R. Shay Miles
Mar 30, 2025
What if Vallejo wasn’t just remembered for its past, but reimagined for its future?
City of Vallejo, California: Founded in 1851; Incorporated on March 30, 1968
For 174 years, Vallejo has sought to be a city of opportunity. But in today’s competitive economic landscape, opportunity doesn’t come to cities that wait — it’s built by cities that transform.
On March 30, 1868, Vallejo was officially incorporated. But even before then, its story was one of pioneering significance — from serving as California's first state capital in 1850 to becoming the first U.S. naval shipyard on the West Coast with Mare Island in 1854. These historical milestones reflect strategy, innovation, and strategic relevance. But if history is our inheritance, what will be our legacy?
So What Now?
In 2025, we must move beyond nostalgia. Let’s reimagine Vallejo — and the greater Solano County region — not as a “someday” city, but as a force multiplier:
An economic powerhouse
A destination for investors
A community-led regeneration success story
A sustainable and scalable model for other cities
In this pivotal moment, we must ask: How do we activate Vallejo/Solano County as a regenerative, competitive, and opportunity-rich region? What would it take to re-create a city that attracts investment, drives impact, and truly works for everyone?
Shaping Vallejo's Brand: A Vision for the Future
Think of the resonance behind names like Napa Valley or Silicon Valley. What if Golden Gateway or Maritime Valley or The Origin Belt evoked that same powerful brand identity for Vallejo/Solano County that leads with value? That’s the level of brand affinity we must now build.
Just as Silicon Valley evokes innovation and Napa Valley conjures wine country, to do the same for Vallejo/Solano County's economic, innovation, and cultural significance, we must commit to:
✅ Investment Attraction through a bold vision aligned with sustainable development goals (SDGs) to showcase Vallejo and Solano’s unique competitive advantages.
✅ Collaborative Development Success by co-creating with residents and aligning systems thinkers, civic leaders, and stakeholders around a shared economic development strategy and roadmap that delivers on equity, opportunity, and viability.
✅ Future Growth Opportunities by adapting to economic trends, cultivating homegrown talent, and forming meaningful partnerships and infrastructure rooted in community needs and designed for long-term regional resilience.
The Outside-In Strategy That Drives Supercommunities
True growth begins when communities invest in themselves and transformation happens when we treat regeneration as both a systems challenge and a human one. This means:
Investing in people, not just property
Designing for inclusion and wealth-building
Centering social return on investment alongside fiscal metrics
A Regional Advantage Waiting to Be Unlocked
Solano Economic Development Corporation has elevated the narrative that our county is uniquely positioned for industry growth — spotlighting the region as a smart alternative for companies scaling beyond major metro areas.
But what does that mean for Vallejo’s identity? Are we seizing this moment to define our niche? Are we equipping our city with the brand identity and development infrastructure needed to lead in a shifting economy? And how do we ensure that the residents — the real heart of this city — see long-term benefits?
Closing the Loop: Community-Led, Purpose-Driven
Cities that lead with vision and values will be the cities that are invested in. And that is where Vallejo must place its stake in the future. If we want to compete in the economy of the future, we must design for more than GDP — we must design for community well-being, ownership, and legacy.
Our task is clear: we must build Vallejo’s brand not just as a place, but as a promise — one rooted in regeneration, resilience, and relevance.
Because the truth is: our greatest economic asset is our dynamic people — the resident visionaries, thought leaders, and community-doers.
Let this anniversary of Vallejo's incorporation not be just a reflection of our past — but a bold step into our collective future. It’s time to rebuild Vallejo not just as a city, but as a shared vision realized.