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Sactown Appraisals
Cities we appraise in Solano County: Benicia 94510 Birds Landing 94512 Dixon 95620 Elmira 95625 Fairfield 94533, 94534 Rio Vista 94571 Suisun City 94585 Vacaville 95687, 95688 Vallejo 94590, 94591, 94592 Solano County Information: Benicia was founded on May 19, 1847 by Robert Semple, Thomas O. Larkin, and Comandante General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, on land deeded to them by General Vallejo, and named after the General's wife. They originally intended it to be a port city to rival San Francisco. Benicia was named the California state capital in 1853, but quickly lost its early prominence. The capital was moved permanently to Sacramento the following year, and the Solano County, California seat was moved to Fairfield, California in 1858. Benicia faded into a backwater during the next century, kept alive mainly by the United States Army's Benicia Arsenal, to the east of the city. After 1860 the town did not grow again until the economic boom of World War II, which doubled the population to about 7,000 residents. Two developments in the early 1960s would completely change Benicia: The closing of the Benicia Arsenal in 1960–64, and the completion of the Benicia-Martinez Bridge in 1962. The closing of the Arsenal removed Benicia's traditional economic base, but allowed city leaders to create an industrial park on Arsenal land which eventually provided more revenue for the city than the Army had. The completion of the Benicia-Martinez Bridge made it possible for the city to become a suburb of San Francisco and Oakland, and suburban development in the Benicia hills began in the late 1960s. On December 20, 1968 near the Benicia water pumping station, the Zodiac Killer made his debut by killing Vallejo natives David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen as they rested in Faraday's car. Near the same area on July 4 of the following year, the killer struck again killing Darlene Ferrin and injuring Michael Mageau at the Blue Rock Springs Park in Vallejo, immediately next to Benicia. Between 1970 and 1995, the population of Benicia grew steadily at a rate of about 1,000 people per year, and the city changed from a poor, blue-collar town of 7,000 to a white-collar bedroom suburb of 28,000. The town is also the location of the Valero Refinery. The refinery was completed in 1969 by Exxon Corporation, and bought by Valero Refining in 2000. Benicia Capitol State Historic Park is the site of California’s third seat of government (1853-1854). It is the only pre-Sacramento capitol that survives. The original building has been restored with reconstructed period furnishings and exhibits. The interior includes a board-for-board reconstruction of the building’s original floor with ponderosa pine. The desks, three of which are originals from the Benicia period or earlier, are furnished with a candlestick, a 19th century newspaper, a quill pen and a top hat. Fairfield is a city located in Northern California, USA, near San Francisco and Sacramento. Fairfield, founded in 1859 by clippership captain Robert H. Waterman, and named after his former hometown of Fairfield, Connecticut, is the home of Travis Air Force Base and the Jelly Belly factory, and has a population of 101,935 as of a July 1, 2002 Census estimate. It shares a border with its sister city, Suisun City. Other nearby cities include Vacaville, Benicia and Vallejo. Fairfield is the county seat of Solano County. Rio Vista is a city located on the eastern end of Solano County, California, on the Sacramento River in the Sacramento River Delta region. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 4,571. In 1985, despite being 60 miles (100 kilometers) upriver from the Pacific Ocean, Rio Vista was visited by a lost Humpback whale. The young whale, nicknamed "Humphrey", attracted throngs of curiosity seekers before he was eventually guided back to sea by rescuers. Suisun City (pronounced "suh SOON") is a city located in Solano County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 26,118. The city takes its name from the adjacent Suisun Bay, which in turn is named for the Suisunes, a Native American tribe of the area. The city is adjacent to Suisun Marsh, at 84,000 acres (400 km²) the largest contiguous estuarian marsh remaining on the west coast of North America. Vacaville is a city located in Solano County, California, between Sacramento and San Francisco. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 88,625. The City was founded in 1852 by William McDaniel and named after Juan Manuel Vaca, who had received a substantial land grant from Don Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo. The city was a Pony Express stop and was home to many large produce companies and local farms which flourished due to the Vaca Valley's rich soil, including the now defunct Basic Vegetable Products Co. (Onion Factory) and The Nut Tree. Today the city is known for its retail shopping, its annual Vacaville Fiesta Days and Onion Festival, and its large concentration of biotechnology operations, including Genentech. Other nearby cities include Fairfield, Napa, Dixon, Suisun City and Winters. It is about 18 minutes away from the University of California, Davis. The unincorporated Allendale and Elmira are generally considered to be part of Vacaville. While Vacaville has traditionally been strongly influenced by the neighboring Travis Air Force Base, the largest employer is the State Prison. Vacaville is also a growing Biotechnology/Pharmaceutical "hub" with facilities operated by Large Scale Biology Corporation, Genentech, ALZA Corporation, Chiron Corporation, and Durect Corporation. The city was home to the Solano Steelheads of the now-defunct Western Baseball League. It is now home to the Solano Thunderbirds of the California Collegiate League (CCL). Vallejo is a city located in Solano County, California. In 1900, 7,965 people lived in Vallejo; in 1910, 11,340; in 1920, 21,107; and in 1940, 20,072. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 116,760. It is located in the Bay Area near San Francisco, Fairfield, and Benicia. Vallejo is home to the Six Flags Marine World theme park; the now-defunct Mare Island Naval Shipyard; the California Maritime Academy (part of the California State University system); and Touro University, an osteopathic medical college. Ferry service runs from a terminal on Mare Island Strait to San Francisco, through Vallejo Transit's BayLink division. For one week in 1852, Vallejo was the capital of California. One year later, it was again the capital. This time, it lasted for one month. The legislature left in 1853, but the government established a naval shipyard there which helped the town overcome the loss. The yard functioned for over a hundred years, finally closing in 1996. The city was named for a Mexican military officer, Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, who helped to settle the area. He wanted the site named Eureka, but the other citizens of the area wanted to name the new city after the general. Neighboring Benicia is named after Vallejo's wife. The man mostly responsible for the founding of the city is John B. Frisbie, who married Vallejo's daughter. He was responsible for seeing that the city remained together and helped to establish the city's government. Downtown Vallejo retains many of its historic Victorian and Craftsman homes. Dixon is a city located 30 miles from Sacramento, California, in Solano County. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 16,103. Other nearby cities include Vacaville, California, Winters, California and Davis, California. This city was originally named Dickson after a citizen. A railroad incorrectly spelled it as "Dixon" in the 1800's and the new spelling has been used since. Dixon is also home to the May Fair, the longest running annual fair in the state of California. It is held at the Dixon Fairgrounds in May, with the four day event ending each year on Mother's Day. Dixon is also the home of the Gymboree Corporation's only Distribution Center, servicing all stores and customers around the world.
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