Richmond Annex, Richmond, California facts for kids

Richmond Annex, often called The Annex, is a cool neighborhood in Richmond, California. It's mostly a place where people live, located near the San Francisco Bay.

What is Richmond Annex?

Richmond Annex is a neighborhood in the city of Richmond, California. It's a mostly residential area, meaning it's where many homes are located. It sits between San Pablo Avenue and the city of El Cerrito to the east, and the big San Francisco Bay to the west. To the south, you'll find Central Avenue, Cerrito Creek, Albany Hill, and the city of Albany. To the north, it's bordered by Potrero Avenue and the Pullman neighborhood.

Getting Around The Annex

Carlson Boulevard is the main road that goes through Richmond Annex. It connects downtown Richmond with downtown El Cerrito. Sometimes, buildings on the Richmond Annex side of San Pablo Avenue have an El Cerrito mailing address. This can make people think they are in El Cerrito, even though they are really in Richmond Annex! Places like El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company and Down Home Records (which used to be Arhoolie Records) are examples of this.

A Bit of History

Long ago, around 1941, a local historian named Fay Breneman wrote that the land where Richmond Annex is now was farmed by the Conlon Brothers. An old map from 1894 shows that a person named William Meyer owned all of The Annex back then.

Richmond Annex officially became part of the City of Richmond on September 26, 1926. It was a very close vote, 13 to 12, on whether to join Richmond or El Cerrito. Richmond won by just one vote!

Fun Places and Community Spirit

In recent years, Richmond Annex has become home to the Pacific East Mall. This is a really big collection of Chinese stores, and it's the largest of its kind in the East Bay area.

Other important places in the neighborhood include the Richmond Annex Senior Center. This building used to be a fire station from 1937 to 1976, but now it's a place for older adults to gather. There's also Huntington Playground Park, a great spot for outdoor fun.

The people living in Richmond Annex are very active in their community. They successfully worked together to stop a cell phone tower from being built in their area. They also had a big say in the design of a cool mural on the Carlson Boulevard Interstate 80 overpass. Plus, they helped keep Fairmont Elementary School in nearby El Cerrito from closing down. This shows how much the community cares about its neighborhood!