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Livermore, California

Livermore is a city in Alameda County, California. With a 2020 population of 87,955, Livermore is the most populous city in the Tri-Valley, giving its name to the Livermore Valley. It is located on the eastern edge of California's San Francisco Bay Area, making it the easternmost city in the area. The current mayor is John Marchand.

Livermore was platted and registered on November 4, 1869, as a railroad town by William Mendenhall and named for Robert Livermore, Mendenhall's friend and a local rancher who settled in the area in the 1840s. It is the home of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, for which the chemical element livermorium is named (and thus, placing the city's name in the periodic table). It is also the California site of Sandia National Laboratories, which is headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Its south side is home to local vineyards, and its downtown district is being redeveloped.

The United States Census Bureau defines an urban area of Tri-Valley-area cities, with Livermore as the principal city: the Livermore–Pleasanton–Dublin, CA urban area had a 2020 population of 240,381, making it the 167th largest in the United States.

Pre-Contact
The valley and upland areas, where contemporary Livermore is located, was home to Chochenyo speaking peoples. As a group, these people are considered Ohlone Costonoan with distinct cultural affiliation in contrast to and closely bordering the Bay Miwok to the north and the Valley Yokuts to the east. Four tribelets, the Yulien, Ssaoam, Ssouyn, and the Pelnen occupied the valley floor with territory extending into the hills. Semi-permanent villages were located near water drainages at the valley floor within the current urban limits of Livermore with seasonal camps in the surrounding uplands.

1700s
A Spanish expedition led by Pedro Fages skirted the western edge of Livermore Valley in 1772. Shortly afterwards, the Spanish Mission of San Jose was founded in 1797 on the slopes of what is modern day Fremont. Mission San Jose viewed the people and land stretching to the east as under their control. Livermore Valley was called the Valley of San Jose by the Friars and actively recruited native peoples of the valley into the mission system. In contrast, the valley was also used as a staging area for raids on Mission San Jose by neighboring tribes in this early period and beyond.

1800s
During the first seven years of the 1800s, five hundred and two individuals were baptized at Mission San Jose from the four tribelets in the Livermore Valley. In this time, Spanish military conducted raids throughout the East Bay using the valley as a natural corridor for movement. Deaths from measles outbreaks were recorded in Mission San Jose in 1806 which forced recruiting beyond the Livermore Valley and into the Altamont range. The Livermore-Amador Valley from 1800 to about 1837 was primarily used as grazing land for the Mission San Jose's growing herds of cattle, sheep and horses. The valley helped San Jose Mission emerge as one of the more wealthy Spanish enclaves. As a result of the secularization of the mission system, in 1839, two large ranchos were created that encompassed the Livermore Valley; Rancho Las Positas and Rancho Valle de San Jose. Many Native groups left the San Jose Mission during this period and reestablished themselves in communities in the East Bay, including the Livermore Valley. Because indigenous food resources there were depleted, they tried to support themselves by working as laborers. But as the population grew thanks to the Gold Rush and the workers on the railroad, it became more and more difficult to find work; by 1906, there were only 28 individuals left, and by 1914 most of the remaining population was gone.

Rancho Las Positas
Robert Livermore (1799-1858), the namesake of the town, was a British citizen who had jumped from a British merchant sailing ship stopping in Monterey, California. In 1839, the 48000 acre Rancho Las Positas grant, which includes most of Livermore, was made to ranchers Robert Livermore and Jose Noriega. Most land grants were given with little or no cost to the recipients.

In the early 1840s Livermore moved his family from the Sunol Valley to the Rancho Las Positas grant, as the second non-native family to settle in the Livermore valley area. In 1847, after the Americans took control of California and gold was discovered in 1848, he started making money by selling California longhorn cattle to the thousands of hungry California Gold Rush miners who soon arrived. The non-Indian population skyrocketed, and cattle were suddenly worth much more than the $1.00-$3.00 their hides could bring. Livermore's ranch became a popular "first day" stopping point for prospectors and businessmen leaving San Francisco or San Jose and headed for Sacramento and the Mother Lode gold country. Most horse traffic went by way of Altamont Pass just east of Livermore. Because Livermore would offer food and shelter to those passing by, the valley eventually became known as "Livermore's Valley", and is still known as the Livermore Valley today.

Founding of Livermore
Robert Livermore died in 1858. Livermore's founder, William Mendenhall, was another rancher who had set up in the Livermore valley. In 1869, he set aside 100 acres of his land for a townsite, creating a new town which he named Livermore, after his friend Robert Livermore. By that time, the valley had already become known as Livermore's Valley. He had first met Livermore while marching through the valley with John C. Fremont's California Battalion in 1846 as they were recruited to occupy the surrendering Californio towns captured by the U.S. Navy's Pacific Squadron. He also donated 20 acres of this land to the Western Pacific Railroad, which in September 1869 built rail nearby, placing a stop and a station on the land William Mendenhall had donated. The land for the tracks had already been signed over by Robert Livermore from bis ranch in 1855, as surveyors had determined it was the best place to build. The original railroad tracks went from Alameda Terminal to Sacramento over the nearby Altamont Pass in the east and Niles Canyon on the west. The first significant settlement in the valley had been Laddsville, a small settlement of about 75 which had grown up around the hotel established by Alponso Ladd around 1864. Because of the railroad and several fires, especially in 1871, Laddsville gradually merged into Livermore. The whole time, the railroad greatly accelerated Livermore's growth, and the town was officially incorporated by the state as a city on April 1, 1876.

Early Livermore
In the early days, the income of the town of Livermore mainly came from wheat. Some other contributors to the town's prosperity were coal and oil deposits in the surrounding hills. Coal was first found in Harrisville, and in 1875 the Livermore Coal Company was formed. Extensive deposits of coal were also mined in the nearby Corral Hollow, which was briefly the largest coal producer in California between 1895 and 1905. Another contributor was wine: Livermore's wine industry grew after the 1880s, and it became notable for wineries like Wente Vineyards, Concannon Vineyards, and Cresta Blanca Winery. Since it has a Mediterranean climate, gravelly soil, warm days and cool nights, it was a good location to grow wine grapes. By 1880 the wheat and barley fields were being replaced by vineyards. As well as the main products of the town, extensive chromite deposits were found nearby and exploited for a time. The Remillard Brick Company was also in Livermore in 1885, and was producing an extensive line of bricks and employing over 100 men.

Private grade schools were operating in Livermore from the 1860s on. The Livermore Collegiate Institute was founded in 1870, and Union High School (later called Livermore High School) graduated its first class of students in 1896. In 1871 Laddsville mostly burned down, and the people rebuilt their homes and businesses nearer the railroad in what is now downtown Livermore. There was an old bullfight ring that survived until at least 1870. By 1876 the town had grown and a fire company, churches, a bank, and a library were built. Livermore was officially incorporated by the state as a city in April 1876.

During Livermore's early years, before and after it was incorporated, it was well known for large hotels that graced the downtown street corners, before new buildings replaced them. A telephone line connected Livermore to Arroyo Valley by 1886, and electric lights were introduced by 1888. By 1890 Livermore had over 20 mi of streets. Livermore originally had a Boot Hill called the Old Knoll Cemetery. It was destroyed by natural disasters in the 1900s, then abandoned, and is now used by for athletics by a local high school.

1900s
During the late 19th century and early 20th century, the Livermore Valley attracted the creation of sanitariums due to the warm climate. From 1894 to 1960, the Livermore Sanitarium was in operation for the treatment of alcoholism and mental disorders; and from 1918 to around 1960, the Arroyo del Valle Sanitarium was in operation in the town for the treatment of tuberculosis.

In 1909, the Livermore Carnegie Library and Park opened, taking advantage of a Carnegie library grant. As the city grew and larger libraries were needed, other libraries were built, and the original site was converted into a historic center and park.

