Crockett, California

"Sugar Town"

In 1906, an agricultural cooperative of Hawaiian sugar cane growers built a sugar factory in Crockett, eventually turning it into a company town for the California and Hawaiian Sugar Company, (better known as C&H).^[6] The cane was grown in Hawaii and delivered by ship to Crockett, where the C&H refinery turned it into a variety of finished products.^[8]

C & H soon became a dominant force in Crockett, which has been called a "company town."^{[lower-alpha 1]} By the 1920s, the company employed about 95 percent of the residents. Employment peaked at 2,500 just before WWII broke out.^[8] C & H helped its employees obtain land and bank loans so that they could build houses. Company architects worked on designing the houses. The company funded many school and civic programs.^[8]

Economic Adaptation

By the 1960s, the good times were largely over for C & H and Crockett. Revenues and profits began dropping, so that the company pumped less money into the community. There were many layoffs as the company tried to restore profitability. In 1984, the company proposed building a natural gas-powered cogeneration plant that would provide steam for the sugar refinery and low-cost electricity for Crockett. A protest group calling itself the Crockett Power Plant Committee, supported by many Crockett residents formed and spent the next nine years opposing the proposal.^[8] The proposed power plant was eventually built, but only after the company agreed to make major changes. C & H agreed to give Crockett $300,000 per year for the ensuing 30 years, which mostly funds its police and volunteer fire fighting departments.^[8]

The Hawaiian sugar farmers sold their holdings in 1993 to Hawaii-based Alexander & Baldwin, which converted C & H from a co-op into a corporation. In 1998, A & B sold a controlling interest to Citicorp Venture Capital (CVC). American Sugar Refining bought C & H in 2006, merging it with its other sugar operations. Revenues and profits continued their decline into the 21st Century, until the Crockett plant processed its last shipment of Hawaiian sugar in 2017.^{[9] [lower-alpha 2]}

Raw sugar now arrives from the globe’s sun belt: Australia, the Philippines and Nicaragua, among other countries <https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/us/the-c-h-sign.html>.

The "Catacarb" Event

In August 1994, Unocal's Rodeo San Francisco Refinery released an estimated 80 to 225 tons of dangerous Catacarb, a caustic chemical used to purify hydrogen for gasoline production, into the air over a sixteen-day period. As a result, thousands of local residents and workers filed lawsuits. In 1995, the company agreed to pay $3 million in fines after pleading guilty to 12 misdemeanor charges. Less than two weeks after Stamford, Conn.-based Tosco Corporation took over the refinery, Unocal agreed to a $80 million settlement. The litigation, commenced by the predecessor firm to Scott Cole & Associates, alleged Unocal managers kept the refinery operating during the leak to meet production schedules and enjoy financial bonuses--conduct which led to massive personal injuries across Crockett and neighboring towns. The story is depicted in the book Fallout.^[10]

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Crockett has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.^[11]

The Bailey Art Museum

The Bailey Art Museum features the work of internationally acclaimed sculptor Clayton Bailey, a resident of nearby Port Costa.^[12] The 3,200 square feet (300 m²) space brings together works from across the artist's five decades plus career featuring examples of Funk art, Nut art, ceramics, and metal sculpture (including robots and space guns), as well as pseudo-scientific curiosities by the artist's alter-ego Dr. Gladstone. The collection also includes watercolor drawings by Betty Bailey and a gift shop.^[13]

Crockett Historical Society

The former Crockett railroad station, now home of the Crockett Historical Society. C & H refinery in the background. September 12, 2012.

The former Crockett railroad station now serves as the home of the Crockett Historical Society.

2010

The 2010 United States Census^[15] reported that Crockett had a population of 3,094. The population density was 2,918.7 people per square mile (1,126.9/km²). The racial makeup of Crockett was 2,468 (79.8%) White, 146 (4.7%) African American, 31 (1.0%) Native American, 108 (3.5%) Asian, 24 (0.8%) Pacific Islander, 123 (4.0%) from other races, and 194 (6.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 490 persons (15.8%).

The Census reported that 100% of the population lived in households.

There were 1,446 households, out of which 306 (21.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 554 (38.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 166 (11.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 77 (5.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 133 (9.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 22 (1.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 482 households (33.3%) were made up of individuals and 158 (10.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14. There were 797 families (55.1% of all households); the average family size was 2.69.

The population was spread out with 461 people (14.9%) under the age of 18, 214 people (6.9%) aged 18 to 24, 825 people (26.7%) aged 25 to 44, 1,131 people (36.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 463 people (15.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.

There were 1,649 housing units at an average density of 1,555.5 per square mile (600.6/km²), of which 1,446 were occupied, of which 808 (55.9%) were owner-occupied, and 638 (44.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 10.1%. 1,808 people (58.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,286 people (41.6%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the census^[16] of 2000, there were 3,194 people, 1,491 households, and 848 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 634.7 people per square mile (245.2/km²). There were 1,590 housing units at an average density of 315.9 per square mile (122.0/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 85.10% White, 3.13% Black or African American, 0.94% Native American, 2.60% Asian, 4.26% from other races, and 3.98% from two or more races. 11.62% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,491 households out of which 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.1% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.1% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.75.

In the CDP, the population was spread out with 18.5% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 30.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $48,574, and the median income for a family was $66,174. Males had a median income of $46,311 versus $31,204 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $27,469. About 4.8% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.