Knightsen, CA
| Knightsen | |
|---|---|
| Census-designated place | |
 Location in Contra Costa County and the state of California |
|
| Coordinates: 37°58′08″N 121°40′05″W / 37.96889°N 121.66806°WCoordinates: 37°58′08″N 121°40′05″W / 37.96889°N 121.66806°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Contra Costa |
| Government | |
| • State Senate | Steve Glazer (D) |
| • State Assembly | Jim Frazier (D) |
| • U. S. Congress | Jerry McNerney (D) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 8.455 sq mi (21.899 km2) |
| • Land | 8.366 sq mi (21.669 km2) |
| • Water | 0.089 sq mi (0.230 km2) 1.05% |
| Elevation | 30 ft (9 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,568 |
| • Density | 190/sq mi (72/km2) |
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP code | 94548 |
| Area code(s) | 925 |
| FIPS code | 06-38772 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 1658916, 2408496 |
Knightsen (formerly Knightsen Station) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Contra Costa County, California, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the CDP population was 1,568, up from 861 reported in the 2000 census.
Knightsen, California is a small unincorporated community of 1,568 residents and 1,500 horses in far eastern Contra Costa County, California in the eastern San Francisco Bay Area closest to Oakley, California. The community was founded by George W. Knight, and its name is a portmanteau of his last name and his wife (Christina Christensen). Knightsen has the oldest chapter of the 4-H Club in California. The community worries about urban sprawl from expanding development in neighboring Oakley. However, a significant portion of the community lies within the agricultural conservation zone in the Brentwood, California, general plan.
During the 1880s, settlers began moving in and planting the first almond trees in the area. A few dairies also sprang up. Other crops, such as apricots, grapes and alfalfa were also planted. Until the railroad was built, farmers shipped their produce via water, using Babbes Landing off Dutch Slough, near the north end of what is now Sellers Avenue.
Knightsen was founded in 1898, when the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad (Santa Fe Railway) was planning to lay a track through the area to reach . According to local historian, Kathy Leighton, the railroad wanted to name the community Meganos, commemorating the nearby ranch owned by Doctor John Marsh. Local settlers wanted to keep the name Knightsen. Through correspondence with officials in Washington, D.C., a post office named Knightsen was established before the railroad was complete, and George Knight was named first postmaster in mid-1899. He immediately constructed the first retail store in Knightsen, a grocery, in which he could also locate the post office, which opened in 1900.
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