Martinez is a city in and the county seat of Contra Costa County,
California, in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. The
population was 35,824 at the 2010 census. The downtown is notable for
its large number of preserved old buildings and antique shops.
Martinez is located on the southern shore of the Carquinez Strait in
the San Francisco Bay Area, directly facing the city center of Benicia
and the southeastern end of Vallejo, California.Martinez is a city in
and the county seat of Contra Costa County, California, in the East
Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 35,824 at the
2010 census. The downtown is notable for its large number of preserved
old buildings and antique shops. Martinez is located on the southern
shore of the Carquinez Strait in the San Francisco Bay Area, directly
facing the city center of Benicia and the southeastern end of Vallejo,
California.In 1824, the Alhambra Valley was included in the Rancho El
Pinole Mexican land grant to Ygnacio Martínez. In 1847, Dr. Robert
Semple contracted to provide ferry service from Martinez to Benicia,
which for many years was the only crossing on the Carquinez Strait. By
1849, Martínez served as a way station for the California Gold Rush.
The town was laid out in 1849 by Col. William M. Smith and named for
Martinez. It became the county seat in 1850, but could not incorporate
at the time because it lacked the 200 registered voters required, and
only became a city in 1876.Martinez was the home of naturalist John
Muir from 1880 until his death in 1914. He was buried about a mile
south of the building that is now the John Muir National Historic
Site. Also nearby is the Vicente Martinez Adobe, built in 1849 by the
son of Ygnacio Martinez. Martinez, California Top Movies & Young Movies