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. Walnut Creek has a total population of 70,127 per the 2020 census, is located at the junction of the highways from Sacramento and San Jose ( I-680) and San Francisco/Oakland ( SR-24), and is accessible by BART. The city shares its borders with Clayton, Lafayette, Alamo, Pleasant Hill, and Concord.

History

There are three bands of Bay Miwok Native Americans associated with the area of Walnut Creek (the stream for which the city is named):Forester, 2006.Milliken, 1995 the '' Saclan'', whose territory extended through the hills east of present-day cities of Oakland, Rossmoor, Lafayette, Moraga and Walnut Creek; the ''Volvon'' (also spelled Bolbon, Wolwon or Zuicun), who were near Mt. Diablo; and the ''Tactan'', located on the San Ramon Creek in present-day Danville and Walnut Creek.

The city of Walnut Creek has developed within the earlier area of four extensive Mexican land grants. One of these land grantsmeasuring belonged to Juana Sanchez de Pacheco. The grant was called Rancho Arroyo de Las Nueces y Bolbones, named after the principal waterway, ''Arroyo de las Nueces'' (Walnut Creek in English), and for the local group of Volvon indigenous Americans (also known as ''Bolbones'' in Spanish). The ''Arroyo de las Nueces'' was named for the local species of walnut tree, the California Walnut. The two grandsons of Sanchez de Pacheco inherited the thousands of acres of land. One, Ygnacio Sibrian, built the first roofed home in the valley in about 1850.

As settlers from the United States arrived following US annexation of California after victory in the Mexican–American War, a small settlement called "The Corners" emerged. It was named for the junction where roads met from the settlements of Pacheco and Lafayette. The intersection of Mt. Diablo Boulevard and North Main Street is now at this site. The first town settler was William Slusher, who built a dwelling on the bank of Walnut Creek, first called "Nuts Creek" by Americans in 1849. In 1855, Milo Hough of Lafayette built the hotel named "Walnut Creek House" in The Corners. A blacksmith shop and a store were soon established by settlers. In 1850 Hiram Penniman laid out the town site and realigned Main Street to what it is today. (Penniman also developed Shadelands Ranch.)

In December 1862 a United States Post Office was established here, named "Walnut Creek". Pioneer Homer Shuey platted the downtown street patterns in 1871–1872 on a portion of one of his family's large cattle ranches. These streets have been maintained to the present.

The arrival of Southern Pacific Railroad service in 1891 stimulated development of Walnut Creek. On October 21, 1914, the town and the surrounding area were incorporated as the 8th city in Contra Costa County. A branch line of the Southern Pacific ran through Walnut Creek until the late 1970s. Portions were adapted by East Bay Regional Park District for the Iron Horse Trail, which is used by walkers, runners and bikers. The mainline of the Sacramento Northern Railway passed through Walnut Creek. Both railroads had stations here. Today, the of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) serves Walnut Creek with a station adjacent to Highway 680.

With the 1951 opening of the downtown Broadway Shopping Center (now Broadway Plaza), Contra Costa County's first major retail center, the city took off in a new direction. In the postwar period of suburban development, its population more than quadrupledfrom 2,460 in 1950 to 9,903 in 1960. Growth has accelerated since the late 20th century, with a population just over 70,000 according to the latest census.

Geography and climate

Walnut Creek is located at . Portions lie in both the San Ramon Valley and the Ygnacio Valley below the western slopes of Mount Diablo. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , 0.06 percent of which is water. Walnut Creekthe actual waterway that runs through the townhas been routed underneath downtown through a series of tunnels. These start at the southwest end of Macy's and end just southwest of Bar Camino Restaurant.

Neighborhoods

Walnut Creek consists of a bustling, upscale downtown with established neighborhoods in its surrounding areas. Neighborhoods range in affordability and feel, with some being exceptionally charming and tight-knit (e.g., Parkmead) while others are more rural and forested with homes on generous lots (e.g., Tice Valley). Not all neighborhoods are incorporated; there are many unincorporated areas that are serviced by Contra Costa County. A non-exhaustive list of neighborhoods in Walnut Creek include:

* Castle Hill
* Carriage Square
* Diablo Shadows
* Lakewood Area
* Larkey Park (Median SFH sold price of $1,205,000 --- Feb 2022)
* Livorna Estates
* Northgate (Median SFH sold price of $1,762,500 --- Feb 2022)
* Overlook
* Parkmead
* Rancho Paraiso (Median SFH sold price of $2,500,000 --- Feb 2022)
* Rossmoor (A 55+ retirement community of approximately 10,000 residents)
* Rudgear Estates
* Saranap (Median SFH sold price of $1,900,000 --- Feb 2022)
* Summit Ridge
* Tice Valley (Median SFH sold price of $1,879,000 --- Feb 2022)
* Walnut Heights (Median SFH sold price of $1,802,000 --- Feb 2022)
* Walnut Knolls
* Homestead
* Creekside

Depending on the neighborhood, homes can be assigned to schools in Lafayette, San Ramon Valley, Walnut Creek, or Mt. Diablo Unified School District.

