Orinda, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
City of Orinda
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Downtown Orinda
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Location in Contra Costa County and the state of California
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 Orinda, California
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Contra Costa |
| Incorporated | July 1, 1985 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 12.87 sq mi (33.33 km2) |
| • Land | 12.85 sq mi (33.29 km2) |
| • Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.04 km2) 0.12% |
| Elevation | 495 ft (151 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 19,514 |
| • Density | 1,516.2/sq mi (585.48/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| ZIP Code |
94563
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| Area code(s) | 925 |
| FIPS code | 06-54232 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 1659313, 2411334 |
Orinda is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. It is a lovely place known for its beautiful hills and quiet neighborhoods. In 2020, about 19,514 people lived there. Orinda is a great spot for families and nature lovers, offering a peaceful escape not far from bigger cities.
Contents
History of Orinda
Orinda's history began on land that was once part of four large Mexican land grants. These were huge areas of land given by the Mexican government. The region was mostly rural, used for ranching and as a place for summer cabins.
The Moraga Adobe was built in 1841. It is the oldest building in the East Bay area of California. In the late 1800s, Alice Marsh Cameron likely named the area "Orinda." She probably chose the name to honor a famous poet named Katherine Philips, who was also known as "the Matchless Orinda."
In the 1880s, a man named Theodore Wagner built a large estate called Orinda Park. A post office opened there in 1888, and its name changed to Orinda in 1895. The area was also a stop on an old railroad line. This stop was known as Orinda Crossroads.
Orinda became much more popular after the Caldecott Tunnel was finished in 1937. This tunnel made it easier to travel to and from the west. Orinda officially became a city on July 1, 1985. Its first mayor was Richard G. Heggie. Today, people can travel around Orinda using the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system or the local bus service called County Connection.
Geography and Climate
Orinda covers about 12.7 square miles (33 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with only a very small part being water.
Orinda's Weather
Orinda has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate. This means it has cool, rainy winters and warm, dry summers. Because Orinda is in a hilly area, the weather can change a lot over short distances. These are called microclimates.
The Oakland Hills often block the cool, foggy weather that you might see in nearby Oakland. However, sometimes fog can still roll over the hills and cool down Orinda. During summer heatwaves, Orinda can feel much hotter than Oakland. In winter, Orinda often gets more rain because it is at a higher elevation. Snow is rare, but a light dusting can happen some years. On clear winter mornings, downtown Orinda can be very cold, while the higher hills might be a bit warmer.
| Weather chart for Orinda, California | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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6
54
34
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4.9
59
37
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4.3
61
38
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2.2
68
42
|
1.2
71
46
|
0.2
77
49
|
0
82
52
|
0.1
81
51
|
0.4
83
50
|
1.9
75
44
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3.2
65
38
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6.2
56
36
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| temperatures in °F precipitation totals in inches |
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Metric conversion
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| Climate data for Orinda, California | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 69 (21) |
76 (24) |
84 (29) |
88 (31) |
100 (38) |
103 (39) |
107 (42) |
109 (43) |
110 (43) |
101 (38) |
87 (31) |
77 (25) |
110 (43) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 54.8 (12.7) |
59.6 (15.3) |
62.4 (16.9) |
70.5 (21.4) |
70.9 (21.6) |
77.2 (25.1) |
81.2 (27.3) |
81.0 (27.2) |
79.5 (26.4) |
73.6 (23.1) |
63.5 (17.5) |
55.2 (12.9) |
69.1 (20.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 38.3 (3.5) |
41.5 (5.3) |
43.4 (6.3) |
45.6 (7.6) |
48.6 (9.2) |
52.1 (11.2) |
54.0 (12.2) |
55.3 (12.9) |
54.0 (12.2) |
50.3 (10.2) |
45.3 (7.4) |
39.8 (4.3) |
47.3 (8.5) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 15 (−9) |
18 (−8) |
23 (−5) |
28 (−2) |
32 (0) |
35 (2) |
42 (6) |
40 (4) |
32 (0) |
26 (−3) |
22 (−6) |
19 (−7) |
15 (−9) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 5.99 (152) |
4.86 (123) |
4.31 (109) |
2.16 (55) |
1.22 (31) |
0.18 (4.6) |
0.02 (0.51) |
0.05 (1.3) |
0.41 (10) |
1.85 (47) |
3.24 (82) |
6.24 (158) |
30.53 (773.41) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 11 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 64 |
| Source: Western Regional Climate Center | |||||||||||||
People of Orinda
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1960 | 5,568 | — | |
| 1970 | 6,790 | 21.9% | |
| 1980 | 16,825 | 147.8% | |
| 1990 | 16,642 | −1.1% | |
| 2000 | 17,599 | 5.8% | |
| 2010 | 17,643 | 0.3% | |
| 2020 | 19,514 | 10.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2010, Orinda had a population of 17,643 people. Most residents (82.4%) were White. About 11.4% were Asian-American, and 4.6% were of Hispanic or Latino background.
