Vallejo ( ; ) is a city in

Solano County, California Solano County () is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 453,491. The county seat is Fairfield, California, Fairfield. Solano County comp ...

, United States, and the second largest city in the North Bay region of the

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. The Association of Bay Area Governments ...

. Located on the shores of

San Pablo Bay San Pablo Bay is a tidal estuary that forms the northern extension of the 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 ...

, the city had a population of 126,090 at the 2020 United States census. Vallejo is home to the

California Maritime Academy The California State University Maritime Academy (Cal Maritime or CSU Maritime Academy) is a public university in Vallejo, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system and the only maritime academy on the co ...

Touro University California Touro University California is a private graduate school focused primarily on health professions and located on Mare Island in Vallejo, California. It is part of the Touro College and University System and is jointly administered with its sist ...

and

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (formerly known as Six Flags Marine World, Marine World, The New Marine World Theme Park, and Marine World Africa USA) is a 135-acre (55 ha) animal theme park located in Vallejo, California, off of Interstate 80 i ...

. Vallejo is named after

Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo Don Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo (July 4, 1807 – January 18, 1890) was a Californio general, statesman, and public figure. He was born a subject of Spain, performed his military duties as an officer of the Republic of Mexico, and shaped the tran ...

, 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 ...

general and statesman. The city was founded in 1851 on Gen. Vallejo's Rancho Suscol to serve as the capital city of California, which it was 1852–1853, after which the Californian government moved to neighboring

Benicia Benicia ( , ) is a city in Solano County, California, located on the north bank of the Carquinez Strait in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. It served as the capital of California for nearly thirteen months from 1853 to 1854. ...

, named in honor of Gen. Vallejo's wife Benicia Carrillo de Vallejo. The

Mare Island Naval Shipyard The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY or MINS) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean and was in service 142 years from 1854 to 1996. It is located on Mare Island, northeast of San Francisco, in Vallejo, Califor ...

was founded in 1854, and defined Vallejo's economy until the turn of the 21st century.

History

Vallejo was once home of the

Coast Miwok The Coast Miwok are an Indigenous people of California that were the second-largest tribe of the Miwok people. Coast Miwok inhabited the general area of present-day Marin County and southern Sonoma County in Northern California, from the Golde ...

as well as

Suisunes The Suisunes (also called the Suisun and the "People of the West Wind") were a Patwin tribe of Wintun people, originating in the Suisun Bay and Suisun Marsh regions of Solano County in Northern California. Their traditional homelands stretched bet ...

and other

Patwin The Patwin (also Patween and Southern Wintu) are a band of Wintun people in Northern California. The Patwin comprise the southern branch of the Wintun group, native inhabitants of California since approximately 500. Today, Patwin people are en ...

Native American tribes. There are three confirmed Native American sites located in the rock

outcrop An outcrop or rocky outcrop is a visible exposure of bedrock or ancient superficial deposits on the surface of the Earth and other terrestrial planets. Features Outcrops do not cover the majority of the Earth's land surface because in most p ...

s in the hills above Blue Rock Springs Park. The California Archaeological Inventory has indicated that the three Indian sites are located on Sulphur Springs Mountain.

Mexican era

The city of Vallejo was once part of the Rancho Suscol Mexican land grant of 1843 by Governor

Manuel Micheltorena Joseph Manuel María Joaquin Micheltorena y Llano (8 June 1804 – 7 September 1853) was a brigadier general and adjutant-general of the Mexican Army, List_of_governors_of_California_before_1850#Mexican_governors_of_California_(1837–47), gover ...

to Gen.

. The city was named after this Mexican military officer and title holder who was appointed in settling and overseeing the North Bay region. Gen. Vallejo was responsible for military peace in the region and founded the pueblo of Sonoma in 1836. In 1846, independence-minded Anglo immigrants rose up against the Mexican government of California in what would be known as the

Bear Flag Revolt The California Republic, or Bear Flag Republic, was an List of historical unrecognized states#Americas, unrecognized breakaway state from Second Federal Republic of Mexico, Mexico, that existed from June 14, 1846 to July 9, 1846. It milita ...

which resulted in Gen. Vallejo's imprisonment in

Sutter's Fort Sutter's Fort was a 19th-century agricultural and trade colony in the Mexican ''Alta California'' province. Established in 1839, the site of the fort was originally part of a utopian colonial project called New Helvetia (''New Switzerland'') ...