Open space

Walnut Creek owns more open space per capita than any other community in the state of California. In 1974, Walnut Creek voters approved a $6.7million bond measure to acquire and protect open space: the city purchased of undeveloped hillsides, ridge lines, and park sites. Walnut Creek owns parts of Lime Ridge Open Space, Acalanes Ridge Open Space, Shell Ridge Open Space, and Sugarloaf Open Space.

The East Bay Regional Park District operates Diablo Foothills Regional Park and Castle Rock Regional Recreation Area, both of which are located in Walnut Creek.

Climate

Walnut Creek's warm summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification ''Csb'') is typical of California's interior valleys. In summer, high pressure results in almost unbroken sunshine and virtually no precipitation. Days start out cool but quickly warm up, with high temperatures normally in the 80s Fahrenheit (27 to 32°C). Temperatures of or hotter occur numerous times during heatwaves, however. In the winter, the jet stream moves far enough south so that Pacific storms can reach Walnut Creek, bringing much-needed rainaverage annual rainfall approximates , with slight variations occurring in microclimates based on elevation and topography. During particularly cold storms, snow falls on the peak of nearby Mount Diablo, but snow in the valley floor is very rare. There are numerous clear, mild days in winter, often with morning frost. The climate allows for the successful cultivation of many plants and crops, being warm enough for citrus yet cold enough for apples. The Ruth Bancroft Garden is a renowned botanical garden that showcases the diversity of plants that can be successfully grown.

Public transit and bike trails

The city has two Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stations – and (in the unincorporated area known as Contra Costa Centre Transit Village) – both served by the .

Central Contra Costa Transit Authority (County Connection/CCCTA) provides bus service throughout Walnut Creek and Contra Costa County at a modest cost. County Connection also operates three free weekday shuttles within city limits: the Downtown Trolley/Route 4 loops from Walnut Creek BART to Broadway Plaza; Route 5 runs from Walnut Creek BART to Creekside; and Route 7, which runs from Pleasant Hill BART to Shadelands Business Park.

Walnut Creek is transected by the Iron Horse Trail (running north–south) through its downtown, as well as the Contra Costa Canal Trail (running east–west) at the north end of the city. Both these trails, in addition to city bike lanes, make bicycle transportation feasible both for recreation and as an alternative commute.

Demographics

The 2020 United States census reported that Walnut Creek had a population of 70,127. The population density was . The racial makeup of Walnut Creek was 66.3% White, 2.2% African American, 0.3% Native American, 16.7% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 3.5% from other races, and 10.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.4% of the population.

The census reported that 98.7% of the population lived in households, 0.4% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.9% were institutionalized.

There were 32,246 households, out of which 21.8% included children under the age of 18, 46.4% were married-couple households, 5.2% were cohabiting couple households, 32.8% had a female householder with no partner present, and 15.7% had a male householder with no partner present. 36.6% of households were one person, and 22.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.15. There were 18,187 families (56.4% of all households).

The age distribution was 17.0% under the age of 18, 5.1% aged 18 to 24, 25.1% aged 25 to 44, 23.8% aged 45 to 64, and 29.1% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 47.5years. For every 100 females, there were 86.0 males.

There were 34,251 housing units at an average density of , of which 32,246 (94.1%) were occupied. Of these, 64.3% were owner-occupied, and 35.7% were occupied by renters.

Government

City Council members are elected at-large to staggered, four-year terms, in elections held in even-numbered years.

As of 2025, the current elected representatives are Cindy Darling (Mayor), Kevin Wilk (Mayor Pro Tem), Cindy Silva, Matt Francois and Craig DeVinney (Council members).

County, state, and federal representation

On the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, Walnut Creek is split between Supervisorial District 2 and Supervisorial District 4, represented by Candace Andersen and Ken Carlson, respectively.

In the California State Legislature, Walnut Creek is split between and and in .

In the United States House of Representatives, Walnut Creek is located in California's 10th congressional district, represented by .

