Point Richmond, Richmond, California

The neighborhood is dominated to the north by several industrial operations, including a large Chevron refinery, several smaller chemical manufacturing facilities and an active Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight yard.

Residents have a love-hate relationship with the trains,[citation needed] pushing the railroad to modify operations to make them quieter and less disruptive to traffic but also fighting to save the wig wag signals when BNSF made plans to remove them.

The wig wag signals, while no longer operating (newer gates, red lights and bells have been installed at the crossing), are one of only a handful still in existence nationwide.

Point Richmond's shoreline was the location of a 20-foot (6.1 m) beached gray whale calf in May 2007,[3] the source of considerable odor in the area.

[8] Some residents feared that the opening of a corporate chain store would dampen a much loved way of life and cherished independent "mom and pop" commercial sector.

[8] Nevertheless, an Extreme Pizza also operates in the commercial strip, but in 2011 the community lobbied for a moratorium or ban on chains when Subway attempted to open a franchise.

[9][10] There was considerable neighborhood opposition to the relocation of the Point Richmond library in 2007 when it was to be remodeled and reopened (it had been closed since 2004 due to budget issues).

Instead, the city's planning commission wanted to tear it down and move it to nearby rental space so that the surrounding empty lot could be turned into a lively town square.