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Moraga is a
town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in
Contra Costa County, California Contra Costa County (; ''Contra Costa'', Spanish for 'Opposite Coast') is a county located in the U.S. state of California, in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 1,165,927. Th ...
, United States. Located in the
San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...
, the town is named in honor of Joaquín Moraga, member of the famed
Californio Californios (singular Californio) are Californians of Spaniards, Spanish descent, especially those descended from settlers of the 17th through 19th centuries before California was annexed by the United States. California's Spanish language in C ...
family. As of 2020, Moraga had a total population of 16,870 people. Moraga is the home of
Saint Mary's College of California Saint Mary's College of California is a Private college, private Catholic college in Moraga, California, United States. Established in 1863, it is administered by the De La Salle Brothers. The college offers undergraduate and graduate programs w ...
.


History

The land now called Moraga was first inhabited by the Saklan people, who belonged to the
Bay Miwok The Bay Miwok are a cultural and linguistic group of Miwok, a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people in Northern California who live in Contra Costa County, California, Contra Costa County. They joined the Franciscan missi ...
language group. Joaquin Moraga was the grandson of José Joaquín Moraga, builder 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 ...
and founder of the pueblo that grew into the city of San Jose. Joaquin's father
Gabriel Moraga Gabriel Moraga (1765 – June 14, 1823) was a Sonoran-born Californio soldier, administrator, and explorer. As an explorer in Alta California, Gabriel Moraga found and gave names to a number of rivers in the Central Valley. Gabriel's son Joaqu� ...
was also a soldier, and an early explorer who named many of the state's rivers, including the
Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...
and San Joaquin. Moraga is located on the 1835 Mexican Land Grant Rancho Laguna de los Palos Colorados given to Joaquin Moraga and his cousin, Juan Bernal. Part of that grant was the property today known as Moraga Ranch. The Moraga Adobe has been preserved and is located in neighboring Orinda. Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School, a middle school in Moraga, bears his name. In the first half of the 20th century, the line of the Sacramento Northern Railroad ran through Moraga; much of the old right-of-way is now part of the Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail. Moraga's first post office opened in 1886, and was closed in 1887; it reopened in 1915. In 1955, Moraga built a new post office.
Saint Mary's College of California Saint Mary's College of California is a Private college, private Catholic college in Moraga, California, United States. Established in 1863, it is administered by the De La Salle Brothers. The college offers undergraduate and graduate programs w ...
moved to Moraga in 1928. Moraga incorporated in 1974, when the communities of ''Moraga Town'', ''Rheem'', and ''Rheem Valley'', united into one town. In June 2017, Moraga declared a fiscal emergency, because a
sinkhole A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are also known as shakeholes, and to openings where surface water ...
in the downtown area and a failed bridge on Canyon Road were expected to cost $5 million to repair.


Geography

Moraga is located adjacent to the cities of Lafayette and Orinda, as well as the
unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
of
Canyon A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency t ...
. Other nearby cities include Walnut Creek,
Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...
,
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, Concord and Berkeley. According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the town has a total area of , of which is land and 0.09% is water. Moraga is in a valley, surrounded by rolling hills. Large sections of the Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail pass through the town.


Climate

Moraga has a
Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...
, with warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. In the summer, morning fog is a common occurrence, but it usually burns off by the late morning or early afternoon, giving way to clear skies the rest of the day. Most of the annual rainfall comes during the winter; snow is very rare, but occasional light dustings have been seen. Over the course of a year, the town averages 26 days of or higher, 40 nights of or lower, and 59 days with rain. In 2014, the southwestern US was plagued by a serious drought. Moraga was badly burdened, with high fire warnings.


Demographics

The 2020 United States census reported that Moraga had a population of 16,870. The population density was . The racial makeup of Moraga was 64.5%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 1.3%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.2% Native American, 18.9% Asian, 0.2%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 2.5% from other races, and 12.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.8% of the population. The census reported that 91.2% of the population lived in households, 8.6% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.3% were institutionalized. There were 5,698 households, out of which 37.4% included children under the age of 18, 67.0% were married-couple households, 2.8% were cohabiting couple households, 20.1% had a female householder with no partner present, and 10.2% had a male householder with no partner present. 17.6% of households were one person, and 11.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.7. There were 4,477
families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...
(78.6% of all households). The age distribution was 21.9% under the age of 18, 15.8% aged 18 to 24, 14.8% aged 25 to 44, 27.5% aged 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 42.9years. For every 100 females, there were 92.5 males. There were 5,932 housing units at an average density of , of which 5,698 (96.1%) were occupied. Of these, 81.2% were owner-occupied, and 18.8% were occupied by renters.


Arts and culture

The Moraga Library of the Contra Costa County Library is located along Saint Marys Road in Moraga.


Government

As of February 10, 2019, Moraga has 11,024 voters with 4,737 (43%) registered Democrats, 2,766 (25.1%) registered Republicans and 3,105 (28.2%) independent voters.


