In 1857, the town of Clayton was laid out and founded by Joel Henry Clayton 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 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 in order to stave off an annexation attempt in 1963 of the Cardinet Glen neighborhood by nearby Concord. After steady expansion during the 1970s to the east and west from its original boundaries, Clayton's land area more than doubled in 1987 to near its present-day boundaries with the annexations of the Dana Hills/Dana Ridge and Clayton Wood subdivisions, as well as the former Keller Ranch property that was developed during the 1990s with the Oakhurst Country Club. On September 8, 2013, fire broke out on Mount Diablo. Called the Morgan Fire, it started at the mercury mine area of Morgan Territory Road. The fire grew quickly and threatened homes and livestock. Evacuations were ordered for several areas, including Oak Hill Lane and Curry Canyon. It took over 1000 firefighters and eight aircraft to extinguish it. Full containment was announced on September 14, 2013, having burned.
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.
The 2010 United States Census reported that Clayton had a population of 10,897. The population density was 2,840.7 people per square mile. The racial makeup of Clayton was 9,273 White, 146 African American, 34 Native American, 717 Asian, 16 Pacific Islander, 234 from other races, and 477 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 982 persons. The Census reported that 10,887 people lived in households, 10 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 were institutionalized. There were 4,006 households, out of which 1,455 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,795 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 301 had a female householder with no husband present, 112 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 136 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 36 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 647 households were made up of individuals, and 310 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72. There were 3,208 families ; the average family size was 3.04. The population was spread out, with 2,662 people under the age of 18, 602 people aged 18 to 24, 2,185 people aged 25 to 44, 3,846 people aged 45 to 64, and 1,602 people who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males. There were 4,086 housing units at an average density of 1,065.2 per square mile, of which 4,006 were occupied, of which 3,621 were owner-occupied, and 385 were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.8%. 9,936 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 951 people lived in rental housing units.
The city of Clayton is served by the daily newspaperEast Bay Times published by Bay Area News Group-East Bay, and by the local newspapers The Clayton Pioneer, The Clayton Gazette and the Diablo Gazette, and is also served by Claycord.com a local news and talk blog covering community news and events.
