The City of Orinda is a family-oriented community in a semi-rural valley on the east side of the Oakland/Berkeley hills in the San Francisco Bay Area. It offers its 17,600 residents a serene setting in contrast to the more urban existence of the surrounding area. Orinda is situated immediately east of the Caldecott Tunnel on Highway 24 and is served by Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART). The tree-studded hillsides of the 12.8 square-mile city contributes to its beauty. It is surrounded by natural settings including Tilden Park, San Pablo Reservoir, Briones Open Space and the Lafayette Reservoir. Orinda schools are consistently ranked among the best in California. Orinda’s proximity to San Francisco makes Orinda a delightful place to live and work.

Demographics:

The 2020 census is estimated at 19,514 residents living in Orinda. The population density was 1,389.5 inhabitants per square mile (536.5/km²).

The racial makeup of Orinda was

• 14,533 (82.4%) White-American
• 2,016 (11.4%) Asian-American
• 777 (4.4%) from two or more races
• 807 people (4.6%) of Hispanic or Latino origin
• 149 (0.8%) African American
• 22 (0.1%) Native American
• 24 (0.1%) Pacific Islander
• 122 (0.7%) from other races

The Census reported that 17,600 people (99.8% of the population) lived in households, 6 (>0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 37 (0.2%) were institutionalized.

There were 6,553 households, out of which 2,361 (36.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 4,673 (71.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 370 (5.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 159 (2.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 138 (2.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 58 (0.9%) same-sex married couples or partnerships, 1,127 households (17.2%) were made up of individuals, and 695 (10.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69. There were 5,202 families (79.4% of all households); the average family size was 3.03.

The population was spread out, with 4,512 people (25.6%) under the age of 18, 729 people (4.1%) aged 18 to 24, 2,741 people (15.5%) aged 25 to 44, 6,111 people (34.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 3,550 people (20.1%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males.

There were 6,804 housing units, at an average density of 535.8 per square mile (206.9/km²), of which 6,553 were occupied, of which 5,876 (89.7%) were owner-occupied, and 677 (10.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.2%. 16,010 people (90.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,590 people (9.0%) lived in rental housing units.

Education:

Orinda has four public elementary schools: Sleepy Hollow Elementary, Wagner Ranch Elementary, Glorietta Elementary and Del Rey Elementary. Orinda Intermediate School is the only middle school. Together, these five schools make up the Orinda Union School District. Orinda’s high school, Miramonte High School, is a part of the Acalanes Union High School District.

Orinda is home to three private educational establishments: Orinda Academy, Holden High School, and Fountainhead Montessori School. Of these, two (OA & Holden) are private high schools, while Fountainhead Montessori School services kindergarten through fifth grade.

The Contra Costa County Library has a branch in Orinda.