Moraga, California
Moraga is a town of 16,769 people in Contra Costa County, California.
Why visit Moraga
Townapedia lists 8 museums and landmarks, 25 parks and trails, 19 places to eat and 3 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Rheem Theatre, Holy Names University, Joaquin Miller House and Maynard Buehler House.
Weather in Moraga
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Moraga
Moraga is a town in Contra Costa County, California, United States. Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, the town is named in honor of Joaquín Moraga, member of the famed Californio family. As of 2020, Moraga had a total population of 16,870 people. Moraga is the home of Saint Mary's College of California.
From the Wikipedia article Moraga, California (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do3
Holy Names University
School · 4.6 mi
Private, coeducational Catholic university located in Oakland, California, U.S.
Museums and landmarks8
Joaquin Miller House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.5 mi
Historic place in Oakland, California
Maynard Buehler House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.8 mi
Historic house in California, United States
Moraga Adobe
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.6 mi
Historic house in California, United States
Chabot Space and Science Center
Museum · 3.7 mi
Science museum, planetarium and observatory in the United States
Saint Maryʼs College Museum of Art
Museum · 0.8 mi
Museum in California, US
Parks, trails and playgrounds25
Dr. Aurelia Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park
Park · 3.2 mi
Park with large redwood grove in California
Las Trampas Regional Wilderness
Park · 4.4 mi
Regional park in California, United States
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Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve
Park · 4.4 mi
Park in United States of America
Roberts Regional Recreation Area
Park · 3.6 mi
Park in California, United States of America
13 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes19
Canyon Club Brewery
Bar and pub · 0.9 mi
1558 Canyon Road
Su,Mo,We,Th 16:00-22:00; Fr 16:00-24:00; Sa 11:00-24:00
7 more on the map.
History
The land now called Moraga was first inhabited by the Saklan people, who belonged to the Bay Miwok language group.
Joaquin Moraga was the grandson of José Joaquín Moraga, builder of the Presidio of San Francisco and founder of the pueblo that grew into the city of San Jose. Joaquin's father Gabriel Moraga was also a soldier, and an early explorer who named many of the state's rivers, including the Sacramento and San Joaquin.
Moraga is located on the 1835 Mexican Land Grant Rancho Laguna de los Palos Colorados given to Joaquin Moraga and his cousin, Juan Bernal. Part of that grant was the property today known as Moraga Ranch. The Moraga Adobe has been preserved and is located in neighboring Orinda. Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School, a middle school in Moraga, bears his name.
In the first half of the 20th century, the line of the Sacramento Northern Railroad ran through Moraga; much of the old right-of-way is now part of the Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail.
Moraga's first post office opened in 1886, and was closed in 1887; it reopened in 1915. In 1955, Moraga built a new post office.
Moraga incorporated in 1974, when the communities of Moraga Town, Rheem, and Rheem Valley, united into one town.
In June 2017, Moraga declared a fiscal emergency because a sinkhole in the downtown area and a failed bridge on Canyon Road were expected to cost $5 million to repair.
From the History section of Moraga, California on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship8
Shopping5
Gas and EV charging4
Schools, colleges and libraries58
Acalanes Center For Independent Study
School · 3.4 mi
1963 Tice Valley Blvd., Walnut Creek
Healthcare1
Map of Moraga
131 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Contra Costa County has had 9 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for floods.
- 2023-01-14: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2023-01-09: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2020-03-22: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2017-04-01: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2017-03-16: Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides (Flood)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Oakland International Airport (OAK) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 10 miles away.
