Contra Costa County is a county located in the U.S. state of California, in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 1,165,927. The county seat is Martinez. It occupies the northern portion of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area and is primarily suburban. The county's name refers to its position on the other side of the bay from San Francisco. Contra Costa County is included in the San Francisco–Oakland–Berkeley, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Alamo is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Contra Costa County, California, in the United States. It is a suburb located in the San Francisco Bay Area's East Bay region, approximately 28 miles (45 km) east of San Francisco. Alamo is equidistant from the city of Walnut Creek and the incorporated town of Danville. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,314.
Lafayette is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. As of 2020, the city's population was 25,391. It was named after the Marquis de Lafayette, a French military officer of the American Revolutionary War.
Moraga is a town in Contra Costa County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The town is named in honor of Joaquín Moraga, member of the famed Californio family. As of 2020, Moraga had a total population of 16,870 people. Moraga is the home of Saint Mary's College of California.
Orinda is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city's population as of the 2020 census is estimated at 19,514 residents.
Walnut Creek is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, about 16 miles east of the city of Oakland. Walnut Creek has a total population of 70,127 per the 2020 census, is located at the junction of the highways from Sacramento and San Jose (I-680) and San Francisco/Oakland (SR-24), and is accessible by BART. The city shares its borders with Clayton, Lafayette, Alamo, Pleasant Hill, and Concord.
Miramonte High School is a public high school located in Orinda, California, United States. It is part of the Acalanes Union High School District. The school has a college-preparatory program, with 15 Advanced Placement courses offered.
Lamorinda is an area within Contra Costa County, California in the United States. The name is a portmanteau from the names of the three cities that make up the region: Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda.
Orinda Union School District (OUSD) is a school district in Orinda, California, United States, that serves students in Transitional Kindergarten (TK) through 8th grade. It consists of four elementary schools and one middle school. It is the highest ranked TK–8 school district in California, ranked by API score. Orinda Union School District’s Del Rey Elementary, Glorietta Elementary, and Wagner Ranch Elementary were also selected as California Distinguished Schools for 2018. On completion of middle school, students generally enroll in nearby Acalanes Union High School District, usually to either Miramonte High School (Orinda) or Campolindo High School (Moraga).
Acalanes High School is a public secondary school located in Lafayette, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, within Contra Costa County. Acalanes was the first of four high schools established in the Acalanes Union High School District. It was built in 1940 on what was then a tomato field, using federal government funds with labor provided by the Works Project Administration, the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency introduced by the Roosevelt administration. Lafayette businessman M.H. Stanley suggested the name "Acalanes", the name of Rancho Acalanes, the Mexican grant from which all land title within the City of Lafayette derives. Rancho Acalanes itself seems to have been named by its Hispanic settlers after the local Native American Bay Miwok tribe called Saklan (Saclan), referred to by Spanish missionaries as Saclanes. The first graduating class of 1941 selected the school colors of blue and white. For the school sports mascot, they chose the Don.
Campolindo High School is a public high school located in Moraga, California, United States, and is in the Acalanes Union High School District.
Las Lomas High School (LLHS) is a public high school in Walnut Creek, California, United States. It was founded in 1951 by the Acalanes Union High School District, and opened its doors in the fall of 1952 to its first graduating class. Las Lomas was the second of five schools built within the Acalanes Union High School District. It is a traditional high school serving grades 9-12, and has a history of both athletic and educational excellence. The school has a strong college preparatory program as well as many extracurricular programs. The colors of the school are maroon and gold and the school mascot is the Knight. Las Lomas had 1,482 students in 2011-12. The school has a 96.4% graduation rate, and about 97% of its graduates attend college. U.S. News & World Report ranked Las Lomas #372 in the nation in 2013. It was voted a National Blue Ribbon School in 2008.
The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors is the governing body for Contra Costa County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area's East Bay region. Members of the Board of supervisors are elected from districts, based on their residence.
Northgate High School (NHS) is a public high school located in the suburban Northgate neighborhood of Walnut Creek, California, United States. The most recent of five high schools in the Mount Diablo Unified School District, the school was built in 1974, and is home to approximately 1,500 students from Walnut Creek and Concord, California, grades 9–12. Its name derives from its location at the north entrance of Mount Diablo State Park.
Walnut Creek Power is an American women's soccer team, founded in 2007. The team is a member of the Women's Premier Soccer League, the third tier of women's soccer in the United States and Canada. The team plays in the North Division of the Pacific Conference.
Rancho Laguna de Los Palos Colorados was a 13,316-acre (53.89 km2) Mexican land grant in the Berkeley Hills within present-day Contra Costa County, California.
Rancho Acalanes was a 3,329-acre (13.47 km2) Mexican land grant in present-day Contra Costa County, California.
Rancho Boca de la Cañada del Pinole was a 13,316-acre (53.89 km2) Mexican land grant in present-day Contra Costa County, California given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to María Manuela Valencia. The name means "Mouth of the Pinole Valley" in Spanish. The rancho located between present-day Martinez, Pleasant Hill, Orinda, and Lafayette.
Acalanes Ridge is a census-designated place in Contra Costa County, California. Acalanes Ridge sits at an elevation of 499 feet (152 m). The population was 1,285 at the 2020 Census.
The Walnut Creek mainstem is a 12.3-mile-long (19.8-kilometer) northward-flowing stream in northern California. The Walnut Creek watershed lies in central Contra Costa County, California and drains the west side of Mount Diablo and the east side of the East Bay Hills. The Walnut Creek mainstem is now mostly a concrete or earthen flood control channel until it reaches Pacheco Creek on its way to Suisun Bay. Walnut Creek was named for the abundant native Northern California walnut trees which lined its banks historically. The city of Walnut Creek, California was named for the creek when its post office was established in the 1860s.
