Castro Valley
Neighborhoods
- Castro Valley Hills (The Hills)
- Central
- Central East
- Crow Creek neighborhood
- Downtown Castro Valley
- East Castro Valley
- Five Creeks
- Jensen Ranch
- Lake Chabot
- Laurelwood
- Northeast Castro Valley
- Palomares Hills
- Ridges
- South Castro Valley
- Upper Castro Valley
History of Castro Valley, California
Before the arrival of European settlers, the Castro Valley area was settled by the Chocheno subdivision of the Ohlone Native Americans, who lived in the area for thousands of years before the Spaniards arrived. Anthropologists believe the Ohlone were once a part of the Costanoan Nation which covered land from San Francisco east to the Mt. Diablo range and south along the coast past Monterey Bay as far as Point Sur.
The Ohlone of two hundred years ago must have loved their beautiful Bay Area home where an enormous variety of plants and animals existed, giving the Ohlone all the food and materials they needed to live comfortably. Thousands of acres of marshlands rimmed the entire bay and often extended inland for miles. Flocks of shorebirds waded in the swampy water. Flocks of geese, ducks and seagulls seemed to blacken the whole sky. Rivers and streams overflowed with fish. Colonies of seals, sea otters, and seabirds covered the beaches along the ocean and large schools of whale floated offshore.
Dense forest of oak, bay and redwood trees grew in the hills, valleys, and canyons. Deer grazed on the slopes where thickets of brush sheltered rabbits, quail, and foxes. The meadowlands were home to countless numbers of elk and antelope; grasses grew so tall and thick a person could hide in them standing up. Grizzly bears and mountain lions roamed the land while giant condors and bald eagles circled the skies.
The Ohlone built semi-permanent houses called wickiups. The wickiup was built from willow branches, grasses, rushes, and tules and had the appearance of upside down baskets.
The Ohlone were divided into about forty different groups known today as tribelets. Each tribelet was a separate group which had its own land and leader. Some tribelets were as large as five hundred members while others were smaller with around fifty. Each lived on a large area of land, and each person respected the boundaries and crossed only for trading and festivities. Boundaries generally ran long the crest of hills, not down the middle of streams.
Each tribelet had a main village usually built near streams so the Ohlone could have a year-round supply of fresh water. The main village of a large tribelet may have had as many as twenty or more tule houses built In a circle around a large clearing. A large central space was used for dances,ceremonies, and other gatherings. Each village had a leader called a headman. Some were women but most were men. The right of chief was passed down along family lines.
European influence was not fully felt in the Castro Valley area until 1769 with the arrival of the Franciscan missionaries from Spain. The Franciscan Fathers founded Mission San Jose (in current day Fremont) in 1797. Castro Valley was part of the land granted to Mission San Jose, and the missionaries lost no time in attempting to convert the indigenous population to Christianity while teaching them agriculture, trades, and other arts of the Spanish culture. The area Castro Valley now occupies was part of the extensive colony of New Spain in what was the state of Alta California.
When the Spanish rule in Mexico ended in 1821, the new Mexican government did not approve of the activities of the missionaries. A decree forced the Ohlone from the mission and the land fell into neglect, while the buildings were plundered.
The new government gave the vast mission lands to individuals, one of which was Castro Valley’s namesake. Castro Valley is named after Don Guillermo Castro, who was a soldier in the Mexican army and a rancher. Castro Valley was part of the original 28,000 acre land grant given to Castro, called Rancho San Lorenzo. This land grant included Hayward, San Lorenzo, and Castro Valley, including Crow Canyon, Cull Canyon, and Palomares Canyons. Castro had a gambling habit and had to sell off portions of his land to payr gambling debts. The last of his holding was sold in a sheriff’s sale in 1864 to Faxon Dean Atherton for $400,000.
As seen today, Castro Valley is sheltered from wind and fog, which made it a perfect place to graze cattle over the winter. Cattle was the main source of income for the California ranches. Hides and tallow were sold to ships in the bay and taken to Mexicoa and Fort Ross.
One of the most notable periods in Castro Valley’s history began in the 1905, with the ranching of chickens. At this time there were only 373 families living in 57 homes. Many of the residents were of Portuguese or German heritage. In 1951, construction started on the largest building in Castro Valley, Eden Hospital. It took 3 years to complete, opening on November 15, 1954. Eden Medical Center is located on the old Stanton family property (as well as the former Wally Glass’ Pigeon Ranch and Riding Stables) and fronts Lake Chabot Road. Over the years, Castro Valley changed again and is now home to over 60,000 residents while remaining the second largest unincorporated area in California.
Hayward
- Burbank
- Fairway Park
- Garin
- Glen Eden
- Harder/Tennyson
- Hayward Highland
- Jackson Triangle
- Longwood/Winton Grove
- Mission/ Foothill
- Mt. Eden
- North Hayward
- Santa Clara
- Southgate
- Tennyson/Alquire
- Upper B St.
- Whitman/Mocine
San Lorenzo
