Antioch is the second largest city in Contra Costa County, California , United States . It is located in the East Bay neighborhood of the San Francisco Bay Area, along the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta . The population of the city was 102,372 at the 2010 census and 111,502 in 2019.

1849-1999
Antioch is one of the oldest cities in California. In 1848, John Marsh , owner of the Los Meganos Ranch, one of the largest ranches in California, built a wharf on the San Joaquin River in what is now Antioch. It became known as Marsh’s Landing and was the starting point for the 17,000-acre ranch. It included a wharf extending into the river, allowing vessels drawing 15 feet of water to call there at any time of the year. The site also included a slaughterhouse, a ham smokehouse, rodeo grounds, and even a one-and-a-half story, ornately carved dwelling that was built around the Horn to serve as a home for the majordomo (manager) and his wife.

In 1849, twin brothers, Rev. William Wiggins Smith and Rev. Joseph Horton Smith, sailed from Boston, bought land from John Marsh, and founded a town west of Marsh’s Landing, naming it Smith’s Wharf. During a town picnic on July 4, 1851, William, the town’s new minister, persuaded the residents to change the town’s name to Antioch, the biblical town of Antioch “since the first settlers were disciples of Christ, and one of them died and was buried on this land, to give it a biblical name after him and proposed Antioch (a Syrian town where two important rivers meet and where the followers of Christ were first called Christians), and by common consent it was so named”.

About 1859 coal was discovered in several places in the hills south of Antioch, and coal mining became the first large business, besides farming and dairying, for the people of that community. This new industry led to the founding of the towns of Nortonville, Somersville, Stewartville, and Black Diamond (now Pittsburgh).) and greatly increased the economic activity of the Antioch area. Empire Coal was formed by John C. Rose and George Hawkshurst in 1876, who built a railroad that ran from Antioch toward the mines along what is now “F Street” (formerly Kimball Street). Later, however, both the mine and the railroad passed into the hands of the Belshaw brothers. The mines have long since ceased operations and the railroad tracks have been dug up, although the building that served as the terminus of the Antioch Railroad still stands at the corner of F Street and Fourth Street, and the layout and trestles are still the same. they were in those days.

In 1863 great excitement was caused by the discovery of copper ore near Antioch. Smelters were built at Antioch and the ore was paid from fifteen to twenty-five dollars a ton. Later the copper bubble burst, to the dismay of the townspeople. Oil was first drilled near Antioch in 1865, but it turned out that there was not enough oil to make a decent profit.

The Antioch post office was opened in 1851, closed in 1852, reopened in 1855, closed again in 1862, and has been in continuous operation since reopening in 1863. The city of Antioch was incorporated in 1872.

The Antioch Ledger was first published on March 10, 1870. To commemorate when the paper was formed, a copy of its first issue has been framed and hangs above the present editor’s desk. Its only news item is a report with editorial commentary on a women’s rally just held in town. The Ledger later merged with the Contra Costa Times and published its last issue in 2005.

Today, Antioch is largely a bedroom community with most adults working in larger cities toward Oakland and San Francisco . The city has grown over the past 30 years as the Bay Area’s population continues to grow and real estate prices force families to move to the outskirts of the Bay Area.