Blackhawk is a suburb in Contra Costa County, California. It is situated to the east of Danville and Oakland in the San Francisco East Bay. Blackhawk occupies an area of over 9 square miles. Blackhawk is recognized for its unvarying McMansion architecture and suburban standard of living. Blackhawk was a Ranch, established in 1917 by Ansel Mills Easton and his son-in-law William Q. Ward. The name Blackhawk came from a well-known Irish racehorse of the same name that was once owned by the Easton's family.