Martinez highlight
Contra Costa County seat
Martinez has been the seat of county government since 1850, when the county was founded; the city was incorporated on April 1, 1876.
The County Administration Building sits at the heart of downtown Martinez, where county courts, county departments and the Board of Supervisors conduct the official business of governing over a million residents across Contra Costa County. Martinez became the county seat when the county itself was formed in 1850, just months after California entered the Union in the aftermath of the Mexican-American War. The city takes its name from Ygnacio Martínez, a Californio rancher whose land was chosen for the purpose.
The downtown has retained its early 20th-century character and walkability, with a compact grid of streets radiating from the county offices and a mix of shops, services and restaurants within a short walk. The architecture includes buildings from the 1880s and 1890s alongside more recent construction, creating a living record of the city's growth from a Gold Rush-era way station to a small city in its own right.
A household in Martinez includes families whose finances depend on county workers, small-business owners serving the downtown, and people managing mortgages on a modest scale compared to larger Bay Area cities. Planning for them means knowing what the loss of one income would mean: a mortgage that could be paid off, children who would need schooling and care, or a small business that depends on a key person. A fixed-term life policy matches that need with clarity.