Community Information

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Located in the East San Francisco Bay area, Alamo is a small community situated between Walnut Creek, Danville, Mt. Diablo and Las Trampas Peak. Contra Costa County’s second oldest township, Alamo offers a unique combination of country estate living & small town atmosphere with close proximity to urban conveniences like shopping, restaurants & public transportation. Alamo is an unincorporated town; meaning county supervisors from the county seat in Martinez govern it.

Homes in Alamo are a mix of beautiful custom estates, ranch homes, horse properties and contemporary homes on generally bigger than average Bay area lot. Partly because of these qualities, Alamo is considered home for many business owners, physicians, professional athletes, executives and leaders of bay area industry.

There is plenty of recreational opportunity in Alamo. In addition to the area’s two public parks, there are miles of equestrian trails that connect the surrounding area neighborhoods, Las Trampas ridge, Mt. Diablo and the Bay Area ridgeline trail system.

Students in Alamo attend the nationally awarded and highly ranked San Ramon Valley Unified School District. Strongly supported by parents and the community, these students turn in achievement test scores, which consistently rank in the top percentiles among California schools.

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Antioch

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Antioch, the oldest city in Contra Costa County, is now famous for new homes. In the last decade, the delta town built about 7200 residential units, the majority of them single family homes.

Antioch is about 50 miles from San Francisco. Bart has opened stations in North Concord and Bay Point (near Pittsburg). These stations and improvements to Highway 4 have helped move traffic.

Antioch's newest High School, Deer Valley High, has above average scores.

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Bay Point

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Bay Point is a community in change. In 1993, West Pittsburg citizens voted to change the name of their town to Bay Point. The 1980's saw the population double. With the addition of a new Bart station and many new homes, the 90's promised to bring more changes to this East Contra Costa community.

See Pittsburg for more information.

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Blackhawk

Blackhawk is an unincorporated area located in Contra Costa County, east of Danville. The United States Census Bureau combines Blackhawk with the adjoining Tassajara area to form the census-designated place of Blackhawk-Camino Tassajara, and all census data are tabulated for this combined entity.

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Brentwood

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Brentwood has a rich agricultural heritage that is increasingly succumbing to residential development. There are many "U-Pick" farms that are fun to visit. Rapidly changing into a bedroom community. Close to miles of Rivers and Waterways used for boating, fishing, water skiing, etc. Brentwood also celebrates an annual Cornfest.

Brentwood has a lot of new housing developments. The Vasco Road expansion makes for an easier commute to Livermore.

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Clayton

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Clayton is located just East of Concord at the base of Mt. Diablo and gives the feel of plenty of open space.

A family town with lots of activities for kids. For decades Clayton has favored homes a cut above the going market trend and slightly larger with more amenities.

Clayton started out as a stagecoach stop and mining center which has one of the lowest crime rates in the county.

Clayton has its own Library & Post Office downtown.

Clayton is proud of its Italian restaurant, La Veranda, Ed's Mudville Grill and the best pizza around, Skipolini's.

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Concord

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Concord is Contra Costa's most populous city with thousands of white collar jobs downtown. In 1994, Concord was rated with zero population growth and as the second best city in the state for raising children.

In 1992, California State University, Hayward opened a satellite campus on Ygnacio Valley Road.

Concord is loaded with activities which include water slides, pools, 19 parks, 12 playgrounds, golf courses, community centers and numerous fitness clubs.

Located in West Concord is the giant shopping mall, Sun Valley with such stores as Sears, Penny's, Macy's, H&M, Gap, Victoria's Secret and so much more.

Concord has 16 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, and 4 high schools, not to mention 14 private schools.

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Danville

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For over 130 years, Danville's history has been one of change and growth. Often referred to as the "Heart of the San Ramon Valley.

Our Community with a population of approximately 43,250, Danville is known for its small-town atmosphere and its outstanding quality of life.

Danville's weather boasts nearly 300 days of sunshine every year. A great place for weddings, birthday parties, and special celebrations and with a small-town atmosphere. This coming summer enjoy our Music in the park concert series. OR, bring the whole family to enjoy Arts on the Green. Just click on the link below to check the calendar for the upcoming events.

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Lafayette

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Lafayette projects its uniqueness in many ways; diverse topography, small town atmosphere, access to a variety of recreational activities and established neighborhoods. Throughout the community, from downtown districts to hidden valleys, there is an obvious emphasis on preservation of the natural surroundings. Lafayette is located on the North and South sides of Highway 24 with Mt. Diablo Boulevard being the main thouroughfare through town.

