El Cerrito is a city in Contra Costa County , California , United States , and forms part of the San Francisco Bay Area . It has a population of 23,549 according to the 2010 census . El Cerrito was founded by refugees from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake . It was incorporated in 1917 as a village with 1,500 residents . As of the census in 2000 , there were 23,171 people , 10,208 households and 5,971 families in the city . The top 20 employers in the city , according to the 2013 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report , include such entities as the West Contra Costa Unified School District , the City of El Cerrito , Lucky Stores , Pastime ACE Hardware , and Honda of El Cerrito
1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
El Cerrito, California