Parchester Village is a planned majority African-American village in northwestern Richmond, California that was the first in the state to sell to blacks. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Contents
Parchester Village is a planned majority African-American village in northwestern Richmond, California that was the first in the state to sell to blacks. [1] [2] [3] [4]
After World War II temporary housing was torn down in Richmond, many black residents were not allowed to move into what was left. [2] [3] [4] This culminated in the efforts of Reverend Guthrie John Williams, who in 1949 cut a deal that exchanged support for council member Amos Hinkley for more black housing. [2] Although Hinkley did not win reelection, he did introduce Williams to Fred Parr, a wealthy white real estate developer who helped to develop the 400 or so single story homes. [2] [3]
Parchester Village was originally planned as the first residential development for "All Americans", but became an all-black neighborhood when whites lost interest in purchasing here after finding out it was to be racially mixed. [1] [2] The streets are named after black pastors of the time, most notably Williams Street, one of the community's main arteries. [3] The name Parchester comes from Fred Parr, the last name of the Richmond businessman who funded and created the development. [1]
Parchester Village is nearly 80% African-American, with a growing Latino, Asian, and White population. [2] The Latino population has been steadily increasing over the years to largely positive reactions from the Afro-American community. [3]
The community enjoyed widespread access to Dotson Family Marsh (formerly Breuner Marsh) from swimming to fishing on its pier for decades. [4] However, over the years access was limited by destruction of the wetlands and changes in ownership. [4] In the 1970s, the community lobbied successfully to prevent an airfield's construction at the site. [4] Several home developers attempted to build upscale development similar to that surrounding the area outside the village. [4] The residents objected and opted for open space access while the city lobbied for a mix of park and a small business center. [4] In the end the land was acquired by East Bay Regional Park District from developers and added to the District's Point Pinole Regional Shoreline in 2010.
In the early 2000s, the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians proposed the 2,000-slot Sugar Bowl Casino just south of the community. Parchester Village residents lauded this as a boon to fight crime and create jobs. Residents from the newly developed sub-divisions along the neighboring Richmond Country Club, on the other hand, were fervently opposed to the casino largely based on perceived potential losses to their property values. [3] Nevertheless, the casino was approved for construction and operation. This is of note because the Point Molate project has consistently failed at being approved while the Casino San Pablo has never been able to approve games of chance not based on bingo. [5]
The area is served by AC Transit's 71 and 376 bus lines that connect the rather isolated neighborhood with downtown Richmond the BART and Amtrak station, and Contra Costa College in San Pablo. This is in addition to the Hilltop Area and the Richmond Parkway Transit Center commuter hub. There are also about half a dozen 600-series school routes connecting the village with area middle and high schools.
The neighborhood is bordered by Point Pinole Regional Shoreline and the West Contra Costa County Detention Center to the north, Atlas road, SPRR tracks, and the Richmond Country Club to the east, the Richmond Parkway to the southeast, grassland flats to the south, and Breuner Marsh and San Pablo Bay to the west. [3] The area has expansive views of the waterfront, park, and Marin County and North Bay Mountains. The neighborhood's streets are plagued by very serious potholes that have not been addressed by the city due to lack of funds. [3]
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905, and has a city council. Located in the San Francisco Bay Area's East Bay region, Richmond borders San Pablo, Albany, El Cerrito and Pinole in addition to the unincorporated communities of North Richmond, Hasford Heights, Kensington, El Sobrante, Bayview-Montalvin Manor, Tara Hills, and East Richmond Heights, and for a short distance San Francisco on Red Rock Island in the San Francisco Bay. Richmond is one of two cities, the other being San Rafael, that sits on the shores of both San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay.
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.
Hercules is a city in western Contra Costa County, California. Situated along the coast of San Pablo Bay, it is located in the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area, about 10 miles (16 km) north of Berkeley, California. As of 2010, its population was 24,060, according to the United States Census Bureau. The site of Hercules was first developed in 1881 as a manufacturing facility of the California Powder Works for the production of its patented dynamite formulation, Hercules powder. In 1882, the Hercules Powder Company was incorporated and assumed responsibility for the Hercules site. It was one of several explosive manufacturers that were active along the Pinole shoreline in the late 19th to the mid-20th century. The small company town that grew up near the facility subsequently became known as "Hercules", and was incorporated at the end of 1900. Starting in the 1970s, Hercules was heavily redeveloped as suburban bedroom community that lies along the I-80 corridor in Western Contra Costa County. It has a very ethnically diverse population.
