Vallejo highlight
Historic waterfront
Mare Island Naval Shipyard, established in 1854 as the first permanent U.S. naval installation on the west coast, shaped Vallejo's economy for over 140 years before closing in 1995.
Mare Island is a peninsula in Vallejo, about 3.5 miles long and a mile wide, separated from the mainland by the Napa River. The Mare Island Naval Shipyard was established on September 16, 1854, after the Navy selected the location for being free from ocean gales and natural disasters. It became the first permanent U.S. naval installation on the Pacific Coast and grew into one of the region's largest employers, with 5,800 workers at its peak during peacetime and nearly 50,000 during World War II.
The shipyard built and repaired naval vessels throughout the 20th century, including submarines, destroyers and aircraft carriers. When Congress approved its closure in 1993, the shipyard was still a significant employer. The facility ceased military operations during the 1995 base closure cycle, ending a 141-year presence that had defined Vallejo's identity and economy. Today, the island is being redeveloped as a mixed-use community with housing, parks and waterfront access.
Families in Vallejo have watched their waterfront transform across generations: ancestors who worked in the shipyard, grandparents who knew the Navy years, and today's residents building new chapters on the same water. That continuity—knowing what came before and planning for what comes next—is what life insurance is for. A term policy sized to a mortgage, a child's education, and the years until independence gives families the same security their ancestors found in the places they built.