Walnut Creek, California, United States

🇺🇸 Walnut Creek is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, about 16 miles (26 km) east of the city of Oakland. Walnut Creek serves as a hub for its neighbouring cities because of its location at the junction of the highways from Sacramento and San Jose (I-680) and San Francisco/Oakland (SR-24) and its accessibility by BART. Its active downtown neighbourhood features hundred-year-old buildings and extensive high-end retail establishments. The city shares its borders with Clayton, Lafayette, Alamo, Pleasant Hill, and Concord.

History There are three bands of Bay Miwok Native Americans associated with the area of Walnut Creek (the stream for which the city is named): the Saclan, whose territory extended through the hills east of present-day cities of Oakland, Rossmoor, Lafayette, Moraga and Walnut Creek; the Volvon (also spelled Bolbon, Wolwon or Zuicun), who were near Mt. Diablo; and the Tactan, located on the San Ramon Creek in present-day Danville and Walnut Creek.

The city of Walnut Creek has developed within the earlier area of four extensive Mexican land grants. One of these land grants – measuring 18,000 acres (73 km²) – belonged to Juana Sanchez de Pacheco. The grant was called Rancho Arroyo de Las Nueces y Bolbones, named after the principal waterway, Arroyo de las Nueces (Walnut Creek in English), and for the local group of Volvon indigenous Americans (also known as Bolbones in Spanish). The Arroyo de las Nueces was named for the local species of walnut tree, the California Walnut. The two grandsons of Sanchez de Pacheco inherited the thousands of acres of land. One, Ygnacio Sibrian, built the first roofed home in the valley in about 1850.

As settlers from the United States arrived following US annexation of California after victory in the Mexican–American War, a small settlement called "The Corners" emerged. It was named for the junction where roads met from the settlements of Pacheco and Lafayette. The intersection of Mt. Diablo Boulevard and North Main Street is now at this site. The first town settler was William Slusher, who built a dwelling on the bank of Walnut Creek, first called "Nuts Creek" by Americans in 1849. In 1855, Milo Hough of Lafayette built the hotel named "Walnut Creek House" in The Corners. A blacksmith shop and a store were soon established by settlers. In 1850 Hiram Penniman laid out the town site and realigned Main Street to what it is today. (Penniman also developed Shadelands Ranch.)

In December 1862 a United States Post Office was established here, named "Walnut Creek". Pioneer Homer Shuey platted the downtown street patterns in 1871–1872 on a portion of one of his family's large cattle ranches. These streets have been maintained to the present.

The arrival of Southern Pacific Railroad service in 1891 stimulated development of Walnut Creek. On October 21, 1914, the town and the surrounding area were incorporated as the 8th city in Contra Costa County. A branch line of the Southern Pacific ran through Walnut Creek until the late 1970s. Portions were adapted by East Bay Regional Park District for the Iron Horse Trail, which is used by walkers, runners and bikers. The mainline of the Sacramento Northern Railway passed through Walnut Creek. Both railroads had stations here. Today, the Yellow Line of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) serves Walnut Creek with a station adjacent to Highway 680.

With the 1951 opening of the downtown Broadway Shopping Center (now Broadway Plaza), Contra Costa County's first major retail centre, the city took off in a new direction. In the postwar period of suburban development, its population more than quadrupled – from 2,460 in 1950 to 9,903 in 1960. Growth has accelerated since the late 20th century, with a population just over 70,000 according to the latest census.

Geography Portions lie in both the San Ramon Valley and the Ygnacio Valley below the western slopes of Mount Diablo. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.8 sq mi (51.2 km²), 0.06 percent of which is water. Walnut Creek – the actual waterway that runs through the town – has been routed underneath downtown through a series of tunnels. These start at the south-west end of Macy's and end just south-west of Bar Camino Restaurant.

Neighborhoods Walnut Creek consists of a bustling, upscale downtown with established neighborhoods in its surrounding areas. Neighborhoods range in affordability and feel, with some being exceptionally charming and tight-knit (e.g., Parkmead) while others are more rural and forested with homes on generous lots (e.g., Tice Valley). Not all neighborhoods are incorporated; there are many unincorporated areas that are serviced by Contra Costa County. A non-exhaustive list of neighborhoods in Walnut Creek include: • Castle Hill • Carriage Square • Diablo Shadows • Lakewood Area • Larkey Park (Median SFH sold price of $1,205,000 --- Feb 2022) • Livorna Estates • Northgate (Median SFH sold price of $1,762,500 --- Feb 2022) • Overlook • Parkmead • Rancho Paraiso (Median SFH sold price of $2,500,000 --- Feb 2022) • Rossmoor (A 55+ retirement community of approximately 10,000 residents) • Rudgear Estates • Saranap (Median SFH sold price of $1,900,000 --- Feb 2022) • Summit Ridge • Tice Valley (Median SFH sold price of $1,879,000 --- Feb 2022) • Walnut Heights (Median SFH sold price of $1,802,000 --- Feb 2022) • Walnut Knolls • Homestead • Creekside

Depending on the neighborhood, homes can be assigned to schools in Lafayette, San Ramon Valley, Walnut Creek, or Mt. Diablo Unified School District.

Open space Walnut Creek owns more open space per capita than any other community in the state of California. In 1974, Walnut Creek voters approved a $6.7 million bond measure to acquire and protect open space: the city purchased 1,800 acres (730 ha) of undeveloped hillsides, ridge lines, and park sites. Walnut Creek owns parts of Lime Ridge Open Space, Acalanes Ridge Open Space, Shell Ridge Open Space, and Sugarloaf Open Space.

