Concord, California
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Concord is a city located in Contra Costa County, California, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 121,780.
Concord is a suburb of San Francisco, and was until 1998 the eastern terminus of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) commuter train system. Concord has been primarily a bedroom community over the last forty years, but during the last decade corporations such as ChevronTexaco and Bank of America have established extensive back-office operations there, diversifying the local economy.
Concord is also the home of the annual Concord Jazz Festival and the Concord Records jazz record label.
Concord's Mount Diablo High School is home to several acclaimed California academies, specifically the Digital Safari, a three-year program involving the integration of multimedia with the core curriculum through integrated, project-based learning. The headquarters of the Kabul Soccer Club is located in Concord.
Concord's De La Salle High School is home for the record winning streak of 151 games set by the football team between 1992 and 2004. During that span, De La Salle won 12 California state championships, and was named national champion five different times (once by ESPN, four times by USA Today).
Jazz musician Dave Brubeck was born in Concord, as was actor Tom Hanks.
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Geography
CAMap-doton-Concord.png
Location of Concord, California
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 78.1 km² (30.1 mi²). 78.1 km² (30.1 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 121,780 people, 44,020 households, and 30,329 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,560.0/km² (4,041.0/mi²). There are 45,083 housing units at an average density of 577.5/km² (1,496.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 70.71% White, 3.04% Black or African American, 0.76% Native American, 9.39% Asian, 0.50% Pacific Islander, 9.65% from other races, and 5.94% from two or more races. 21.81% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 44,020 households out of which 34.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% are married couples living together, 12.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% are non-families. 23.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.74 and the average family size is 3.22.
In the city the population is spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 95.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $55,597, and the median income for a family is $62,093. Males have a median income of $45,734 versus $34,860 for females. The per capita income for the city is $24,727. 7.6% of the population and 5.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 9.0% of those under the age of 18 and 6.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Naval Weapons Base
The City of Concord is largely taken up by an all-but-mothballed Naval Weapons site. The Federal Government has announced that the Naval Base is to be closed and returned to the City of Concord. Concord will most likely sell the land out to developers.
The base has tens of camouflaged hangars, storage warehouses, and empty missile silos.
Port Chicago disaster
Concord Naval Weapons Station, which used to be called "Port Chicago," was involved in a still-controversial happening to this day. On the evening of July 17th, 1944, a ship packed with munitions and explosives was docking at the port when an extremely large explosion rocked the night sky. Buildings were damaged as far away as San Francisco, a distance of 48 miles. All 320 soldiers on duty were killed instantly. The Navy immediately sprang into action, sending soldiers to put out the fire and restore order in the area.
Of the 320 men, nearly 2/3 were African American because of the racial segregation in the military at that time. This caused a huge uproar among the remaining African Americans in the area. Of the 328 remaining men in the Ordinance Battalion, 258 African Americans refused to load ammunition. All were court martialed, and all were given bad conduct discharges and ordered to forfeit 3 months pay for disobeying orders.
The explosion and later mutiny proceedings would help illustrate the costs of racial discrimination and fuel public criticism. By 1945, as the Navy worked toward desegregation, some mixed units appeared. When President Harry Truman called for the Armed Forces to be desegregated in 1948, the Navy could honestly say that Port Chicago had been a very important step in that process.
Points of interest
- California State University, East Bay campus in Concord.
- Markham Regional Arboretum
External links
Template:Cities of Contra Costa County, Californiade:Concord (Kalifornien)