Most people in Orinda live in family homes. In 2010, there were 6,553 households. About 36% of these homes had children under 18. Many families were married couples living together. The average household had about 2.69 people.
The population of Orinda includes people of all ages. About 25.6% of residents were under 18 years old. Around 20.1% were 65 years or older. The average age in Orinda was 47.8 years. Most homes in Orinda are owned by the people who live in them.
Education in Orinda
Orinda has several public schools for younger students. There are four elementary schools: Sleepy Hollow, Wagner Ranch, Glorietta, and Del Rey. Orinda Intermediate School is the only middle school. These five schools are all part of the Orinda Union School District. For high school, students attend Miramonte High School, which is part of the Acalanes Union High School District.
Orinda also has a few private schools. These include Orinda Academy and Holden High School, which are both high schools. Fountainhead Montessori School teaches students from kindergarten through fifth grade. The Contra Costa County Library also has a branch in Orinda, offering books and resources for everyone.
Notable People from Orinda
Many interesting people have lived in Orinda. Here are a few:
- Poul Anderson, a famous science fiction author.
- Troy Auzenne, a football star.
- Bryan Barker, an NFL football punter.
- Jim Barnett, a Golden State Warriors player and TV commentator.
- Theodore Temple (Ted) Beckett, another football star.
- Drew Bennett, a former NFL wide receiver who graduated from Miramonte High School.
- Nicole Branagh, an Olympic beach volleyball player.
- Matt Cain, a pitcher for the San Francisco Giants.
- Paul Dini, a writer and cartoonist.
- Ken Dorsey, a former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns.
- Sheila E., a talented drummer and percussionist.
- Adonal Foyle, an NBA center for the Golden State Warriors and Orlando Magic.
- John Hammergren, a CEO of McKesson.
- John Hampton, who helped start Toys for Tots.
- Sabrina Ionescu, a WNBA basketball star.
- Brett Jackson, an MLB player.
- Robert Karplus, a physicist and educator.
- Hans Kelsen, an important legal expert.
- Harry Arthur "Cookie" Lavagetto, an MLB player and coach.
- Daniel Levitin, a best-selling author and scientist.
- Hans Niemann, a chess grandmaster.
- Wayne F. Miller, a photographer.
- Karen Moe, an Olympic swimming gold medalist.
- William Penn Mott Jr., a director of the National Park Service.
- Heather Petri, an Olympic water polo player.
- Gary Radnich, a news broadcaster.
- Julie Rubio, a filmmaker.
- Sam Shankland, a chess grandmaster and US Chess Champion.
- Dana Sparks, an actress and spokesperson.
- Jeremy Stoppelman, the founder of Yelp.com.
- Rawson Marshall Thurber, a filmmaker and actor.
- Nicolle Wallace, a political commentator.
- Claudell Washington, a former Major League Baseball player.
- Will Wright, the designer of popular computer games like SimCity and The Sims.
- Chris Bauer, an actor who grew up in Orinda.
Images for kids
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The historic Merrill House.
See also
In Spanish: Orinda para niños