The East Bay Regional Park District operates Diablo Foothills Regional Park and Castle Rock Regional Recreation Area, both of which are located in Walnut Creek.

Public transit and bike trails The city has two Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stations – Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill (in the unincorporated area known as Contra Costa Centre Transit Village) – both served by the Yellow Line.

Central Contra Costa Transit Authority (County Connection/CCCTA) provides bus service throughout Walnut Creek and Contra Costa County at a modest cost. County Connection also operates three free weekday shuttles within city limits: the Downtown Trolley/Route 4 loops from Walnut Creek BART to Broadway Plaza; Route 5 runs from Walnut Creek BART to Creekside; and Route 7, which runs from Pleasant Hill BART to Shadelands Business Park.

Walnut Creek is transected by the Iron Horse Trail (running north–south) through its downtown, as well as the Contra Costa Canal Trail (running east–west) at the north end of the city. Both these trails, in addition to city bike lanes, make bicycle transportation feasible both for recreation and as an alternative commute.

Education Public K–12 Walnut Creek residents attend schools in five public school districts. The Walnut Creek School District (K–8) has five elementary schools, one magnet school (K–8), and one middle school in the city. Some residents are served by schools from the Mount Diablo Unified School District (K–12), the Acalanes Union High School District (9–12), the San Ramon Valley Unified School District (K–12), and the Lafayette School District (K–8). The Walnut Creek and Lafayette districts feed into Acalanes Union HSD.

The following public schools are within the city limits of Walnut Creek: Walnut Creek School District • Buena Vista Elementary • Indian Valley Elementary • Murwood Elementary • Parkmead Elementary • Walnut Heights Elementary • Walnut Creek Intermediate • Tice Creek School; Acalanes Union High School District • Las Lomas High School • Acalanes Center for Independent Study; Mount Diablo Unified School District • Eagle Peak Montessori (charter elementary) • Bancroft Elementary • Valle Verde Elementary • Walnut Acres Elementary • Foothill Middle • Northgate High School; Private K–12 Walnut Creek is home to several private schools, including: • Berean Christian High School (Grades: 9–12) • Contra Costa Christian Schools (Grades: PK–12) • Fusion Academy Walnut Creek (Grades: 6–12) • Garden Gate Montessori School (Grades: PK–K) • North Creek Academy & Preschool (Grades: PK–8) • Palmer School (Grades: K–8) • St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception School (Grades: PK–8) • The Seven Hills School (Grades: PK–8) • Springfield Montessori School (Grades: PK–K) • Walnut Creek Christian Academy (Grades: K–8) • Wellspring Educational Services.

Public libraries The Walnut Creek Library and the Ygnacio Valley Library of the Contra Costa County Library are located in Walnut Creek. The Ygnacio Valley Branch, which opened in 1975, is also known as the Thurman G. Casey Memorial Library. Fundraising and other support is provided by the Walnut Creek Library Foundation.

On February 26, 2008, the city demolished the Walnut Creek Library, that was built in 1961 at the southern end of Civic Park. Mayor Gwen Regalia hosted a groundbreaking on the same site for the new library on May 19, 2008. The new library, designed by Group 4 Architecture, Research + Planning, Inc., has 42,000 square feet (3,900 m²) and an underground parking garage. Construction was completed in 2010 and the library was officially opened on July 17, 2010.

Economy Companies based in Walnut Creek include Central Garden & Pet (makers of AvoDerm, Amdro, Kaytee, among others), American Reprographics Company, CSE Insurance Group, Maximum Games, and the PMI Group. Among] the top employers in the city include: John Muir Health; Kaiser Permanente; Safeway; Nordstrom; IHC; United States Postal Service; Aetna; Macy's; City of Walnut Creek; HCR Manor Care. The city was listed among the 10 best places to retire in the U.S. by CBS Money Watch and U.S. News.

Points of interest • Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) • Bedford Art Gallery • Boundary Oak Golf Course • Broadway Plaza Shopping Center • Castle Rock Park • Civic Park, including seasonal outdoor skating rink • Heather Farm Park, including Gardens at Heather Farm and all-abilities playground • Howe Homestead Park • Lesher Center for the Arts • Lindsay Wildlife Museum • Mount Diablo State Park • Open space hiking/biking trails, including Acalanes, Lime Ridge, Shell Ridge (featuring Fossil Hill trail) • Old Borges Ranch • Ruth Bancroft Garden • St. Paul's Episcopal Church, featuring Carpenter Gothic chapel • Shadelands Ranch Museum • Walden Park Disc Golf Course • Walnut Creek Model Railroad Society

Media Walnut Creek is served by the daily newspaper, The East Bay Times (formerly The Contra Costa Times). The paper was originally run and owned by the Lesher family. Since the death of Dean Lesher in 1993, the paper has had several owners. The Times, as it is known, has a section called "The Walnut Creek Journal".

Walnut Creek TV (WCTV) is the city's government-access television channel, covering local government and community events. WCTV is available in Walnut Creek on Comcast channel 28 (channel 26 in Rossmoor), Astound channel 29, AT&T U-verse channel 99 under the menu option "Walnut Creek Television", and on YouTube. Claycord.com is the widely read independent news and talk blog serving the greater Walnut Creek metropolitan area.