Richmond’s History and Why We’re Proud to Serve the Richmond Community
The Richmond area was long inhabited by the Ohlone people. Spanish explorers Pedro Fages and Juan Crespí passed through in 1772. After Mexico secularized the missions, the government granted 17,000 acres of Rancho San Pablo to Don Francisco Castro; his descendants later subdivided the land for settlement.
In the late 19th century, industrialization arrived. Augustin Macdonald proposed making Point Richmond the western terminus of the Santa Fe Railroad in 1895, and by 1899 the railroad had built its terminus there while Standard Oil constructed a refinery in 1901. Richmond incorporated as a city in 1905.
World War II transformed Richmond when the Kaiser Richmond shipyards became the largest shipbuilding operation on the West Coast, producing 747 ships and drawing tens of thousands of workers. The city’s population quadrupled from 23,600 in 1940 to over 93,700 in 1943.
Today Richmond is a diverse city known for its deepwater port, heavy industry and manufacturing, as well as parks and shoreline trails. We’re proud to serve Richmond’s residents and businesses.