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Antioch, California

Antioch, California
City
View of Antioch from Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve.
View of Antioch from Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve.
Official seal of Antioch, California
Seal
Motto: Gateway to the Delta
Location of Antioch within California
Location of Antioch within California
Antioch, California is located in the US
Antioch, California
Antioch, California
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 38°00′18″N 121°48′21″W / 38.00500°N 121.80583°W / 38.00500; -121.80583Coordinates: 38°00′18″N 121°48′21″W / 38.00500°N 121.80583°W / 38.00500; -121.80583
Country United States
State California
County Contra Costa
Incorporated February 6, 1872
Government
 • Mayor Wade Harper
 • State senator Steve Glazer (D)
 • Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D)
 • United States representatives Jerry McNerney (D) and Mark DeSaulnier (D)
Area
 • City 29.083 sq mi (75.324 km2)
 • Land 28.349 sq mi (73.422 km2)
 • Water 0.734 sq mi (1.902 km2)  2.52%
Elevation 43 ft (13 m)
Population (April 1, 2010)
 • City 110,542
 • Estimate (2015) 108,930
 • Rank 3rd in Contra Costa County
60th in California
 • Density 3,800/sq mi (1,500/km2)
 • Metro 7,468,390
Time zone Pacific (UTC−8)
 • Summer (DST) PDT (UTC−7)
ZIP codes 94509, 94531
Area code 925
FIPS code 06-02252
GNIS feature IDs 1657936, 2409715
Website www.ci.antioch.ca.us

Antioch (formerly, East Antioch, Smith's Landing, and Marshs Landing) is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. Located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area along the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta, it is a suburb of San Francisco and Oakland. The city's population was 102,372 at the 2010 census and estimated to be 110,542 in 2015.

Antioch is one of the oldest towns in California. In 1848, John Marsh, owner of Rancho Los Meganos, one of the largest ranches in California, built a landing on the San Joaquin River in what is now Antioch. It became known as Marsh's Landing, and was the shipping point for the 17,000-acre rancho. It included a pier extending well out into the river, enabling vessels drawing 15 feet of water to tie up there at any season of the year. The landing also included a slaughterhouse, smokehouse for curing hams, rodeo grounds, and even a 1½-story dwelling, embellished with a liberal amount of fretwork, that was brought around the Horn to serve as a home for the mayordomo (manager) and his wife.

In 1850, two brothers, William and Joseph Smith, founded a town slightly west of Marsh's Landing, and named it Smith's Landing. In 1851, the town's new minister persuaded the residents to change the name of the town to Antioch, for the biblical city of Antioch.

Around 1859, coal was discovered in several places in the hills south of Antioch and coal mining formed the first substantial business apart from farming and dairying by the inhabitants of this community. This new industry resulted in the founding of the towns of Nortonville, Somersville, Stewartsville, and Black Diamond (now Pittsburg, California), and added greatly to the economic activity of the Antioch area. The Empire Coal Company was formed by John C. Rouse and George Hawxhurst in 1876, which built a railroad that passed from Antioch toward the mines over what is now "F Street" (formerly Kimball Street). However, later on, both the mine and the railroad passed into the hands of the Belshaw brothers. The mines have long ago ceased operation, and the railroad tracks have been dug up, though the building that served as the Antioch terminus of the railroad still stands on the corner of F Street and Fourth Street, and the grading and trestles still remain much as they were in those early days.


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