Moraga, California
Moraga, California | ||
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Town of Moraga | ||
Top: view of Moraga; bottom: FIPS code 06-49187 (formerly 06-49194) | | |
GNIS feature IDs | 1659171, 2413013 | |
Website | www |
Moraga is a
History
The land now called Moraga was first inhabited by the Saklan Native Americans who belonged to the Bay Miwok language group.[8]
Joaquin Moraga was the grandson of José Joaquín Moraga, builder of the Presidio of San Francisco and founder of the pueblo that grew into the city of San Jose. Joaquin's father Gabriel Moraga was also a soldier, and an early explorer who named many of the state's rivers, including the Sacramento and San Joaquin.
Moraga is located on the 1835 Mexican Land Grant Rancho Laguna de los Palos Colorados given to Joaquin Moraga and his cousin, Juan Bernal. Part of that grant was the property today known as Moraga Ranch. The Moraga Adobe has been preserved and is located in neighboring Orinda. Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School, a middle school in Moraga, bears his name.
In the first half of the 20th century, the line of the
Moraga's first post office opened in 1886, and was closed in 1887; it reopened in 1915.[9] In 1955, Moraga built a new post office. Saint Mary's College of California moved to Moraga in 1928. Moraga incorporated in 1974, when the communities of Moraga Town, Rheem, and Rheem Valley, united into one town.[10]
In June 2017, Moraga declared a fiscal emergency, because a sinkhole in the downtown area and a failed bridge on Canyon Road were expected to cost $5 million to repair.[11]
Geography
Moraga is located at 37°50'06" North, 122°07'47" West, at an elevation of 499 feet (152 m).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 9.4 square miles (24 km2), of which 9.4 square miles (24 km2) is land and 0.09% is water. Moraga is in a valley, surrounded by rolling hills. Large sections of the Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail pass through the town.
Climate
Moraga has a Mediterranean climate, with warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. In the summer, morning fog is a common occurrence, but it usually burns off by the late morning or early afternoon, giving way to clear skies the rest of the day. Most of the annual rainfall comes during the winter; snow is very rare, but occasional light dustings have been seen. Over the course of a year, the town averages 26 days of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher, 40 nights of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower, and 59 days with rain. In 2014, the southwestern US was plagued by a serious drought. Moraga was badly burdened, with high fire warnings.[12]
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Climate data for Saint Mary's College, California (1942–1981) | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 53.1 (11.7) |
58.1 (14.5) |
61.7 (16.5) |
66.8 (19.3) |
71.5 (21.9) |
77.3 (25.2) |
81.9 (27.7) |
81.0 (27.2) |
80.5 (26.9) |
72.7 (22.6) |
61.9 (16.6) |
54.0 (12.2) |
68.4 (20.2) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 35.1 (1.7) |
37.9 (3.3) |
39.1 (3.9) |
41.7 (5.4) |
46.5 (8.1) |
50.8 (10.4) |
53.6 (12.0) |
53.9 (12.2) |
52.1 (11.2) |
46.2 (7.9) |
39.6 (4.2) |
36.0 (2.2) |
44.4 (6.9) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 6.12 (155) |
4.28 (109) |
3.74 (95) |
1.98 (50) |
0.62 (16) |
0.16 (4.1) |
0.05 (1.3) |
0.07 (1.8) |
0.25 (6.4) |
1.63 (41) |
3.59 (91) |
4.98 (126) |
27.48 (698) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 10 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 59 |
Source: WRCC[12] |
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1970 | 14,205 | — | |
1980 | 15,014 | 5.7% | |
1990 | 15,852 | 5.6% | |
2000 | 16,290 | 2.8% | |
2010 | 16,016 | −1.7% | |
2020 | 16,870 | 5.3% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[13] |
The
The Census reported that 14,293 people (89.2% of the population) lived in households, 1,545 (9.6%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 178 (1.1%) were institutionalized.
There were 5,570 households, out of which 1,945 (34.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 3,685 (66.2%) were
The population was spread out, with 3,474 people (21.7%) under the age of 18, 2,342 people (14.6%) aged 18 to 24, 2,193 people (13.7%) aged 25 to 44, 4,947 people (30.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 3,060 people (19.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males.
There were 5,754 housing units at an average density of 609.4 per square mile (235.3/km2), of which 4,673 (83.9%) were owner-occupied, and 897 (16.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.1%. 12,073 people (75.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 2,220 people (13.9%) lived in rental housing units.