In 1942, the U.S. government bought 692 acre of ranch land, and built the Livermore Naval Air Station. The primary mission of the base was to train Navy pilots for World War II. This facility operated until it was decommissioned in 1946 after the end of the war. On January 5, 1951, the Bureau of Yards and Docks, U.S. Navy, formally transferred the former NAS Livermore in its entirety to the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) for use by the University of California's Radiation Laboratory. In 1952, the government established Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), named after physicist Ernest O. Lawrence, as the site of a second laboratory for the study of nuclear energy like the research being done at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The laboratory was run by the University of California. Edward Teller was a co-founder of LLNL and was both its director and associate director for many years. In 1956, the California campus of Sandia National Laboratories opened across East Avenue from LLNL. Both LLNL and Sandia are technically on U.S. government property just outside the city's jurisdiction limits, but with employment at LLNL at about 6,800 and Sandia/California at about 1,150 they are Livermore's largest employers.

A number of historic buildings from the 1800s were razed in the 1960s to build fast food and other modern structures in their place.

Geography

The Livermore Valley is located within the Diablo Range, one of several parts of the California Coast Ranges that surround the San Francisco Bay Area. The Livermore Valley has an east–west orientation with mountain passes on the west and east connecting the Bay Area and the Central Valley. The passes are used by railroads and highways to connect the two regions. Livermore Valley is about 15 mi long (east to west) and 10 mi wide (north to south).

Watercourses draining the city of Livermore include Arroyo Mocho, Arroyo Valle, Arroyo Seco and Arroyo Las Positas. The principal aquifer underlying the city is the Mocho Subbasin. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 25.2 sqmi, over 99% of it land. Several local seismic areas of activity lie near the city, including the Greenville Fault, Tesla Fault and the Livermore Fault.

The soil is primarily gravel with excellent drainage. The gravel is used in several gravel extraction sites outside the city. The gravelly soil and Mediterranean climate increases the flavor concentration in the grapes planted in the soil.

Climate
Livermore has a Mediterranean climate, although it is close to a semi-arid climate because of its relatively low annual precipitation, due to being in the rain shadow of the western portions of the Diablo Range. Livermore features hot, dry summers and mild to cool winters with occasional rainfall (Köppen climate classification Csa). The valley's passes direct the normal west to east flow of air through the valley. Usually there is a strong evening wind in the summer that brings cool air off the Pacific Ocean into the Livermore valley as it heads towards the much hotter Central Valley. This wind is strong enough with an average summer wind speed of about 9 mph and predictable enough to encourage the use of the wind turbines in the Altamont Pass between the cities of Livermore and Tracy. The period from June to September is extremely dry and is characterized by clear skies. On rare occasion, subtropical moisture occasionally surges into the Livermore Valley in the late summer. This can bring high humidity, monsoon clouds, and, much less commonly, thunderstorms.

Snow is very rare, but light dustings do occur on the surrounding hills and occasionally in the valley.

2010 Census
The 2010 United States Census reported that Livermore had a population of 80,968. The population density was 3,216.1 PD/sqmi. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.8%. 56,967 people (70.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 23,491 people (29.0%) lived in rental housing units.

According to the 2010 census information, Livermore is the third wealthiest midsize (between 65,000 and 249,999 people) city in the nation. In 2005, the median household income in Livermore was $96,632, which ranked it the third highest-income midsize city, behind only the California cities of Newport Beach ($97,428) and Livermore's western neighbor, Pleasanton ($101,022).

As of October 2019, there were 53,792 registered voters in Livermore; of these, 21,158 (39.93%) are Democrats, 15,061 (28.00%) are Republicans, and 14,499 (26.95%) are independents/decline to state.

Laboratories
The Livermore area is the home of two US Department of Energy National Laboratories. The laboratories are known worldwide, and attract significant attention both for their scientific research and for their major roles in developing the United States nuclear arsenal.

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is the largest employer in Livermore, as of 2022, employing about 15% of the population. LLNL's defining responsibility is to "ensure the safety, security and reliability of the nation’s nuclear deterrent," but it also does a wide variety of other research, including co-discovering livermorium.

Livermore is also the California site of Sandia National Laboratories, the second largest employer in Livermore (employing about 3%). It also describes itself as being focused on "national security". It is managed and operated by a subsidiary of Honeywell International.

i-GATE
In 2010, the two National Laboratories, along with other stakeholders, including the University of California, Berkeley, UC Davis, and regional cities, partnered to create the i-GATE (Innovation for Green Advanced Transportation Excellence) National Energy Systems Technology (NEST) Incubator, part of the Central Valley. The 15,000 sqft i-GATE NEST campus was created to stimulate large-scale, high-tech business development drawn by the two labs. Initial focus of the campus was solar energy, fuel cells, biofuels, LED lighting, and other related technologies. i-GATE shares its facilities with the hackerspace Robot Garden, which provides public access on weekends.

Wine
One of California's oldest wine regions, the Livermore Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA) played a pivotal role in shaping California's wine industry. In the 1840s, California pioneers looking for outstanding vineyard sites began planting grapes in the region. Robert Livermore planted the first commercial vines in the 1840s. After California joined the union as the 31st state in 1850, pioneer winemakers C. H. Wente, a first-generation immigrant from Germany (founder of Wente Vineyards), James Concannon, a first generation Irishman (founder of Concannon Vineyard), and Charles Wetmore, a Portland, Maine-born pioneer of California (founder of Cresta Blanca Winery), recognized the area's winegrowing potential and bought land, planted grapes and founded their wineries in the 1880s.

Charles Wetmore went to France in 1878 when he was appointed a delegate for the California Viticultural Association to the Paris Exposition. Wetmore was able in 1882 to obtain Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscat de Bordelais cuttings from one of the most prestigious vineyards in France, Chateau Yquem. These superior clones helped revitalize the California wine industry. In 1889 Wetmore won the grand prize for his first pressing (1884) in the 1889 Paris Exposition. Wetmore shared these cuttings with other growers, including C. H. Wente, who used the Chateau Yquem grape cuttings to eventually produce their Chateau Wente wine.

Top employers
According to the city's 2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in Livermore are:

Gillig Corporation, a large manufacturer of buses, moved its factory to Livermore in May 2017 and, at the time of the move, the company estimated its employment at the new facility to be 800 initially and 850 after the filling of then-open positions.

Livermore's largest employers, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratory are United States Department of Energy National Laboratories, located inside the city limits since 2011, and are included in the above table.

Architectural Glass and Aluminum moved its headquarters to Livermore in 2013, with 80 employees. They expanded and changed to 100% employee ownership in 2015.

Arts and culture

Livermore's culture retains some vestiges of the farming, winegrowing and ranching traditions that have existed in the valley since the time of Robert Livermore, but now largely reflects a suburban population. Since 1918, Livermore has each June hosted the Livermore Rodeo, called the "World's Fastest Rodeo", that claims it has more riders per hour than any other event of its type. There are several wine-tasting tours of the many Livermore area wineries that occur periodically throughout the summer. Livermore has a strong blue-collar element, as well as many professionals who work at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and other work sites in the high tech industries within the Bay Area.

One of the largest districts in Livermore is Springtown, the northeast area of the city north of Interstate 580. Originally conceived as a retirement community in the early 1960s, Springtown has slowly transformed into a community of young families and commuters from the greater Bay Area. The North Livermore district is north of the Union Pacific Railroad that cuts through downtown. The South Livermore district, including areas of unincorporated land, has over 40 wineries. Livermore has a seasonal local farmers market on Thursdays.

The first Camp Wonder, a summer camp for children with special medical needs, was opened in Livermore in 2001. In 2019, a local LGBT organization, Livermore Pride, was founded. On its leadership team is Brittni Kiick, the city's vice mayor and first openly LGBTQ+ councilmember. Livermore was one of 10 cities to be awarded an All-America City Award during the annual National Civic League ceremony for 2021. The theme of the 2021 awards was "Building Equitable and Resilient Communities." The Livermore Public Library has a front mosaic by Maria Alquilar.

