East Bay Express: The small town of Byron is one of the last rural outposts of the East Bay. While its neighbors in east Contra Costa County -- Brentwood, Oakley, and Antioch -- have grown rapidly over the years, Byron has more or less stayed the same. "By Nebraska standards we're not rural, but by California standards we're very rural," said Cathy Leighton, a local historian whose family has lived in the small town for seven generations. "Most people here have a horse in their backyard."
Yet while Byron might...