Clayton, California | |
|---|---|
 Parts of Clayton as seen fromMt. Diablo in Summer 2005 | |
 Logo | |
 Location of Clayton in Contra Costa County, California. | |
  Clayton, California Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates:37°56′28″N121°56′09″W / 37.94111°N 121.93583°W /37.94111; -121.93583 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | Contra Costa |
| Incorporated | March 18, 1964[1] |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Kim Trumpiano |
| • State Senator | Tim Grayson |
| • State Assembly | Anamarie Avila Farias (D)[2] |
| • U. S. Congress | Mark DeSaulnier (D)[3] |
| Area | |
• Total | 3.84 sq mi (9.95 km2) |
| • Land | 3.84 sq mi (9.95 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.00 km2) 0% |
| Elevation | 390 ft (120 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 11,070 |
| • Density | 2,882.9/sq mi (1,113.09/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code | 94517 |
| Area code | 925 |
| FIPS code | 06-13882 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 277488,2409474 |
| Website | claytonca |
Clayton (formerlyClayton's andClaytonville[5]) is a city inContra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 11,585 as of the2020 census.
In 1857, the town of Clayton was laid out and founded byJoel Henry Clayton (1812–1872) and his two younger brothers. Clayton was born in Bugsworth, nowBuxworth, in theUnited Kingdom, and emigrated to the United States in 1837. After years in other states he settled down with his wife Margaret (1820–1908) at his town at the foot of Mount Diablo, where he and his family prospered. Clayton was named after Joel Henry Clayton, although only by the flip of a coin. Joel Clayton and Charles Rhine cofounded the town, and each wanted to name it after himself. If Charles had won it would have become Rhinesville, but Joel Clayton won. Joel and his wife Margaret both died in Clayton, and were buried in Live Oak Cemetery in what is nowConcord, CA.[6]
Clayton prospered during the coal mining boom in eastern Contra Costa County. The post office opened in 1861.[7] Following a previous incorporation attempt in 1960, Clayton incorporated in 1964[7] in order to stave off an annexation attempt in 1963 of the Cardinet Glen neighborhood by nearby Concord. After steady expansion during the 1970s to the east and west from its original boundaries, Clayton's land area more than doubled in 1987 to near its present-day boundaries with the annexations of the Dana Hills/Dana Ridge and Clayton Wood subdivisions, as well as the former Keller Ranch property that was developed during the 1990s with the Oakhurst Country Club.
Wildfires have been a common occurrence in recent years as California had a major drought from2011-2017.
On September 8, 2013, fire broke out on Mount Diablo. Called the Morgan Fire, it started at the mercury mine area of Morgan Territory Road. The fire grew quickly and threatened homes and livestock. Evacuations were ordered for several areas, including Oak Hill Lane and Curry Canyon. It took over 1000 firefighters and eight aircraft to extinguish it. Full containment was announced on September 14, 2013, having burned 3,100 acres (4.8 sq mi; 1,300 ha).[8]
On July 25, 2018, a vegetation fire broke out on Marsh Creek Rd near Morgan Territory. One home and 3 out buildings were destroyed. Evacuations were ordered for that evening. By July 28 the fire was 100% contained.[9]
On August 16, 2020, Lightning strikes caused many fires across the state, one of which was another Morgan Fire which became part of the SCU Lightning Complex fires.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.8 square miles (9.8 km2), all land.
Clayton is located at the foot ofMt. Diablo.