Lafayette is considered to be one of the most prestigious towns in the East Bay. The school rankings are very high. Residents strongly support education through a local foundation, which raises thousands of dollars for schools and arts. The community is a mix of trendy and traditional with a variety of fine restaurants. The Lafayette Reservoir, a favorite place for joggers, is also used for boating and fishing. St. Mary's College and UC Berkeley offer opportunities for enjoyment of cultural and sporting events.

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Martinez

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Martinez became a city in 1876. After the California Gold Rush, Martinez grew as a thriving fishing community and a major shipping port of grain from the central valley. Then, in 1915, Shell Oil settled in Martinez Making it a center of industrial activity.

Today Martinez has maintained the historic small town ambiance of the downtown while its major industries (government, medical and oil-related) continued to grow. Martinez is committed to serving business and commercial development as a top priority and they pledge to work with new and existing business and foster an environment conducive to business growth.

In recent years, Martinez unified residents passed bonds and the school district sold surplus land to build a new elementary school and rebuild every school in the town.

Martinez has 6 elementary schools, one middle school and two high schools all with average scores.

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Oakley

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Formerly a tiny community of farm owners and workers, Oakley's modest home prices have attracted young families in droves, increasing its population sixfold in the past decade. Fishing, boating, water sports, wine festival, Holy Ghost Festival, Almond Festival. Oakley became a city on July 1, 1999.

Oakley has a lot of new housing subdivisions. Oakley has older homes and homes with land too.

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Orinda

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The city is nestled in a valley on the East side of Oakland/Berkeley Hills and offers its residents a serene setting in contrast to an urban existance. With its close prximity to San Francisco and the aesthetic beauty of its tree-covered hillsides, the value of the property in Orinda Exceeds that of most Contra Costa County communities.

The scholastic scores achieved by the students in the Orinda school system reflect the strong emphasis that is placed on education. Cultural events offered by Berkeley, the yearly Shakespeare Festival held in Orinda and Tilden Regional Park provide many opportunities for the residents of Orinda to enjoy. With its beauty, easy commute and excellent schools, Orinda is a wonderful place to live.

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Pacheco

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Pacheco is a small town located between Martinez and Pleasant Hill. The population is only about 3,325.

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Pittsburg

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The area known as Pittsburg was originally a mexican government land grant established in 1839 and was named New York of the Pacific by Colonel J.D. Stevenson. A native of New York, Stevenson designed the town whose name was later shortened to New York Landing.

The town was renamed Black Diamond in 1903 following the discovery of coal in the hills three miles south of town.

In those days the city thrived on fishing and canning. In 1906 Columbia Geneva Steel was founded and on February 11, 1911 the city's residents voted to change the name to Pittsburg after the eastern birthplace of the steel industry. The "H" was dropped for simplified spelling.

Pittsburg has seen many changes and is now a thriving community of 50,000+. The city is determined to achieve sound planned business and commercial development and also a good "quality of life" for residents.

Steady growth in the economy, the existance of affordable housing, the outstanding and expanding marina facility and the city's extensive parks and recreation system are all proof that Pittsburg is meeting the challenge.

Pittsburg has Los Medanos College. Pittsburg has convenient location to Highway 4 and the newer Bart station.

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Pleasant Hill

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The area that is now the City of Pleasant Hill grew from farmland into a bedroom community during World War II. Residents voted to incorporate in 1961.

Early on, community leaders expressed concerns about the deteriorated condition of many properties developed decades before around the intersection of Contra Costa Boulevard and Monument Boulevard, two main roadways through the community.

At the same time, it was envisioned that this central area could be transformed into a focal point of community identity, providing a gathering place for residents and strengthening the community’s “sense of place.”

The early 1970’s, the City explored various ways to achieve its vision and, in 1974, adopted the Pleasant Hill Commons Redevelopment Plan for the area, as authorized by the state Community Redevelopment Law.

The Redevelopment Plan provided a framework for future decisions about the type and amount of new development to be allowed, put into place the administrative powers needed to implement the plan, and established the financial resource of property tax increment revenue to fund public improvements and subsidize private sector redevelopment efforts.

The goals of the Redevelopment Plan were strongly supported by the citizens of Pleasant Hill. However, it would be nearly twenty-five years before a new downtown, fulfilling these dreams, would be born.

The first design concepts prepared for the 129-acre redevelopment project area were for a suburban, low-rise, campus-style development of offices and retail uses interspersed with large green spaces, encircling a central lake.

However, with little property tax increment revenue in the early years, the City Council, sitting as the Redevelopment Agency, was unable to financially support such large-scale projects. As a result, for a number of years only smaller, individual redevelopment projects were undertaken, around the edges of the redevelopment project area, while the 33-acre core area was reserved for the “dream” project.