World's longest-lasting light bulb
The city is noted for one world record. A 120+ year old 4-watt light bulb, called the Centennial Light, housed in the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department Firehouse Six, is still burning. Originally installed by Augustus Donner Wilson, the bulb has been maintained through successive generations until his great-great-granddaughter Alissa Wilson. It glows dimly, but still functions as a light bulb. The Guinness Book of World Records, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, and General Electric have concluded that the bulb has been burning continuously since 1901 with the exception of power failures and the three times it was disconnected for moves to new stations. The light bulb was manufactured by the Shelby Electric Company and was hand blown with a carbon filament.

Media
Radio station KKIQ is licensed in Livermore and broadcasts in the Tri-Valley area. The Independent is a local newspaper founded in September 1963. It is located in the Bank of Italy Building.

Parks and recreation
The Livermore Area Recreation and Park District (LARPD) is a special independent park district that was created by the vote of the public in 1947 and runs the parks and other facilities in the city of Livermore and most of the unincorporated areas of eastern Alameda County. LARPD has its own, five-person board of directors that is elected by the citizens to staggered four-year terms.

As of 2013, LARPD operates 42 facilities over 1842 acre, with 1432 acre open space. It runs an extensive selection of classes on a wide variety of subjects. The 2012-2013 operating budget of LARPD was $16,393,564 plus a capital budget of $3,870,971. LARPD serves an area that encompasses about 115,000 people.

The extensive gravel deposits around Livermore have led to extensive gravel extraction that is still ongoing. Shadow Cliffs Park along Stanley Boulevard west of Livermore is a popular 266 acre park that includes an 80 acre lake in an old Kaiser Industries gravel pit and is used extensively today for swimming, boating, and fishing.

Government
Livermore is run by a council–manager government with a four-member City Council, a Mayor, and a City Manager chosen by the city council. The City Manager is “hired” by the City Council, and can, in principle, be fired by them. Twice a month, the City Council hears citizen input and relays this information to the City Manager, who actually runs the city from day to day. The city council members are elected every 4 years, with one council member being elected to represent one of the 4 districts. The mayor is elected at large every 2 years, and the city manager is chosen by the city council every 5 years.

The mayor of Livermore is John Marchand, who was elected in 2022 and previously served as mayor from 2011 to 2020. The four councilmembers are Evan Branning, (District 1), Ben Barrientos (District 2), Brittni Kiick (the district 3), and Bob Carling (District 4). The vice mayor is a member of the council, Brittni Klick. The City Manager is Marianna Marysheva, and the City Attorney is Jason Alcala. In the California State Legislature, Livermore is in, and in. In the United States House of Representatives, Livermore is in California's 14th congressional district, represented by Democrat Eric Swalwell.

As of 2013, unions and bargaining units which had made agreements with Livermore included the Livermore Management Group, the Association of Livermore Employees (ALE), the Police Management, the Police Officers Association, and the Livermore-Pleasanton Firefighters (IAFF).

General Plan
The city of Livermore has a long-term General Plan which guides its decisions about topics, including transportation, jobs, housing, parks, shopping, and services. This plan is updated about every 10 to 20 years, and the city began the process of updating it in 2021, planning to finish by early 2024, under the name of "Imagine Livermore 2045". The city council appointed a General Plan Advisory Committee.

Education
The public schools in Livermore are part of the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District (LVJUSD). The district has 11 elementary (K-5 and K-8) schools, three middle schools (grades 6–8), two comprehensive high schools, and three alternative high schools.

LVJUSD's Board of Education has five members, who are elected to alternating four year terms by the voters of the community. Each December, the board reorganizes itself by selecting a board president and clerk of the board.

The Hertz Foundation for scholarships is based in Livermore.

Charter schools shutdown
There were two charter schools in Livermore, one K-8 and one high school, both operated by the Tri-Valley Learning Corporation, a local 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization formed by the parents and teachers who founded the two charter schools.
 * Livermore Valley Charter School (LVCS): a K-8 public school
 * Livermore Valley Charter Preparatory (LVCP): a high school, opened in fall of 2010

Both schools were effectively shut down by the beginning of the 2018 school year amidst accusations of embezzlement, exchange student fraud, and the loss of their UC accreditation. The displaced students were absorbed by the new Lawernce Elementary school and Las Positas Community College Middle College. About 400 parents pulled their children out of the schools in 2016, during a time in which the schools were being investigated for problems including not paying rent, not paying teachers, and involuntarily transferring foreign exchange students to Stockton.

Transportation

Interstate 580 is Livermore's primary east–west freeway. I-580 passes the outskirts of Livermore before it heads east through the Altamont Pass to the Central Valley and Interstate 5. I-580 and I-5 are the main route of San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles truck shipping traffic. Interstate 680 lies about 10 mi west of Livermore. Highway 84 heads southwest from I-580 to Fremont. Vasco Road, an unnumbered highway that is maintained by Alameda and Contra Costa counties, connects Livermore to Brentwood and the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta area.

Livermore Municipal Airport (LVK) is located 3 mi northwest of Livermore and is a division of the Public Works Department; it is owned and operated by the City of Livermore. It is the main airport in the Tri-Valley area. Approximately 600 aircraft are based on Livermore Airport, which has over 150,000 annual aircraft landings and take-offs each year. The airport serves private, business, and corporate tenants and customers and covers about 650 acre. The main lighted runway is 5250 ft long. The main terminal building covers 2400 sqft. The airfield is accessible 24 hours a day and is attended by city employees during the hours listed under "Airport Services". The staffed air traffic control tower is operated by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees daily from 7:00 A.M. until 9:00 P.M. There is an open airshow which is held annually on the first Saturday of October from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM showing vintage World War II aircraft and other displays.

The WHEELS bus system operates in Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, and the surrounding unincorporated areas of Alameda County. It has connections to Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stations in Dublin and Pleasanton.

Livermore has two stations for the Altamont Corridor Express (ACE), a commuter train which runs from Stockton to the San Jose area. One station is at Vasco Road, and the other is in downtown Livermore at its Transit Center. The Transit Center has a free multistory parking garage and connections to the WHEELS bus system.

There was a petition drive to bring the Bay Area Rapid Transit system to Livermore led by a group founded by Linda Jeffery Sailors, the former mayor of Dublin who was successful in extending BART to Dublin/Pleasanton (the closest station to Livermore at that time). In May 2018, the BART board of directors voted against extending BART to Livermore. As a result, the Tri-Valley–San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority was formed to establish a rail connection between the existing BART system and the Altamont Corridor Express. The service, known as Valley Link, intends to build new rail stations at Isabel Avenue and Southfront Road for service.

Police
The Livermore Police Department (LPD) was established in 1876, at that time the only law enforcement agency in the San Francisco Bay Area besides the San Francisco Police Department. The LPD has 135 members including 90 sworn officers and 45 non-sworn full-time personnel who operate on a $25 million budget each year.

Fire department
The Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department provides fire and advanced life support services to the cities of Livermore and Pleasanton. It serves an estimated population of 150,000 (78,000 in Livermore, and 71,000 in Pleasanton) over 44 sqmi (23 sqmi in Livermore, and 21 sqmi in Pleasanton) with an operating budget of $28 million. In 2008 the LPFD responded to approximately 11,000 calls for service. The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 1974 represents its 112 members.

