El Cerrito California Map
Explore El Cerrito, California, with this interactive street and satellite map.
This page also offers TOPO MAPS — the official USGS topographic sheets — plus USGS aerial imagery, a labelled USNG grid overlay, a distance and bearing tool, and a GPS grid-reference readout. See How to Use This Map below.
Interactive Map of El Cerrito, California
How to Use This El Cerrito, California Map
This interactive map shows the street layout and satellite imagery for El Cerrito, California. Use the Map and Satellite buttons above to switch between street map and aerial imagery views. Use the + and − buttons to zoom in or out, or scroll your mouse wheel while holding the Control key to zoom. On a touchscreen, use a two-finger pinch gesture. Drag the map to pan to any area of California or beyond.
Click ⛶ Fullscreen to expand the map to fill your screen. To return to the normal page view, press the Escape key, click the ✕ Exit Fullscreen button that appears above the map, or on a mobile device tap the back button (Android) or the close icon (iOS).
TOPO MAPS — NEW. Click the green 🔍 Search Maps button below the map to open a second map with a Base map row offering three choices. OSM is the standard OpenStreetMap street map. Topo shows the official USGS topographic maps from The National Map — contours, hydrography, land cover and shaded relief, the same mapping used for hiking, hunting and back-country navigation in the Adirondacks, the Catskills and the Finger Lakes. Imagery shows USGS aerial photography, mostly 1-metre NAIP. The search box finds any US town, county or landmark by name, so you are not limited to El Cerrito.
Reading the map like a paper quad. Click Grid to overlay the U.S. National Grid (USNG), labelled along the edges exactly as a printed topographic sheet is — at normal zoom the squares are one kilometre across, so you can read a six-figure grid reference by eye and judge distance directly off the map. Click Measure, then tap two points, to get the distance between them together with the grid bearing in degrees and mils, the true bearing, and the magnetic bearing to set on a compass.
Click 📍 My position to take a single GPS reading from your device. It marks where you are and reports your position as a USNG grid reference as well as plain latitude and longitude — USNG being the format FEMA and US search and rescue teams work from — with a Copy position button so you can paste it straight into a text message. It takes one reading and stops, rather than tracking continuously, to conserve your battery. Note that map tiles need cell coverage, but a GPS reading does not — your coordinates stay correct even where the map itself cannot load.
| City | El Cerrito |
| State | California (CA) |
| County | Contra Costa County |
| Country | United States of America |
| Timezone | Pacific Time (America/Los_Angeles) |
| Latitude | 33.840572 |
| Longitude | -117.522825 |
| Population | 5,058 |
| Density | 748.2 /km² |
| Incorporated | N/A |
| ZIP Codes | 92881, 94530 |
| Area Code | 949, 510 |
| County Seat | Martinez |
| School District | Corona-Norco Unified School District |
About El Cerrito, California
El Cerrito is a locality in Contra Costa County, California, United States. It has a population of approximately 5,058. The population density is 748.2 people per km². El Cerrito is located at 33.8406°N, 117.5228°W. It observes the Pacific Time (America/Los_Angeles) timezone. ZIP codes: 92881, 94530.El Cerrito rises from the landscape as a series of slopes that catch the salt-heavy breezes drifting in from the Pacific Ocean just one mile to the west. It lies 2.1 miles north-northwest of Albany, CA (from Albany, CA: bearing 339°T), and is situated 8.0 miles north-northwest of Oakland. The terrain hums with the quiet energy of the Coast Ranges, which loom thirty-three miles away as a hazy silhouette against the eastern sky. Residents often walk the paths of Mendocino Park, where the afternoon fog moves through the trees with a soft, persistent grace. The waters of Cerrito Creek trace a path through the neighborhood, carrying the cool runoff toward the coast, while the distant, calm silhouette of Brooks Island remains a constant marker on the horizon. Even on the brightest days, the air carries a crisp, oceanic edge that reminds those living in El Cerrito of their proximity to the vast, shifting tides of the world beyond.
El Cerrito evolved from its early days as a quiet crossroads into a place defined by the steady pulse of regional commerce and the rhythmic movement of commuters. The local economy draws its strength from a diverse mix of professional services and retail trade, serving as a vital link in the broader web of the San Francisco Bay Area. While the industrial footprint remains modest, the daily labor of the people keeps the local storefronts and public spaces vibrant and functional. History here is written in the architecture of older homes and the repurposed land that once supported simpler, agrarian pursuits before the arrival of modern transit lines. The nearby Summit Reservoir stands as a silent witness to the infrastructure that has long sustained the growth and stability of El Cerrito. Economic life here is less about grand monuments and more about the quiet, persistent effort of maintaining a functioning home for thousands of families.
