Clayton, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
City of Clayton
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Parts of Clayton as seen from Mt. Diablo in Summer 2005
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Location of Clayton in Contra Costa County, California.
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 Clayton, California
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  California |
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| County | Contra Costa | |
| Incorporated | March 18, 1964 | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 3.84 sq mi (9.95 km2) | |
| • Land | 3.84 sq mi (9.95 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) 0% | |
| Elevation | 394 ft (120 m) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 11,070 | |
| • Density | 2,882.81/sq mi (1,113.09/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) | |
| ZIP code |
94517
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| Area code(s) | 925 | |
| FIPS code | 06-13882 | |
| GNIS feature IDs | 277488, 2409474 | |
Clayton is a city located in Contra Costa County, California. It is a part of the United States. In 2020, about 11,585 people lived in Clayton.
Contents
History of Clayton
How Clayton Was Founded
The city of Clayton was started in 1857 by Joel Henry Clayton and his two younger brothers. Joel Clayton was born in England and moved to the United States in 1837. He and his wife, Margaret, settled at the base of Mount Diablo.
Joel Clayton and Charles Rhine both helped create the town. They flipped a coin to decide who would name it. Joel won, so the town was named after him. If Charles had won, it would have been called Rhinesville! Joel and Margaret Clayton are buried in Live Oak Cemetery in Concord.
Growth and Development
Clayton grew a lot during the time when coal mining was popular in eastern Contra Costa County. The city got its own post office in 1861.
In 1964, Clayton officially became a city. This happened to prevent a nearby city, Concord, from taking over some of its neighborhoods. Clayton continued to grow in the 1970s. In 1987, its land area more than doubled. This included adding new neighborhoods and the Oakhurst Country Club.
Wildfires in Clayton
Wildfires have happened often in California, especially during dry periods. From 2011 to 2017, California had a big drought, which means there was very little rain.
On September 8, 2013, a fire called the Morgan Fire started on Mount Diablo. It grew quickly and threatened homes and animals. People in some areas had to leave their homes for safety. Over 1,000 firefighters and eight aircraft worked to put out the fire. It was fully stopped by September 14, 2013, after burning about 3,100 acres.
Another fire started on July 25, 2018, near Marsh Creek Road. One home and three other buildings were destroyed. People were asked to evacuate that evening. The fire was completely put out by July 28.
On August 16, 2020, lightning strikes caused many fires across California. One of these was another Morgan Fire, which became part of a larger group of fires called the SCU Lightning Complex fires.
Geography of Clayton
Clayton covers an area of about 3.8 square miles (9.9 square kilometers). All of this area is land. The city is located right at the foot of Mt. Diablo, a well-known mountain in California.
Climate in Clayton
Clayton has a climate with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. This type of climate is common in areas like the Mediterranean.
On December 7, 2009, something unusual happened: snow fell in Clayton and Concord. This was the first time it had snowed there since the 1970s!
| Climate data for Clayton, California | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 75 (24) |
80 (27) |
85 (29) |
95 (35) |
98 (37) |
104 (40) |
106 (41) |
108 (42) |
115 (46) |
101 (38) |
83 (28) |
77 (25) |
112 (44) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 54.2 (12.3) |
57.4 (14.1) |
60.1 (15.6) |
67.1 (19.5) |
75.5 (24.2) |
84.3 (29.1) |
90.6 (32.6) |
88.8 (31.6) |
85.2 (29.6) |
71.2 (21.8) |
61.7 (16.5) |
54.7 (12.6) |
69.3 (20.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 35.0 (1.7) |
37.2 (2.9) |
39.8 (4.3) |
44.6 (7.0) |
48.9 (9.4) |
55.6 (13.1) |
58.0 (14.4) |
56.4 (13.6) |
50.2 (10.1) |
46.9 (8.3) |
39.8 (4.3) |
36.3 (2.4) |
46.3 (7.9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 15 (−9) |
23 (−5) |
26 (−3) |
28 (−2) |
31 (−1) |
38 (3) |
40 (4) |
41 (5) |
37 (3) |
31 (−1) |
24 (−4) |
17 (−8) |
15 (−9) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 4.02 (102) |
3.87 (98) |
2.91 (74) |
1.24 (31) |
0.69 (18) |
0.14 (3.6) |
0.02 (0.51) |
0.05 (1.3) |
0.17 (4.3) |
1.02 (26) |
2.39 (61) |
3.61 (92) |
20.12 (511) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 11 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 59 |
| Source: Western Regional Climate Center (temperature & precipitation days, 1991-present), PRISM Climate Group (precipitation, 1981-2010) | |||||||||||||
Education in Clayton
Clayton is part of the Mount Diablo Unified School District. Students in Clayton attend several public schools, including:
- Mt. Diablo Elementary School
- Highlands Elementary School
- Diablo View Middle School
- Pine Hollow Middle School
- Clayton Valley Charter High School
Public Libraries
The Clayton branch of the Contra Costa County Library system is located in Clayton. It provides books and resources for the community.
Population and People
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1970 | 1,385 | — | |
| 1980 | 4,325 | 212.3% | |
| 1990 | 7,317 | 69.2% | |
| 2000 | 10,762 | 47.1% | |
| 2010 | 10,897 | 1.3% | |
| 2020 | 11,070 | 1.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2010, Clayton had a population of 10,897 people. Most of the people living in Clayton were White (85.1%). There were also people of Asian (6.6%), African American (1.3%), and Native American (0.3%) backgrounds. About 9% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
Most people in Clayton live in families. In 2010, there were 4,006 households. About 36% of these households had children under 18 living in them. The average household had about 2.72 people. The median age in Clayton was 45.0 years. This means half the population was older than 45, and half was younger.
Notable People from Clayton
Many interesting people have connections to Clayton, including:
- Sean Farnham, a sports analyst
- Bob Jones, a baseball player
- Brandon Mull, a fantasy author
- Paul Napolitano, a basketball player
- Sam Williams, a football player
- Kara Kohler, an Olympic rower
- Charlie Krueger, a football player
See also
In Spanish: Clayton (California) para niños
