Walnut Creek is a city in

Contra Costa County, California ) of the San Francisco Bay , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivision_name1 = California , subdivision_type2 ...

, United States, located in the East Bay region of the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area G ...

, about east of the city of Oakland. With a total population of 70,127 per the 2020 census, Walnut Creek serves as a vibrant hub for its neighboring cities because of its location at the junction of the highways from

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

and San Jose ( I-680) and San Francisco/Oakland ( SR-24), and its accessibility by BART. Its active downtown neighborhood features hundred-year-old buildings and extensive high-end

retail Retail is the sale of goods and Service (economics), services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturing, manufacturers, dire ...

establishments. The city shares its borders with Clayton, Lafayette,

Alamo The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San An ...

, Pleasant Hill, and

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony) * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...

History

There are three bands of

Bay Miwok The Bay Miwok are a cultural and linguistic group of Miwok, a Native American people in Northern California who live in Contra Costa County. They joined the Franciscan mission system during the early nineteenth century, suffered a devastating ...

Native Americans associated with the area of Walnut Creek (the stream for which the city is named):Forester, 2006.Milliken, 1995 the ''

Saclan The Saklan are a tribe of the Native American Miwok community, based just south of San Pablo and Suisun Bays, in Contra Costa County, California. Their historical tribal lands ranged from Moraga, to San Leandro Creek, to Lafayette. History T ...

'', whose territory extended through the hills east of present-day cities of Oakland, Rossmoor, Lafayette, Moraga and Walnut Creek; the ''Volvon'' (also spelled Bolbon, Wolwon or Zuicun), who were near

Mt. Diablo Mount Diablo is a mountain of the Diablo Range, in Contra Costa County of the eastern San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California. It is south of Clayton and northeast of Danville. It is an isolated upthrust peak of , visible from most of ...

; and the ''Tactan'', located on the San Ramon Creek in present-day Danville and Walnut Creek. The city of Walnut Creek has developed within the earlier area of four extensive Mexican land grants. One of these land grantsmeasuring belonged to Juana Sanchez de Pacheco. The grant was called

Rancho Arroyo de Las Nueces y Bolbones Rancho Arroyo de Las Nueces y Bolbones (also called "San Miguel") was a Mexican land grant in present-day Contra Costa County, California given in 1834 by Governor José Figueroa to Juana Sanchez de Pacheco. The grant was named after the pri ...

, named after the principal waterway, ''Arroyo de las Nueces'' (Walnut Creek in English), and for the local group of Volvon indigenous Americans (also known as ''Bolbones'' in Spanish). The ''Arroyo de las Nueces'' was named for the local species of walnut tree, the

California Walnut ''Juglans californica'', the California black walnut, also called the California walnut, or the Southern California black walnut, is a large shrub or small tree (about 20-49 feet tall) of the walnut family, Juglandaceae, endemic to Southern Calif ...

. The two grandsons of Sanchez de Pacheco inherited the thousands of acres of land. One, Ygnacio Sibrian, built the first roofed home in the valley in about 1850. As settlers from the United States arrived following US annexation of California after victory in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the ...

, a small settlement called "The Corners" emerged. It was named for the junction where roads met from the settlements of Pacheco and Lafayette. The intersection of Mt. Diablo Boulevard and North Main Street is now at this site. The first town settler was William Slusher, who built a dwelling on the bank of Walnut Creek, first called "Nuts Creek" by Americans in 1849. In 1855, Milo Hough of Lafayette built the hotel named "Walnut Creek House" in The Corners. A

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...

shop and a store were soon established by settlers. In 1850 Hiram Penniman laid out the town site and realigned Main Street to what it is today. (Penniman also developed

Shadelands Ranch Shadelands Ranch was established by Hiram Penniman, an early American settler of California in 1856 as one of the first and largest farms in California's Ygnacio Valley.Isles, Elizabeth; Rovanpera, Brad. ''Shadelands: Yesterday and Today''. The W ...

