Benicia, California: Neighborhood of Artistry

If you are a fan of Martha Stewart, you might find the city of Benicia, California, a place that you would love. While Martha lives on Turkey Hill, we who live in Benicia have turkeys in our hills! (See the attached picture of their recent daily stroll on our foggy hills!)

Benicia is a magnificently beautiful city, balanced on the hillside of the Northern San Francisco Bay region and composed of artistic communities of glass and fine artists, participatory community events that are welcoming to visitors, nationally ranked schools and enough comfort and sense of neighborhood to gain listings in recognized publications, such as Fortune Magazine’s top 100 best waterfront communities.

Benicia is a city that blends the beauty of nature with vistas that capture the magnificence of bustling growth all around us. New housing and business areas are being added within the confines of urban growth restrictions, while our park and recreational resources are being enhanced to encourage tourists and families who enjoy bike commuting to public transportation, nature strolls, art walks, and the comforts of top quality family shopping. Recent improvements on our waterfront have made fishing a comfortable companion to strolling farmers markets and coffee shops that inspire young and old alike to just hang out.

Benicia was the first California City to incorporate in the State. The City’s history reflects its struggle to balance the needs of working families with creative neighborhood aspirations. Confidence was so high in its early years, in fact, that it was generally believed that Benicia might some day be a port city in competition with San Francisco. It actually became California’s State Capital in 1853, but then lost that prominence just a year later when political forces coalesced to move the government to its present Sacramento location. The Capital Building built for this short tenure remains an active historical site.