Parchester Village is a planned majority

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

village in northwestern

Richmond, California Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was municipal corporation, incorporated on August 7, 1905, and has a Richmond, California City Council, city council.

that was the first in the state to sell to blacks. Marypeaceparr

History

After World War II temporary housing was torn down in Richmond, many black residents were not allowed to move into what was left. 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. 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. Parchester Village was originally planned as the first residential development for "

All Americans The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

", but became an all-black neighborhood when whites lost interest in purchasing here after finding out it was to be racially mixed. The streets are named after black pastors of the time, most notably Williams Street, one of the community's main arteries. The name Parchester comes from Fred Parr, the last name of the Richmond businessman who funded and created the development. Parchester Village is nearly 80% African-American, with a growing Latino, Asian, and White population. The Latino population has been steadily increasing over the years to largely positive reactions from the Afro-American community. The community enjoyed widespread access to Dotson Family Marsh (formerly

Breuner Marsh The Dotson Family Marsh, formerly Breuner Marsh, is a 238-acre (96 ha) However, over the years access was limited by destruction of the wetlands and changes in ownership. In the 1970s, the community lobbied successfully to prevent an airfield's construction at the site. Several home developers attempted to build upscale development similar to that surrounding the area outside the village. The residents objected and opted for open space access while the city lobbied for a mix of park and a small business center. In the end the land was acquired by

East Bay Regional Park District The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) is a special district operating in Alameda County and Contra Costa County, California, within the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay Area. It maintains and operates a system of regional parks which ...

from developers and added to the District's

Point Pinole Regional Shoreline Point Pinole Regional Shoreline is a regional park on the shores of the San Pablo Bay, California (the northern arm of the San Francisco Bay), in the United States. It is approximately in area, and is operated by the East Bay Regional Park Dis ...

in 2010. In the early 2000s, the

Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians of California, also known as the Scott's Valley Band of Pomo Indians of the Sugar Bowl Rancheria is a Federally recognized tribes, federally recognized tribe of Pomo people, Pomo and Eel River Athapaskans, Wa ...

proposed the 2,000-slot

Sugar Bowl Casino Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double s ...

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. 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 Casino San Pablo is a Native American reservation with a gambling hall located in San Pablo, California.

has never been able to approve games of chance not based on bingo.

Geography

The area is served by

AC Transit AC Transit (Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District) 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" ro ...

's 71 and 376 bus lines that connect the rather isolated neighborhood with

downtown Richmond Downtown Richmond is the central business district of Richmond, Virginia. It is generally defined as being bound by Belvidere Street to the west, I-95 to the north and east, and the James River to the south. The Fan district borders it to t ...

the BART and Amtrak station, and

Contra Costa College Contra Costa College is a public community college in San Pablo, California. It is the west campus of the Contra Costa Community College District. It is part of the California community colleges system, one of the three college systems in Califor ...

in San Pablo. This is in addition to the Hilltop Area and the

Richmond Parkway Transit Center 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 th ...

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

and the

West Contra Costa County Detention Center West County Detention Facility is a large coeducational adult medium security Contra Costa County, California, Contra Costa County jail in Richmond, California opened in 1991.

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 The Dotson Family Marsh, formerly Breuner Marsh, is a 238-acre (96 ha)San Pablo Bay 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. Most of the Bay is shallow; however, there is a deep water ch ...

to the west. The area has expansive views of the waterfront, park, and

Marin County Marin County is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is acros ...

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.

References

External links

Parchester Village on Wikimapia
(Satellite images) {{Coord, 37, 59, 10, N, 122, 21, 14, W, display=title Neighborhoods in Richmond, California African-American history in the San Francisco Bay Area