General

 * Tara Kemp, pop/soul singer
 * Sonny Barger, outlaw biker and actor
 * Bob Beers, Nevada state senator
 * Robert Livermore, town namesake (died before the city was named and incorporated)
 * Jean Quan, mayor of Oakland
 * Hans Mark, physicist and United States Secretary of the Air Force
 * Ralph Merkle, pioneer in modern cryptography
 * Brandon Rogers, comedian, actor and YouTuber
 * George H. Miller, director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
 * Edward Teller, physicist, director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
 * Herb York, first director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
 * Harold Brown, director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and United States Secretary of Defense
 * Conrad Bain (1923-2013), actor in Diff'rent Strokes
 * Jill Whelan, actress and national spokesman for Nancy Reagan's Just Say No anti-drug campaign
 * James Wesley Rawles, far-right survivalist author and Christian nationalist
 * Connie Post, first poet laureate of Livermore
 * Bill Owens, photographer of Livermore's suburbs, in the book Suburbia

Sports

 * Kristin Allen, World Games gold medalist gymnast
 * Michael Rodrigues, World Games gold medalist gymnast
 * Max Baer, heavyweight champion boxer
 * Mark Davis (Granada High School 1978), Major League Baseball pitcher
 * Randy Johnson (Livermore High 1982), Major League Baseball pitcher, Baseball Hall of Fame inductee
 * Bryan Shaw (Livermore High 2005), Major League Baseball pitcher
 * J. R. Graham, Major League Baseball pitcher
 * Bill Mooneyham, Major League Baseball pitcher
 * Brian Johnson, Major League Soccer player
 * Troy Dayak, Major League soccer player, San Jose Earthquakes Hall of Fame inductee
 * Duane Glinton, Turks and Caicos Islands national football team midfielder

Sister cities
Livermore has three sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:
 * Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
 * 🇷🇺 Snezhinsk, Russia. Citizens of Snezhinsk came to Livermore to teach children about the effects of drugs, join the Livermore Rodeo, and form a Rotary Club.
 * 🇯🇵 Yotsukaidō, Japan. Both Livermore and Yotsukaido have a student exchange program. In April 2008, a concert was held in celebration of the relationship of the cities.

Print, photo and film resources on Livermore

 * Livermore (2002), a film by Rachel Raney and David Murray
 * Suburbia, photoessay by Owens, Bill (1972), ISBN 1-881270-40-8

title: Livermore, California


text:
Newark, California

Newark is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It was incorporated as a city in September 1955. Newark is an enclave, surrounded by the city of Fremont. The three cities of Newark, Fremont, and Union City make up the Tri-City Area. Newark's population was 47,529 at the 2020 census making it the third largest city in the US named Newark after Newark, New Jersey, and Newark, Ohio.

Geography

The western edge of the city is near the southern end of the San Francisco Bay. State Route 84 runs through the city, and continues as the Dumbarton Bridge to cross the San Francisco Bay to reach Menlo Park. Interstate 880 serves as the eastern boundary with Fremont.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.9 sqmi, of which 13.9 sqmi is land and 0.02 sqmi, comprising 0.17%, is water.

History
Newark was named after Newark Castle, Port Glasgow, in Scotland by J. Barr Robertson.

Before it was settled by Europeans, Newark was home to the Ohlone Native American Peoples. The first European settlement in the area was by the Spanish missionaries of Mission San José, whose territory covered much of the present-day cities of Newark, Fremont, and Union City. In 1878 land belonging to Washington Township of Alameda County was purchased by The Pacific Land Investment Company and subdivided to form the town of Newark.

In the early 1950s, the amalgamation of towns was increasing in Alameda County. In 1953, residents in the towns surrounding Newark were concerned about being annexed into the nearby city of Hayward, and began plans to incorporate as a single city, eventually becoming Fremont. Driven by their own concerns of being forced to amalgamate into this new city and the resulting changes in zoning, Newark was incorporated in September 1955, before the incorporation of Fremont would complete.

2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Newark had a population of 42,574. The population density was 3,063.2 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Newark was 17,567 (41.3%) White, 2,002 (4.7%) Black, 279 (0.7%) Native American, 11,571 (27.2%) Asian, 621 (1.5%) Pacific Islander, 7,735 (18.2%) from other races, and 2,799 (6.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14,994 persons (35.2%).

The Census reported that 42,428 people (99.7% of the population) lived in households, 145 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 12,972 households, out of which 5,643 (43.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 7,832 (60.4%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,716 (13.2%) had a female householder with no husband present, 786 (6.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 659 (5.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 93 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,942 households (15.0%) were made up of individuals, and 705 (5.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.27. There were 10,334 families (79.7% of all households); the average family size was 3.60.

The age distribution of the population shows 10,799 people (25.4%) under the age of 18, 3,824 people (9.0%) aged 18 to 24, 12,697 people (29.8%) aged 25 to 44, 10,727 people (25.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 4,526 people (10.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males.

There were 13,414 housing units at an average density of 965.2 /mi2, of which 12,972 were occupied, of which 8,942 (68.9%) were owner-occupied, and 4,030 (31.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.0%. 28,489 people (66.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 13,939 people (32.7%) lived in rental housing units.

2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 42,471 people, 12,992 households, and 10,341 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,039.4 PD/sqmi. There were 13,150 housing units at an average density of 941.1 /mi2.

There were 12,992 households, out of which 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.2% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.4% were non-families. 14.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.26 and the average family size was 3.59.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 27.3% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 34.3% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 7.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $69,350, and the median income for a family was $71,351 (these figures had risen to $78,367 and $81,652 respectively as of a 2007 estimate ). Males had a median income of $46,061 versus $34,959 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,641. About 4.2% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

Politics
In the state legislature, Newark is in, and in. Federally, Newark is in.

Economy
Newark's economy is at the edge of Silicon Valley and shares its economic pattern.

Cargill Salt, previously known as Leslie Salt, operates a large salt refinery in Newark, cleaning salt produced in salt evaporation ponds in the San Francisco Bay.

The city houses the NewPark Mall, a super-regional shopping center, with anchor stores Macy's and Burlington Coat Factory, and over 140 other retailers. A 140,000 ft2 addition at NewPark, including restaurants, entertainment and a multiplex movie theater with IMAX, opened in 2015.

The former Sun Microsystems site near I-880, State Route 84 and the Dumbarton Bridge, was purchased by BioMed Realty Trust and is now known as the Pacific Research Center.

In the early to mid-20th century, Newark's economy was based on manufacturing, including: Wedgewood stoves (1910s–1940s); A.O. Smith Corporation, followed by National Steel Corporation, glass-lined water heaters (1950s–1970s); Peterbilt trucks (1960s-1980s); and Trailmobile semi-trailers (1965–1975).

Top employers
According to the city's June 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Culture and recreation
The City of Newark has thirteen parks and sport play facilities, the George M. Silliman Community Activity and Family Aquatic Center (aka the Silliman Center). The Family Aquatic Center portion of the Silliman Center opened in the summer of 2004 and includes a 32300 sqft indoor swim facility specifically designed for recreation, fitness, and instruction programs for the entire family. The 11350 sqft Natatorium includes four separate pools, including a 45 x 75 ft Activity Pool; a 245' long Lazy River pool (with a pair of 20' tall, curving water slides); a 4 ft deep, 4-lane, 25 yd Lap Pool; and a 15-person warm-water spa.

Newark also houses a portion of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife refuge along with the city of Fremont.

Newark also hosts a festival in honor of the city's founding. "Newark Days" is a four-day Festival/Celebration that takes place every September on the Macgregor Soccer fields (adjacent to the Community center on Cedar Blvd).

Transportation
Newark lies near the intersection of I-880, State Route 84, and the Dumbarton Bridge.

Newark is served by AC Transit bus system. Surrounding Fremont is the access point for most transportation services, including Fremont and Union City BART stations, and ACE and Amtrak trains.

Vision for future rail
In 2007, the plans for the Dumbarton Rail Corridor envisioned Caltrain building a station in Newark.

Education
Newark is home to a new campus of Ohlone College, a member of the California Community Colleges system. Other nearby educational centers include the University of Phoenix, ITT Institute, DeVry University, and Unitek College.

Newark has two high schools, Newark Memorial High School and Bridgepoint High School, and one junior high school, Newark Junior High School. Bridgepoint High School is an alternative high school on the MacGregor Campus which also houses Newark Adult School. Elementary schools include Kennedy, Coyote Hills (formerly Graham), Lincoln, Schilling, Birch Grove Primary (K-3)(formerly Bunker), and Birch Grove Intermediate (4–6) (formerly Milani) Schools and one private Catholic elementary-8th grade, St. Edward's Catholic School.

