Clayton (formerly Clayton's and Claytonville) is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 11,585 as of the 2020 census.
History
In 1857, the town of Clayton was laid out and founded by Joel Henry Clayton (1812–1872) and his two younger brothers. Clayton was born in Bugsworth, now Buxworth, in the United Kingdom, and emigrated to the United States in 1837. After years in other states he settled down with his wife Margaret (1820–1908) at his town at the foot of Mount Diablo, where he and his family prospered. Clayton was named after Joel Henry Clayton, although only by the flip of a coin. Joel Clayton and Charles Rhine cofounded the town, and each wanted to name it after himself. If Charles had won it would have become Rhinesville, but Joel Clayton won. Joel and his wife Margaret both died in Clayton, and were buried in Live Oak Cemetery in what is now Concord, CA.
Clayton prospered during the coal mining boom in eastern Contra Costa County. The post office opened in 1861. Following a previous incorporation attempt in 1960, Clayton incorporated in 1964
On July 25, 2018, a vegetation fire broke out on Marsh Creek Rd near Morgan Territory. One home and 3 out buildings were destroyed. Evacuations were ordered for that evening. By July 28 the fire was 100% contained.
On August 16, 2020, Lightning strikes caused many fires across the state, one of which was another Morgan Fire which became part of the SCU Lightning Complex fires.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.
Clayton is located at the foot of Mt. Diablo.
Climate
This region experiences hot and dry summers. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Clayton has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.
On December 7, 2009, snow fell in Clayton and Concord for the first time since the 1970s.
Education
It is in the Mount Diablo Unified School District.
The public schools which the K-12 students of Clayton attend include: Mt. Diablo Elementary School, Highlands Elementary School, Diablo View Middle School, Pine Hollow Middle School, and Clayton Valley Charter High School.
Public libraries
The Clayton branch of the Contra Costa County Library system is located in Clayton.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Clayton had a population of 11,070 and a population density of . The age distribution was 20.6% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 17.4% from 25 to 44, 32.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.2% 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males age 18 and over.
There were 4,089 households, of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 68.6% were married-couple households, 3.2% were cohabiting-couple households, 7.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 20.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 17.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70. There were 3,214 families (78.6% of all households).
There were 4,165 housing units, of which 1.8% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.6%, and the rental vacancy rate was 4.0%. 99.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.9% lived in rural areas.
The median household income was $172,226, and the per capita income was $73,228. About 1.4% of families and 2.2% of the population were below the poverty line.
Presidential election results
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin:1em; font-size:95%;"
|+ Clayton vote<br/> by party in presidential elections
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
! Year
! Democratic
! Republican
|-
|align="center" |2024
|align="center" |57.5% 4,079
|align="center" |39.3% 2,787
|-
|align="center" |2020
|align="center" |60.2% 4,605
|align="center" |37.7% 2,882
|-
|align="center" |2016
|align="center" |54.9% 3,500
|align="center" |38.9% 2,479
|-
|align="center" |2012
|align="center" |50.5% 3,210
|align="center" |47.6% 3,020
|-
|align="center" |2008
|align="center" |55.1% 3,625
|align="center" |43.5% 2,862
|-
|align="center" |2004
|align="center" |46.7% 2,979
|align="center" |52.6% 3,357
|-
|align="center" |2000
|align="center" |44.1% 2,653
|align="center" |52.6% 3,161
|-
|align="center" |1996
|align="center" |44.2% 2,232
|align="center" |48.2% 2,430
|-
|align="center" |1992
|align="center" |38.0% 1,781
|align="center" |40.7% 1,906
|-
|align="center" |1988
|align="center" |34.3% 1,277
|align="center" |65.0% 2,421
|-
|align="center" |1984
|align="center" |28.0% 657
|align="center" |71.5% 1,680
|-
|align="center" |1980
|align="center" |24.9% 504
|align="center" |64.5% 1,306
|-
|align="center" |1976
|align="center" |39.3% 455
|align="center" |59.1% 684
|-
|align="center" |1972
|align="center" |33.9% 210
|align="center" |63.5% 393
|-
|align="center" |1968
|align="center" |39.8% 212
|align="center" |56.2% 299
|-
|align="center" |1964
|align="center" |56.6% 159
|align="center" |43.4% 122
|}
Politics
According to the California Secretary of State, as of February 10, 2025, Clayton has 8,621 registered voters. Of those, 3,653 (42.37%) are registered Democrats, 2,611 (30.2%) are registered Republicans, and 1,722 (19.9%) are No Party Preference.
Media
The city of Clayton is served by the daily newspaper East Bay Times published by Bay Area News Group-East Bay (part of the Media News Group, Denver, Colorado), and by the local newspapers The Clayton Pioneer, and the Diablo Gazette, and is also served by Claycord.com, a conservative local news platform and blog covering community news and events.
Notable people
- Sean Farnham, sports analyst
- Bob Jones, baseball player
- Kara Kohler, Olympic rower
- Charlie Krueger, football player
- Brandon Mull, fantasy author
- Paul Napolitano, basketball player
- Sam Williams, football player
References
External links
- Clayton Historical Society website