The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1910-08-17
THIRTY MILLIONS
IN INDUSTRIES
Unparalleled Growth Of
Manufacturing and Pop
ulation in New City
Of Richmond

RICHMOND, Aug. 16.-The reasons
for the rapid growth in the city of
Richmond are numerous Perhaps one
of the chief reasons is that great COM
binations of capital have approved of
the situation by locating their works
there at an aggregate investment of
over thirty million dollars. By their
agency the attention of the world has
been called to Richmond as a place
where things are done and where ex-
perience has shown that it is a fine
location for the convenient, prompt and
satisfactory transaction of business
Richmond has gained an impetus in
enterprises and in population that all
conditions considered. shows the city
to be only in the early stages of prog
ress.
The capital of the manufacturing
companies already in Richmond. eX-
ceeds the assessed valuation of San
Francisco. Over $4,000 900 has been
invested by these same companies
there
OF all the communities on the water
front line of Contra Costa county
Richmond has made the most rapid
progress of any. 1t is a matter of
record that Contra Costa county ranks
next to San Francisco in the annual
Richmond is ready to show its ability
to compete with the world as a center
of production INVOLVING the uses of
machinery.
In a government survey of San Fran
cisco bay, made early in the fifties, the
name of Point Richmond was given to
the point of land projecting into the
bay at the southwestern extremity of
the valley. From that comes the name
of the city of Richmond
In 1899 rumors reached the valley
that Point Richmond had been selected
as the terminus of the San Francisco
and San Joaquin Valley Railroad-a
project being backed by the late Claus
Spreckels. The franchise was later
sold to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa
Fe railroad company An Oakland
syndicate appeared on the scene and
secured a tract of land lying northeast
of the present location of the Santa Fe
shops. This tract was plated and filed
under the name of Point Richmond in
November. 1899. A few shacks were
built and tents set up on lots spur
chased in this tract.
Fortune smiled on the little settle
ment and it went steadily ahead.
Today. though the city is less than
ten years old. and has 1900 people
and covers 1900 acres, it has four
newspapers, three banks. twelve hotels,
$4,000 public library, 100000 in
vested in public school buildings a belt
line railway, a superior electric rail-
way serving twenty miles of streets, a
city hall, opera house. churches Of half
a dozen denominations, q private hos
pital, clubs, fraternal organizations and
fifty manufacturing plants.
A very notable feature of Richmond
growth is the fact that the workmen
are nearly all buying lots and building
homes for their families. The result
is that a very contented and perma-
nent population is becoming established
there
Richmond is admirably situated as to
all requirements that a young and fast
growing community may have The
University of California is reached in a
short and pleasant ride by electric cars.
Two great cities, Oakland and San
Francisco are in close touch by electric
and steam cars and by water route
The location of Richmond is excep-
tionsl--it was meant to be a great city
and seaport. Still, too much credit can
not be given to it's founders and bust
nessmen, who unf1inchinsly have given
time. money and energy to help their
city go forward in the race for COM
mercial supremacy.