Knightsen, California

Knightsen is a census-designated place (CDP) in Contra Costa County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the CDP population was 1,596.

History

Knightsen is a small, unincorporated community of 1,568 residents and 1,500 horses in far eastern Contra Costa County, California in the eastern San Francisco Bay Area closest to Oakley, California."Eye on the Bay," CBS5, September 21, 2008 The community was founded by George W. Knight, and its name is a portmanteau of his last name and his wife (Christina Christensen). Knightsen has the oldest chapter of the 4-H Club in California. The community worries about urban sprawl from expanding development in neighboring Oakley. However, a significant portion of the community lies within the agricultural conservation zone in the Brentwood, general plan.

During the 1880s, settlers began moving in and planting the first almond trees in the area. A few dairies also sprang up. Other crops, such as apricots, grapes and alfalfa were also planted. Until the railroad was built, farmers shipped their produce via water, using Babbes Landing off Dutch Slough, near the north end of what is now Sellers Avenue.

Knightsen was founded in 1898, when the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad (Santa Fe Railway) was planning to lay a track through the area to reach Stockton, California. According to local historian, Kathy Leighton, the railroad wanted to name the community Meganos, commemorating the nearby ranch owned by Doctor John Marsh. Local settlers wanted to keep the name Knightsen. Through correspondence with officials in Washington, D.C., a post office named Knightsen was established before the railroad was complete, and George Knight was named first postmaster in mid-1899. He immediately constructed the first retail store in Knightsen, a grocery, in which he could also locate the post office, which opened in 1900.Leighton, Kathy. "Knightsen History." East Contra Costa Historical Society.
Reprinted from "East Contra Costa County Footprints in the Sand." 2001. Accessed November 27, 2017.

The first buildings in Knightsen were a station house, a railroad station and a pumping plant, all belonging to the Santa Fe. After Knight's grocery, came the Lyon Brothers asparagus plant, which could ship two to four carloads of asparagus per day during the harvest season. The railroad made shipping crops much easier. Soon, six dairies were shipping an average of of milk per day. During the 1920s, Knightsen was one of the largest milk shipping points in California.

Voters approved forming the Knightsen Irrigation District in 1920 to provide water to of farmland. The cost of the project then was $650,000. Even before the project was completed, the district was absorbed by the East Contra Costa Water District. The change from dry farming to irrigation brought other notable changes. The Knightsen Farm Bureau was organized in 1918. It built a hall in 1922 that has since been used for school graduations, dances, weddings, political functions, school plays, holiday celebrations, church services, a safe haven for flood victims and an endless list of other events. John N. Kristich, a pipe manufacturer from King City, California decided to build a plant for manufacturing concrete pipe in Knightsen. His firm became one of the largest producers of concrete pipe in California during the 1920s.

Knightsen has remained primarily a farming community, growing such foods as almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc. It still contains a few U-pick vegetable/fruit stands. Knightsen now is home to many horse ranches. One report even indicated that the community housed nearly as many horses (1500) as people (1568).

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , 99% of it land.

Demographics

Knightsen first appeared as a census designated place in the 2000 U.S. Census.

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Knightsen had a population of 1,596. The population density was . The racial makeup of Knightsen was 63.0% White, 0.9% African American, 0.6% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 20.4% from other races, and 13.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 36.8% of the population.

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

There were 529 households, out of which 34.2% included children under the age of 18, 60.1% were married-couple households, 5.9% were cohabiting couple households, 16.1% had a female householder with no partner present, and 18.0% had a male householder with no partner present. 16.1% of households were one person, and 6.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.02. There were 406 families (76.7% of all households).

The age distribution was 21.9% under the age of 18, 9.3% aged 18 to 24, 23.2% aged 25 to 44, 29.9% aged 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 40.7years. For every 100 females, there were 108.9 males.

There were 556 housing units at an average density of , of which 529 (95.1%) were occupied. Of these, 74.1% were owner-occupied, and 25.9% were occupied by renters.

Education

Almost all of the CDP is in the Knightsen Elementary School District while a small portion is in the Oakley Union Elementary School District. All of it is in the Liberty Union High School District.
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Notable residents

* Jeremy Newberry: NFL player.

References

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Census-designated places in Contra Costa County, California
Populated places established in 1898
1898 establishments in California
Census-designated places in California