.) In December 1862 a United States

Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional se ...

was established here, named "Walnut Creek". Pioneer Homer Shuey platted the downtown street patterns in 1871–1872 on a portion of one of his family's large cattle ranches. These streets have been maintained to the present. The arrival of Southern Pacific Railroad service in 1891 stimulated development of Walnut Creek. On October 21, 1914, the town and the surrounding area were incorporated as the 8th city in Contra Costa County. A branch line of the Southern Pacific ran through Walnut Creek until the late 1970s. Portions were adapted by

East Bay Regional Park District The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) is a special district operating in Alameda County and Contra Costa County, California, within the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay Area. It maintains and operates a system of regional parks which ...

for the Iron Horse Trail, which is used by walkers, runners and bikers. The mainline of the

Sacramento Northern The Sacramento Northern Railway (reporting mark SN) was a electric interurban railway that connected Chico in northern California with Oakland via the California capital, Sacramento. In its operation it ran directly on the streets of Oak ...

Railway passed through Walnut Creek. Both railroads had stations here. Today, the of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) serves Walnut Creek with a station adjacent to Highway 680. With the 1951 opening of the downtown Broadway Shopping Center (now Broadway Plaza), Contra Costa County's first major retail center, the city took off in a new direction. In the postwar period of suburban development, its population more than quadrupledfrom 2,460 in 1950 to 9,903 in 1960. Growth has accelerated since the late 20th century, and the population in 2019 was estimated at slightly more than 70,000.

Geography and climate

Walnut Creek is located at . Portions lie in both the

San Ramon Valley The San Ramon Valley is a valley and region in Contra Costa County and Alameda County, in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in northern California. Geography The valley is between the Oakland Hills on the west, and the Diablo Rang ...

and the Ygnacio Valley below the western slopes of

Mount Diablo Mount Diablo is a mountain of the Diablo Range, in Contra Costa County of the eastern San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California. It is south of Clayton and northeast of Danville. It is an isolated upthrust peak of , visible from most ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of , 0.06 percent of which is water. Walnut Creekthe actual waterway that runs through the townhas been routed underneath downtown through a series of tunnels. These start at the southwest end of Macy's and end just southwest of El Charro Restaurant.

Neighborhoods

Walnut Creek consists of a bustling, upscale downtown with established neighborhoods in its surrounding areas. Neighborhoods range in affordability and feel, with some being exceptionally charming and tight-knit (e.g., Parkmead) while others are more rural and forested with homes on generous lots (e.g., Tice Valley). Not all neighborhoods are incorporated; there are many unincorporated areas that are serviced by Contra Costa County. A non-exhaustive list of neighborhoods in Walnut Creek include: * Castle Hill * Carriage Square * Diablo Shadows * Lakewood Area * Larkey Park (Median SFH sold price of $1,205,000 --- Feb 2022) * Livorna Estates * Northgate (Median SFH sold price of $1,762,500 --- Feb 2022) * Overlook * Parkmead * Rancho Paraiso (Median SFH sold price of $2,500,000 --- Feb 2022) * Rossmoor (A 55+ retirement community of approximately 10,000 residents) * Rudgear Estates * Saranap (Median SFH sold price of $1,900,000 --- Feb 2022) * Summit Ridge * Tice Valley (Median SFH sold price of $1,879,000 --- Feb 2022) * Walnut Heights (Median SFH sold price of $1,802,000 --- Feb 2022) * Walnut Knolls * Homestead * Creekside Depending on the neighborhood, homes can be assigned to schools in Lafayette, San Ramon Valley, Walnut Creek, or Mt. Diablo Unified School District.

Open space

Walnut Creek owns more open space per capita than any other community in the state of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. In 1974, Walnut Creek voters approved a $6.7million

bond measure A municipal bond, commonly known as a muni, is a bond issued by state or local governments, or entities they create such as authorities and special districts. In the United States, interest income received by holders of municipal bonds is often, ...

to acquire and protect open space: the city purchased of undeveloped hillsides, ridge lines, and park sites. Walnut Creek owns parts of Lime Ridge Open Space, Acalanes Ridge Open Space, Shell Ridge Open Space, and Sugarloaf Open Space. The East Bay Regional Park District operates

Diablo Foothills Regional Park Diablo Foothills Regional Park is a regional park of the East Bay Regional Park District. It is located in Contra Costa County, in the East Bay region of northern California. Geography The park lies in the Diablo Foothills of the northern Diabl ...

and Castle Rock Regional Recreation Area, both of which are located in Walnut Creek.

