El Sobrante | |
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 San Pablo Dam Road, looking eastward through El Sobrante | |
  El Sobrante Location in the United States Show map of California El Sobrante El Sobrante (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:37°58′38″N122°17′43″W / 37.97722°N 122.29528°W /37.97722; -122.29528 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | Contra Costa |
| Government | |
| • State Senate | Jesse Arreguín (D)[1] |
| • State Assembly | Buffy Wicks (D)[2] |
| • U. S. Congress | John Garamendi (D)[3] |
| Area | |
• Total | 3.096 sq mi (8.02 km2) |
| • Land | 3.096 sq mi (8.02 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) 0% |
| Elevation | 187 ft (57 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 15,524 |
| • Density | 5,014/sq mi (1,936/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP codes | 94803, 94820 |
| Area codes | 510, 341 |
| FIPS code | 06-22454 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 1658484,2408062 |
El Sobrante (pronounced[elsoˈβɾante];Spanish for 'The Surplus')[6] is acensus-designated place (CDP) inContra Costa County,California, United States. The population was 15,524 at the 2020 census.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8 km2), all of it land.
El Sobrante is unincorporated and lies withinContra Costa County. Main roads includeSan Pablo Dam Road (a major road running fromRichmond andSan Pablo, through El Sobrante, pastEBMUD'sSan Pablo Reservoir), Valley View Road and Appian Way.San Pablo Dam Road and Appian Way both connect toInterstate 80 to the west.
El Sobrante also contains the San Pablo Creek, which runs adjacent to San Pablo Dam road, and adjacent to the El Sobrante - Contra Costa County Library.
Between 5000 and 1000 BC, an indigenous tribe of people called the Huichin, anOhlone people, came to the East Bay, including El Sobrante. One of the Huichin villages was located where the El Sobrante Library now stands. The Huichin left a now-buried shell mound beside San Pablo Creek.[7] Ohlone people still live in the bay area and other parts of the world today.
Between November 1794 and May 1795, the Huchiun[8] were forcibly converted toChristianity by Spanish missionaries.[7] After all of the Huichin were removed to Mission San Francisco, they suffered an epidemic of European diseases as well as food shortages, and died in great numbers, resulting in alarming statistics of death and escapes from the missions. In pursuing the runaways, the Franciscans sent neophytes first and (as a last resort) soldiers to go round up the runaway "Christians" from their relatives, and bring them back to the missions. Thus illness spread both inside and outside of the missions.[9]
After Mexican independence fromSpain in the early 19th century, Spanish colonists were given land grants, one of which wasRancho El Sobrante, deeded to Juan Jose andVíctor Castro in 1841. The grant's boundaries were unusually complicated, as they were to be determined by the boundaries of the surrounding grants:San Antonio,San Pablo,El Pinole,Boca de la Cañada del Pinole,Acalanes, andLa Laguna de los Palos Colorados. In this sense, the rancho wasel sobrante, the remaining area. Legal disputes concerning the borders and the claims of squatters continued for four decades, with much of the land sold to pay court and attorney costs. Victor Castro was left with 549 acres (2.22 km2) of the original grant. He built an adobe dwelling in what is nowEl Cerrito, and became one of the first members of theBoard of Supervisors ofContra Costa County. Castro died at the age of 90 in 1897.[10] Some of his descendants still live in the area of Castro Ranch Road.[11]
El Sobrante was called "Oak Grove" by industrial concerns in 1887 when theCalifornia and Nevada Railroad put a spur into the area for the purpose of carrying lumber cut from the hills.[12] Then the name Sobrante was applied, with the addition of theSpanish definite article "El" coinciding with the opening of the first post office in 1941.[13]
By the early 20th century, Rancho El Sobrante had been reduced to a number of smaller ranches, generally following a dirt road along San Pablo Creek. Many of these ranches were further subdivided. As roads were paved and homes were constructed, El Sobrante changed from a rural to a semi-rural community.[7]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 10,535 | — | |
| 1990 | 9,852 | −6.5% | |
| 2000 | 12,260 | 24.4% | |
| 2010 | 12,669 | 3.3% | |
| 2020 | 15,524 | 22.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[14] 1960[15] 1970[16] 1980[17] 1990[18]2000[19] 2010[20] | |||
The2020 United States Census[21] reported that El Sobrante had a population of 15,524. The racial makeup of El Sobrante included 5,545White residents, 2,603 fromother races, 1,001 from two or more races, 2,874Asians, 1,817African Americans, 64Native Americans, and 94Pacific Islander. There were 4,646 residents ofHispanic orLatino ancestry.
