Port Costa, California

History

Port Costa was founded in 1879 as a landing for the railroad ferry Solano, owned and operated by the Central Pacific Railroad. This put Port Costa on the main route of the transcontinental railroad. The Solano, later joined by the Contra Costa, carried entire trains across the Carquinez Strait from Benicia to Port Costa, from where they continued on to the Oakland Pier.

Businessman George W. McNear built the Port Costa Warehouses and Dock Company west of the new ferry terminal in 1880. The valley where Port Costa now sits, at one point called Bull Valley, was part of a ranch owned by William Piper. In 1883, McNear bought Piper's land for $100,000 and began to build up the town. Port Costa became the busiest port on the West Coast, primarily shipping wheat.

Port Costa's first post office was established in 1881 with postmaster Kate Hurley. It later moved to a warehouse built by McNear, where it remains today. The Port Costa School, a classical revival building designed by architect William Wilde, was built in 1911, opened in 1912, and operated until 1966. In 1988, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. St. Patrick Church was founded in 1884, rebuilt in 1898, and restored in 1980.

For the early decades of Port Costa's existence, much of the town's commercial activities took place on wharves and docks along the waterfront. These wharves and docks suffered from numerous fires between 1883 and 1941, and a large part of the "Waterfront Port Costa" area was demolished in 1921 after being badly damaged by shipworms. No docks or wharves are left standing today, although pilings remain.

Besides the railroad and shipping, another important industry in Port Costa was brick making. Port Costa Brick Works operated from 1905 until 1991.

After California's wheat output dropped in the early 20th century and especially after the Southern Pacific (which took over the operations of the Central Pacific) constructed a railroad bridge at Martinez in 1930 to replace the ferry crossing, Port Costa lost population and importance.

In 1963, Bill Rich purchased and renovated multiple Port Costa buildings, including the Burlington Hotel (built circa 1883) and McNear's warehouse (built 1886), with the goal of making the town a tourist attraction. Under this iteration, the warehouse housed multiple antique stores and, for two years, artist Clayton Bailey's Wonders of the World Museum. However, Port Costa fell into decline after a 1983 fire in the hills between Port Costa and Crockett.

In 1999, known biker bar the Warehouse Cafe, located in the warehouse originally built by McNear, was purchased by a new owner and gained a "cult following" over the decades. In 2012, the restaurant Bull Valley Roadhouse, which sits in McNear's old office building, was renovated. In the following year, the Burlington Hotel was renovated by new owners as well. Port Costa continues to be a destination for day or weekend trips.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 0.16 sqmi, all of it land. Port Costa is surrounded by rolling hills grazed by cattle and managed by East Bay Regional Park District. Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline stretches from Crockett through Port Costa and to Martinez. Big Bull Valley Creek runs along McEwen Road into a historic reservoir just above the town, then it runs in an underground pipe culvert beneath the town to the Carquinez Strait.

At the 2000 census, the CDP had a total area of 0.68 sqmi, all of it land.

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1860–1870 1880-1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Port Costa first appeared as a census designated place in the 2000 U.S. census.

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Port Costa had a population of 190. The population density was 1,202.5 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Port Costa was 81.1% White, 0.0% African American, 1.1% Native American, 2.6% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 1.1% from other races, and 14.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.5% of the population.

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

There were 104 households, out of which 9.6% included children under the age of 18, 33.7% were married-couple households, 6.7% were cohabiting couple households, 36.5% had a female householder with no partner present, and 23.1% had a male householder with no partner present. 43.3% of households were one person, and 25.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 1.83. There were 50 families (48.1% of all households).

The age distribution was 9.5% under the age of 18, 6.3% aged 18 to 24, 21.6% aged 25 to 44, 37.9% aged 45 to 64, and 24.7% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 50.5years. For every 100 females, there were 91.9 males.

There were 106 housing units at an average density of 670.9 /mi2, of which 104 (98.1%) were occupied. Of these, 50.0% were owner-occupied, and 50.0% were occupied by renters.

Education

Port Costa is in the John Swett Unified School District. It previously operated Port Costa School.

Notable people from Port Costa

• Clayton Bailey and Betty Graveen Bailey

References

References

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2. {{Cite GovTrack. CA. 8
3. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
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9. (1988). "National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet".
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11. Cuff, Denis. (2012-05-29). "Port Costa brick works to become park land".
12. Tsai, Luke. (2020-10-19). "How a Remote East Bay Biker Bar Is (Just Barely) Surviving the Pandemic".
13. Bauer, Michael. (2013-02-09). "Bull Valley Roadhouse, Port Costa - old-time vibe".
14. May, Meredith. (2013-02-06). "Burlington Hotel in Port Costa restoration".
15. (2020-03-05). "Bay Area Day Trip: A Saturday in Port Costa with hikes, honey and a bit of magic".
16. Bote, Joshua. (2021-11-11). "The tiny port town unlike anywhere else in the Bay Area".
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34. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Port Costa CDP, California".
35. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Port Costa CDP, California".
36. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Port Costa CDP, California".
37. "Port Costa CDP, California; DP1: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics - 2020 Census of Population and Housing".
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39. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Contra Costa County, CA". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
40. Whiting, Sam. (June 8, 2020). "Clayton Bailey, pioneer of 'Nut Art' and the Port Costa Sky Cam, has died".