Banta, California

Banta is a small unincorporated town in San Joaquin County, California. Historically, it was a major interchange point between the Central Pacific and Southern Pacific railroads. It was located on the route of the transcontinental railroad from Sacramento to the San Francisco Bay Area by way of the Altamont Pass and Niles Canyon before the Central Pacific bought the route of the California Pacific which ran north of the Carquinez Strait to Vallejo. The Central Pacific diverted the California Pacific line to Benicia, California and established a railroad ferry between Benicia and Port Costa across the Carquinez Strait. Steve Perry, former lead singer of the band Journey, once called Banta his home. His Alien Project rock group formed here in the mid 1970's. The ZIP Code is 95304, and the community is inside area code 209.

Landmarks

Banta's historical sites include the Banta Inn, established in 1879 [http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~jlin/lincoln/papers/tribune/ghosts.html] . The Inn is well known in the area because some local residents believe it to be haunted [http://carpenoctem.tv/haunt/ca/] .

Notable residents

* Steve Perry - Former Singer of the Rock Band Journey.

Politics

In the state legislature Banta is located in the 5th Senate District, represented by Democrat Michael Machado, and in the 17th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Cathleen Galgiani. Federally, Banta is located in California's 18th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +3 [cite web | title = Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest? | publisher = Campaign Legal Center Blog | url=http://www.clcblog.org/blog_item-85.html | accessdate = 2008-02-10] and is represented by Democrat Dennis Cardoza.

External links