El Cerrito means “the little hill” in Spanish. But the hill behind the name is not the ridgeline that rises above the city today. It is nearby Albany Hill, once known as Cerrito de San Antonio. When residents incorporated El Cerrito in 1917, they replaced an earlier name — Rust — with one drawn from this local landmark.
That choice gave the new city a name rooted in the landscape. More than a century later, the same story also inspired the name Little Hill Real Estate.
What was El Cerrito called before 1917?
Around the turn of the 20th century, the area that became El Cerrito was not yet one city. San Pablo Avenue was the main route through a landscape of dairies, chicken farms, and small settlements, and most local roads were still unpaved.
One of the central figures in the growing community was Wilhelm F. Rust, a German immigrant who operated a blacksmith shop and later a hardware store. In 1909, the area’s first post office opened inside that store, with Rust serving as postmaster. People began calling the settlement Rust, and the name stuck.
Growth accelerated after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, when people crossed the Bay in search of new places to live. By 1917, the area had an estimated 1,500 residents — but no municipal fire or police protection, leading to incorporation and rapid growth over subsequent decades.
Why did Rust become El Cerrito?
Incorporation was a practical decision. Becoming a city allowed residents to raise revenue for services, road paving, and local government. According to the city’s history, early license fees from the community’s nearly 20 saloons helped fund its first employees and other needs.
Residents also wanted a new name. They chose El Cerrito, looking to the prominent hill just south of the community. Today that landmark is called Albany Hill, while Cerrito Creek — named for the hill — forms part of the boundary between Albany and El Cerrito.
The geography makes the story slightly unexpected: El Cerrito’s namesake now sits in another city. But the hill, creek, and city names took shape before today’s municipal boundaries made those relationships seem unusual.
Why does “The Little Hill” still matter?
The name connects El Cerrito to a visible feature of the local landscape and to the moment several growing settlements became one city. It is a compact history of place: a hill gave its name to a creek, then to a city.
It also explains the name behind Little Hill Real Estate. After Rachel Melby moved to El Cerrito in 2015, she began documenting the trails, views, and everyday details that helped her connect with the community. She called the project The Little Hill.
For a closer look at the city today — including its homes, streets, transit and outdoor spaces — explore our El Cerrito community guide.
