Discover Orinda Living
Quiet hills, beautiful homes, and effortless access to the Bay.
Orinda is located within four Mexican land grants: Rancho Laguna de los Palos Colorados, Rancho Acalanes, Rancho El Sobrante and Rancho Boca de la Cañada del Pinole. The area was originally rural, mainly known for ranching and summer cabins. In the late-19th century, the land was named by Alice Marsh Cameron, probably in honor of the poet Katherine Philips, who was also known as the “Matchless Orinda”.[10]
In the 1880s, the United States Surveyor General for California, Theodore Wagner, built an estate which he named Orinda Park.[11] The Orinda Park post office opened in 1888.[11] The post office’s name was changed to Orinda in 1895.[11] Orinda was also the site of Bryant Station, a stop on the failed California and Nevada Railroad around the turn of the 20th century. In later times, the area around Bryant Station was known as Orinda Crossroads.[11]
Orinda’s popularity as a year-round residence grew after the 1937 completion of the Caldecott Tunnel, which provided easier access to the west. Bisected by California State Route 24 and framed by its rolling oak-covered hills, the city of Orinda was incorporated on July 1, 1985. Its first mayor was Richard G. Heggie. The city has a station on the Antioch–SFO/Millbrae line of the Bay Area Rapid Transit.
