi (1,495.3/km2)
Time zoneUTC-8 (PST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP Code
94589, 94590, 94591, 94592
Websitehttp://www.ci.vallejo.ca.us/

Vallejo (pronounced Template:IPA2 in English; [ba'ʎexo] in the original Spanish) is a city in Solano County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 116,760. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northern shore of San Pablo Bay.

The current mayor is former city council member Anthony Intintoli. Vallejo is home to the Six Flags Discovery Kingdom theme park (formerly Marine World and Marine World Africa USA) ; the now-defunct Mare Island Naval Shipyard; the California Maritime Academy (part of the California State University system); and Touro University, an osteopathic medical college. Ferry service runs from a terminal on Mare Island Strait to San Francisco, through Vallejo Transit's BayLink division. Vallejo has twice served as the capital of the State of California: once in 1852 and again in 1853, both periods being quite brief.[1] Some of the first Europeans drawn to the Vallejo area were attracted by the sulfur springs; in fact, in the year 1902 the area was named Blue Rock Springs.

Geography and environment

Vallejo is located at 38°6′47″N 122°14′9″W / 38.11306°N 122.23583°W / 38.11306; -122.23583Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (38.112969, -122.235882)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 126.3 km² (48.8 mi²). 78.2 km² (30.2 mi²) of it is land and 48.1 km² (18.6 mi²) of it (38.07%) is water. The Napa River flows through the city of Vallejo on its journey to the San Pablo Bay.

Vallejo is accessible by Interstate 80 between San Francisco and Sacramento. It is the location for the northern half of the Carquinez Bridge. It is also part of the North Bay region of the Bay Area in Central California. It is also accessible by Interstate 780 from neighboring Benicia to the east, and by Route 37 from Sonoma to the west. Route 29 (former U.S. Route 40) begins in the city near the Carquinez Bridge and travels north through the heart of the city and past into Napa County, entering neighboring American Canyon and eventually Napa.

Several faults have been mapped in the vicinity of Vallejo. The San Andreas Fault and Hayward Faults are the most active faults, even though the San Andreas is at some distance. Locally, the Sulphur Springs Valley Thrust Fault and Southhampton Fault are found. No quaternary seismic activity along these minor faults has been observed with the possible exception of a slight offset revealed by trenching. The Sulphur Mountain and Green Valley faults have been associated with the Concord Fault to the south. The Concord Fault is considered active. Historically there have been local cinnabar mines in the Vallejo area.[2] The Hastings Mine and St. John's Mine contribute ongoing water contamination for mercury; furthermore, mine shaft development has depleted much of this area's spring water. Both Rindler Creek and Blue Rocks Spring Creek have been affected.

There are a variety of flora and fauna in the Vallejo area. The Suisun Shrew, Sorex ornatus sinuosus, a mammal found only in salt marshes, has local habitat. Also according to city's 1989 Environmental Assessment, the Tiburon Indian paintbrush, (Castilleja neglecta) is found in the Vallejo area.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2005, there were 125,900 people, 39,601 households, and 28,235 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,495.3/km² (3,868.9/mi²). There were 41,219 housing units at an average density of 527.2/km² (1,365.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 30.97% White, 30.69% African American, 0.66% Native American, 19.16% Asian, 1.09% Pacific Islander, 7.88% from other races, and 6.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.92% of the population.

Vallejo has the third highest percentage of Filipino Americans in the United States mainland, behind the nearby cities of Daly City and Hercules.

There were 39,601 households out of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.43.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $47,030, and the median income for a family was $53,805. Males had a median income of $40,132 versus $32,129 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,415. About 7.7% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

History

Vallejo was once home of the Coastal Miwok as well as Suisunes and other Patwin Native American tribes. The Columbus Parkway EIR documents three confirmed Native American sites located in the rock outcrops in the hills above Blue Rock Springs Park. The California Archaeological Inventory has indicated that the three Indian sites are located on Sulphur Springs Mountain.

Mariano Vallejo, ca. 1880-85, founder and city namesake

The city of Vallejo was once part of a 66,000-acre (267 km2) Mexican land grant of 1844 by Governor Pío Pico to General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo called the Rancho Soscol. The city was named for this original Mexican military officer and title holder, he helped to settle and oversee the north bay region. General Vallejo wanted the site named Eureka, but the other citizens of the area wanted to name the new city after the General. Neighboring Benicia is named after Vallejo's wife, Francisca Benicia Carrillo.

General Vallejo was responsible for military peace in the region until 1846, first under Spanish then Mexican rule, until independently-minded Californians rose up against the Mexican government of California in 1846 in the Bear Flag Revolt, and the annexation of California to the United States. General Vallejo, though a Mexican and Mexican army officer, generally acquiesced in the annexation of California to the United States, recognizing the greater resources of the United States and benefits that would bring to his beloved California. He was a proponenent of reconciliation and statehood after the Bear Flag Revolt, and has a U.S. Navy submarine, the USS Mariano G. Vallejo, named after him.

