Russell City, California
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__NOTOC__ Russell City (also known as Russell) was an
unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in
Alameda County, California Alameda County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,682,353, making it the 7th-most populous county in the state and 21st most populous nationally. The county seat is Oakland. Alam ...
, United States, about south of Oakland in present-day Hayward. The land is at an elevation of 16 feet (5 m). Russell City existed from 1853 until 1964, when the last of the residents were forced out to make way for an
industrial park An industrial park (also known as industrial estate, trading estate) is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more "heavyweight" version of a business park or office park ...
, with such parks dominating the area to this day. While the residents fought removal, many of the buildings were destroyed in arson fires.


History

According to sources including the City of Hayward's website, Russell City was named in 1853 after Joel Russell, a New England teacher who came to California during the Gold Rush. Some sources say the area was named after Frederick James Russell, who laid out the town in 1907. Russell City was an arrival point for immigrants to the
San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
, initially inhabited primarily by Danish immigrants. By
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, it was home to many African Americans and to many Latinos from Mexico and Puerto Rico, some braceros and others shipyard workers at Todd Shipyards and Kaiser Shipyards in
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...
. Ernesto Nava, son of the Mexican revolutionary leader
Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa (, Orozco rebelled in March 1912, both for Madero's continuing failure to enact land reform and because he felt insufficiently rewarded for his role in bringing the new president to power. At the request of Madero's c ...
, lived in Russell City and was one of the last residents to leave. The town's largest growth period came during and after the war, with significant numbers of African Americans moving there from the South. The town had a history of
blues music Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
, and this heritage is the basis for the annual Hayward/Russell City Blues Festival. After
Alameda County Alameda County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,682,353, making it the 7th-most populous county in the state and 21st most populous nationally. The county seat is Oakland. Alam ...
declined to annex Russell City and provide sanitation and fire services, Hayward declared the community blighted in the late 1950s, when it occupied 12 square blocks and had approximately 1,400 residents. In the early 1960s, the city began purchasing properties and there was a spate of arson fires. In 1964, the town was annexed by Hayward, the remaining residents evicted under
eminent domain Eminent domain (United States, Philippines), land acquisition (India, Malaysia, Singapore), compulsory purchase/acquisition (Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom), resumption (Hong Kong, Uganda), resumption/compulsory acquisition (Austr ...
, and the land used for an industrial park, with the last town buildings being cleared in 1966. A mural at A Street and Maple Court in Hayward commemorates Russell City. The City of Hayward issued a formal apology on November 16, 2021, and launched the Russell City Restorative Justice Project in June 2022.


Russell City Energy Center

The
Russell City Energy Center The Russell City Energy Center (RCEC) is a 619-megawatt natural gas-fired power station, which began operating in August 2013. It is operated by Calpine, and is located in Hayward, California. It is named for Russell City and is built on that c ...
, a natural gas fueled power plant, opened in 2013 within the city's former boundaries.


References


Further reading

*


External links

* Former settlements in Alameda County, California Geography of Hayward, California Ghost towns in the San Francisco Bay Area Populated places established in 1853 African-American history in the San Francisco Bay Area {{Portal, San Francisco Bay Area