Climate

Walnut Creek's warm summer

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

''Csb'') is typical of California's interior valleys. In summer, high pressure results in almost unbroken sunshine and virtually no precipitation. Days start out cool but quickly warm up, with high temperatures normally in the 80s Fahrenheit (27 to 32°C). Temperatures of or hotter occur numerous times during heatwaves, however. In the winter, the jet stream moves far enough south so that Pacific storms can reach Walnut Creek, bringing much-needed rainaverage annual rainfall approximates , with slight variations occurring in microclimates based on elevation and topography. During particularly cold storms, snow falls on the peak of nearby

, but snow in the valley floor is very rare. There are numerous clear, mild days in winter, often with morning frost. The climate allows for the successful cultivation of many plants and crops, being warm enough for citrus yet cold enough for apples. The

Ruth Bancroft Garden The Ruth Bancroft Garden is a public dry garden established by Ruth Bancroft. It contains more than 2,000 cactus, succulents, trees, and shrubs native to California, Mexico, Chile, South Africa, and Australia. It is located at 1552 Bancroft ...

is a renowned

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

that showcases the diversity of plants that can be successfully grown.

Public transit and bike trails

Ygnacio Canal Trail - Walnut Creek, California

The city has two Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stations – and (in the unincorporated area known as Contra Costa Centre Transit Village) – both served by the . Central Contra Costa Transit Authority (County Connection/CCCTA) provides bus service throughout Walnut Creek and Contra Costa County at a modest cost. County Connection also operates three free weekday shuttles within city limits: the Downtown Trolley/Route 4 loops from Walnut Creek BART to Broadway Plaza; Route 5 runs from Walnut Creek BART to Creekside; and Route 7, which runs from Pleasant Hill BART to Shadelands Business Park. Walnut Creek is transected by the Iron Horse Trail (running north–south) through its downtown, as well as the Contra Costa Canal Trail (running east–west) at the north end of the city. Both these trails, in addition to city bike lanes, make bicycle transportation feasible both for recreation and as an alternative commute.

Demographics

The

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving ...

reported that Walnut Creek had a population of 64,173. The population density was . The racial makeup of Walnut Creek was 50,487 (78.7 percent)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 1,035 (1.6 percent)

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 155 (0.2 percent) Native American, 8,027 (12.5 percent) Asian, 125 (0.2 percent)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 1,624 (2.5 percent) from other races, and 2,720 (4.2 percent) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 5,540 persons (8.6 percent). The Census reported that 63,171 people (98.4 percent of the population) lived in households, 176 (0.3 percent) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 826 (1.3 percent) were institutionalized. There were 30,443 households, out of which 6,363 (20.9 percent) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 13,305 (43.7 percent) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,071 (6.8 percent) had a female householder with no husband present, 844 (2.8 percent) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,286 (4.2 percent) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 298 (1.0 percent) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 11,884 households (39.0 percent) were made up of individuals, and 6,424 (21.1 percent) had someone living alone who was 65years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08. There were 16,220 families (53.3 percent of all households); the average family size was 2.79. The population was spread out, with 10,719 people (16.7 percent) under the age of 18, 3,599 people (5.6 percent) aged 18 to 24, 15,137 people (23.6 percent) aged 25 to 44, 17,653 people (27.5 percent) aged 45 to 64, and 17,065 people (26.6 percent) who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 47.9years. For every 100 females, there were 86.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.0 males. There were 32,681 housing units at an average density of , of which 20,262 (66.6 percent) were owner-occupied, and 10,181 (33.4 percent) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4 percent; the rental vacancy rate was 6.7 percent. 43,079 people (67.1 percent of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 20,092 people (31.3 percent) lived in rental housing units.

Government

City Council members are elected at-large to staggered, four-year terms, in elections held in even-numbered years. As of 2022, the current elected representatives are Matt Francois (Mayor), Cindy Silva (Mayor Pro Tem), Loella Haskew, Cindy Darling and Kevin Wilk (Council members).

County, state, and federal representation

On the

Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors is the governing body for Contra Costa County, California in the San Francisco Bay Area's East Bay region. Members of the Board of supervisors are elected from districts, based on their residence. Memb ...