Notable people

 * Terry Alderete, businesswoman
 * Bayley, professional wrestler
 * Larry Bettencourt, NFL player for the Green Bay Packers, MLB player for the St. Louis Browns
 * Paul Bostaph, drummer
 * Rollie Fingers, MLB Hall of Fame relief pitcher
 * Chris Flexen, pitcher, Seattle Mariners
 * Steven J. Lopes, Bishop of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter
 * Joey Lucchesi, pitcher, San Diego Padres
 * Freddie Muller, infielder, Boston Red Sox
 * Rocky Pamplin, author, former football player, member of the Beach Boys
 * Joe Rudi, MLB player
 * Ron Thompson, guitarist
 * Christopher Titus, comedian
 * Bill Walsh lived in Newark from 1957 to 1960 while working at Washington High School in Fremont.
 * Elaine Welteroth, American journalist and former Editor-in-Chief of Teen Vogue

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Newark, California


text:
Piedmont, California

Piedmont is a small city located in Alameda County, California, United States, enclaved by the city of Oakland. Its residential population was 11,270 at the 2020 census. The name comes from the region of Piedmont in Italy, and it means 'foothill'. Piedmont was incorporated in 1907, and was developed significantly in the 1920s and 1930s.

History
The original neighborhood of Piedmont was larger than the current municipality of Piedmont, with the Mountain View Cemetery considered full part of the Piedmont neighborhood.

Residents initially sought incorporation in 1907. Two elections were held among the citizens of Piedmont in 1907, both of which narrowly upheld the decision for Piedmont to become a separate city, rather than become a neighborhood within the city of Oakland.

Like surrounding Oakland, Piedmont has a history of racial segregation, but it also has a separate history of racial exclusion. In 1924, the city's first African-American homeowners, Sidney and Irene Dearing, got around the city's restrictive housing covenants by purchasing a home using a white family member as a proxy. They could not count on the city of Piedmont to protect them from violent threats against their lives—the chief of police at the time, Burton Becker, was an active member of the Ku Klux Klan. While the Dearings initially refused to leave, bombs were left around their property. They sold it to the city for $25,000 after a mob surrounded their home and demanded that they leave.

Before 1968, restrictive housing covenants and redlining were used to exclude non-whites in the city for many years. The American sociologist and historian James W. Loewen identified Piedmont as a "probable" sundown town, meaning that non-whites were not welcome after dusk and could face violence and intimidation. While surrounding Oakland is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse cities in the United States, Piedmont has a less racially diverse population than Oakland. Attempts to ethnically and culturally diversify the city and allow for higher density and affordable housing are typically met with resistance from the city's residents.

In early 2021, the city council indicated that it intended "to move forward with public acknowledgement and an apology for the abhorrent treatment Sidney Dearing and his family received in 1924."

According to the city's Web page, "In the Roaring Twenties, Piedmont was known as the 'City of Millionaires' because there were more millionaires per square mile than in any city in the United States." Many of these millionaires built mansions that still stand, notably on Sea View Avenue and Sotelo Avenue/Glen Alpine Road in 'Alta' Piedmont. Piedmont became a charter city under the laws of the state of California on December 18, 1922. On February 27, 1923, voters adopted the charter, which can only be changed by another vote of the people.

Piedmont celebrated the year 2007 as its Centennial Anniversary since incorporation. The Centennial Committee hosted celebratory events along a trail that ran through downtown Piedmont and denoted historical landmarks in the city. The Committee also created a float for the city's Fourth of July parade.

The historical exhibit "A Deluxe Autonomy: Piedmont’s First 100 Years" was on display in the Oakland Public Library from January 5 to March 31, 2007.

In August 2017, the mayor of Piedmont, Jeffrey Wieler, resigned after it was revealed he had made disparaging Facebook posts about Black Lives Matter and transgender people.

Geography
Piedmont is located at 37.82199°N, -122.2314°W.

It is located near the Hayward Fault, a geological fault line that runs through the East Bay region.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.7 sqmi, all land.

Borders
Piedmont is surrounded on all sides by the city of Oakland. Specifically, Piedmont's northwestern border is adjacent to Oakland's Piedmont Ave commercial district. Piedmont borders Oakland's historic Grand Lake District (Lakeshore and Grand Avenue commercial districts) to the southwest, the quaint and rustic Montclair District to the northeast, and the Crocker Highlands and Glenview Districts to the south.

Major streets
Piedmont's major streets include Oakland Avenue, which runs east-west through Piedmont's small city center; Highland Avenue, which divides Piedmont into upper and lower sections; Moraga Avenue, which runs along the city's northern border; and Grand Avenue, which runs near Piedmont's western border and further distinguishes 'Lower' Piedmont (west of Highland Ave) from 'Baja' Piedmont (west of Grand Ave). Lots in upper Piedmont are, on average, larger than lots in lower Piedmont. A nearby shopping district on Piedmont Avenue is located in Oakland, not Piedmont. A small shopping hamlet had been located on Highland Avenue near the Exedra at Piedmont Park for many years, but in the last few decades has dwindled in number to a small, local grocer-deli (Mulberry's Market), a service station and three banks. No major highways run within Piedmont's borders, but entrances to CA Highway 13 and CA I-580 are quite near.

Housing
Piedmont is almost entirely zoned for single-family dwelling residential use. Piedmont has minimal commerce compared with statistically similar cities and relies primarily on property taxes and fees for public revenues to support public services. The city also has relatively few multi-family or second (in-law) units. The city has a very small number of businesses in its commercial district on Highland Avenue and a very small number of businesses on Grand Avenue near Piedmont's western border with Oakland.

Emergency services
Piedmont provides its own fire, police, parks, and recreational services but does not have its own public library nor federal post office; these services are shared with Oakland. Special, incremental property tax assessments on Piedmont real estate for schools and some public services are not shared with Oakland.

2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Piedmont had a population of 10,667. The population density was 6,358.5 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Piedmont was 7,917 (74.2%) White, 144 (1.3%) African American, 6 (0.1%) Native American, 1,939 (18.2%) Asian, 13 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 94 (0.9%) from other races, and 554 (5.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 421 persons (3.9%). The Census reported that 10,664 people (100% of the population) lived in households, three (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and none (0%) was institutionalized.

There were 3,801 households, out of which 1,606 (42.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,738 (72.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 260 (6.8%) had a female head of household with no spouse present, 119 (3.1%) had a male head of household with no spouse present. There were 67 (1.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 38 (1.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 578 households (15.2%) consisted of an individual householder, and 344 (9.1%) were senior (age 65+) individual householders. There were 3,117 families (82.0% of all households); the average family size was 3.11.

The age distribution of Piedmont's population is diverse with 3,017 people (28.3%) under the age of 18, 451 people (4.2%) aged 18 to 24, 1,638 people (15.4%) aged 25 to 44, 3,922 people (36.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,639 people (15.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.

There were 3,924 housing units, with an average household size of 2.81. Piedmont's average housing-unit density is 2,339.1 units per square mile (903.1/km2), of which 3,801 were occupied. Piedmont had 3,358 (88.3%) owner-occupied housing units, and 443 (11.7%) renter-occupied housing units. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.7%. 9,393 people (88.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,271 people (11.9%) lived in rental housing units.

2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,952 people, 3,804 households, and 3,104 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,488.7 PD/sqmi. There were 3,859 housing units at an average density of 2,286.3 /sqmi.

There were 3,804 households, 47.3% containing children under the age of 18, 70.9% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 18.4% were other family configurations. 14.5% of all households consisted of individuals, and 7.8% were households consisting of senior (age 65+ years) individuals. The average household size was 2.88, and the average family size was 3.18.

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the age distribution of Piedmont's population was spread, with 30.3% of residents under the age of 18, 3.8% aged 18 to 24 years, 18.5% aged 25 to 44 years, 34.0% aged 45 to 64 years, and 13.5% aged 65+ years. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $134,270, and the median income for a family was $149,857. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $58,553 for females. The per capita income for the city was $70,539. About 1.0% of families and 2.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 1.6% of those aged 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Piedmont has a City Hall, a Community Hall, a Veterans' Memorial Building, a Recreation Center, Aquatics Center, and Center for the Arts. Public parks include Piedmont Park, Dracena Park, Crocker Park, Hampton Park, Linda Ave Tot Lot and Dog Run, Kennelly Skate Park, and Blair Park. Playfields include Coaches Playfield, Linda Playfield, and Piedmont Sports Field (at Hampton Park).

