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United Way map showing concentrated poverty neighborhoods in East Contra Costa http://www.uwba.org/helplink/datacentral.php Map with Pittsburg
Founded in 1839, Pittsburg was first called “New York Landing,” then “Black Diamond,” before citizens voted on “Pittsburg” in 1911. The current name was chosen to honor the famous Pennsylvania steel town due to the city’s relations with the steel industry, first established by the Columbia Steel Company. The original town site fronts on the Sacramento River Delta, reflecting its origins as deep-water-channel river port. Pittsburg has a modern harbor with excellent boating access to the Sacramento River Delta.
Like much of eastern Contra Costa County, the Pittsburg/Bay Point area has experienced rapid population growth. From 2000 to 2020, the population of the Pittsburg area (including Bay Point) is projected to increase 47%, from 77,479 in 2000 to 114,000 in 2020. This growth has been driven by a high level of residential housing construction in the 1990s and the relative affordability of housing compared to the rest of Contra Costa County, resulting in migration of families seeking home-ownership. Affordable housing availability has not kept pace with population growth, leading to lack of affordable housing and overcrowding in low-income neighborhoods of Pittsburg and in Bay Point. The Pittsburg/Bay Point area has also been among the hardest hit during the recent mortgage foreclosure crisis.
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