Explore and Learn about Walnut Creek, California

Spanish settlers came to the region in the 1770s, and the area was part of a Mexican land grant in the early 1800s. The place, settled during the Gold Rush in 1849 (the first American settler was William Slusher, a squatter who built a house alongside what was called Nuts Creek), was first known as The Corners but renamed (c. 1862) for the abundance of walnut trees. In 1878 the Central Pacific Railroad entered Walnut Creek, and by 1914 it had been linked with Oakland by an electric commuter railway. Walnut Creek is the transportation and commercial base for the local agricultural (fruit, walnuts) and industrial areas. 

Walnut Creek owns more open space per person in the state of California than any other city. In 1974, Walnut Creek voters that allowed the city to buy 1,800 acres (730 ha) of undeveloped hillsides, ridgelines, and park sites approved a $6.7 million bond measure. Walnut Creek owns portions of the open space Lime Ridge, the open space Shell Ridge, the open space Acalanes Ridge, and the open space Sugarloaf.

Diablo Foothills Regional Park and Castle Rock Regional Recreation Area reside in the East Bay Regional Park District, all in Walnut Creek.

Walnut Creek enjoys a Mediterranean climate, with hot, sunny summers and usually rainless winters. Daytime temperatures in the mid-to-upper 80s average in the summer, sometimes touching 100 ° F or hotter— but nights are cold, with lows typically in the 50s and 60s. Daily highs are usually in the 50’s and lower 60’s in the winter, and lows remain in the upper 30’s and lower 40’s, but it can be as cold as the upper 20. Although rain often occurs in winter in Walnut Creek, snow is especially uncommon— but nearby Mount Diablo’s peak often gets snow.