In the early 1980’s, with easy money from the deregulated Savings & Loan industry, many developers wanted to build high-rise hotels and office buildings, and many community residents believed that such high intensity development of the core area would be necessary to fund the high costs of redevelopment. One large floorplate, six-story office building was approved and constructed in the core area.

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Rossmoor

Rossmoor is a nationally recognized and award winning senior adult community located in the picturesque 2,200-acre Tice Valley area of Walnut Creek. Surrounded by acres of open space, this community is only two miles from downtown Walnut Creek, and 25 miles from downtown San Francisco.

Development of the community began in 1963, and today, there are approximately 6,700 residential units in three cooperatives, 12 condominium and one single-family home developments(referred to as Homeowner Associations or HOAs)

Forty percent of the homes are garden-style duplexes to four-plexes, and the remaining are either mid-to-high-rise, and one area of 68 individual single-family homes. Homes vary in price from low $100,000's for some cooperatives to over $1 million for the single-family homes and garden style condominiums. At least one resident must be 55 years of age or older to live in a home in Rossmoor.

San Ramon

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Today San Ramon is a dynamic young city, one of California's outstanding urban villages. It has a variety of homes, parks and stores and a major employment center --- all in a setting of remarkable beauty.

It was once home to the Seunen Indians, Ohlone/Costanoans who lived adjacent to the valley creeks. After 1797 it was Mission San Jose grazing land; later it included Jose Maria Amador's 16,000 plus acre Rancho San Ramon. San Ramon Creek was named after an Indian vaquero, Ramon, who tended mission sheep here. In an 1855 land title case, Don Amador explained that "San" was added to the creek's name to conform to Spanish custom.

American settlers first came to San Ramon in 1850 when Leo and Mary Jane Norris purchased 4,450 acres of land from Amador. Other early landowners were William Lynch, James Dougherty, and Major Samuel Russell. In 1852 Joel and Minerva Harlan bought land from Norris and built a house on what became the Alameda-Contra Costa County line in 1853.

Many of San Ramon's founding families are remembered today because their names grace various canyons, hills and streets. Some of these pioneers were Norris, Lynch, Harlan, McCamley, Crow, Bollinger, Meese, Glass, and Wiedemann. Both the Harlan home (1858) at 19251 San Ramon Valley Blvd. and the Wiedemann home (1865) near Norris Canyon still stand in their original locations. The Glass House (1877) has been moved to Forest Home Farms.

San Ramon had several names in the nineteenth century. It was called Brevensville (for blacksmith Eli Breven), Lynchville (for William Lynch) and Limerick (for the many Irish settlers). The first village developed at the intersection of today's Deerfield Road and San Ramon Valley Blvd. In 1873 when a permanent post office was finally established, it was called San Ramon.

During the 1860s the village became a hub of community activity. In 1864 a stage line established by Brown and Co. ran from San Ramon through the valley to Oakland. A church was dedicated in 1860, the general store was built in 1863 and students left their home-based classrooms to attend the San Ramon Grammar School beginning in 1867. Saloons, a jail, Chinese washhouses and blacksmith shops lined County Road No. 2 (later San Ramon Valley Blvd.). With the arrival of the San Ramon Branch Line of the Southern Pacific in 1891, other changes took place. The name "San Ramon" permanently replaced references to "Limerick." Crops and passengers could travel in and out of the area, no matter what the weather.

Until 1909 San Ramon was the terminus for the line and boasted a two-story depot, the engine house and a turnaround for the locomotive.

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Walnut Creek

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Walnut Creek was first known as "The Corners" -- where the two roads leading from Pacheco and Lafayette converged. Today those "corners" are at the intersection of Mt. Diablo Boulevard and North Main Street. The area's first settler was William Slusher, a squatter who built the first roofed abode on the bank of what was then known as "Nuts Creek" in 1849 (in the area of Liberty Bell Plaza).

In 1855, Milo Hough of Lafayette decided to develop The Corners and built a hotel called the "Walnut Creek House." A blacksmith shop and a store were soon built nearby. A year later, Hiram Penniman (who would later build the ranch house now used as the Shadelands Ranch Historical Museum) laid out the first town site and realigned what is now Main Street.

Growth in Walnut Creek accelerated with the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1891. By March 1913, regular passenger and freight service was operating between Walnut Creek and Oakland. The popularity of train travel waned quickly, however, and as a result, regular commuter railroad service ended in 1934.

The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system, approved by Bay Area voters in1962, returned train travel to Walnut Creek, where a BART station was established at Ygnacio Valley Road and Interstate 680 in 1973. The block of 146 small, post-World War II houses to the north of the BART station was gradually converted for mid-rise office buildings and became known as the "Golden Triangle.

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