According to the California Secretary of State, as of February 10, 2019, Walnut Creek has 46,149 registered voters. Of those, 21,391 (46.4%) are registered Democrats, 10,708 (23.2%) are registered Republicans, and 12,147 (26.3%) have declined to state a political party.

Education

Public K–12

Walnut Creek residents attend schools in five public school districts. The Walnut Creek School District (K8) has five elementary schools, one magnet school (K–8), and one middle school in the city. Some residents are served by schools from the Mount Diablo Unified School District (K12), the Acalanes Union High School District (912), the San Ramon Valley Unified School District (K12), and the Lafayette School District (K8). The Walnut Creek and Lafayette districts feed into Acalanes Union HSD.

The following public schools are within the city limits of Walnut Creek:

;
;Walnut Creek School District

* Buena Vista Elementary
* Indian Valley Elementary
* Murwood Elementary
* Parkmead Elementary
* Walnut Heights Elementary
* Walnut Creek Intermediate
* Tice Creek School

;Acalanes Union High School District
* Las Lomas High School
* Acalanes Center for Independent Study

;
;Mount Diablo Unified School District

* Eagle Peak Montessori (charter elementary)
* Bancroft Elementary
* Valle Verde Elementary
* Walnut Acres Elementary
* Foothill Middle
* Northgate High School

Private K–12

Walnut Creek is home to several private schools, including:

* Berean Christian High School (Grades: 912)
* Contra Costa Christian Schools (Grades: PK12)
* Fusion Academy Walnut Creek (Grades: 612)
* Garden Gate Montessori School (Grades: PKK)
* North Creek Academy & Preschool (Grades: PK8)
* Palmer School (Grades: K8)
* St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception School (Grades: PK8)
* The Seven Hills School (Grades: PK8)
* Springfield Montessori School (Grades: PKK)
* Walnut Creek Christian Academy (Grades: K8)
* Wellspring Educational Services

Public libraries

The Walnut Creek Library and the Ygnacio Valley Library of the Contra Costa County Library are located in Walnut Creek.Ygnacio Valley Library
" Contra Costa County Library. Retrieved on April 1, 2010. The Ygnacio Valley Branch, which opened in 1975, is also known as the Thurman G. Casey Memorial Library. Fundraising and other support is provided by the Walnut Creek Library Foundation.

On February 26, 2008, the city demolished the Walnut Creek Library, that was built in 1961 at the southern end of Civic Park. Mayor Gwen Regalia hosted a groundbreaking on the same site for the new library on May 19, 2008. The new library, designed by Group4 Architecture, Research + Planning, Inc., has and an underground parking garage. Construction was completed in 2010 and the library was officially opened on July 17, 2010.

Economy

Companies based in Walnut Creek include Central Garden & Pet (makers of the AvoDerm, Amdro, Kaytee brands, among others), American Reprographics Company, CSE Insurance Group, Maximum Games, and the PMI Group.

Points of interest

* Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF)
* Bedford Art Gallery
* Boundary Oak Golf Course
* Broadway Plaza Shopping Center
* Castle Rock Park
* Civic Park, including seasonal outdoor skating rink
* Heather Farm Park, including Gardens at Heather Farm and all-abilities playground
* Howe Homestead Park
* Lesher Center for the Arts
* Lindsay Wildlife Museum
* Mount Diablo State Park
* Open space hiking/biking trails, including Acalanes, Lime Ridge, Shell Ridge (featuring Fossil Hill trail)
* Old Borges Ranch
* Ruth Bancroft Garden
* St. Paul's Episcopal Church, featuring Carpenter Gothic chapel
* Shadelands Ranch Museum
* Walden Park Disc Golf Course
* Walnut Creek Model Railroad Society

Media

Walnut Creek is served by the daily newspaper, ''The East Bay Times'' (formerly '' The Contra Costa Times''). The paper was originally run and owned by the Lesher family. Since the death of Dean Lesher in 1993, the paper has had several owners. ''The Times'', as it is known, has a section called "The Walnut Creek Journal."

Walnut Creek TV (WCTV) is the city's government-access television channel, covering local government and community events. WCTV is available in Walnut Creek on Comcast channel 28 (channel 26 in Rossmoor), Astound channel 29, AT&T U-verse channel 99 under the menu option "Walnut Creek Television", and on YouTube. Claycord.com is the widely read independent news and talk blog serving the greater Walnut Creek metropolitan area.

