People of Richmond: What do you love about your city?

“People of Richmond” is a regular series in which reporters pose a question to people in the community. Answers are presented verbatim, though sometimes edited for brevity.

Q: What do you like most about living in Richmond?

“I love being right on the water, I love that wherever I go I’m close to the water. I do the Bay Trail a lot, I live on the Bay Trail. I love watching the wildlife change through the seasons and I love watching how the waterways are getting cleaner and cleaner because of some policies in Richmond to have these strainers put up in the water flow areas to keep the trash out. I think I like that there’s so much consciousness around the environment, considering it’s like right next to Chevron.”

(Jeannette Chiappone, science writer)

_{“I have lived in Richmond since 2005, and what I love about Richmond is, we are resilient. You know, we are a community, and Richmond has gotten so much better. I work with children in this community, and I have an 18-year-old who says, ‘I used to be afraid to walk in Richmond, and now I don’t have to be afraid anymore.’ That says a lot.” (Jovanka Beckles, AC Transit director)}

_{“I like that it’s not overpopulated yet and that there is lot of availability of electric plugs for cars, since I drive an electric vehicle. It’s really nicer than its reputation.” (Aimee Benedict)}

_{“The food and the coffee shops around here are pretty good. There are some really good spots for Peruvian food out here, especially El Mono on San Pablo Avenue. The food is better compared to Vallejo, which is where I’m from.” (Javier Diaz)}

_{“Maybe just being so close to San Francisco. I really like going there.” (Emily Paraa, shop worker)}

“For me, I really appreciate the diversity. There are people here from all over the spectrum, all over, different backgrounds. And I grew up in the Bay Area, so for me, that’s what I need to feel at home. I feel more at ease when there are a lot of people of different races.”

(Tarnel Abbott, retired librarian)

_{“My favorite thing of living here must be the people. It could be a rough neighborhood, but you coexist with your neighbors, it makes it easier. They’re more community-oriented. People got each other’s back.” (Pedro Beltran)}

_{“It’s like living in a small town, Point Richmond. The weather is great, people are really nice, there’s good businesses, it’s got a great doggy park.” (Patrick Crowley, painter)}

_{“The weather. Most people say that. It’s not too cold, not too hot. Also the parks. I bring my grandkids to the parks — three generations.” (Eugenio Gutierrez, retired roofer)}

_{“I like the diversity and the people. Beautiful people here.” (Danielle Presti, musician)}

People of Richmond: What should the city do to attract businesses?