. This was subsequently followed by the annexation of the California Republic to the United States. Gen. Vallejo, though a Mexican army officer, generally acquiesced in the annexation of California to the United States, recognizing the greater resources of the United States and benefits that would bring to California.

Post-Conquest era

In 1851, Vallejo was declared to become the official California State Capitol, with the new government prepared to meet for the first time the following year. In 1852, the legislature convened for the first time. However, Vallejo did not follow through with constructing a Capitol State Building for them to meet in. In 1853, it was again the meeting place for the legislature, solely for the purpose of moving the capitol officially to

, which occurred on February 4, 1853, after only a month.

is named after Vallejo's wife, Benicia de Vallejo. After the legislature left, the government established a

naval shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes more involved ...

Mare Island Mare Island (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Isla de la Yegua'') is a peninsula in the United States in the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait junc ...

, which helped the city overcome the loss. Due to the presence of the shipyard, Filipinos began to immigrate to Vallejo beginning in the first decades of the 20th century. The yard functioned for over a hundred years, finally closing in 1996. The U.S. government appointed the influential Vallejo as Indian agent for Northern California. He also served on the state constitutional convention in 1849. Afterward, Vallejo remained active in state politics, but challenges to his land titles around Sonoma eventually left him impoverished and reduced his ranch from 250,000 acres to a mere 300. He eventually retired from public life, questioning the wisdom of his having welcomed the American acquisition of California in the first place. Vallejo died in 1890, a symbol of the eclipse of Californio wealth, power, and prestige. Although the town is named after General Vallejo, the man regarded as the true founder of Vallejo is General John B. Frisbie. Even before his daughter Epifania had formally married Frisbie, Vallejo had already granted him

power of attorney A power of attorney (POA) or letter of attorney is a written authorization to represent or act on another's behalf in private affairs (which may be financial or regarding health and welfare), business, or some other legal matter. The person auth ...

over the land grant. It was Frisbie who hired E. H. Rowe, the man who designed the city layout and who named the east–west streets after states and the north–south streets after California counties.

Modern era

was a critical submarine facility during WW II, both for constructing and overhauling vessels. Downtown Vallejo retains many of its historic

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

and Craftsman homes. On May 6, 2008, the city council voted 7–0 to file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy, at the time becoming the largest California city to do so. Stephanie Gomes, Vallejo City Councilwoman, largely blamed exorbitant salaries and benefits for Vallejo firefighters and police officers. Reportedly, salaries and benefits for public safety workers accounted for at least 80 percent of Vallejo's general-fund budget. On November 1, 2011, a federal judge released Vallejo from bankruptcy after nearly three years.

Geography

According to

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 city has a total area of . Land area is , and (38.09%) is water. The

Napa River The Napa River is a river approximately long in the U.S. state of California. It drains a famous wine-growing region called the Napa Valley, in the mountains north of the San Francisco Bay. Milliken Creek and Mt. Veeder watersheds are a f ...

flows until it changes into the Mare Island Strait in Vallejo which then flows into

, in the northeastern part of

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay (Chochenyo language, Chochenyo: 'ommu) is a large tidal estuary in the United States, U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the cities of San Francisco, California, San ...

. Vallejo is located on the southwestern edge of

in the North Bay region of 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 ...

in Northern California. Vallejo borders the city of

to the east, American Canyon and the Napa county line to the north, the

Carquinez Strait The Carquinez Strait (; Spanish: ''Estrecho de Carquinez'') is a narrow tidal strait located in the Bay Area of Northern California, United States. It is part of the tidal estuary of the Sacramento and the San Joaquin rivers as they drain int ...

to the south and the

to the west. Several faults have been mapped in the vicinity of Vallejo. The

San Andreas Fault The San Andreas Fault is a continental Fault (geology)#Strike-slip faults, right-lateral strike-slip transform fault that extends roughly through the U.S. state of California. It forms part of the tectonics, tectonic boundary between the Paci ...

and

Hayward Fault The Hayward Fault Zone is a right-lateral strike-slip geologic fault zone capable of generating destructive earthquakes. The fault was first named in the Lawson Report of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake in recognition of its involvement in the ...

s are the most

active fault An active fault is a fault that is likely to become the source of another earthquake sometime in the future. Geologists commonly consider faults to be active if there has been movement observed or evidence of seismic activity during the last 10,0 ...

