Pittsburg

About Pittsburg

Pittsburg lies in eastern Contra Costa County on the south shore of Suisun Bay, where the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers flow together toward San Francisco Bay. The area was part of Rancho Los Medanos, and in 1849 a town called New York of the Pacific was planned here. Coal discovered in the nearby hills led to the name Black Diamond, and in 1911 the town was renamed Pittsburg after the Pennsylvania steel city as industry grew. It was incorporated in 1903.

Pittsburg became a home for fishermen and cannery workers, many from Sicily, and later for steel mills and a large wartime army camp, Camp Stoneman. Its historic Old Town keeps the California Theatre, colorful murals and brick buildings along Railroad Avenue.

The waterfront has a marina, a fishing pier and views across the delta, and Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve in the hills tells the story of coal mining. BART and eBART connect the city with the rest of the Bay Area.