, Walnut Creek is split between Supervisorial District 2 and Supervisorial District 4, represented by Candace Andersen and Karen Mitchoff, respectively. In the California State Legislature, Walnut Creek is split between and and in . In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, Walnut Creek is located in California's 11th congressional district, represented by . According to the California Secretary of State, as of February 10, 2019, Walnut Creek has 46,149 registered voters. Of those, 21,391 (46.4%) are registered Democrats, 10,708 (23.2%) are registered Republicans, and 12,147 (26.3%) have declined to state a political party.

Education

Public K–12

Walnut Creek residents attend schools in five public school districts. The

Walnut Creek School District A walnut is the edible seed of a drupe of any tree of the genus ''Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, ''Juglans regia''. Although culinarily considered a "nut" and used as such, it is not a true ...

(K8) has five elementary schools, one magnet school (K–8), and one middle school in the city. Some residents are served by schools from the Mount Diablo Unified School District (K12), the

Acalanes Union High School District Acalanes Union High School District is a public high school district in Contra Costa County, located in the Bay Area of California. The district takes its name from Rancho Acalanes, an 1834 Mexican rancho grant which occupied much of the area ...

(912), the

San Ramon Valley Unified School District The San Ramon Valley Unified School District (SRVUSD) is a public school district in Contra Costa County, California. It has 36 school sites serving more than 32,000 students within the communities of Alamo, Danville, Blackhawk, Diablo, and ...

(K12), and the

Lafayette School District Lafayette Elementary School District is a public school district based in Contra Costa County, California, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a coun ...

(K8). The Walnut Creek and Lafayette districts feed into Acalanes Union HSD. The following public schools are within the city limits of Walnut Creek: ; ;Walnut Creek School District * Buena Vista Elementary * Indian Valley Elementary * Murwood Elementary * Parkmead Elementary * Walnut Heights Elementary *

Walnut Creek Intermediate Walnut Creek is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, about east of the city of Oakland. With a total population of 70,127 per the 2020 census, Walnut Creek s ...

* Tice Creek School ;Acalanes Union High School District *

Las Lomas High School Las Lomas High School (LLHS) is a public high school in Walnut Creek, California, United States. It was founded in 1951 by the Acalanes Union High School District, and opened its doors in the fall of 1952 to its first graduating class. Las Lo ...

* Acalanes Center for Independent Study ; ;Mount Diablo Unified School District * Eagle Peak Montessori (charter elementary) * Bancroft Elementary * Valle Verde Elementary * Walnut Acres Elementary * Foothill Middle * Northgate High School

Private K–12

Walnut Creek is home to several private schools, including: * Berean Christian High School (Grades: 912) * Contra Costa Christian Schools (Grades: PK12) * Fusion Academy Walnut Creek (Grades: 612) * Garden Gate Montessori School (Grades: PKK) * North Creek Academy & Preschool (Grades: PK8) * Palmer School (Grades: K8) * St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception School (Grades: PK8) * The Seven Hills School (Grades: PK8) * Springfield Montessori School (Grades: PKK) * Walnut Creek Christian Academy (Grades: K8)

Public libraries

The Walnut Creek Library and the Ygnacio Valley Library of the

Contra Costa County Library The Contra Costa County Library is the public library system in Contra Costa County, California, United States. There are 26 community libraries including the NRHP-listed Martinez Library, access to electronic information via a website, over 45 ...

are located in Walnut Creek.Ygnacio Valley Library
"

. Retrieved on April 1, 2010. The Ygnacio Valley Branch, which opened in 1975, is also known as the Thurman G. Casey Memorial Library. Fundraising and other support is provided by the Walnut Creek Library Foundation. On February 26, 2008, the city demolished the Walnut Creek Library, that was built in 1961 at the southern end of Civic Park. Mayor Gwen Regalia hosted a groundbreaking on the same site for the new library on May 19, 2008. The new library, designed by Group4 Architecture, Research + Planning, Inc., has and an underground parking garage. Construction was completed in 2010 and the library was officially opened on July 17, 2010.

Economy

Companies based in Walnut Creek include Central Garden & Pet (makers of the

AvoDerm AvoDerm is a line of natural dog and cat food manufactured by Breeder's Choice Inc., of Irwindale, California. The company was founded by Harold Taylor in 1947. The AvoDerm line was launched in 1982 as a specialty food for the alleviation of sk ...