s, although the San Andreas is at some distance. Locally, the Sulphur Springs Valley Thrust Fault and Southampton Fault are found. No quaternary seismic activity along these minor faults has been observed with the possible exception of a slight offset revealed by trenching. The Sulphur Mountain and Green Valley faults have been associated with the Concord Fault to the south. The Concord Fault is considered active. Carquinez Strait aerial view

Historically there have been local

cinnabar Cinnabar (; ), or cinnabarite (), also known as ''mercurblende'' is the bright scarlet to brick-red form of Mercury sulfide, mercury(II) sulfide (HgS). It is the most common source ore for refining mercury (element), elemental mercury and is t ...

mines in the Vallejo area. The Hastings Mine and St. John's Mine contribute ongoing water contamination for mercury; furthermore, mine shaft development has depleted much of this area's spring water. Both Rindler Creek and Blue Rock Springs Creek have been affected.

Climate

Vallejo has a mild, coastal

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 ...

and can be an average of cooler than nearby inland cities. Vallejo is influenced by its position on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay, but is less sheltered from heatwaves than areas directly on or nearer the Pacific Ocean/Golden Gate such as

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 ...

and

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 ...

. Although slightly less marine, average temperatures range between in January and in July. However, summer is very long with June–September being almost equal in historical average temperatures. This

seasonal lag Seasonal lag is the phenomenon whereby the date of maximum average air temperature at a geographical location on a planet is delayed until some time after the date of maximum daylight (i.e. the summer solstice). This also applies to the minimum ...

sees October averages being higher than in May in spite of it being after the

Equinox A solar equinox is a moment in time when the Sun appears directly above the equator, rather than to its north or south. On the day of the equinox, the Sun appears to rise directly east and set directly west. This occurs twice each year, arou ...

(meaning less daylight than darkness).

Demographics

Vallejo was named the most diverse city in the United States in a 2012 study by Brown University based on 2010 census data, and the most diverse city in California by a Niche study based on 2017 American Community Survey data. In 2022, Vallejo was again named the most diverse small town in America, with a 77% chance any two residents would be of a different census racial category. Hispanics comprise 28% of the local population, 23% are White, 23% are Asian, 19% are Black, and 7% are of mixed or other heritages.

2020 census

2010

The 2010 United States census reported that Vallejo had a population of 115,942. The population density was . The racial makeup of Vallejo was 38,066 (32.9%)

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 ...

, 25,572 (22.1%)

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 ...

, 757 (0.7%) Native American, 28,895 (24.9%) Asian (21.1% Filipino, 1.0% Indian, 0.9% Chinese, 0.5% Vietnamese, 0.2% Japanese, 0.2% Korean, 0.1% Laotian), 1,239 (1.1%)

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 ...

, 12,759 (11.0%) from other races, and 8,656 (7.5%) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 26,165 persons (22.6%).

Non-Hispanic Whites Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...

numbered 28,946 persons (25.0%). The Census reported that 114,279 people (98.6% of the population) lived in households, 1,130 (1.0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 533 (0.5%) were institutionalized. There were 40,559 households, out of which 14,398 (35.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 17,819 (43.9%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 7,214 (17.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 2,755 (6.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,804 (6.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 497 (1.2%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 9,870 households (24.3%) were made up of individuals, and 3,255 (8.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82. There were 27,788

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 ...

(68.5% of all households); the average family size was 3.36. The population was spread out, with 26,911 people (23.2%) under the age of 18, 11, 69 people (10.1%) aged 18 to 24, 30,053 people (25.9%) aged 25 to 44, 33,312 people (28.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 13,999 people (12.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males. There were 44,433 housing units at an average density of , of which 24,188 (59.6%) were owner-occupied, and 16,371 (40.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 9.4%. 68,236 people (58.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 46,043 people (39.7%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 116,760 people, 39,601 households, and 28,235 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 41,219 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 35.97%

, 23.69%

, 0.66% Native American, 24.16% Asian, 1.09%

, 7.88% from other races, and 6.56% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 15.92% of the population. As of 2000, residents with Filipino ancestry made up 20.74% of Vallejo's population. As of 2009, Vallejo is the 9th largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, 50th in the state of California, and 215th in the U.S. by population. There were 39,601 households, out of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.43. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.6% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $47,030, and the median income for a family was $53,805. Males had a median income of $40,132 versus $32,129 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $20,415. About 7.7% of families and 10.1% 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 12.2% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 64 or over.

Economy

As the second largest city in the North Bay region of the

, Vallejo is a regional economic hub for the North Bay and specifically

Solano County Solano County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 453,491. The county seat is Fairfield. Solano County comprises the Vallejo–Fairfield metropolitan statistical area, which is a ...

