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City of Redwood City history
City of Redwood City company history timeline
Since its incorporation in 1867, the City has grown into a vital and diverse community with thriving neighborhoods, commerce, government, technology, and more.
1869 - First China Camp in San Mateo County established in Redwood City for Chinese shrimp fishermen
In the late 1870's, the Morgan Oyster Company began importing and transplanting live Eastern oysters to the bay waters off of the Redwood Peninsula.
According to official San Mateo County maps, by 1877 about half of the land was owned by San Francisco jeweler John W. Tucker and the rest by millionaire and United States Senator George Hearst.
In 1882, the Port became a federally approved shipping channel for the United States Army Corps of Engineers, a critical step in securing future funds to keep our waters navigable and commerce moving.
The last wooden ship built in Redwood City, called the "Perseverance," was launched in 1883.
1887 – Redwood City held first Independence Day Parade
1889 – Redwood City’s first official City Librarian James Van Court appointed
In 1889, the Redwood City Library Association was formed for the purpose of establishing a public library that was supported by municipal, as well as private funding.
The maps also indicated that Hearst had purchased all of the acreage by 1894.
1895 – Sequoia High School established as a feeder school for Stanford University
1896 – Alhambra Theater opened
1900 – RWC Ordinance 30 established free public municipal library service supported by $628/year in special taxes
1904 – City received $10,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie to build the new Downtown Library
1905-- New Downtown Library opened
More than 4,000 square miles (10,500 square km) of the desert lie below sea level, including the 300-square-mile (800-square-km) Salton Sea, a lake with no outlet that was created in 1905–07 when the nearby Colorado River broke out of its channel.
1906 – Earthquake shocked Bay Area and led to development west of El Camino Real as people fled the city and were encouraged to locate in Redwood City; Received another $6,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie to rebuild destroyed the Downtown Library after the earthquake.
Less than a year after its completion, the new library suffered severe damage during the 1906 Earthquake.
1907 – Rebuilt Downtown Library opened
1907- Japanese immigrant brothers Eikichi and Sadakusi Enomoto became among first recorded growers of Chrysanthemums
Additional funds from the Foundation, however, enabled total reconstruction of the building by 1907.
1908 - City Council adopted ordinance regulating the liquor trade
In the east-central region is the Trans-Sierra desert, which extends along the sheer east escarpment of the Sierra Nevada range and comprises part of the vast interstate Great Basin of the Basin and Range Province. Its largest towns are in the Owens Valley, which was a fertile farmland until its groundwater flow was diverted to Los Angeles through a mammoth series of conduits built in 1908–13.
1909 – Women’s Club established
A partnership between three local individuals - Hall, Dungan, & Allard - had purchased 1,200 acres of the site by 1909, and the Mobil Oil Company owned the remaining 335 acres.
1912 – First City Hall opened
The Redwood City Harbor Company was formed in 1912 by businessmen and civic leaders, but continued growth of the port was inhibited for some time by the railroad and other competing transportation interests.
1913 Raker Act established (led to protected Hetch Hetchy water system)
1915 – City appointed first Fire Chief and orders first motorized fire engine
1916 - Lynch Field (Redwood City's airport) founded by Silas Christofferson.
The war ended before its life in combat, however after its commissioning in 1917 it delivered a cargo load of salt and copper ore on its maiden voyage, deepening the Port’s role in manufacturing and development.
1920 – Firehouse on Middlefield Road built
In the 1920's, early residents of Redwood City sensed tremendous opportunities for the growth and success of their city.
Sometime in the early 1920's, a group of entrepreneurs formed the San Francisco Bay Terminal Company.
1923 – Sequoia High School’s main school building and historic Argo Bell tower built
1924 - Pacific Portland Cement erected its first plant in Redwood City Port; Building boom in Redwood City prompted Town Trustees to establish a Planning Commission
1926 – Redwood City earned “Climate Best By Government Test” designation
1928 - Veterans Building was moved into Mezes Plaza block
Public protest caused the investors to abandon the harbor project, however, and in 1928, the Leslie Salt Company acquired the land.
A 1929 bond issue campaign to improve the channel was defeated.
1930- Booming agricultural floral period with Japanese flower growers and greenhouses; San Francisco purchased Mills Field for SFO and shortly thereafter aviation died in Redwood City
1934 - Hawes Park was developed
1935 - Lights were added to Hawes Park, making it the first lit athletic field in Redwood City (for softball)
But in 1935, a harbor bond issue of $266,000 was approved by voters and matching funds were obtained from the federal government.
1936 - Voters approved amendment to City charter to establish a Port Department.
1937 - Alfred “Red” Morton became first City Recreation Director in July
In 1937, the City of Redwood City incorporated the Port with the appointment of the first five-member Board of Port Commissioners.
In 1938, a City bond issue was passed to build a new library at the corner of Jefferson and Middlefield Road.
The Mystery Spot (mysteryspot.com), located in the redwood forest about five miles outside Scotts Valley, is the site of a gravitational anomaly discovered in 1939.
A WPA project in 1939 employed many men in the building of two additions to the courthouse.