Cultural life in El Cerrito reflects a blend of intellectual curiosity and the unpretentious character of a place that values its own internal rhythm. While the Northridge Trail offers a rigorous escape for those seeking the solitude of the outdoors, the local spirit is most evident in the libraries, schools, and community gatherings that define the weekly calendar. The town has occasionally been linked to notable figures like the novelist Philip K. Dick, who lived here while crafting his complex visions of reality. Residents often spend their weekends enjoying the interplay of light and shadow in the public parks, or simply observing the way the sunset transforms the sky over the distant landscape. There is a distinct, understated pride in the way the people of El Cerrito balance their daily responsibilities with an appreciation for the natural beauty that surrounds them. Life here moves with a steady, deliberate pace that honors the past while remaining firmly grounded in the present.
Nearby Outdoor Places
- El Cerrito Sports Park (Local Recreation) — 0.4 mi, 226° SW
- Chase Neighborhood Park (Local Park) — 1.1 mi, 264° W
- Citrus Community Park (Local Park) — 1.2 mi, 284° W
- Cleveland National Forest (National Forest) — 2.9 mi, 197° S · 426k acres
- Museum Barn Exhibit (Museum) — 3.1 mi, 276° W
- Mathews Dam (Monument) — 3.5 mi, 095° E
- Serrano Tanning Vats (Monument) — 4.8 mi, 154° SE
- Tanning Vats (Monument) — 4.8 mi, 154° SE
- Let it shine (Public Artwork) — 5.0 mi, 013° N
- Brandstater Gallery (Gallery) — 5.1 mi, 012° N
- World Museum of Natural History (Museum) — 5.1 mi, 013° N
- Live Music (Theatre) — 5.2 mi, 157° SE
- Cowboy Gunfighters Show (Theatre) — 5.3 mi, 157° SE
- Magic Show (Attraction) — 5.3 mi, 036° NE
- Ghost Blasters (Attraction) — 5.4 mi, 037° NE
- Prado Reservoir (Recreation Area) — 5.5 mi, 316° NW
- Five Points Intersection (Attraction) — 5.8 mi, 020° N
- Chudzikowski Home Site (Historic Ruins) — 6.1 mi, 021° N
- Pumpkin Rock (Viewpoint) — 6.3 mi, 003° N
- KSRT-AM (Orange) (Historic Ruins) — 6.8 mi, 263° W
- Stone Fort (Attraction) — 7.2 mi, 006° N
- Chino Hills State Park (State Park) — 7.7 mi, 294° NW
- Irvine Ranch Open Space (Local Recreation) — 8.0 mi, 267° W
- Coal Canyon Ecological Reserve (State Conservation Area) — 8.6 mi, 271° W
- Hidden Valley Wildlife Area (Nature Reserve) — 8.8 mi, 006° N
- Southern California Medical Museum (Museum) — 11.1 mi, 041° NE
- San Bernardino National Forest (National Forest) — 15.8 mi, 073° E · 683k acres
- San Mateo Canyon Wilderness (Wilderness Area) — 16.0 mi, 157° SE · 40k acres
- San Gabriel Mountains National Monument (National Monument) — 24.2 mi, 338° N · 454k acres
- Cucamonga Wilderness (Wilderness Area) — 25.6 mi, 353° N · 13k acres
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About This El Cerrito Map Page
This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of El Cerrito, California. Coordinates: 33.840572, -117.522825. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service. Real-time local and world news feeds keep the page current.
Detailed location data for El Cerrito includes the ZIP code (92881, 94530), telephone area code (949, 510), county seat of Contra Costa County (Martinez), and school district assignment (Corona-Norco Unified School District).
Search Maps opens a second, independent map. It searches OpenStreetMap for any US town, county or landmark by name; offers USGS topographic maps and USGS aerial imagery as base layers; overlays a labelled U.S. National Grid (USNG) so the map can be read like a printed topographic quad; measures distance and grid, true and magnetic bearings between any two points; and takes a single GPS fix reporting your position as a USNG grid reference and as latitude and longitude. Map tiles require cell coverage, but a GPS position does not, so the coordinates remain correct even where the map cannot load.
Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.
| Page generated | September 2026 |
| Location data | SimpleMaps US Cities Database; coordinates matched to USGS GNIS definitive data |
| Map layers | Google Maps; © OpenStreetMap contributors; USGS The National Map topographic and aerial imagery (public domain); magnetic declination from NOAA NCEI (World Magnetic Model) |
| Wikipedia validation | Article content matched to USGS GNIS coordinates via Wikipedia geosearch API. |