. ;Top employers According to the city's 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Arts and culture

In recent years, Vallejo has attracted a large community of artists to the region in search of lower rent and larger work-spaces. Artists pushed out of larger Bay Area cities like San Francisco and Oakland have been working with city leaders to revitalize the once blighted downtown area. The artist-run Vallejo Art Walk scheduled on the second Friday of every month in downtown Vallejo has been recognized as a hub for artists in the Bay Area and the entirety of California.

LGBTQ community

As early as the 1940s and before, Vallejo is known to have had a well-formed gay community, which was a short drive or boat ride away from San Francisco. At one time, Vallejo boasted eight gay bars. After a migration of

gays and lesbians Sexuality and gender identity-based cultures are subcultures and communities composed of people who have shared experiences, backgrounds, or interests due to common sexual or gender identities. Among the first to argue that members of sexual m ...

from

in the decade 2000–2009, openly gay members of the community encountered what they described as a backlash against them. The

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public Primary school, primary or Secondary school, secondary schools or both in various countries. It is not to be confused with an attendance zone, which is within a school dis ...

was threatened by the

ACLU The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. ...

with a lawsuit for harassment on behalf of a 17-year-old lesbian by school administrators. The school settled the lawsuit with the student. The school agreed to pay her $25,000, adopt a more stringent non-discrimination policy, and include a curriculum that positively portrayed gay and lesbian people.

Government

The Government of Vallejo is defined under the Charter of the City of Vallejo. It is a

council–manager government The council–manager government is a form of local government commonly used for municipalities and counties in the United States and Ireland, in New Zealand regional councils, and in Canadian municipalities. In the council-manager government, ...

and consists of the Mayor, City Council, and numerous departments and officers under the supervision of the City Manager, such as the Vallejo Police Department, Vallejo Fire Department, Vallejo Public Works Department, and Vallejo Economic Development Department. As of February 2023, the council consists of Robert McConnell (Mayor), Rozanna Verder-Aliga (Vice Mayor), Diosdado "JR" Matulac, Mina Loera-Diaz, Charles Palmares, Peter Bregenzer, and Cristina Arriola. Residents of Vallejo participate in elections for Solano County Board of Supervisors Districts 1 and 2. As of November 2022, these seats were represented by Supervisors Erin Hannigan and Monica Brown, respectively. In the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...

, Vallejo is in , and in . In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, it's in . In 2008 the government of Vallejo filed for bankruptcy. A judge declared the bankruptcy over in 2011, but analysts have noted that the city did little to resolve its largest expense—public pensions—and may face a second round of bankruptcy. As of September 2022, there were 69,546 registered voters in Vallejo; of these, 40,818 (58.7%) are Democrats, 8,751 (12.6%) are Republicans, and 15,612 (22.4%) stated no party preference.

Participatory budgeting

On April 17, 2012, the City Council approved the first citywide

participatory budgeting Participatory budgeting (PB) is a type of citizen sourcing in which ordinary people decide how to allocate part of a municipal or public budget through a process of democratic deliberation and decision-making. These processes typically begin ...

(PB) process in the United States. The Council allocated $3.4 million to the Vallejo PB process and since then, Vallejo residents and business and property owners have been developing and designing project ideas. They have vetted and reduced more than 800 project ideas to 36 projects that will be on the ballot. Vallejo residents 14 years of age and older will vote and choose six out of 36 projects to vote on from May 11 through May 18, 2013. The second cycle of participatory budgeting in Vallejo was initiated on February 4, 2014, with $2.4 million allocated. A public vote open to all residents of Vallejo age 16 and over took place in October 2014.

Police

Vallejo has had one of California's highest rates of police killings in recent years. A 2023 '' Vallejo Sun'' story described Vallejo's police department as "one of California’s most deadly." In 2020, the department engaged a consulting firm to assess how to address extensive killings by its officers. The firm issued 45 recommendations, which were endorsed by the California attorney general; but according to reporting from the '' Vallejo Free Press'' and ''

ProPublica ProPublica (), legally Pro Publica, Inc., is a nonprofit investigative journalism organization based in New York City. ProPublica's investigations are conducted by its staff of full-time reporters, and the resulting stories are distributed to ne ...