, Amdro,

Kaytee Kaytee is a company based in Chilton, Wisconsin, United States. It is an international supplier of bird seed. The Kaytee brand supports a non-profit foundation dedicated to raising awareness of pet care and environmental conservation. History N ...

brands, among others),

American Reprographics Company ARC Document Solutions, Inc. (formerly American Reprographics Company) is a publicly traded company that provides specialized document solutions, with an emphasis on the non-residential segment of the architecture, engineering and construction ( ...

CSE Insurance Group CSE Insurance Group, headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, is an American provider of property and casualty insurance. The company sells policies through the independent agent channel with roughly 700 agencies carrying their products, as wel ...

Maximum Games Maximum Games, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Walnut Creek, California. Originally founded in 2009 as a publisher of family-oriented titles for the Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii, the company shifted to publishing games of all ...

, and the

PMI Group The PMI Group is a holding company whose primary subsidiary is the PMI Mortgage Insurance Co. (PMI). The company was founded in 1972 by Preston Martin and is headquartered in Walnut Creek, California Walnut Creek is a city in Contra Costa C ...

Points of interest

* Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) * Bedford Art Gallery * Boundary Oak Golf Course * Broadway Plaza Shopping Center *

Castle Rock Park Castle Rock Regional Recreation Area is a regional park of the East Bay Regional Park District. It is located in Contra Costa County, in the East Bay region of northern California. Geography The park lies in a scenic sandstone canyon in the ...

* Civic Park, including seasonal outdoor skating rink *

Heather Farm Park Heather Farm Park is a 102-acre community park in Walnut Creek, California. It contains the Gardens at Heather Farm, a swimming pool, inclusive playground, sports fields, equestrian center, dog park, fishing pond, nature area, lake, and other am ...

, including

Gardens at Heather Farm The Gardens at Heather Farm are a set of gardens located at Heather Farm Park in Walnut Creek, California, United States. The gardens have a view of Mount Diablo, and are open to the public 7 days a week during daylight hours. History In 19 ...

and all-abilities playground * Howe Homestead Park * Lesher Center for the Arts *

Lindsay Wildlife Museum Lindsay Wildlife Experience, formerly known as Lindsay Wildlife Museum, is a family museum and wildlife rehabilitation center in Walnut Creek, California. Lindsay is the first wildlife hospital established in the United States, and a popular fami ...

* Mount Diablo State Park * Open space hiking/biking trails, including Acalanes, Lime Ridge, Shell Ridge (featuring Fossil Hill trail) *

Old Borges Ranch The Old Borges Ranch is a Historic District containing four contributing buildings, in the Diablo Foothills of the northern Diablo Range, within the Walnut Creek Open Space in Contra Costa County, California. The former ranch of early Walnu ...

* St. Paul's Episcopal Church, featuring Carpenter Gothic chapel *

Museum * Walden Park Disc Golf Course * Walnut Creek Model Railroad Society

Media

Walnut Creek is served by the daily newspaper, ''The East Bay Times'' (formerly '' The Contra Costa Times''). The paper was originally run and owned by the Lesher family. Since the death of Dean Lesher in 1993, the paper has had several owners. ''The Times'', as it is known, has a section called "The Walnut Creek Journal." Walnut Creek TV (WCTV) is the city's government-access television channel, covering local government and community events. WCTV is available in Walnut Creek on Comcast channel 28 (channel 26 in Rossmoor), Astound channel 29, AT&T U-verse channel 99 under the menu option "Walnut Creek Television," and on YouTube. Claycord.com is the widely read independent news and talk blog serving the greater Walnut Creek metropolitan area.

Notable people

* Arthur Adams, comics artist *

Matt Anger Matt Anger (born June 20, 1963) is an American former professional tennis player. He is now the head men's tennis coach at the University of Washington. Professional tennis career Anger grew up in Pleasanton, California, and played at Amador Va ...

, professional tennis player *

Dan Ashley Dan Ashley is an American journalist. He graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1985 with degrees in English and Speech Communication. He is an anchor of ABC7 (KGO-TV) San Francisco Bay Area News. Ashley came to ABC7 in 1995 as the w ...

