History of Concord, California

In Contra Costa County, California, Concord is the largest city. The city had a population of 122,067 at the 2010 census which made it the 8th largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Concord is bordered on the west by Pleasant Hill and the unincorporated community of Pacheco, on the south by Walnut Creek, on the southeast by Clayton, on the northeast by Pittsburg, and on the north by the unincorporated community of Bay Point. While it shares no boundary with Concord, Martinez (the county seat) is located on the northwest almost directly adjacent to Concord. Martinez BART Station is also known as North Concord BART Station.

Concord was established on the initiative of Pacheco in 1869 under the name of Todos Santos (“all saints”; a name still born between Willow Pass Road and Salvio Street in the central city square and park). It gained prominence in the 19th century, when most Pacheco residents relocated to Concord to avoid the fire and flood devastation that crippled Pacheco’s formerly booming economy. On 5 February 1905 Concord was incorporated.

A broad agricultural region was the region around Concord, in the nearby Ygnacio and Clayton Valleys. Grown crops comprised grapes, walnuts , almonds, wheat, hay, and even tomatoes. The field to the east (now the Concord Naval Weapons Station site) was the location of a few large wheat ranches over 5,000 acres (20 km2), and was nearly a wheat sea all the way to the marshes surrounding Suisun Bay. Many vineyards were abandoned during Prohibition, and replaced with walnut orchards. Cement was developed by the town of Cowell, which is now integrated into Concord. The first post office in Concord opened in 1872.

Throughout World War II, the ammunition on board a Navy cargo ship exploded while being loaded, resulting in the highest number of African American deaths in any one incident during that battle. On the evening of 17 July 1944, 320 sailors, merchant seamen and people working at the pier were immediately killed by a major blast. It has felt the explosion 30 miles out. A subsequent failure to load any further weapons by 258 black sailors was the beginning of the Navy ‘s largest ever mutiny trial in which 50 people were found guilty. Former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall sat in on most of the hearings and claimed that he had seen a court with prejudice.

This amazing attraction is located near the following must-see sights in Concord, California:

  • Diablo Foothills Regional Park
  • Shell Ridge Open Space 
  • Todos Santos Plaza
  • Benicia-Martinez Bridge
  • California Grand Casino 
  • Shadelands Ranch Museum
  • Shiva Murugan Temple
  • Newhall Community Park

All of these landmarks are located just a short distance from our location in downtown Walnut Creek, Spaulding Concrete on Locust Street!