'', only two of the recommendations had been fully implemented by 2022. Vallejo has seen a rate of killings by police officers that is significantly higher than the national average and other Bay Area cities. These incidents included the fatal shooting of Willie McCoy by six officers in 2019 and the shooting of Sean Monterrosa, who was unarmed, during

protests A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...

following the

murder of George Floyd On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black American man, was murdered in Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old White police officer. Floyd had been arrested after a store clerk reported that he made a purchase using a c ...

in 2020. One of the officers who killed McCoy had previously killed an unarmed man as he fled, while another killed three men over a five-month period and was later promoted. Vallejo Police killed 19 people between 2010 and 2020. In 2012, police shootings accounted for six of the 20 homicides to occur in the city, and the frequency of officer-involved shootings stood at around 38 times the national rate.

Education

Vallejo is served by one school district: the Vallejo City Unified School District (VCUSD). The city is also served by a community college district, private schools, and colleges.

Vallejo City Unified School District

The Vallejo City Unified School District (VCUSD) includes the following campuses:

High schools

* Jesse Bethel High School * Vallejo High School * St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School

Middle schools

* Cave Language Academy (TK-8) * Caliber ChangeMaker's Academy (TK-8) * Dr. James J. Hogan Middle School * Loma Vista Environmental Science Academy (K-8) * Mare Island Health & Fitness Academy (K-8) * Solano Elsa Widenmann Leadership Academy (K-8) * Vallejo Charter School (K-8)

Elementary schools

* Annie Pennycook Elementary School * Cave Language Academy (TK-8) * Dan Mini Elementary School * Federal Terrace Elementary School * Glen Cove Elementary School * Grace Patterson Elementary School * Highland Elementary School * Johnston H. Cooper Elementary School * Lincoln Elementary School * Loma Vista Environmental Science Academy (K-8) * Mare Island Health & Fitness Academy (K-8) * Solano Elsa Widenmann Leadership Academy (K-8) * Steffan Manor Elementary School * Vallejo Charter School (K-8) * Wardlaw Elementary School

Alternate schools and programs

* John Finney Education Complex * Vallejo Regional Education Center (adult school)

Private schools

Private institutions with campuses in Vallejo include: * Jia Christian Academy * Mustard Seed Preschool and Kindergarten * St. Basil Catholic School * North Hills Christian School * St. Catherine of Siena School * St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School * Starting Gate School

Universities and colleges

Vallejo is within the

Solano Community College Solano Community College (SCC) is a Public college, public community college in Fairfield, California, with additional centers in Vacaville, California, Vacaville and Vallejo, California, Vallejo. The college is part of California Community Coll ...

district. The college has two campuses in Vallejo: the Vallejo Center, which is located along Columbus Parkway; and the Auto Tech Center, which is located along North Ascot Parkway. *

(part of the

CSU CSU may refer to: Universities and university systems United States * Columbia Southern University, in Orange Beach, Alabama * California State University system * Colorado State University, in Fort Collins, Colorado * Connecticut State Univers ...

system) *

Closed schools

Schools that once served the Vallejo community include: * Beverly Hills Elementary School * Carquinez Elementary School *

Charles F. Curry Charles Forrest Curry (March 14, 1858 – October 10, 1930) was an American businessman and politician who served nine terms as a U.S. Representative from California from 1913 until his death in 1930. He was the father of Charles Forrest Cu ...

Elementary School (opened 1921, closed in 1981, demolished 2007) * McKinley Elementary School * Grant Elementary School * Roosevelt Elementary School * Benjamin Franklin Middle School (closed 2020) * Solano Junior High School * Springstowne Junior High * Hogan High School * James Marshall Hendricks High School * People's Alternative School

Transportation

Vallejo's public transit includes the San Francisco Bay Ferry, which regularly runs from downtown Vallejo to the

San Francisco Ferry Building The San Francisco Ferry Building is a terminal station, terminal for ferry, ferries that travel across the San Francisco Bay, a food hall and an office building. It is located on Embarcadero (San Francisco), The Embarcadero in San Francisco, Ca ...

, as well as

Amtrak Thruway Amtrak Thruway is a system of through-ticketed transportation services to connect passengers with areas not served by Amtrak trains. In most cases these are dedicated motorcoach routes, but can also be non-dedicated intercity bus services, transi ...

. SolTrans buses carry passengers around the cities of Vallejo and Benicia, and offers express service to

Fairfield, California Fairfield is a city in and the county seat of Solano County, California, United States, in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay sub-region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The city has a diversified economy, with government, manufac ...