, journalist *

Ruth Bancroft Ruth Bancroft ( Petersson; September 2, 1908 – November 26, 2017) was the creator of the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek, California. A native of the Bay Area, Bancroft began the xeric garden in the 1950s on land originally purchased by ...

, gardener, landscape architect and creator of the

Jessica Bowman Jessica Robyn Bowman (born November 26, 1980) is an American actress known for her role as Colleen Cooper on ''Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman''. Career Bowman was born in Walnut Creek, California. She began acting in community theater and commercial ...

, actress, portrayed Colleen Cooper in '' Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman'' *

Tom Candiotti Thomas Caesar Candiotti (born August 31, 1957) is an American former knuckleball pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Dodgers. As of the 200 ...

, MLB pitcher * Richard Carlson, psychotherapist, author of ''Don't Sweat the Small Stuff'' * Curt Casali (born 1988), baseball catcher for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yo ...

Joyce Chin Joyce Chin is a comic book penciler, inker, colorist, and cover artist. She has created content under the Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Dynamite Comics, Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and ''IDW Publishing'' labels. A large portion of Chin's work has b ...

, comics artist *

Dr. Alette Coble-Temple Alette Coble-Temple is a professor of clinical psychology at John F. Kennedy University. She is a member of the disabled community as an advocate for equal rights for individuals with disabilities. She is also a leader among women in the field ...

, Ms. Wheelchair America 2016, disability advocate *

TJ Cox Terrance John Cox (born July 18, 1963) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for California's 21st congressional district from 2019 to 2021. The son of Chinese American and Filipino American parents, Cox was elected to t ...

, congressman *

Corey Duffel William Corey Duffel (born April 11, 1984) known as Corey Duffel, is a professional skateboarder from Walnut Creek, California. Duffel's sponsors include Converse, Venture Trucks, Mob Grip, Orbs Wheels, Metro Skateboard Shop, Armourdillo, ''CCS ...

, professional skateboarder * Kyle Gass, guitarist for Tenacious D, attended

* Wyatt Feegrado, standup comedian and actor * Lee Goldberg, writer and television producer, graduated from Northgate High School (1980) * Dan Haren, MLB pitcher *

Brandon Harkins Brandon Harkins (born July 13, 1986) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the Korn Ferry Tour. Harkins previously played on PGA Tour, PGA Tour Canada and PGA Tour Latinoamérica. Professional career Harkins finished tied ...

, professional golfer * Jack Henderson, Artist * Marya Hornbacher, author * Sabrina Ionescu, basketball player *

Kristian Ipsen Kristian Ipsen (born October 20, 1992) is an American diver, who has been diving competitively since 1998. Diving alongside Troy Dumais, they took the silver medal in the synchronized 3 meter springboard at the 2009 World Aquatics Championshi ...

, U.S. diver, Olympic bronze medalist * Kyle Jensen, baseball player *

Bessilyn Johnson Bessilyn Johnson (January 14, 1871 – April 22, 1943), known also as "Bessie" or "Mabel", was the wife of the Chicago millionaire Albert Johnson, a man who was variously the partner, friend and dupe of the famed American Old West figure Dea ...

, daughter of Hiram Penniman, Shadelands Ranch owner, resident of Scotty's Castle in Death Valley * Randy Johnson, Hall of Fame MLB pitcher *

Persis Karim Persis Maryam Karim (born 1962) is an American poet, essayist, editor, and educator. She serves as the Neda Nobari Distinguished Chair and director of the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies at San Francisco State University (SFSU) since 2017. Her ...

(b. 1962), American poet, editor, educator; born in Walnut Creek. *

Kira Kazantsev Kira Dixon (née Kazantsev; born July 20, 1991) is an American beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss America 2015 on September 14, 2014. She is the third consecutive Miss America winner from New York and had won the title of Miss New York on M ...