Point Pinole Regional Shoreline is a regional park on the shores of the San Pablo Bay, California, in the United States. It is approximately 2,315 acres (9.37 km2) in area, and is operated by the East Bay Regional Park District. It includes the Dotson Family Marsh and the Point Pinole Lagoon and hosts the North Richmond Shoreline Festival.
San Pablo Bay is a tidal estuary that forms the northern extension of San Francisco Bay in the East Bay and North Bay regions of the San Francisco Bay Area in northern California.
AC Transit is an Oakland-based public transit agency serving the western portions of Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. AC Transit also operates "Transbay" routes across San Francisco Bay to San Francisco and selected areas in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. AC Transit is constituted as a special district under California law. It is governed by seven elected members. It is not a part of or under the control of Alameda or Contra Costa counties or any local jurisdictions.
WestCAT is a public transportation service in western Contra Costa County. It is a service of the Western Contra Costa Transit Authority.
North Richmond is an unincorporated area in Contra Costa County, California, a census-designated place (CDP) with a population of 3,717 adjacent to and nearly surrounded by the city of Richmond.
The Richmond Parkway Transit Center or RPTC is a park and ride lot and bus terminal located in Richmond, California. It is named after the adjacent Richmond Parkway. It serves as a transfer point for the WestCAT and AC Transit. It is located on the corner of Richmond Parkway and Blume Drive near the Pinole border and adjacent to Interstate 80 and the Hilltop Plaza shopping center.
The Richmond Country Club is a private social gathering place and sports facility for golf in the Hilltop District of Richmond, California, United States.
Rheem Creek is a 3-mile (5 km) long urban stream in western Contra Costa County, California which empties into San Pablo Bay south of Point Pinole. The creek rises from Rolling Hills Cemetery and passes through Rollingwood, the campus of Contra Costa Community College, and the city of San Pablo, California. Near this area at the end of the creek a business park is being built and there is some concern on how the creek may be impacted by the construction. The waterway is named after early local figure William Rheem.
Point San Pablo Harbor is a marina and small community at the far end of Point San Pablo in San Pablo Bay, within Richmond, in Contra Costa County, California. It is located at 1900 Stenmark Drive, Richmond CA 94801.
Hilltop Green or "The Green"is a neighborhood in Richmond, California bordering the city of Pinole, the census-designated place of El Sobrante, the neighborhood of Hilltop, and Hilltop Mall.
The Dotson Family Marsh, formerly Breuner Marsh, is a 238-acre regional park on San Pablo Bay in the East San Francisco Bay Area city of Richmond, California, In 2009 the East Bay Regional Parks District acquired the Breuner Marsh site, adding it to Point Pinole Regional Shoreline. A habitat restoration plan for 60 acres of wetlands and 90 acres of California coastal prairie was subsequently approved.
Citizens for East Shore Parks (CESP) is a United States environmental organization that focuses on the acquisition and preservation of parkland in the San Francisco Bay Area. CESP works to protect open space along the East Bay shoreline for natural habitat and recreational purposes through a combination of advocacy, education, and outreach. Since its founding in 1985, CESP has worked to secure approximately 1,800 acres (730 ha) of public land, primarily through the creation of the 8.5-mile (13.7 km) long Eastshore State Park in 2002.
Chelsea Wetlands is a riparian marsh on lower Pinole Creek and a tidal wetland at its mouth on San Pablo Bay, in Contra Costa County, northern California. It is located within the city of Hercules, in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Point Molate Naval Fuel Depot is a decommissioned United States Navy fueling station on the western shore of Richmond, California on San Francisco Bay. It has undergone years of litigation and debate as to its redevelopment with proposals ranging from a billion dollar casino project, parkland, housing, and other mixed uses.
John Gioia is an American politician. He has served on the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors in Contra Costa County, California since 1998 and was re-elected three times. He served as chair in 2002, 2006 and 2010. John Gioia is a Democrat. Contra Costa supervisorial seats are non-partisan.
Doctors Medical Center was an eight-story, 120-bed public hospital in San Pablo, California which served 250,000 residents in western Contra Costa County from 1954 to 2015.
Willa Mae Sudduth (1925-2015) was one of the founders of the Coalition of Labor Union Women. She was involved in many social justice causes, issues, and concerns most of her adult life. She was an African-American woman and the mother of six children.
