Rodeo, California
Rodeo is a community of 8,976 people in Contra Costa County, California, founded in 1890.
Why visit Rodeo
Townapedia lists 5 museums and landmarks, 12 parks and trails, 19 places to eat and 7 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Cal Poly Maritime Academy, Carquinez Bridge, Bank of Pinole and Bernardo Fernandez House.
September is the warmest month, with average highs of 86°F; January lows average 42°F.
Weather in Rodeo
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Rodeo
Rodeo (; Spanish for "Cattle roundup") is a census-designated place (CDP) located in Contra Costa County, California, United States, in the East Bay sub-region of the San Francisco Bay Area, on the eastern shore of San Pablo Bay, 25 miles northeast of San Francisco. The population was 9,653 at the 2020 census. The place is named for the rodeos common in the late 19th century. Cattle from the surrounding hills were regularly driven down through the old town district to a loading dock on the shoreline of San Pablo Bay for shipment to slaughterhouses, a practice which continued through the early 20th century.
From the Wikipedia article Rodeo, California (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do7
Cal Poly Maritime Academy
School · 2.6 mi
Maritime academy in Vallejo, California, United States
Carquinez Bridge
Bridge · 2.3 mi
Suspension and cantilever bridges on San Pablo Bay
Carquinez Strait Light
Lighthouse · 3.1 mi
Lighthouse in California, United States
Mare Island Light
Lighthouse · 2.6 mi
Lighthouse in California, United States
Museums and landmarks5
Bank of Pinole
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.9 mi
Historic building in Pinole, California, United States
Bernardo Fernandez House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.9 mi
Historic house in California, United States
Mare Island Naval Shipyard
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.7 mi
United States Navy shipyard located in Vallejo, California
Port Costa School
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.6 mi
School building in Port Costa, United States of America
Parks, trails and playgrounds12
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Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline
Park · 3.4 mi
Regional park in California, US
Restaurants and cafes19
Tommy's BBQ Company
Restaurant · Barbecue · 2.0 mi
1611 Sycamore Avenue, Hercules
7 more on the map.
History
Rodeo is located on tracts of land that were purchased by ranchers and businessmen John and Patrick Tormey from the Ygnacio Martinez Rancho El Pinole estate in 1865 and 1867.
In partnership with the Union Stockyard Co. in 1890, Patrick Tormey (for whom the nearby town of Tormey is named) sold some of the land to them and began to lay out plans and make large investments for the stockyard facilities for a meatpacking and canning industry. Eventually, streets were graded and lots were prepared for homesteads, creating the town of Rodeo.
Patrick Tormey also sold land in the nearby town of Oleum to the California Lumber Co. for use as a lumberyard (which eventually would be sold to the Union Oil Co. for an oil refinery site). He also sold land in nearby Selby, which was used by the Selby Smelting & Lead Co. He funded the meatpacking plant, corrals and the Rodeo Hotel.
After recession in 1893, Patrick Tormey struggled to keep finances going as business began to close, culminating with the bankruptcy of the Union Stockyard Co. Patrick Tormey was plagued with lawsuits over the bankruptcy for the remainder of his life.
Residents were able to find work in nearby towns of Crockett (C&H Sugar), Vallejo (the Mare Island Naval Shipyard), Hercules (Hercules Powder Co.), and Union Oil Co. in Oleum.
From the History section of Rodeo, California on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship3
Saint Patricks Catholic Church
Church · Catholic · 0.8 mi
825 Seventh Street, Rodeo
Shopping4
Gas and EV charging4
Schools, colleges and libraries47
Rodeo Library - Contra Costa County Library
Library · 0.8 mi
220 Pacific Avenue, Rodeo
Aspire Richmond Ca. College Preparatory Academy
School · 5.7 mi
3040 Hilltop Mall Rd., Richmond
Aspire Richmond Technology Academy
School · 5.4 mi
3170 Hilltop Mall Rd., Richmond
Map of Rodeo
101 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57°F | 42°F | 4.5 in |
| Feb | 63°F | 45°F | 3.6 in |
| Mar | 68°F | 46°F | 3.2 in |
| Apr | 73°F | 47°F | 1.4 in |
| May | 78°F | 51°F | 0.8 in |
| Jun | 83°F | 54°F | 0.2 in |
| Jul | 85°F | 56°F | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 86°F | 56°F | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 86°F | 56°F | 0.1 in |
| Oct | 79°F | 54°F | 1.0 in |
| Nov | 66°F | 47°F | 2.2 in |
| Dec | 58°F | 42°F | 4.5 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Vallejo (6 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
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
Buchanan Field Airport (CCR) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 11 miles away.