In 1850, Vallejo proposed plans for a new city, to be called Eureka, with the capitol, university, botanical garden and other features. After a state wide referendum, his proposal was accepted, although a new name was decided upon: Vallejo. In 1851, a commission appointed by the Senate found a site on a hill that overlooked the bay and could see San Francisco on a clear day, and it was approved for its symbolic strategic value. In 1851, Vallejo was the official state capitol, with the government prepared to meet for the first time the following year. In 1852, the legislature convened for the first time. Unfortunately, Vallejo didn't follow through with building a capitol for them to meet in. After being forced to meet in a leaky building, sitting on barrels, they motioned to move sessions to Sacramento, and served there for the remainder of the session after only 11 days. In 1853, it was again the meeting place for the legislature, solely for the purpose of moving the capitol officially to Benicia, which occurred on February 4, 1853, after only a month. After legislature left, the government established a naval shipyard on Mare Island, which helped the town overcome the loss. The yard functioned for over a hundred years, finally closing in 1996.[3]

The man mostly responsible for the founding the city of Vallejo is John B. Frisbie, who married General Vallejo's daughter. Frisbie was responsible for seeing that the city remained together and helped to establish the city's government.[citation needed]

In the early 1900s, Vallejo was home to a Class D minor-league baseball team, referred to in local newspapers sometimes as the "Giants" and other times simply as "The Vallejos." Pacific Coast League star and future Chicago White Sox center fielder Ping Bodie played for Vallejo during the 1908 season, in which the team reached the California state title game. The team was disbanded in the early 1920s.

Downtown Vallejo retains many of its historic Victorian and craftsman homes.

Schools

Public Schools

Elementary Schools

  • Beverly Hills Elementary School
  • Elmer Cave Elementary School
  • Johnston Cooper Elementary School
  • David Farragut Elementary School
  • Federal Terrace Elementary School
  • Glen Cove Elementary School
  • Highland Elementary School
  • Lincoln Elementary School
  • Loma Vista Elementary School
  • Mare Island Elementary School
  • Dan Mini Elementary School
  • Grace Patterson Elementary School
  • Annie Pennycook Elementary School
  • Steffan Manor Elementary School
  • Joseph H. Wardlaw Elementary School
  • Elsa Widenmann Elementary School
  • Vallejo Charter School

Middle Schools

  • Mare Island Technology Academy Middle School
  • Solano Middle School
  • Springstowne Middle School
  • Vallejo Middle School
  • StAnthony High School

High Schools

  • Jesse M. Bethel High School
  • Hogan High School
  • Mare Island Technology Academy High School
  • Peoples High School
  • Vallejo High School
  • Vallejo Community Day School

Private and Parocial Schools

  • St. Basil the Great's Preschool, Elementary and Middle School
  • St. Vincent Ferrrer's Preschool, Elementary and Middle School
  • St. Catherine of Siena Preschool, Elementary and Middle School
  • North Hills Christian Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and High School
  • Reignierd Elementary, Junior and High School
  • St. Patrick- St. Vincent High School

Alternative Schools

  • Community Day School
  • Vallejo Adult School
  • HOPE School

Secondary Education

Community Centers

Other places of interest

Golf Courses

  • Blue Rock Springs Golf Course (36 holes, public)
  • Hiddenbrooke Golf Course (18 holes, public)
  • Mare Island Golf Course (18 holes, public)
  • Mortara Municipal Golf Course (9 holes, public)

Museums and Attractions

Local Events

  • Farmers Market, downtown, Saturdays from 9-1
  • The Vallejo Symphony performs four subscription concerts per year from September to May

Neighborhoods

The newest neighborhoods of Vallejo are located in the northeast section of the city, east of Interstate 80 and include the Northgate neighorhood around Costco and the high end Hiddenbrooke with its own golf course in the mountains between Vallejo and Fairfield.

East Vallejo is the largest, most populated, and contains the newest neighborhoods of the city, undergoing considerable growth since the late 1940s. East Vallejo begins on the east side of Interstate 80 and includes the "manor neighorhoods" such as Tennessee and Steffan Manor, Silverview, Skyview Terrace, Granada Hills, Greenmont, Somerset Highlands (the most easternly part of Georgia Street, as well as parts of Columbus Parkway and Ascot Parkway), and the majority of Glen Cove.

Rancho Vallejo is a neighborhood located on the northwest side of the city near American Canyon.

The downtown and waterfront areas near Mare Island are currently undergoing extensive transformation and development as many people from San Francisco move to the Victorian homes downtown.

Vallejo has two historic neighborhoods:

Zodiac Killer

Main article: Zodiac Killer

The Zodiac Killer was a serial killer who was active in Northern California during the 1960s. He claimed to have killed 37, but only 7 victims were confirmed, two of which survived. Two of his victims, Michael Renault Mageau, 19, and Darlene Elizabeth Ferrin, 22, were attacked within the city limits of Vallejo at the Blue Rocks Springs Golf Course parking lot. Mageau survived the attack, while Ferrin was DOA at Kaiser Foundation Hospital. His first confirmed victims, David Arthur Faraday, 17, and Betty Lou Jensen, 16, were killed on Lake Herman Road which goes through both Vallejo and Benicia, however, the victims were just inside the city limits of Benicia.

The Zodiac Killer sent letters and cryptograms to the Vallejo Times Hearld, San Francisco Chronicle, and San Francisco Examiner after his murders. These letters described parts of the scenes only he would know and also hinted at his identity, future murders, and threats to others such as school children and Halloween trick-or-treaters.

Both the Vallejo Police Department and San Francisco Police Department investigated the murders but were never able to solve the case. The case was marked inactive in April 2004 but was reopened before March 2007. The case also remains open in additional jurisdictions.

Famous People from Vallejo

Celebrities

Music artists

Athletes

Sister Cities

Vallejo has six sister cities:[4]

References

  1. ^ Vallejo Profile
  2. ^ C.Michael Hogan, Marc Papineau et al., Environmental Assessment of the Columbus Parkway Widening between Ascot Parkway and the Northgate Development, Vallejo, Earth Metrics Inc. Report 7853, California State Clearinghouse, Sept, 1989
  3. ^ Vallejo History from the Vallejo Museum
  4. ^ "Sister Cities Online Directory: California, USA." Sister Cities International, Inc.. Retrieved on March 19, 2007.

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