Richmond, California

Richmond is a city located in Contra Costa County, California. It is north of El Cerrito and Albany in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. It almost surrounds San Pablo. The Bay Area Rapid Transit and Amtrak share a station there, which serves as a regional transit interchange. As of a July 1, 2002 Census estimate, the city has a population of 102,553.

Economy

Many industries have been pursued in Richmond. It had a dynamite and gunpowder works (closed in 1960), the last active whaling station in the US (closed in 1971), and one of the world's largest wineries (closed by Prohibition in 1919).

Related Topics:
Dynamite - Gunpowder - 1960 - Whaling - 1971 - Wineries - Prohibition - 1919

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During World War II Richmond was developed rapidly as a heavy industrial town, chiefly devoted to shipbuilding. Its major activity now is as a seaport, and 26 million tonnes of goods were shipped through Port Richmond in 1993, mostly oil and petroleum products. Chevron USA has a major refinery in the city, with a storage capacity of 15 million barrels (2,400 m³). The Social Security Administration employs over 1,000 at its regional office and program service center in downtown Richmond.

Related Topics:
World War II - Shipbuilding - Seaport - Tonne - 1993 - Chevron - Barrel - Social Security Administration

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The loss of its heavy industry has left Richmond as an area of relatively high unemployment, low wages, and low property values; many people employed in low wage jobs elsewhere in the Bay Area live in Richmond.

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