Blackhawk, California

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Blackhawk, California
Blackhawk Plaza.jpg
Blackhawk Plaza
Contra Costa County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Blackhawk Highlighted 0606928.svg
Location of Blackhawk in Contra Costa County, California
USA California location map.svg
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Blackhawk
Location in California
Coordinates: 37°49′15″N121°54′28″W / 37.82083°N 121.90778°W / 37.82083; -121.90778
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
State Flag of California.svg California
County Contra Costa County
Area
[1]
  Total
5.79 sq mi (14.99 km2)
  Land5.78 sq mi (14.96 km2)
  Water0.012 sq mi (0.03 km2)  0.17%
Elevation
[2]
997 ft (304 m)
Population
 (2020)
  Total
9,637
  Density1,668.6/sq mi (644.26/km2)
Time zone UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
  Summer (DST) UTC-7 (PDT)
FIPS code 06-06928
GNIS feature IDs 1867000, 2407859

Blackhawk is an unincorporated planned community and census-designated place [3] located in Contra Costa County, California, United States, east of Danville and Oakland. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 9,637. [4] Governed by county rules/regulations and a homeowner association (HOA), Blackhawk has a country club, two golf courses, sports complex, restaurants, and the adjacent Blackhawk Plaza. 24-hour security plus additional law enforcement contracted through the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office is provided by HOA dues. The area is covered by the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District. The ZIP code is 94506. The community is inside area code 925. Blackhawk is known for its uniform architecture. It has a median household income being $167,875 and median home price of $1,117,500.[ needs update ]

Contents

Blackhawk Ranch, 1917 to 1979

Blackhawk Ranch was established in 1917 by Ansel Mills Easton and his son-in-law William Q. Ward, in an area east of the San Ramon and Sycamore Valleys. The name came from a famous Irish racehorse named Blackhawk that Easton's family had once owned. The land passed through the hands of several owners, including Raymond Force (the owner of the Caterpillar Tractor Company), the Hawaii-based sugar and pineapple company Castle & Cooke and Howard Peterson (owner of Peterson Tractor). [5]

In 1975, Peterson sold the land to Florida developer Ken Behring, who planned a housing development of 4800 dwelling units over 4,200 acres (17 km2) of land. Critics charged that the plan would have various negative impacts, related to urban sprawl, environmental damage and violations of the County General Plan. A group of environmentalists and local residents called Amigos de Diablo organized against the Blackhawk Development Corporation, but were sued for libel. The Blackhawk Development Corporation finally reduced the number of homes planned to 2400 and offered more than 2,000 acres (8 km2) of open space to Mount Diablo State Park. [6]

Blackhawk Plaza

Blackhawk Plaza, opened 1989, is an outdoor shopping center encircling a long duck pond located near the Blackhawk Country Club. It includes retail stores, restaurants, a movie theater, and two museums, including the Blackhawk Museum.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1990 6,199
2000 10,04862.1%
2010 9,354−6.9%
2020 9,6373.0%
U.S. Decennial Census [7]
1990 [8] 2000 [9] 2010 [10] 2020 [11]

Blackhawk first appeared as a census designated place in the 1990 U.S. census. [8] The CDP was renamed Blackhawk-Camino Tassajara in the 2000 U.S. census. [9] The name was changed back to Blackhawk in the 2010 U.S. census; [10] and a separate CDP under the name Camino Tassajara was formed out of adjacent territory. [10]

Racial and ethnic composition

Blackhawk CDP, California – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000 [12] Pop 2010 [13] Pop 2020 [11] % 2000% 2010% 2020
White alone (NH)7,4666,5625,60474.30%70.15%58.15%
Black or African American alone (NH)2261671542.25%1.79%1.60%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)181090.18%0.11%0.09%
Asian alone (NH)1,6771,7862,62716.69%19.09%27.26%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)14840.14%0.09%0.04%
Other Race alone (NH)2422560.24%0.24%0.58%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)2323354932.31%3.58%5.12%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)3914646903.89%4.96%7.16%
Total10,0489,3549,637100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Blackhawk had a population of 9,637. The population density was 1,668.7 inhabitants per square mile (644.3/km2). The median age was 50.3 years. 20.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 24.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.0 males age 18 and over. [14] [15]

The census reported that 98.2% of the population lived in households, 0.4% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1.4% were institutionalized. 100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas. [14] [16]

There were 3,395 households, out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 75.8% were married-couple households, 2.8% were cohabiting-couple households, 13.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present, and 7.7% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 12.2% of households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79. There were 2,882 families (84.9% of all households). [14]

There were 3,515 housing units at an average density of 608.7 units per square mile (235.0 units/km2), of which 3,395 (96.6%) were occupied and 3.4% were vacant. Of occupied units, 90.6% were owner-occupied and 9.4% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.5%. [14] [15]

Income and poverty

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $239,681, and the per capita income was $136,706. About 4.9% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line. [17]

2010 census

The 2010 United States census [18] reported that Blackhawk had a population of 9,354. The population density was 1,609.7 inhabitants per square mile (621.5/km2). The racial makeup of Blackhawk was 6,882 (73.6%) White, 172 (1.8%) African American, 15 (0.2%) Native American, 1,801 (19.3%) Asian, 8 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 75 (0.8%) from other races, and 401 (4.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 464 persons (5.0%).

The Census reported that 100% of the population lived in households.

There were 3,345 households, out of which 1,241 (37.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,661 (79.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 155 (4.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 86 (2.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 76 (2.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 21 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 355 households (10.6%) were made up of individuals, and 145 (4.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80. There were 2,902 families (86.8% of all households); the average family size was 3.00.

The population was spread out, with 2,271 people (24.3%) under the age of 18, 502 people (5.4%) aged 18 to 24, 1,394 people (14.9%) aged 25 to 44, 3,875 people (41.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,312 people (14.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males.

There were 3,477 housing units at an average density of 598.3 per square mile (231.0/km2), of which 3,345 were occupied, of which 3,044 (91.0%) were owner-occupied, and 301 (9.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.8%. 8,400 people (89.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 954 people (10.2%) lived in rental housing units.

Education

All of Blackhawk was in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. [19]

Blackhawk is mentioned in the hit song "Salvation" by the punk band Rancid, as a place "where all the rich people are/hide."

Blackhawk is also mentioned in The Lonely Island's short film The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience as the place where the titular Bash Brothers reside.

A further reference is made in the song "Spike" on the album Money Money 2020 by the group The Network which includes members from Green Day.

See also

References

  1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  2. "Blackhawk". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  3. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Blackhawk, California
  4. "Blackhawk CDP, California Census Data 2020". data.census.gov. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  5. "Blackhawk & The Mountain–A Twentieth Century History". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved December 3, 2007.
  6. "Blackhawk - The Name, the Ranch, the Homes". Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2007.
  7. "Decennial Census by Decade". United States Census Bureau .
  8. 1 2 "1990 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau .
  9. 1 2 "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau .
  10. 1 2 3 "2010 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - California" (PDF). United States Census Bureau .
  11. 1 2 "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Blackhawk CDP, California". United States Census Bureau.
  12. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Blackhawk-Camino Tassajara CDP, California". United States Census Bureau.
  13. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Blackhawk CDP, California". United States Census Bureau.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  15. 1 2 "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  16. "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  17. "Blackhawk CDP, California; DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics - 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates Comparison Profiles". US Census Bureau. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  18. "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Blackhawk CDP". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 12, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  19. 2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Contra Costa County, CA (PDF) (Map). Suitland, Maryland: U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved January 24, 2025. - Text list