, Miss America 2015 *

Tosh Lupoi Tosh Lupoi (born July 22, 1981) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at the Oregon Ducks football, University of Oregon. He previously served as the defensive line coach for the Jacksonville Jaguar ...

defensive line coach In American football, a position coach is a team official in charge of coaching a specific position group. Position coaches have more specialized duties than the head coach, assistant coach, and the offensive and defensive coordinators. Common ...

for Jacksonville Jaguars * Mark "Mad Dog" Madsen, NBA player *

John A. Nejedly John Albert Nejedly (October 22, 1914September 19, 2006) was a district attorney and Republican state senator in California who represented Contra Costa County from 1958 to 1980. Early life Born in Oakland, California, Nejedly was raised the ...

(1914–2006), California State Senator *

Kyle Newacheck Kyle Newacheck (born January 23, 1984) is an American television writer, director, producer and actor. He is one of the creators of the Comedy Central show ''Workaholics'', in which he also co-starred. He is a producer and director on the FX come ...

, co-creator, co-star of Comedy Central's '' Workaholics'' * Jason Newsted, bassist for Metallica *

Aaron Poreda Aaron Anderman Poreda (born October 1, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. A first-round pick of the Chicago White Sox in the 2007 draft who threw a 97 mile-per-hour fastball, Poreda was named by ''Baseball America'' in t ...

, MLB pitcher *

A.J. Puckett Austin Joseph Puckett (born May 27, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Seattle Mariners organization. Prior to pitching professionally, Puckett played college baseball for the Pepperdine Waves of Pepperdine University. Ca ...

, professional baseball pitcher in the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in ...

organization * Markie Post, television actress * Jeff Richards, writer and featured performer on NBC's ''Saturday Night Live'', 2001–2004 * Bill Rigney, MLB infielder, Angels' inaugural manager *

Lester Rodney Lester Rodney (April 17, 1911 – December 20, 2009) was an American journalist who helped break down the color barrier in baseball as sports writer for the ''Daily Worker''. Early life Rodney was born in Manhattan, New York City, the third ...

, journalist, civil rights activist *

Katharine Ross Katharine Juliet Ross (born January 29, 1940) is an American film, stage, and television actress. Her accolades include one Academy Award nomination, one BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards. A native of Los Angeles, Ross spent most of her ...

, film actress, graduated from Las Lomas High School (1957) * Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000 ...

'' puppeteer *

Greg Sestero Gregory Sestero (born July 15, 1978) is an American actor, filmmaker, model and author, best known for his role as Mark in the 2003 cult film ''The Room'', as well as for his well-received memoir ''The Disaster Artist'', detailing his experiences ...

, actor, star of cult film '' The Room'', author of '' The Disaster Artist'', born in Walnut Creek * Justin Speier, MLB pitcher * Joe Starkey, California Golden Bears and former San Francisco 49ers announcer * The Story So Far, pop punk band * Christy Turlington, supermodel, health activist * Lars Ulrich, drummer for Metallica *

Joseph R. Walker Joseph R. Walker (December 13, 1798 – October 27, 1876) was a mountain man and experienced scout. He established the segment of the California Trail, the primary route for the emigrants to the gold fields during the California gold rush, fr ...

, 19th-century wilderness explorer and scout *

Johnny Weekly John Weekly (June 14, 1937 – November 24, 1974) was an American professional baseball player whose career extended from 1956 through 1965. The outfielder appeared in 53 Major League games for the Houston Colt .45s from to . Weekly batted ...

, MLB outfielder *

Wayne A. Wiegand Wayne August Wiegand (born April 15, 1946) is an American library historian, author, and academic. Wiegand retired as F. William Summers Professor of Library and Information Studies and Professor of American Studies at Florida State University ...

, library historian, author, academic *

Sherri Youngward Sherri Youngward is a Contemporary worship music, praise and worship artist from San Francisco, California, U.S. Her career began with singing for Youth With a Mission. Her music is comparable with Sheryl Crow or Sarah McLachlan. ''HM'' magazine c ...

, Christian singer and songwriter

Sister cities

Walnut Creek has an active

Sister Cities International Sister Cities International (SCI) is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between communities in the United States and those in other countries, particularly through the establishment of " sister citie ...

program with two sister cities. Schools in the city have a yearly student exchange with these cities. * Noceto, Italy * Siófok, Hungary

References

External links

*
Walnut Creek Convention & Visitors Bureau

Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control 1849 establishments in California Cities in Contra Costa County, California Cities in the San Francisco Bay Area Incorporated cities and towns in California Populated places established in 1849