Notable events

The Walnut Creek Art & Wine Festival is an annual festival that usually takes place at Heather Farm Park on the first weekend of June. The festival includes visual and physical art vendors, wine tastings, food stalls and live music. It has free admission and has been held annually for over 40 years, recognized by the Contra Costa Times as "the East Bay’s Best Outdoor Festival" and winner of Walnut Creek Magazine's Best Community Event five times. The festival is held by The Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Bureau.

Notable people

* Jessica D. Aber (1981-2025), U. S. Attorney for Eastern Virginia
* Arthur Adams, comics artist
* Matt Anger, professional tennis player
* Dan Ashley, journalist
* Ruth Bancroft, gardener, landscape architect and creator of the Ruth Bancroft Garden
* Jessica Bowman, actress, portrayed Colleen Cooper in '' Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman''
* Tom Candiotti, MLB pitcher
* Richard Carlson, psychotherapist, author of ''Don't Sweat the Small Stuff''
* Curt Casali (born 1988), baseball catcher for the San Francisco Giants
* Joyce Chin, comics artist
* Dr. Alette Coble-Temple, Ms. Wheelchair America 2016, disability advocate
* TJ Cox, congressman
* Corey Duffel, professional skateboarder
* Amit Elor (born 2004), 2024 Olympic champion and 8x world champion freestyle wrestler
* Kyle Gass, guitarist for Tenacious D, attended Las Lomas High School
* Lee Goldberg, writer and television producer, graduated from Northgate High School (1980)
* Mary Griffith, LGBTQ+ activist
* Ella Halikas, model, body positivity activist, and social media influencer
* Miles Hall, a 23 year-old African American unarmed man who was fatally shot by police officers from the Walnut Creek California Police Department
* Dan Haren, MLB pitcher
* Brandon Harkins, professional golfer
* Jack Henderson, artist
* Marya Hornbacher, author
* Sabrina Ionescu, basketball player
* Kristian Ipsen, diver, Olympic bronze medalist
* Kyle Jensen, baseball player
* Bessilyn Johnson, daughter of Hiram Penniman, Shadelands Ranch owner, resident of Scotty's Castle in Death Valley
* Randy Johnson, Hall of Fame MLB pitcher
* Persis Karim (b. 1962), poet, editor, educator; born in Walnut Creek
* Matteo Jorgenson, professional cyclist
* Kira Kazantsev, Miss America 2015
* Alexandra Killewald, professor of sociology at the Harvard Kennedy School
* Richard L. Lieber, muscle physiologist
* Hans Lineweaver (1907–2009), physical chemist known for popularizing the double-reciprocal plot, died in Walnut Creek at the age of 101
* Tosh Lupoi, defensive line coach for Jacksonville Jaguars
* Mark "Mad Dog" Madsen, NBA player
* John A. Nejedly (1914–2006), California State Senator
* Kyle Newacheck, co-creator, co-star of Comedy Central's '' Workaholics''
* Jason Newsted, bassist for Metallica
* Aaron Poreda (born 1986), MLB pitcher
* Markie Post, television actress
* A.J. Puckett, professional baseball pitcher in the Atlanta Braves organization
* Jeff Richards, writer and featured performer on NBC's ''Saturday Night Live'', 2001–2004
* Bill Rigney, MLB infielder, Angels' inaugural manager
* Lester Rodney, journalist, civil rights activist
* Katharine Ross, film actress, graduated from Las Lomas High School (1957)
* Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, ''Sesame Street'' puppeteer
* Greg Sestero, actor, star of cult film ''The Room'', author of ''The Disaster Artist'', born in Walnut Creek
* Justin Speier, MLB pitcher
* Joe Starkey, California Golden Bears and former San Francisco 49ers announcer
* The Story So Far, pop punk band
* Christy Turlington, supermodel, health activist
* Lars Ulrich, drummer for Metallica
* Katie Volynets, professional tennis player
* Joseph R. Walker, 19th-century wilderness explorer and scout
* Johnny Weekly, MLB outfielder
* Wayne A. Wiegand, library historian, author, academic
* Sherri Youngward, Christian singer and songwriter

Sister cities

Walnut Creek has an active Sister Cities International program with two sister cities. Schools in the city have a yearly student exchange with these cities.
* Noceto, Italy
* Siófok, Hungary

See also

* Walnut Creek CDROM

* List of cities and towns in California
* List of cities and towns in the San Francisco Bay Area

Notes

References

Further reading

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External links

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Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce
* The citywide newsletter i
Walnut Creek Spotlight

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1849 establishments in California
Cities in Contra Costa County, California
Cities in the San Francisco Bay Area
Incorporated cities and towns in California
Populated places established in 1849