Crime Scene and Trauma Cleanup in Orinda, CA

Orinda is a city in Contra Costa County that got its name in 1876, when Alice Marsh Camron, wife of county sheriff William Walker Camron, named their land 'Orinda Park' after her favorite poet, Katherine Philips, who was known as the 'Matchless Orinda.'

The Orinda Park post office opened in 1888, and its name was shortened to Orinda in 1895.

Orinda lies within four Mexican land grants — Rancho Laguna de los Palos Colorados, Rancho Acalanes, Rancho El Sobrante and Rancho Boca de la Cañada del Pinole — and the Moraga Adobe, built in 1841, still stands within the city.

Orinda's growth as a year-round suburb took off after the Caldecott Tunnel opened in 1937, and today the city is bisected by State Route 24 and has its own BART station on the Yellow Line.

Orinda was incorporated on July 1, 1985, becoming Contra Costa County's 18th city, largely out of residents' desire to keep land-use decisions local.

The 2020 census counted 19,514 residents in Orinda.

Orinda has about 7,277 households averaging 2.67 people each, and about 91% of its homes are owner-occupied.

Orinda is one of the most highly educated cities in the United States: about 85.9% of its adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

The Art Deco Orinda Theatre, restored and reopened in 1989, is the centerpiece of Theatre Square, the city's downtown shopping and dining complex that opened in 1991.

Miramonte High School, established in 1955, is Orinda's public high school; its Matadors are nationally known for their water polo program.