- Hercules 2 mi southwest, about 3 min by car
- Crockett 2 mi northeast, about 3 min by car
- Pinole 4 mi southwest, about 6 min by car
- Bayview 4 mi southwest, about 7 min by car
- Vallejo 5 mi north, about 8 min by car
- El Sobrante 5 mi southwest, about 8 min by car
- Montalvin Manor 5 mi southwest, about 8 min by car
- Benicia 6 mi northeast, about 10 min by car
- Rollingwood 6 mi southwest, about 10 min by car
- San Pablo 7 mi southwest, about 11 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
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- 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
- RodeCAContainers, Jo Guldi, CC BY 2.0
- Amtrak Capitol Corridor train at Rodeo, January 2010, nick fullerton from 'Vallejo, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Rodeo Skyline - panoramio, Federico Pizano, CC BY 3.0
- Bank of Pinole (Pinole, CA), Sanfranman59, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bernardo Fernandez House (Pinole, CA), Sanfranman59, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Port Costa School (Port Costa, CA), Sanfranman59, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Carquinez Bridge-1, Doug Brown, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Carquinez Regional Shoreline - panoramio, Federico Pizano, CC BY 3.0
- Golden bear, The original uploader was Frijole at English Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 2.0
- Lefy Gomez Field Plaque, MRoper500, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Vernon "Lefty" Gomez hand print, hand-drawn initials, and date, MRoper500, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Lefty Gomez Memorial Plaque and cement hand print, initials, and date, MRoper500, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ostrea lurida 216778317, P Holroyd, CC BY 4.0
- Ostrea lurida 216778440, P Holroyd, CC BY 4.0
- Ostrea lurida 216778400, P Holroyd, CC BY 4.0
- Roxanne's Garden - panoramio, Federico Pizano, CC BY 3.0
- WestCAT 211 at Hercules Transit Center, Evan0512, CC BY-SA 4.0
- WestCAT 603 at Hercules transit center (August 2026), Evan0512, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Western Contra Costa Transit Authority 212-a, Evan0512, CC BY-SA 4.0
- WestCAT 178 30Z Hercules TC (August 2026), Evan0512, CC BY-SA 4.0
- WestCAT 210 at Hercules Transit Center 20251010, Evan0512, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Carquinez Bridge 2025a, Antony-22, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Al Zampa and Carquinez Bridges, Crockett, California, Joe Futrelle, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Cal Maritime Academy, Alfred Twu, CC0
- CarquinezBridge2022, AnonymousEditor95, CC BY 4.0
- Carquinez Bridge - panoramio, Federico Pizano, CC BY 3.0
- Carquinez Bridge - panoramio (cropped), Federico Pizano, CC BY 3.0
- Capitol Corridor near Hercules, Mx. Granger, CC0
- Under the Overpass - panoramio, Federico Pizano, CC BY 3.0
- Carquinez Strait Bridge California, Steve Wilson, CC BY 2.0
- Hercules, CA, USA - panoramio, Clotee Pridgen Alloc…, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Delilah On Patrol (Unsplash), Aaron Conklin conklincreates, CC0
- Vallejo Baylink Ferry - panoramio (7), Patrick Nouhailler's…, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Alfred zampa memorial bridge, Kevin Collins from Alameda, California, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Carquinez Bridge 2025b, Antony-22, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Vallejo Baylink Ferry - panoramio (5), Patrick Nouhailler's…, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Refugio Creek, Mx. Granger, CC0
- Hercules House IMG 9883, Fancytaco, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Crocket Hills Regional Park, Killamator, CC BY-SA 4.0
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