Politics
As of February 10, 2019, Moraga has 11,024 voters with 4,737 (43%) registered Democrats, 2,766 (25.1%) registered Republicans and 3,105 (28.2%) independent voters.[15]
Education
Moraga is home to the grade schools of Los Perales Elementary, Donald L. Rheem School, Camino Pablo School, and Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School; Campolindo High School; and Saint Mary's College of California, a private college. In 2011, Moraga was named a top city to live and learn in.[16]
Primary and secondary schools
The majority of Moraga is in the Moraga School District.[17] That district includes:
- Camino Pablo Elementary School, grades K–5[18]
- Los Perales Elementary School, grades K–5[19]
- Donald L. Rheem Elementary School, grades K–5[20]
- Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School, grades 6–8[21]
A small section of Moraga is in
All of Moraga is in the Acalanes Union High School District.[17] That district includes:
- Campolindo High School, grades 9–12
The Saklan School (formerly known as Saklan Valley School and The Carden School of Moraga), a private elementary school founded in 1954, is also located in Moraga.
Moraga's only public high school is Campolindo High School, although some Moraga students choose to attend Miramonte High School, located just across the town border in Orinda. Both schools are part of the Acalanes Union High School District, which encompasses Moraga, Lafayette, Orinda, and parts of Walnut Creek.
Colleges and universities
Saint Mary's College of California is located just northeast of downtown Moraga;[9] it is a Catholic university with 3,962 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the 2007–2008 school year. The college was originally located in San Francisco and then Oakland, but moved to Moraga in 1928.
Public libraries
The Moraga Library of the Contra Costa County Library is located along Saint Marys Road in Moraga.[23]
Notable people
- Conrad Bassett-Bouchard, North American Scrabble champion
- Matt Biondi, Olympic gold medalist (swimming)
- Corbin Burnes, Major League Baseball pitcher; attended St. Mary's college[24]
- Hans Florine, speed climber
- Will Forte, actor, comedian and writer
- George Harrison, 1960 Olympic gold medalist and world record holder (swimming)
- Erika Henningsen, lead performer in Tony Award nominated musical, Mean Girls; voice of Charlie Morningstar in Hazbin Hotel on Amazon Prime Video
- Daniel Levitin, best-selling author, cognitive neuroscientist, and musician
- NBA player, San Antonio Spurs, attended St. Mary's college
- Aaron Poreda, Major League Baseball pitcher
- Stephen Robinson, astronaut and professor
- J.R. Rotem, Canadian-Israeli-American record producer
- Kim Vandenberg, Olympic silver medalist (swimming)
- Peter Varellas, Olympic silver medalist (water polo)
- Matt Vasgersian, sportscaster for MLB Network; was raised in Moraga
- Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Journalist, Author
References
- ^ "California Cities by Incorporation Date". California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions. Archived from the original (Word) on October 17, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
- ^ "Town Council: Moraga, CA". Moraga.ca.us. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ^ "Senators". State of California. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
- ^ "Members Assembly". State of California. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
- ^ "California's 10th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
- ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ "Moraga (town) QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
- ^ [1] Archived April 1, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
- ^ a b "Moraga". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ Allison Graham (August 1, 2017). "Moraga sinks into fiscal straits". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ a b c "SAINT MARYS COLLEGE, CALIFORNIA – Climate Summary". Western Regional Climate Center. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA – Moraga town". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
- ^ "Election results" (PDF). elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov. 2019.
- ^ "Find a school skills articles, book lists, videos, and milestones - GreatSchools". Parenting.
- ^ U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
- ^ "Camino Pablo Elementary school". Archived from the original on February 18, 2007. Retrieved October 24, 2008.
- ^ "Los Perales Elementary School: Home Page". lp.moraga.k12.ca.us.
- ^ "Donald Rheem Elementary School: Home Page". rh.moraga.k12.ca.us.
- ^ "Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School: Home Page". Archived from the original on October 6, 2011. Retrieved January 2, 2011.
- ^ "The Saklan School". www.saklan.org.
- ^ "Moraga Library." Contra Costa County Library. Retrieved on April 1, 2010.
- ^ "Corbin Burnes Wins UCU WCC Alumni Player of the Week Honors". wccsports.com. August 31, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
- "Moraga". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.