The City of Vallejo was founded as California’s first state capitol in 1850 and named for one of the state’s pre-eminent native sons, a Mexican military officer, General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, whose land much of the original city was built upon.

Vallejo’s multicultural diversity began earlier in Vallejo than in other California cities. Many Filipinos settled in the area in the 1920s after the Spanish-American War and the Filipino Insurrection. The Navy’s presence at Mare Island attracted military and civilian personnel from all over who eventually settled in Vallejo. Their families and descendants remain a rich and vibrant part of the fabric of Vallejo, making the city one of the most culturally diverse in all of Northern California.