Pinole (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

for "

cornmeal Cornmeal is a meal (coarse flour) or a cell membrane ground from dried corn. It is a common staple food, and is ground to coarse, medium, and fine consistencies, but not as fine as wheat flour can be.Herbst, Sharon, ''Food Lover's Companion'', ...

") is a city in

Contra Costa County, California ) of the San Francisco Bay , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivision_name1 = California , subdivision_type2 ...

, United States. The population was 18,390 at the 2010 census.

History

The name derives from "

pinole Pinole, also called pinol or pinolillo, is roasted ground maize, which is then mixed with a combination of cocoa, agave, cinnamon, chia seeds, vanilla, or other spices. The resulting powder is then used as a nutrient-dense ingredient to make d ...

", a Nāhuatl word for a kind of flour made from the seeds of

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American English, North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous ...

, chia, and various other grasses and annual herbs. An expedition under

Pedro Fages Pedro Fages (1734–1794) was a Spanish soldier, explorer, first Lieutenant Governor of the Californias under Gaspar de Portolá. Fages claimed the governorship after Portolá's death, acting as governor in opposition to the official governor ...

was said to have run out of provisions while exploring the area, and to have been fed pinole by a local village, and so the Spaniards named their camp "El Pinole". In 1823, Ygnacio Martínez, commandant of the

Presidio of San Francisco The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part ...

, received a land grant of Rancho El Pinole from the Mexican government. Martinez built a

hacienda An ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or '' finca''), similar to a Roman '' latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchard ...

in Pinole Valley at the present site of Pinole Valley Park. During the 1850s, Bernardo Fernandez, a Portuguese immigrant, started a trading facility on the shores of

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 wate ...

and eventually built the historic Fernandez Mansion, which still stands today at the end of Tennent Avenue. From these early beginnings, a small but thriving community grew into the city now known as Pinole. The settlement grew with the coming of the

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...

in 1878 and the establishment of the

California Powder Works California Powder Works was the first American explosive powder manufacturing company west of the Rocky Mountains. When the outbreak of the Civil War cut off supplies of gunpowder to California's mining and road-building industries, a local manufac ...

in nearby

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the ...

. During this period, this city had an active waterfront and was a regional commercial and banking center. The first post office also opened in 1878. The City of Pinole was incorporated in 1903. Pinole and the surrounding area grew rapidly during the post-World War II boom. With the coming of

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one ...

in 1958, the town evolved into a suburban

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

within the San Francisco/Oakland commuter belt. Much of its original industry was displaced during this time, and the town became predominantly residential. Today, the town is locally known for its "big box" shopping store district along Fitzgerald Drive, and Pinole Vista Shopping Center, which is contiguous with Richmond's Hilltop Area. The downtown area still retains much turn-of-the-century building stock and is being preserved by the city's development agency as a historic area.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of . of it is land, and of it (60.79%) is water. The city of Pinole has habitat areas that support the

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

Santa Cruz Tarweed on the

California coastal prairie California coastal prairie, also known as northern coastal grassland, is a grassland plant community of California and Oregon in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome. It is found along the Pacific Coast, from as far south ...

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syst ...

. A colony of this rare plant was discovered during preparation of an Environmental Impact Report for a proposed

shopping center A shopping center (American English) or shopping centre (Commonwealth English), also called a shopping complex, shopping arcade, shopping plaza or galleria, is a group of shops built together, sometimes under one roof. The first known collec ...

on the east side of

I-80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...

in the late 1980s. Subsequently, a plan was developed by the city to conduct replanting of this tarweed on the slopes within the right-of-way of Interstate Highway 80. Also running through is

Pinole Creek Pinole Creek is a stream in western Contra Costa County, in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, California. The creek has one of the last primarily undeveloped watersheds in the Bay Area. Course The headwaters of Pinole Creek are ...

Demographics

2010

At the 2010 census Pinole had a population of 18,390. The population density was . The racial makeup of Pinole was 8,488 (46.2%) White, 2,458 (13.4%) African American, 147 (0.8%) Native American, 4,220 (22.9%) Asian, 64 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 1,741 (9.5%) from other races, and 1,272 (6.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4,005 persons (21.8%). The census reported that 18,322 people (99.6% of the population) lived in households, 53 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 15 (0.1%) were institutionalized. There were 6,775 households, 2,202 (32.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 3,500 (51.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,012 (14.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 363 (5.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 325 (4.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 76 (1.1%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,529 households (22.6%) were one person and 676 (10.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.70. There were 4,875 families (72.0% of households); the average family size was 3.19. The age distribution was 3,764 people (20.5%) under the age of 18, 1,674 people (9.1%) aged 18 to 24, 4,325 people (23.5%) aged 25 to 44, 5,779 people (31.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,848 people (15.5%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 42.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males. There were 7,158 housing units at an average density of ,of which 6,775 were occupied, 4,861 (71.7%) by the owners and 1,914 (28.3%) by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 8.0%. 13,210 people (71.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 5,112 people (27.8%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

At the 2000 census there were 19,039 people in 6,743 households, including 5,057 families, in the city. The population density was 1,413.7/km (3,662.3/mi²). There were 6,828 housing units at an average density of 507.0/km (1,313.4/mi²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the city was 54.39% White, 11.11% Black or African American, 0.57% Native American, 21.71% Asian, 0.37% Pacific Islander, 5.81% from other races, and 6.03% from two or more races. 13.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 6,743 households 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 20.2% of households were one person and 7.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.23. The age distribution was 25.0% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males. The median household income was $62,256 and the median family income was $70,172. Males had a median income of $47,335 versus $38,019 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,170. About 3.5% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

The Pinole Community Players have been performing in Pinole since 1986.

Government

Cameron Sasai being sworn in at Pinole City Hall

On February 10, 2019, Pinole has 11,347 registered voters. Of those, 6,365 (56.1%) are registered Democrats, 1,525 (13.4%) are registered Republicans, and 2,993 (26.4%) have

declined to state Decline to State (DTS) was an affiliation designation on the California voter registration form that allows voters to register to vote without choosing a party affiliation. It is similar to what in other states would be called declaring oneself as ...

a political party.

Notable people

* Bernardo Fernandez was an early leader in the town's cattle industry * Gary Holt of the thrash metal band Exodus lives in Pinole. * 1992

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and har ...

winner

Gino Torretta Gino Louis Torretta (born August 10, 1970) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons. He played college football at the University of Miami, won the Heisman Trophy in 1992, and ...

is from Pinole. *

Ray Kremer Remy Peter "Ray" Kremer (March 23, 1895 – February 8, 1965) was an American professional baseball player. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1924 to 1933. Early lif ...

(1893–1965), who pitched 10 seasons for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

, winning 143 games, lived and died in Pinole.

In popular culture

* Much of Philip K. Dick's ''

The Days of Perky Pat "The Days of Perky Pat" is a science fiction short story by American writer Philip K. Dick, first published in 1963 in ''Amazing'' magazine. Plot In this novel, survivors of a global thermonuclear war live in isolated enclaves in California, s ...

'' is set in an underground bunker located at the site of what was once Pinole, California, ten years after a devastating nuclear war.

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Contra Costa County, California San Pablo Bay Incorporated cities and towns in California Populated places established in 1903 1903 establishments in California Cities in the San Francisco Bay Area Populated coastal places in California