Regular town events include the July 4 Parade, Movies in the Park, Harvest Festival, Haunted House, Thanksgiving Turkey Trot, and Christmas Tree Lighting. Piedmont High School's annual Bird Calling Contest was previously featured on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and the Late Show with David Letterman.

Active charities and community groups include the Piedmont Education Foundation, the Piedmont Historical Society, the Piedmont Center for the Arts, the Piedmont Beautification Foundation, the Daughters of the American Revolution (Piedmont Chapter), the Piedmont League of Women Voters, Dress Best for Less, the Piedmont Highlanders Drums & Pipes, the Piedmont Civic Association, the Piedmont Community Church, the Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir, the Piedmont-Montclair Rotary Club, the Piedmont Boy Scouts, the Piedmont Baseball Foundation, the Piedmont Basketball Foundation, and the Piedmont Soccer Club. The Children's Support League holds annual Heart of the Home tours of Oakland and Piedmont homes.

Politics
According to the California Secretary of State, as of February 10, 2019, Piedmont has 8,535 registered voters. Of those, 5,082 (59.5%) are registered Democrats, 1,173 (13.7%) are registered Republicans, and 2,022 (23.7%) have declined to state a political party.

From its incorporation until 1992, Piedmont was a Republican stronghold in presidential elections.

Education

Elementary and secondary students (PK-12) residing in Piedmont, children of City of Piedmont employees, and children of Piedmont Unified School District employees are eligible to attend schools within the Piedmont Unified School District. The district, coinciding with the municipal boundaries, includes three elementary schools (Havens, Beach, and Wildwood), one middle school (Piedmont Middle School), and two high schools—one larger (Piedmont High School), and one smaller, alternative high school, Millennium High School. A very high percentage of Piedmont High School graduates are accepted to 4-year undergraduate programs. Many graduates continue their post-secondary education at very prestigious and competitive public and private colleges and universities.

The Piedmont Unified School District currently ranks #68 of 756 districts in the state of California according to one statistical analysis of California public education.

Piedmont voters have approved several local bond measures earmarked for maintaining and/or improving PUSD's educational facilities. For instance, Witter Field, PUSD's sports complex, was rebuilt between 1996 and 1999. The city-owned field adjacent to Beach Elementary School was resurfaced with natural cork-based artificial turf in early 2015. The PUSD-owned artificial turf field at Havens Elementary School (Becker Playfield) was placed in 2010.

Most recently, with the passage of Measure E in 2006, voters authorized the Piedmont Unified School District to issue up to $56 million in bonds to improve Piedmont public school buildings to reduce dangers from earthquakes, eliminate major collapse risks, and to meet or exceed all current state and federal seismic safety standards.

In addition to the public bond measures approved for PUSD facility upgrades and modernization, Piedmont voters have quadrennially approved, since 1980, a supplemental parcel tax (collected annually) which accounts for a very significant portion of PUSD's basic operational budget. In 2005, two measures were approved by voters, one of which renewed the basic school district parcel tax, paying for 21% of the district's budget, and another which added an incremental amount, short-term, to compensate for reduced funding from mainly state, and some federal, sources. Piedmont's most recent school support tax, Measure A, was again approved by 88% of Piedmont voters in 2012. Due to further reductions in state education budgets during the Great Recession (2008-2011), state diversions from local school property tax allocations since 2004, and shifting of state financial responsibilities onto local school districts, Piedmont's local school parcel tax now represents 30% of PUSD's annual operating budget.

Piedmont High School hosts the annual Leonard J. Waxdeck Bird Calling Contest every spring;the top three winners used to appear on the Late Show with David Letterman and perform their bird calls.

The Piedmont Educational Foundation awards a number of grants for academic innovation in Piedmont schools each year, and provides a source of operational funding for the PUSD through its Endowment Fund which reached $6 million in 2015.

Media
The city is served by two local weekly newspapers: the Piedmont Post and the Piedmonter, a neighborhood newspaper organized under the Contra Costa Times news organization.

Transportation
AC Transit provides Piedmont with bus service. Bus routes 12 and 33 connect Piedmont to Oakland's BART stations. In addition to Route 33 serving BART stations, the route serves Upper Piedmont going to Estates Drive on weekdays. AC Transit also provides a Transbay bus. Route P, to the Transbay Terminal in Downtown San Francisco during peak commute hours.

In literature and the arts
The city appeared in the Disney show Gravity Falls as the hometown of the main characters Dipper and Mabel Pines.

Notable people
Piedmont is home to a number of notable individuals in the political, business, sports, and academic communities, including: ex-Major League Baseball player David McCarty; ex-National Football League player Bubba Paris, San Francisco 49ers; ex-National Football League player Bill Romanowski; Ambassador to Australia Jeff Bleich; Pete Docter, director of Pixar's Monsters, Inc., Up, and Inside Out and co-writer of WALL-E; Alex Hirsch, the creator of the animated television series Gravity Falls; and Billie Joe Armstrong, lead singer of Green Day. The punk rock band SWMRS also has its roots in Piedmont.

Author Jack London wrote Call of the Wild while living on Blair Avenue in a house that exists today; since this predated incorporation, technically he was never a citizen of Piedmont. John F. Kennedy's Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara grew up in Piedmont, where his family lived on Annerley Road. Clint Eastwood resided in Piedmont and attended Piedmont schools. Country Joe McDonald resided in Piedmont in the 1970s. Actors Dean Butler (Little House on the Prairie) also grew up in Piedmont. Notable tennis player and coach Brad Gilbert grew up in Piedmont. Professional male tennis player Mackenzie "Mackie" McDonald grew up in Piedmont and attended Piedmont HS. Charles R. Schwab, founder of the discount stock brokerage firm bearing his name, and his family also lived in Piedmont in the early 1980s, as did Dean Witter, founder of Dean Witter Reynolds brokerage, in the 1940s.

Other residents have included: F. Wayne Valley, philanthropist, construction magnate, owner of the Oakland Raiders and founding member of the AFL; Frank C. Havens, for whom Havens Elementary School is named; and James Gamble, president of the Western Union Telegraph Company, who, in 1877, founded the Piedmont Land Company, introducing the name adopted by the city upon incorporation.

Actors, entertainment, and film professionals

 * Mark Andrews, Academy Award- and Golden Globe-winning film director
 * Alice Dinnean, puppeteer
 * Clint Eastwood, actor
 * Chloe Fineman, actress, comedian Saturday Night Live
 * Alex Hirsch, creator of animated series Gravity Falls
 * Wes Nisker, radio personality
 * Cynthia Stevenson, actress
 * Zhaoming Wu, painter

Academia

 * James Clifford, academia, historian
 * Adam J. Matzger, academia, chemist

Artists and designers

 * Micaela Martinez DuCasse, artist
 * Erin Fetherston, designer
 * Elsie Whitaker Martinez, artist
 * Xavier Martínez, artist
 * Gyo Obata, architect

Business

 * Ruth Leach Amonette, the first woman to become a vice president at IBM. Ruth was raised in and attended high school in Piedmont.
 * Robert McNamara, American businessman and Secretary of Defense under President John F. Kennedy
 * Arun Sarin, ex-CEO of Vodafone
 * George Zimmer, businessman, Men's Wearhouse
 * Lip-Bu Tan, businessman, resides in Piedmont.

