Originally established in 1849 as a way station for the California Gold Rush, 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 John Muir from 1890 until his death in 1914, one month after Joe DiMaggio was born in the town. In 1915 Shell Oil built an oil refinery near Martinez, which touched off a building boom in the area.
Geography
Martinez is located at 38°0'2" North, 122°7'12" West (38.000588, -122.120081)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 34.8 km² (13.4 mi²). 31.7 km² (12.2 mi²) of it is land and 3.1 km² (1.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 8.92% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 35,866 people, 14,300 households, and 9,209 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,130.4/km² (2,927.6/mi²). There are 14,597 housing units at an average density of 460.1/km² (1,191.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 81.03% White, 3.35% Black or African American, 0.74% Native American, 6.63% Asian, 0.23% Pacific Islander, 3.29% from other races, and 4.72% from two or more races. 10.20% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 14,300 households out of which 30.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% are married couples living together, 11.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% are non-families. 27.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.41 and the average family size is 2.96.
In the city the population is spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 96.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $63,010, and the median income for a family is $77,411. Males have a median income of $52,135 versus $40,714 for females. The per capita income for the city is $29,701. 5.2% of the population and 3.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 3.9% are under the age of 18 and 4.8% are 65 or older.