How the City Got Its Name

From the El Cerrito Historical Society

Our city's name is a direct reference to the hill that today we call Albany Hill. The name is Spanish and it means "the little hill."

The Fages expedition of Spanish explorers came through the East Bay area in 1772, and the journal of the expedition notes that on March 27 they camped on the banks of a creek near the the base of a small hill. In those days Albany Hill was a very prominent landmark.

The accompanying map, said to be from 1830, shows the hill and calls it, in the Spanish of the day, "The little hill of St. Anthony." The people of Albany considered using the name Cerrito but decided against, thus leaving the name available for the citizens of today's El Cerrito when they voted to incorporate in 1917.