Poets, writers, and journalists

 * Richard Carlson, author
 * William F. Knowland, publisher of The Oakland Tribune
 * Joan London, writer
 * Asieh Namdar, television journalist
 * George Sterling, poet and playwright
 * Herman Whitaker, writer

Sports

 * Peter Cornell, NBA player and agent
 * Al Davis, football executive
 * Sonny Dykes, former head coach of the University of California football team, currently the head coach at [[TCU Texas Christian University)
 * Cuonzo Martin, former head coach of the University of California basketball team, currently head coach of the University of Missouri
 * Mackenzie McDonald, tennis player
 * Ashley Paris, basketball player
 * Courtney Paris, basketball player

Others

 * Burton Becker, Piedmont Police Department Chief, Alameda County Sheriff, Ku Klux Klan member and later in life he served as an inmate.
 * Sarah Mower Requa, philanthropist and California pioneer
 * David C. Waybur, decorated soldier

title: Piedmont, California


text:
Pleasanton, California

Pleasanton is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. Located in the Amador Valley, it is a suburb in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 79,871 at the 2020 census. In 2005 and 2007, Pleasanton was ranked the wealthiest middle-sized city in the United States by the Census Bureau. Pleasanton is home to the headquarters of Safeway, Workday, Ellie Mae, Roche Molecular Diagnostics, Blackhawk Network Holdings, Veeva Systems, and Simpson Manufacturing Company. Other major employers include Kaiser Permanente, Oracle and Macy's. Although Oakland is the Alameda County seat, a few county offices are located in Pleasanton. The Alameda County Fairgrounds are located in Pleasanton, where the county fair is held during the last week of June and the first week of July. Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park is located on the west side of town.

Alisal
Before the establishment of Pleasanton in the 1850s, an earlier settlement in the location was called Alisal. It was located on the lands of the Rancho Santa Rita near the site of a Native American ranchera, around the Francisco Solano Alviso Adobe called El Alisal (The Sycamores), one of the earliest houses built in the valley in 1844. It is still standing and serves as the centerpiece of the Alviso Adobe Community Park. Alisal, nicknamed "The Most Desperate Town in the West", was one of the settlements located along La Vereda del Monte that was a haunt and refuge of bandits and desperados in the era following the beginning of the California Gold Rush. Main Street shootouts were not uncommon. Banditos such as Claudio Feliz and Joaquin Murrieta ambushed prospectors on their way back from the gold rush fields and then sought refuge in Alisal. In the 1860s Procopio, Narciso Bojorques and others took refuge there. Alisal Elementary School reflects the city's original name.

Pleasanton
Pleasanton is located on the lands of the Rancho Valle de San José and Rancho Santa Rita Mexican land grants. Its name was chosen in the 1860s by John W. Kottinger, an Alameda County justice of the peace, after his friend, Union army cavalry Major General Alfred Pleasonton. A typographical error by a recording clerk in Washington, D.C., apparently led to the current spelling.

In 1917, Pleasanton was the backdrop for the film Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, starring Mary Pickford. The town was once home to Phoebe Apperson Hearst, who lived in a 50-room mansion on a 2,000 acre estate, now the site of Castlewood Country Club.

Radum Plant was a sand and gravel plant opened in 1931 by Henry J. Kaiser Co., at Radum train station, one mile east of Pleasanton.

Geography
Pleasanton is adjacent to Hayward, Livermore, and Dublin. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.3 sqmi, of which 24.1 sqmi is land and 0.2 sqmi (0.63%) is water. On the east side of town on Stanley Blvd. near the Livermore border is Shadow Cliffs Regional Park, a lake that permits swimming, fishing, and boating. On the west side is the Pleasanton Ridge with two parks, Pleasanton Ridge and Augustin Bernal Park. Much of Pleasanton is drained by the Arroyo Valle and Arroyo Mocho watercourses. Pleasanton lies along the route of the historic First transcontinental railroad.

Climate
Pleasanton features a Mediterranean climate, featuring hot, dry summers and mild to cool winters with occasional rainfall (Köppen climate classification Csa). The highest recorded temperature was 115 °F in 1950. The lowest recorded temperature was 17 °F in 1990.

2020
The 2020 United States Census reported that Pleasanton had a population of 79,871. The population density was 2,896.5 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Pleasanton was 47,058 (67.0%) White, 1,190 (1.7%) African American, 226 (0.3%) Native American, 16,322 (23.2%) Asian, 134 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 2,002 (2.8%) from other races, and 3,353 (4.8%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7,264 persons (10.3%).

The Census reported that 69,829 people (99.4% of the population) lived in households, 320 (0.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 136 (0.2%) were institutionalized.

There were 25,245 households, out of which 10,785 (42.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 16,206 (64.2%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,024 (8.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 948 (3.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 887 (3.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 156 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. Of the households, 4,860 (19.3%) were made up of individuals, and 1,853 (7.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77. There were 19,178 families (76.0% of all households); the average family size was 3.20.

The population was spread out in age, with 19,024 people (27.1%) under the age of 18, 4,378 people (6.2%) aged 18 to 24, 17,257 people (24.6%) aged 25 to 44, 21,965 people (31.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 7,661 people (10.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.

There were 26,053 housing units at an average density of 1,073.7 /mi2, of which 25,245 were occupied, of which 17,891 (70.9%) were owner-occupied, and 7,354 (29.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.1%. 51,839 people (73.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 17,990 people (25.6%) lived in rental housing units.

Economy

Pleasanton experienced a major economic boom starting in the early 1980s, largely associated with the development of a number of business parks, the largest of which is the Hacienda Business Park. These host a number of campus-like clusters of low-rise and medium-rise office buildings. Pleasanton has been successful in attracting a number of corporate headquarters, such as those of Safeway, Blackhawk Network Holdings, Workday, Simpson Manufacturing, The Cooper Companies and Shaklee. Despite an increase in office space vacancy rates in 2000–2004, economic development has remained strong through the middle of the decade.

Pleasanton was also the headquarters of the former PeopleSoft, Inc. (which was acquired by Oracle Corporation), Documentum (which was acquired by EMC Corporation), Thoratec (now part of Abbott), E-Loan (which was acquired by Popular), Spreckels Sugar Company (which was acquired by Imperial Holly), Ross Stores (which moved to nearby Dublin in 2014), Patelco Credit Union (also moved to Dublin) and the home loan operation of Providian (which was acquired by Washington Mutual, itself later acquired by JPMorgan Chase). Oracle occupies two buildings of the former PeopleSoft campus, and is the fourth-largest employer in Pleasanton, behind Workday, Safeway and Kaiser Permanente. In addition, Pleasanton is the site of a large AT&T campus.

Other companies with major operations in Pleasanton include Hitachi High Technologies America, Inc., Cisco Systems, QASource, Sage Software (Accpac, etc.), CooperVision, Clorox, Fireside Bank (closed in 2012), Roche, BMC Software, Zoho Corporation, Applied Biosystems, EMC Corporation, Portrait Displays, Inc. and Broadcom Inc.

In retail operations, Pleasanton has one major regional mall (Stoneridge Shopping Center) and a number of other shopping centers. In addition to the business parks and retail centers, Pleasanton is known for its lively downtown, which is home to a number of fine-dining, casual, and ethnic restaurants, specialty retailers, and service businesses. A redesign of Main Street in the 1990s emphasized pedestrian traffic and outdoor dining.

In 2005, the median household income in Pleasanton was $101,022, the highest income for any city with a population between 65,000 and 249,999 people. Similarly, for 2007, the median household income rose to $113,345, also the highest in the category. According to City-Data.com, the median household income had risen to $121,622 by 2013, compared to a statewide median of $60,190.

According to the Bay East Association of Realtors, the median price of a detached single family home was $1,795,000 as of August 2021. According to Zillow.com, the median home value in Pleasanton was $1,500,415 as of September 2021.

Top employers
According to the city, as of July 2023 the top fifteen employers in Pleasanton are:

* Headquartered in Pleasanton

Events and festivals
Pleasanton maintains regular events for the community. Every Saturday morning a farmers' market sets up on Angela, off Main Street. There are several parades during the year, commemorating Christmas, Memorial Day, and Veterans Day, as well as kicking off the beginning of the Alameda County Fair and soccer season.

First Wednesday
Beginning in the late 1990s, the Pleasanton Downtown Association organized the popular First Wednesday celebrations from May through September of each year. On the first Wednesday of summer months, Main Street was blocked to traffic and adopted a street fair atmosphere. Each First Wednesday celebration was given a theme and planned with related activities. At this local event, businesses and organizations from downtown and around the Tri-Valley set up booths in the center of the street. A local band performed in the Inklings coffee house parking lot, which was closed off for dancing. The parking lot was also set up as a beergarden, with beer and wine available for consumption. In 2017, the association announced it was discontinuing the events, and was considering other types of events in future years.

