Broderick, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Broderick
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 Broderick
Location in California
Broderick
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Yolo County |
| Elevation | 23 ft (7 m) |
Broderick (formerly known as Washington) was a town in Yolo County, California, United States. It is now part of the City of West Sacramento. Broderick is located just west of the Sacramento River. It sits in the eastern part of Yolo County. Broderick's ZIP Code is 95605. It is also in area codes 916 and 279. The area is about 23 feet (7 meters) above sea level.
Contents
History of Broderick
How Broderick Began
The town was first called Washington. People say it was named after George Washington. This is because Margaret McDowell filed the town plan on his birthday. Margaret's first husband, James McDowell, settled on 600 acres (2.4 km2) of land. He bought this land in 1846. Sadly, he died in an incident in 1849. This left Margaret a widow with five children.
Margaret needed a way to make money. She started by taking in boarders. In August 1849, she hired a surveyor. They mapped 160 acres (0.65 km2) next to her garden. In October, she set the boundaries for her property. She then created a town map with 41 blocks. She named this new town Washington. Margaret sold many lots over the next few years. However, the town's map was not officially recorded. So, people sometimes called the town "Margeretta" or "West Sacramento."
Early Growth and Challenges
Around 300 people lived in Washington in 1850. In the summer of 1851, the county seat moved to Washington. A county seat is the main town where the county government is located. It moved from Fremont because of bad flooding there. Washington seemed like it could become a big city. It was hoped to be like its neighbor, Sacramento, across the river.
A post office opened in April 1854. But the building burned down in 1856. A new post office was never built. For the next 33 years, residents had to go to Sacramento for their mail.
The Washington Public School District started in 1856. Margaret McDowell, now Mrs. Margaret Taylor, donated the land. The school district still serves West Sacramento. It built three local schools in its first ten years.
Moving the County Seat
Washington often had floods. This worried the people of Yolo County. In 1857, they voted to move the county seat to Cacheville. Cacheville is now called Yolo. But people didn't like Cacheville. It was too small and isolated. So, they moved the county seat back to Washington.
However, the winter of 1861–62 brought terrible weather. In 1862, voters held a special election. They wanted to choose a permanent county seat. Woodland was chosen, which Washington residents disliked. Another big change was a new bridge to Sacramento. This bridge was built near where the I Street Bridge is today. Travelers from the Bay Area no longer needed to stop in Washington. The new toll bridge was cheaper than the local ferries.
Railroads and Renaming
Washington's economy seemed to get better in November 1868. The California Pacific Railroad reached the town. Washington became the railhead for the line from Vallejo. A railhead is the end of a train line. But things didn't improve as much as hoped. Property values did not go up. They were even lower than during the Gold Rush days.
Also, a new train junction was built in Davisville. Davisville is now Davis. This new line went towards Woodland. It took train traffic away from Washington. In 1870, the California Pacific Railroad rebuilt the I Street Bridge. This allowed trains to cross the river into Sacramento.
In 1871, Downtown Sacramento raised its buildings by nine feet. They also made their levees stronger. Levees are walls that stop floods. Washington could not afford to do this. So, each year they would fix their levees. They also had to deal with any flooding that happened.
The town was renamed in the late 1800s. It was named after David C. Broderick. He was a United States Senator. He was also against slavery.
A new post office opened in 1893. It operated until 1909. It was briefly closed from 1895 to 1896.
Businesses in Broderick
The biggest employer in Broderick is the California State Teachers Retirement System. They built their main office on the waterfront. The Ziggurat building is also in the area. It was first built for The Money Store company. Now, it is home to the State Department of General Services.
A famous restaurant in the neighborhood is Sal's Tacos. It is known for its colorful mosaic tile decorations. In 2012, another restaurant called Broderick Restaurant and Bar opened.
Notable People
- Harold "Bizz" Johnson - He was a Congressman from 1959 to 1981. A Congressman is a person elected to represent their area in the U.S. government.