, and

Bay Area Rapid Transit Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area in California. BART serves 50 stations along six routes and of track, including eBART, a spur line running to Antioch, and Oakland Airport Connecto ...

stations in

El Cerrito, California El Cerrito (Spanish language, Spanish for "The Little Hill") is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, and forms part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It has a population of 25,962 according to the 2020 United States census, 2 ...

and

Walnut Creek, California Walnut Creek is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, about east of the city of Oakland, California, Oakland. Walnut Creek has a total population of 70,127 per t ...

. The Vallejo Transit Center, located next to

Vallejo Station Vallejo Station is the project name of an intermodal transit station in the western part of Central Vallejo, California. The station comprises the Vallejo Transit Center bus station, Vallejo Ferry Terminal, and a connecting multi-story parking ...

is a hub for several bus lines at 311 Sacramento Street. The Amtrak Thruway 7 bus makes two stops in Vallejo daily; one at

, and one at

. From there, connections are available to Martinez to the south, and

Arcata Arcata (; ; ) is a city adjacent to the Arcata Bay (northern) portion of Humboldt Bay in Humboldt County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, Arcata's population was 18,857. Arcata was first founded in 1850 as Union, was officially ...

to the north. Vallejo is accessible by

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

between

and

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 is the location for the northern half of the

Carquinez Bridge The Carquinez Bridge is a pair of parallel bridges spanning the Carquinez Strait at the northeastern end of San Francisco Bay. They form the part of Interstate 80 between Crockett and Vallejo, California, United States. The name Carquinez B ...

. It is also accessible by

Interstate 780 Interstate 780 (I-780) is an east–west auxiliary Interstate Highway in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It runs from the intersection of Curtola Parkway and Lemon Street in Vallejo east to I-680 just north of the Beni ...

from neighboring

to the east, and by Route 37 from

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 ac ...

to the west. Route 29 (former

U.S. Route 40 U.S. Route 40 or U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), also known as the Main Street of America (a nickname shared with U.S. Route 66), is a major east–west United States Highway traveling across the United States from the Mountain States to the Mid- ...

) begins in the city near the Carquinez Bridge and travels north through the heart of the city and beyond into

Napa County Napa County () is a County (United States), county north of San Pablo Bay located in the Northern California, northern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 138,019. The county seat i ...

Media

The principal local newspaper is the Vallejo Times Herald. The community is also served by the Vallejo Independent Bulletin and by Vallejo Community Access Television (VCAT 27). Open Vallejo is an independent, nonprofit public interest newsroom primarily focused on investigative and

explanatory An explanation is a set of Statement (logic), statements usually constructed to description, describe a set of facts that clarifies the causality, causes, wiktionary:context, context, and Logical consequence, consequences of those facts. It may ...

reporting. The Vallejo Sun is an independent, for-profit newsletter and website that serves Vallejo and Solano County with city, police, housing, education and events coverage. Local radio broadcast stations include

KZCT KZCT (89.5 FM broadcast, FM) is a radio station in Vallejo, California founded in 2006 by David Martin and Katie Martinelli. The station broadcasts a variety of community content including rap, reggae, classical, jazz, poetry, religious programm ...

89.5 FM community radio station and

KDIA KDIA (1640 kHz) is a commercial radio, commercial AM broadcasting, AM radio station city of license, licensed to Vallejo, California, and serving the San Francisco Bay Area. It is owned by the Salem Media Group and broadcasts a Christian talk ...

KDYA KDYA (1190 kHz), "Gospel 1190 The Light", is a commercial AM radio station owned by Salem Media Group and licensed to Vallejo, California, serving the San Francisco Bay Area. It broadcasts an urban gospel radio format, and is Northern Califo ...

Christian radio Christian radio refers to Christian media radio formats that focus on Christian religious broadcasting or various forms of Christian music. Many such formats and programs include contemporary Christian music, gospel music, sermons, radio dramas, ...

stations

Sister cities

Vallejo has six

sister cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is International relations, a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there ar ...

Notable people

References

External links

* *
Historical photographs of Vallejo, ca. 1865–ca. 1910

The Bancroft Library The Bancroft Library is the primary special-collections library of the University of California, Berkeley. It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in 1905, with the proviso that it retain the name Bancroft Library in perpetuity. ...

{{Authority control 1868 establishments in California Cities in Solano County, California Cities in the San Francisco Bay Area

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Government units that have filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy Incorporated cities and towns in California Populated places established in 1868 Populated coastal places in California