1942 - Postwar plans included the development of a 30 acre park – which is now Red Morton Park (then called Community Park)
1944 - City passed $988,000 bond measure for postwar construction and included plans for “better streets and sewers, a branch library and parks and recreation improvements”
1946 - Stafford Park was developed
1951 - Stulsaft Park was developed
1956 - Veterans Memorial Senior Center built
In 1957, the Schaberg Branch was completed, utilizing funds from a private donation.
And in 1958, an 8-story building called the Hall of Records and Justice was built on the site of the California Square, a plaza which had been designed and donated to the county by Simon Mezes.
1959 - Redwood Shores annexed to Redwood City after being rejected by Belmont and San Carlos; Schaberg Library opened, funded by a bequest in the will of Hannah Schaberg, widow of former County Clerk Herman W. Schaberg
After rejections from the cities of San Carlos and Belmont, Redwood City accepted the proposal from the Leslie Salt Company to annex Redwood Shores in 1959.
1961 – Fire Department Centennial celebrated
In support of the project, the Redwood City City Council authorized the creation of a general improvement district in 1964.
1965 - Newly expanded 49er building named the Morabito Memorial Field House
1967 - City’s Recreation Department celebrated its 13th anniversary by opening the Community Activities Building; old Recreation Center was renamed in Red Morton’s honor; Hoover Pool built
Marine World opened its doors in July of 1968.
1970 - Marlin Park opened; Peninsula Library System cooperative was formed under the leadership of Redwood City Library Director Karl Vollmayer
The FHA lifted its moratorium in 1970, but the stoppage had taken its toll on Leslie Properties.
ABC sold the park to Resorts International in 1972, and a wildlife park and 3,000-seat jungle theater were added under the new management.
In February of 1973, Mobil Oil Estates, Ltd. purchased the property from Leslie.
1973 – Lathrop House placed on National Register of Historic Places
Fair Oaks Branch opened in 1974 as part of the Fair Oaks Community Center.
The revised plan, included as part of the 1975 General Plan for Redwood City, called for a population "build-out" of 20,000 residents instead of 60,000, and an emphasis on more commercial development than initially planned.
1976 - First female officer hired at Redwood City Police Department; Redwood City renamed a downtown plaza, Arguello Plaza, in honor of Arguello family.
Modeled after Foster City, the plan projected a population of 60,000 and 20,700 housing units in the Shores by 1980.
A road linking Ralston Avenue to Holly Street was finished and the first two Shores traffic signals were installed in 1981.
1982 - Hoover Park built from agreement with School District
The economic recovery which began in 1982 also spurred development in Redwood Shores.
1983 – Union Cemetery placed on National Register of Historic Places
1984 - $8.4 million bond passed to remodel Fire Station No.
Marine World/Africa USA moved from its Redwood Shores site to Vallejo in 1986.
1987 – Project READ literacy program launched; Marshall Street Firehouse opened
1988 – New Redwood City Downtown Library opened
And in 1988, a new 45,000 square-foot main library was built on the site of the old Fire Station No.
Property later developed in 1989 as Oracle moved in
The new owners, Wilson & Associates, built the Centrum Office Complex, completed in 1989.
A corporate complex called The Shores Center, opened in 1989, and attracted companies like DHL, Oral-B Labs, Fluor Mining & Metals, Hotel Sofitel, and many high-tech companies.
1992 – Sequoia Station opened
In 1993, the Port underwent a major renovation of that marina to the waterfront, expanding the commercial recreation business taking shape throughout the 80s.
By 1993, the population had increased to 8,500 as new residents were attracted to award-winning housing, parks, hiking and bicycle trails, fitness circuits, and the modern Pacific Athletic Club.
1995 - Sequoia High School placed on National Register of Historic Places; Fair Oaks Library moved to its current location in the County Human Services Agency building
Sandpiper Elementary School opened in September of 1997 at the 11-acre Sandpiper Park site, the result of a joint effort between the Belmont School District and the City of Redwood City.
1998 – Opened Fire Station #20 in Redwood Shores
1999 - San Mateo County History Museum opened in old Courthouse
2005 – Junior Fire Academy program started
2007 – Redwood City’s Downtown Precise Plan launched, winning national acclaim
The 24,000 sq. ft. branch located on the Belmont Slough opened in 2008 and includes a full service library, café, interpretive center and many meeting rooms for community use.
2013 – Mezes Park renovated
The Port of Redwood City celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2017, followed by back-to-back record-breaking years of cargo tonnage movement, and revenue.
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| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Navarro Independent School District | - | $25.0M | 350 | 5 |
| St. Louis Language Immersion School | 2007 | $10.0M | 10 | 8 |
| Yinghua Academy | 2006 | $10.0M | 99 | - |
| City of Palo Alto | 1894 | $270,000 | 7 | 9 |
| City of San Jos | - | $270.0M | 3,448 | 20 |
| City of Sacramento | 1849 | $213.7M | 2,000 | 116 |
| City of Santa Clara | 1852 | $106.8M | 1,250 | 17 |
| City of San Carlos | 1925 | $2.2M | 50 | - |
| Police Department | - | $25.0M | 350 | 3 |
| City of East Lansing | 1907 | $10.0M | 350 | - |
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