- Lafayette 3 mi north, about 5 min by car
- Orinda 4 mi northwest, about 6 min by car
- Walnut Creek 6 mi northeast, about 10 min by car
- Alamo 6 mi east, about 10 min by car
- Piedmont 6 mi west, about 10 min by car
- Oakland 8 mi southwest, about 12 min by car
- Pleasant Hill 8 mi north, about 13 min by car
- Danville 9 mi east, about 14 min by car
- Berkeley 10 mi west, about 16 min by car
- San Leandro 10 mi south, about 16 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Moraga California, en:User:JD Lisa, Public domain
- Moraga Disc Golf (5591952495), Doug Orleans from Somerville, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Moraga, CA USA - Saint Mary's College of California - St. Giles Episcopal Church - panoramio, MARELBU, CC BY 3.0
- Moraga, CA USA - Saint Mary's College of California - panoramio (3), MARELBU, CC BY 3.0
- Moraga, CA USA - Saint Mary's College of California - panoramio (5), MARELBU, CC BY 3.0
- Moraga, CA USA - Saint Mary's College of California - St. Giles Episcopal Church - panoramio (2), MARELBU, CC BY 3.0
- Moraga, CA USA - Saint Mary's College of California - panoramio (4) (cropped), MARELBU, CC BY 3.0
- Moraga, CA USA - Saint Mary's College of California - panoramio (4), MARELBU, CC BY 3.0
- Moraga, CA USA - Saint Mary's College of California St. Giles Episcopal Church - panoramio, MARELBU, CC BY 3.0
- Moraga, CA USA - Saint Mary's College of California - St. Giles Episcopal Church - panoramio (1), MARELBU, CC BY 3.0
- Moraga, CA USA - Saint Mary's College of California - panoramio, MARELBU, CC BY 3.0
- Moraga, CA USA - Saint Mary's College of California - panoramio (1), MARELBU, CC BY 3.0
- Saint Mary's College of California - Moraga, CA USA - panoramio, MARELBU, CC BY 3.0
- Moraga, CA USA - Saint Mary's College of California - panoramio (2), MARELBU, CC BY 3.0
- Moraga Adobe (Orinda, CA), Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
- Maynard and Katharine Buehler House (Orinda, CA), Sanfranman59, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Joaquin Miller House (Oakland, CA), Sanfranman59, CC BY-SA 3.0
- LasTrampas-at-Sycamore-RockyRidge, Binksternet at English Wikipedia, Public domain
- Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve - Stierch A, Sarah Stierch, CC0
- Chabot SSC entrance, The original uploader was Daniel Olsen at English Wikipedia ., CC BY 2.5
- HolyNamesUniversity-McLeanChapel, HolyNamesWebmaster, CC BY 3.0
- RedwoodRegional, Binksternet ( talk ), Public domain
- Joaquin Miller later years, Herman Ulutoken, Public domain
- McKeon Pavilion interior, Smcj0001 ( talk ), Public domain
- TomOberheim1, Gino Robair via Brandon Daniel from Sunnyvale, CA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Bust of William Keith, 1904, Cullen328, CC BY-SA 3.0
- William Keith x 6 SMCMOA 2024, Stevensaylor, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Outdoor-art-st-marys-college--orinda ca, Stevensaylor, CC BY 4.0
- McKeon Pavilion during basketball game, Smcj0001, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Morning at the Bluffs - panoramio, Griest, CC BY 3.0
- View from the top of the Bluffs - panoramio, Griest, CC BY 3.0
- Sunrise - panoramio (30), Griest, CC BY 3.0
- Upper Las Trampas Creek, Peter J. Caprio, CC BY-SA 4.0
- View of the head of Las Trampas Creek Canyon, Peter J. Caprio, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Anna's Hummingbird (f) (47576848462), Becky Matsubara from Contra Costa County, California, CC BY 2.0
- Picture of 1933 20.25 rolls-royce drophead coupe, Mattporta, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Golden-crowned Sparrow eating plum blossoms (52778659183), Becky Matsubara from El Sobrante, California, CC BY 2.0
- Chestnut-backed Chickadee (30849207812), Becky Matsubara from El Sobrante, California, CC BY 2.0
- Downy Woodpecker (m) (30849216182), Becky Matsubara from El Sobrante, California, CC BY 2.0
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