This region experiences hot and dry summers. According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Clayton has awarm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.[10]
On December 7, 2009, snow fell in Clayton and Concord for the first time since the 1970s.[11]
| Climate data for Clayton, California | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 75 (24) | 80 (27) | 85 (29) | 95 (35) | 98 (37) | 104 (40) | 106 (41) | 108 (42) | 115 (46) | 101 (38) | 83 (28) | 77 (25) | 112 (44) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 54.2 (12.3) | 57.4 (14.1) | 60.1 (15.6) | 67.1 (19.5) | 75.5 (24.2) | 84.3 (29.1) | 90.6 (32.6) | 88.8 (31.6) | 85.2 (29.6) | 71.2 (21.8) | 61.7 (16.5) | 54.7 (12.6) | 69.3 (20.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 35.0 (1.7) | 37.2 (2.9) | 39.8 (4.3) | 44.6 (7.0) | 48.9 (9.4) | 55.6 (13.1) | 58.0 (14.4) | 56.4 (13.6) | 50.2 (10.1) | 46.9 (8.3) | 39.8 (4.3) | 36.3 (2.4) | 46.3 (7.9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 15 (−9) | 23 (−5) | 26 (−3) | 28 (−2) | 31 (−1) | 38 (3) | 40 (4) | 41 (5) | 37 (3) | 31 (−1) | 24 (−4) | 17 (−8) | 15 (−9) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 4.02 (102) | 3.87 (98) | 2.91 (74) | 1.24 (31) | 0.69 (18) | 0.14 (3.6) | 0.02 (0.51) | 0.05 (1.3) | 0.17 (4.3) | 1.02 (26) | 2.39 (61) | 3.61 (92) | 20.12 (511) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 11 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 59 |
| Source: Western Regional Climate Center (temperature & precipitation days, 1991-present),[12] PRISM Climate Group (precipitation, 1981-2010)[13] | |||||||||||||
It is in theMount Diablo Unified School District.[14]
The public schools which the K-12 students of Clayton attend include: Mt. Diablo Elementary School, Highlands Elementary School, Diablo View Middle School, Pine Hollow Middle School, andClayton Valley Charter High School.[15]
The Clayton branch of theContra Costa County Library system is located in Clayton.[16]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1,385 | — | |
| 1980 | 4,325 | 212.3% | |
| 1990 | 7,317 | 69.2% | |
| 2000 | 10,762 | 47.1% | |
| 2010 | 10,897 | 1.3% | |
| 2020 | 11,070 | 1.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[17] | |||
The2020 United States census reported that Clayton had a population of 11,070. The population density was 2,882.8 inhabitants per square mile (1,113.1/km2). The racial makeup of Clayton was 73.6%White, 1.6%African American, 0.2%Native American, 9.4%Asian, 0.2%Pacific Islander, 2.6% fromother races, and 12.5% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.2% of the population.[18]
There were 4,089 households, out of which 31.9% included children under the age of 18, 68.6% were married-couple households, 3.2% werecohabiting couple households, 20.4% had a female householder with no partner present, and 7.9% had a male householder with no partner present. 17.6% of households were one person, and 11.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.70.[18] There were 3,214families (78.6% of all households).[19]
The age distribution was 20.6% under the age of 18, 7.6% aged 18 to 24, 17.4% aged 25 to 44, 32.3% aged 45 to 64, and 22.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.3 males.[18]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 14.1% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 85.8% spoke only English at home, 3.9% spokeSpanish, 5.4% spoke otherIndo-European languages, 3.6% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 1.2% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 98.5% were high school graduates and 58.8% had a bachelor's degree.[20]
The median household income was $172,226, and theper capita income was $73,228. About 1.4% of families and 2.2% of the population were below the poverty line.[21]
| Year | Democratic | Republican |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 57.5%4,079 | 39.3%2,787 |
| 2020 | 60.2%4,605 | 37.7%2,882 |
| 2016 | 54.9%3,500 | 38.9%2,479 |
| 2012 | 50.5%3,210 | 47.6%3,020 |
| 2008 | 55.1%3,625 | 43.5%2,862 |
| 2004 | 46.7%2,979 | 52.6%3,357 |
| 2000 | 44.1%2,653 | 52.6%3,161 |
| 1996 | 44.2%2,232 | 48.2%2,430 |
| 1992 | 38.0%1,781 | 40.7%1,906 |
| 1988 | 34.3%1,277 | 65.0%2,421 |
| 1984 | 28.0%657 | 71.5%1,680 |
| 1980 | 24.9%504 | 64.5%1,306 |
| 1976 | 39.3%455 | 59.1%684 |
| 1972 | 33.9%210 | 63.5%393 |
| 1968 | 39.8%212 | 56.2%299 |
| 1964 | 56.6%159 | 43.4%122 |
According to theCalifornia Secretary of State, as of February 10, 2025, Clayton has 8,621 registered voters. Of those, 3,653 (42.37%) are registeredDemocrats, 2,611 (30.2%) are registeredRepublicans, and 1,722 (19.9%) areNo Party Preference.[23]
The city of Clayton is served by the dailynewspaperEast Bay Times published by Bay Area News Group-East Bay (part of theMedia News Group, Denver, Colorado), and by the local newspapersThe Clayton Pioneer, and theDiablo Gazette, and is also served by Claycord.com, a conservative local news platform and blog covering community news and events.[24]
Clayton (California) travel guide from Wikivoyage
| Bodies of water |  | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Counties | |||||||||||||
| Cities and towns |
| ||||||||||||
| CDPs over 10k | |||||||||||||
| Sub-regions | |||||||||||||
| Other | |||||||||||||