Education

Moraga is home to the grade schools of Los Perales Elementary, Donald L. Rheem School, Camino Pablo School, and Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School; Campolindo High School; and Saint Mary's College of California, a private college. In 2011, Moraga was named a top city to live and learn in.


Primary and secondary schools

The majority of Moraga is in the Moraga School District. That district includes: * Camino Pablo Elementary School, grades K–5 * Los Perales Elementary School, grades K–5 * Donald L. Rheem Elementary School, grades K–5 * Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School, grades 6–8 A small section of Moraga is in Orinda Union Elementary School District. All of Moraga is in the
Acalanes Union High School District Acalanes Union High School District is a public union high school district, high school district in Contra Costa County, located in the Bay Area of California. The district takes its name from Rancho Acalanes, an 1834 ranchos of California, Me ...
. That district includes: *
Campolindo High School Campolindo High School is a public high school located in Moraga, California, United States, and is in the Acalanes Union High School District. In 2022, Campolindo was ranked 27th in California (and 221st nationally) by '' U.S. News & World Re ...
, grades 9–12 The Saklan School (formerly known as Saklan Valley School and The Carden School of Moraga), a private elementary school founded in 1954, is also located in Moraga. It is a
co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...
school with around 155 students from preschool to 8th grade. The school is accredited by the California Association of Independent Schools (a member of the National Association of Independent Schools), and the
Western Association of Schools and Colleges The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC ( )) provided accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Samoa and Northern ...
. It has a maximum class size of 16. Moraga's only public high school is
Campolindo High School Campolindo High School is a public high school located in Moraga, California, United States, and is in the Acalanes Union High School District. In 2022, Campolindo was ranked 27th in California (and 221st nationally) by '' U.S. News & World Re ...
, although some Moraga students choose to attend Miramonte High School, located just across the town border in Orinda. Both schools are part of the
Acalanes Union High School District Acalanes Union High School District is a public union high school district, high school district in Contra Costa County, located in the Bay Area of California. The district takes its name from Rancho Acalanes, an 1834 ranchos of California, Me ...
, which encompasses Moraga, Lafayette, Orinda, and parts of Walnut Creek. Orion Academy is a private secondary school for students with conditions such as
Asperger syndrome Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's syndrome or Asperger's, is a diagnostic label that has historically been used to describe a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and no ...
, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and nonverbal learning disorder.


Colleges and universities

Saint Mary's College of California Saint Mary's College of California is a Private college, private Catholic college in Moraga, California, United States. Established in 1863, it is administered by the De La Salle Brothers. The college offers undergraduate and graduate programs w ...
is located just northeast of downtown Moraga; it is a Catholic university with 3,962 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the 2007–2008 school year. The college was originally located in San Francisco and then
Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...
, but moved to Moraga in 1928.


Notable people

* Conrad Bassett-Bouchard, North American Scrabble champion * Matt Biondi, Olympic gold medalist (swimming) * Corbin Burnes, Major League Baseball pitcher; attended St. Mary's College * Rajiv Chandrasekaran, journalist, author; was raised in Moraga * Hans Florine, speed climber * Will Forte, actor, comedian and writer * Still Woozy, singer and songwriter *
George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...
, 1960 Olympic gold medalist and world record holder (swimming) * Erika Henningsen, lead performer in Tony Award nominated musical, ''Mean Girls''; voice of Charlie Morningstar in ''
Hazbin Hotel ''Hazbin Hotel'' is an American Adult animation, adult animated Musical theatre, musical comedy television series created by Vivienne Medrano, Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano. The series revolves around Charlie Morningstar, crown princess, princes ...
'' on
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
*
Daniel Levitin Daniel Joseph Levitin, FRSC (born December 27, 1957) is an American-Canadian polymath, cognitive psychologist, neuroscientist, writer, musician, and record producer. He is the author of four ''New York Times'' best-selling books, including '' T ...
, best-selling author, cognitive neuroscientist, and musician * Andrew Mayne, best-selling author, artificial intelligence researcher, television personality * Patty Mills,
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
player,
San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...
, attended St. Mary's College * Aaron Poreda, Major League Baseball pitcher * Stephen Robinson, astronaut and professor * J.R. Rotem, Canadian-Israeli-American record producer * Kim Vandenberg, Olympic silver medalist (swimming) * Peter Varellas, Olympic silver medalist (water polo) *
Matt Vasgersian Matt Vasgersian (né Vasgerdsian; '; September 28, 1967) is an American sportscaster and television host. Vasgersian is the alternative play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Angels, as well as a studio host for MLB Network and Major Leagu ...
, sportscaster for
MLB Network MLB Network is an American television sports channel dedicated to baseball. It is primarily owned by Major League Baseball, with TNT Sports (United States), TNT Sports, Comcast's NBC Sports Group, Charter Communications, and Cox Communications h ...
; was raised in Moraga


References

*


External links

*
Moraga Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control Incorporated cities and towns in California Cities in Contra Costa County, California Cities in the San Francisco Bay Area