RIO VISTA — Along the quiet Sacramento River, the quiet town of Rio Vista, known as the “Gateway to the Delta,” conjures up images of whales and fishing.
After some television publicity, however, the town is better known for a different animal: sheep.
A 2012 AT&T commercial highlighted some of Rio Vista’s quirky attributes.
The commercial showed a runner listened to music on his phone, running throughout the Bay Area. He gets lost in his music and ends up, as his phone tells him, in none other than Rio Vista.
The town, spanning about 7.5 square miles with a population of 7,876, wound up on “the map” a couple of times for stories of some wayward humpback whales. This time, it was for its beloved sheep and wind turbines.
Aside from recent publicity, Rio Vista is better known for Humphrey the whale, whose famous journey from the San Francisco Bay to Rio Vista earned the city national recognition. He was memorialized in a plaque at the foot of Main Street by City Hall.
In 2007, the town welcomed a mom whale and her calf — Delta and Dawn — for several days before they disappeared, presumably to have made their way back to the ocean.
Rio Vista is located about 21 miles east of Fairfield off of Highway 12. It is about 45 miles from San Francisco and 35 miles from Sacramento.
Rio Vista was founded in 1858 as Los Brazos Del Rio. Its location along the Sacramento River made it a natural location for an agricultural port and shipping.
In the 1930s, natural gas was discovered in Rio Vista, though today, the industry has reduced due to a diminished gas field.
Farming and ranching — of sheep of course, among other animals — is another prominent industry. Rio Vista is home to the only U.S producer of endive — California Vegetable Specialties. The company sells more than 4 million pounds of endive each year, according to its website.
According to the 2010 Census, the racial makeup of Rio Vista is 81.6 percent white, 12.42 percent Hispanic, 5.05 percent black, 4.9 percent Asian.
The median income is $44,530, according to the Chamber of Commerce website.
Reach Heather Ah San at 427-6977 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/HeatherMalia.
Rio Vista at a glance
City Hall: One Main St, 374-6451
Website: http://www.rio-vista-ca.com
City manager: Joseph Tanner (appointed 2012)
City Council: Mayor Jan Vick, [email protected] (elected to a four-year term in 2008, expires 2012)
Vice Mayor: Jack Krebs, [email protected] (elected to a four-year term in 2008, expires in 2012)
Constance Boulware, [email protected] (elected 2010, expires in 2014)
Janith Norman, [email protected] (elected to a four-year term in 2008, expires in 2012)
Tim Kugli (appointed 2012, term expires in 2014)
