Crockett

Welcome to Crockett

Approximately twenty-five miles northeast of San Francisco lie the towns of Rodeo and Crockett. Rodeo was named for its ranching and cattle themed history, but today both are better known as refinery towns, Rodeo for petroleum and Crockett for sugar. The town of Rodeo currently has about nine thousand residents. Crockett is much smaller, about a third the size. Both towns lie along the Carquinez Strait where you will find the Martinez Regional Shoreline. Beautiful views and an abundance of wildlife are often the draw to these towns, along with hiking trails and typically more affordable housing options than cities closer to San Francisco and Oakland.

Crockett's largest claim to fame is its biggest resident, C&H Sugar. C&H (California and Hawaiian Sugar Company) essentially built up the town of Crockett after establishing itself there in 1906. At the time it employed about 95% of Crockett's residents. That has changed over time, and the company was sold to American Sugar Refining, but C&H remains as a subsidiary. The town also continues to hold an annual festival where C&H hands out bags of sugar - Sugar Town Festival/.

Both Crockett and Rodeo consist of open, rolling grasslands, wooded ravines, eucalyptus-shaded meadows, and the river shoreline. Trails provide access to canyon views and ridgetop vistas. Crockett Hills Regional Park contains close to two thousand acres full of hiking and mountain biking trails. Highway I-80 goes through Crockett, and is adjacent to Rodeo, with highway 4 also close by.

A few popular restaurant stops include The Dead Fish in Crockett and Ricky's Corner in Rodeo. Ricky's is a retro favorite, family-run, and known for its fried chicken. If you're willing to venture just a bit farther northeast of Crockett, the former boomtoom, Port Costa, has a wonderful restaurant called the Bull Valley Roadhouse where you'll find a menu full of items from local farmers and businesses. And while you're visiting Port Costa, you may want to plan around their annual town-wide yard sale which occurs on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.