| Race and Ethnicity | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White alone Non-Hispanic | 4,871 | 31.38% |
| Black or African American alone Non-Hispanic | 1,766 | 11.38% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone Non-Hispanic | 64 | 0.41% |
| Asian alone Non-Hispanic | 2,874 | 18.51% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone Non-Hispanic | 94 | 0.61% |
| Some Other Race alone Non-Hispanic | 208 | 1.34% |
| Two or More Races Non-Hispanic | 1,001 | 6.45% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 4,646 | 29.93% |
| Total | 15,524 | 100% |
The2010 United States census[22] reported that El Sobrante had a population of 12,669. The population density was 4,581.4 inhabitants per square mile (1,768.9/km2). The racial makeup of El Sobrante was 6,405 (50.6%)White, 1,673 (13.2%)African American, 127 (1.0%)Native American, 1,986 (15.7%)Asian, 113 (0.9%)Pacific Islander, 1,384 (10.9%) fromother races, and 981 (7.7%) from two or more races. There were 3,036Hispanic orLatino residents, of any race (24.0%).
The Census reported that 12,620 people (99.6% of the population) lived in households, 49 (0.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 4,759 households, out of which 1,600 (33.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,154 (45.3%) wereopposite-sex married couples living together, 757 (15.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 301 (6.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 312 (6.6%)unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 67 (1.4%)same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,170 households (24.6%) were made up of individuals, and 373 (7.8%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65. There were 3,212families (67.5% of all households); the average family size was 3.16.
The population included 2,696 (21.3%) under the age of 18, 1,126 (8.9%) aged 18 to 24, 3,340 (26.4%) aged 25 to 44, 3,910 (30.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,597 people (12.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.
There were 5,136 housing units at an average density of 1,857.3 per square mile (717.1/km2), of which 4,759 were occupied, of which 2,952 (62.0%) were owner-occupied, and 1,807 (38.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.2%. 7,829 people (61.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 4,791 people (37.8%) lived in rental housing units.
As of the 2000census,[23] there were 12,260 people, 4,676 households, and 3,170 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,953.1 inhabitants per square mile (1,526.3/km2). There were 4,803 housing units at an average density of 1,548.7 per square mile (598.0/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 60.35%White, 12.16%Black orAfrican American, 0.67%Native American, 12.50%Asian, 0.29%Pacific Islander, 6.97% fromother races, and 7.06% from two or more races. 15.58% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 4,676 households, out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% weremarried couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the CDP, 24.7% were under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $48,272, and the median income for a family was $59,342. Males had a median income of $44,232 versus $34,661 for females. Theper capita income for the CDP was $24,525. About 6.6% of families and 9.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.
El Sobrante is also home to a growingSikh population. The center of the Sikh community is theGurdwara Sahib of El Sobrante (known for its large golden dome), which sits high in the hills above San Pablo Dam Road.
The El Sobrante Library of theContra Costa County Library is located in El Sobrante.[24][25] The library opened in 1961, and in 1975 it received an expansion that doubled the facility's size.[24]
El Sobrante is in theWest Contra Costa Unified School District.[26]
Schools in El Sobrante include Betty Reid Soskin Middle School, named afterBetty Reid Soskin, the Catalyst Academy,East Bay Waldorf School, and Sheldon Elementary School.
According toLes Claypool in his 1996 song "El Sobrante Fortnight", an El Sobrante fortnight is "somewhere between two weeks and a decade".[27] FormerGreen Day drummerJohn Kiffmeyer took his stage name, "Al Sobrante", from the town. The bandJawbreaker references El Sobrante as "El Sob" in their song "Boxcar", as well asPrimus in their songJerry Was a Race Car Driver.
Florence Allen died June 1, 1997 in El Sobrante, California.
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Places adjacent to El Sobrante, Contra Costa County, California | |
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