Washington, Yolo County, California
| Broderick | |
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 Broderick
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| Coordinates: 38°35′28″N 121°31′02″W / 38.59111°N 121.51722°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Yolo County |
| Elevation | 23 ft (7 m) |
Coordinates: 38°35′28″N 121°31′02″W / 38.59111°N 121.51722°W
Broderick (formerly, Washington) is a former town in Yolo County, California, United States, now forming part of the City of West Sacramento. It is located just west of the Sacramento River in the eastern portion of the county. Broderick's ZIP Code is 95605 and its area code 916. It lies at an elevation of 23 feet (7 m).
Washington was rumored to be named after George Washington because the town plan was filed by Margaret McDowell on Washington's birthday. Margaret McDowell's first husband, James McDowell, settled and developed 600 acres (2.4 km2) of land on a rancho he purchased from John Schwartz in 1846. He was killed in the Spring of 1849 in a saloon brawl, leaving his wife a widow.
Margaret McDowell was left with five children, a house and a garden. She had taken in boarders as a means of income, but found she needed to do something else to remain financially able. In August 1849 she hired a surveyor to map 160 acres (0.65 km2) that was adjoined to her garden. In October of that year she established the boundaries of her property and created a town plat of 41 blocks which she named Washington. She sold several lots during the next few years, but Washington's plat was not officially recorded and the town was called by other names including "Margeretta" and "West Sacramento".
In 1850 there were approximately 300 people residing in Washington. During the summer of 1851 the county seat was relocated from Fremont to Washington because of the severe flooding that Fremont had experienced the winter before. It now seemed that Washington had the potential to become comparable to its "booming" sister city, Sacramento on the opposite side of the river.
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