Friday Concerts in the Park
Another Pleasanton Downtown Association tradition is the Friday Concerts in the Park series. Every Friday from June until September the PDA schedules different local bands to perform in the evenings at the Lions' Wayside Park off of First Street. The events are free of charge and draw a crowd. Additional seating for 'Concerts in the Park' is available at Delucchi Park, at the intersection of First Street and Neal Street.

Fairgrounds
The Alameda County Fairgrounds is a 270 acre facility located in Pleasanton. It is home to the annual Alameda County Fair, held since 1912, as well as numerous trade shows and community events including but not limited to the Scottish Games which occur annually on Labor Day weekend. Located on its grounds, the Pleasanton Fairgrounds Racetrack was built in 1858, making it the oldest 1 mi horse racing track in the United States. There is a 3,000 seat amphitheater, as well as a nine-hole golf course located within the track's infield.

The Alameda County Central Railroad Society has maintained a model train exhibit at the fairgrounds since 1959.

Architecture
Because of the preservation of Pleasanton's historic downtown area, many examples of architectural styles dating back to the mid-19th century exist. Buildings in Gothic Revival, Pioneer, Italianate, Commercial Italianate, Colonial Revival, and Queen Anne styles can be found within walking distance of each other.

One of the icons of downtown Pleasanton is the Kolln Hardware building, located at 600 Main Street. It is designed in the Commercial Italianate style, but the prominent five-sided corner tower and a few other features are indicative of the Colonial Revival style. The structure mixes in a little bit of Queen Anne design in the tower and gable. This building was built in 1890 and has always housed a hardware store, first by the Lewis Brothers, then Cruikshank and Kolln. The hardware store has been known as Kolln Hardware since 1933. In 2004, the Kolln Hardware business shut its doors. Bud Cornett, a Pleasanton developer, purchased the landmark and has invested in its renovation and earthquake retrofit. After more than 100 years of serving the community as a hardware store, the space is now occupied by Comerica Bank.

Firehouse Arts Center
The Firehouse Arts Center, opened in 2010, is a center of culture and art for Pleasanton. It features a 221-seat theater, the Harrington art gallery, and classrooms for art and drama.

Hacienda del Pozo de Verona

Hacienda del Pozo de Verona (The House of the Wellhead of Verona) was destroyed in a fire in 1969. The house was built by architect A. C. Schweinfurth for Phoebe Hearst in 1898. Phoebe Apperson Hearst had the hacienda remodeled and expanded by architect Julia Morgan for use as her primary residence after her husband died. The estate was built upon a 453 acre rancheria obtained in 1886 by George Hearst, who intended to use the location for a race horse farm. Its name was inspired by the circular, carved marble wellhead purchased by Phoebe and William in Verona, Italy and installed in the middle of the courtyard. The hacienda was the only female-owned estate to be mentioned in Porter Garnett's Stately Homes of California. The architecture of the hacienda has been called California Mission style by various sources. The original architect used the term "provincial Spanish Renaissance", while Garnett wrote it would be more accurately called "Hispano-Moresque". Moorish influence was found throughout the estate, such as in the guardhouses which stood on either side of the courtyard entrance. The hacienda was topped by imported red Spanish tiles and had undecorated walls of white stucco. After Phoebe's death in 1919, William had the wellhead and other furniture and objects moved to Hearst Castle at San Simeon and sold the estate.

Local
Pleasanton operates under a council–manager form of municipal government. The council consists of four representatives elected by district and one directly elected mayor. The councilors are each elected to a four-year term, while the mayor serves a two-year term. Council and mayoral elections are non-partisan. The vice mayor is appointed each calendar year by the mayor. The mayor and council members are limited to a maximum term of eight years.

The city council consists of: Karla Brown (mayor), Valerie Arkin, Jack Balch, Jeffrey Nibert, and Julie Testa. The city manager is Gerry Beaudin.

State and Federal
In the state legislature Pleasanton is in until 2024, when it will be in, who will be termed out. In the state assembly Pleasanton is in and. Federally, Pleasanton is in.

Pleasanton has 44,099 registered voters with 17,021 (39.2%) registered as Democrats, 11,338 (25.7%) registered as Republicans, and 13,867 (31.4%) Decline to State voters.

Education

For the majority of Pleasanton, the public schools are part of the Pleasanton Unified School District. Pleasanton USD formed in 1988 when the school districts of Pleasanton and Dublin unified along city lines. A very small portion of Pleasanton lies in the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District.

Pleasanton's two comprehensive high schools, Amador Valley and Foothill, are ranked by Niche among the top 200 public high schools in the nation. Pleasanton also has a continuation high school, Village High School. As of 2024, the district also contained Thomas S. Hart Middle School, Pleasanton Middle School and Harvest Park Middle School along with nine elementary schools, one preschool, and an adult education program.

Media
The Pleasanton Weekly is a local newspaper. Tri-Valley Community Television operates their sole station in Pleasanton.

Roads
Pleasanton is situated at the crossroads of two major Interstate Highways, I-580 and I-680, which mirror the historic cross-routes of Native American tribes who used the precursor paths as major trading routes. This fact was first discovered with the excavations for Hacienda Business Park, revealing significant tribal artifacts and human skeletal remains.

Public transit
The city is served by two stations on the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) heavy rail system's Dublin/Pleasanton–Daly City line, which runs along the northern boundary of the city:
 * Dublin/Pleasanton (BART station), the eastern terminus.
 * West Dublin/Pleasanton, located just west of the I-680 interchange by the Stoneridge Mall.

The Altamont Corridor Express rail service stops near Pleasanton's downtown at Pleasanton Station.

The Wheels (LAVTA) bus transit system is the primary provider of bus service in Pleasanton (with numerous routes in the city), and connects Pleasanton to Livermore and Dublin, along with the above three stations.

Express routes from Pleasanton Station and Dublin/Pleasanton (BART station) to San Ramon and Walnut Creek are provided by County Connection.

Airports
Pleasanton's closest airport is Livermore Municipal Airport, which is primarily used for general aviation and charter flights; there is no regularly-scheduled commercial service. The closest commercial airports are San Jose International Airport, which is reachable by the Altamont Corridor Express, and Oakland International Airport, which can be reached directly through BART. The vast majority of international flights serving the region operate from San Francisco International Airport, also accessible via BART.

Notable people
People from Pleasanton include:
 * Scott Adams, cartoonist, creator of Dilbert
 * Brandon Crawford, professional baseball player for the San Francisco Giants
 * Paula Creamer, professional golfer
 * Mason Filippi, NASCAR driver
 * TJ Friedl, professional baseball player
 * David Garibaldi, professional drummer with Tower of Power, 2012 Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame Inductee, author of numerous drum instructional books, CDs and DVDs
 * Peter Gassner, billionaire and co-founder of Veeva Systems
 * Edwin Hawkins, gospel musician, pianist, choir master, composer and arranger
 * Phoebe Hearst, philanthropist, feminist and suffragist, mother of William Randolph Hearst
 * Walter S. Johnson, businessman and philanthropist
 * Randal J. Kirk, businessman
 * Joel Kribel, professional golfer
 * John Madden, football coach and sportscaster
 * Sean Mannion, former quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams
 * Abby Martin, journalist and host of Breaking the Set
 * Keith Millard, former NFL defensive tackle
 * Jerry McNerney, US Congressman
 * William E. Moerner, 2014 Nobel Prize laureate in chemistry
 * Jim Perry, game show host, specifically for game shows Card Sharks and Sale of the Century
 * Scott Perry, professional football player
 * Stephen Piscotty, professional baseball player for the Oakland Athletics
 * Dennis Richmond, former news anchor for KTVU
 * Ryan Roxie, Singer/songwriter and guitarist for Alice Cooper, Casablanca and Slash's Snakepit.
 * Tamriko Siprashvili, prize-winning international concert pianist, recording artist, instructor
 * Ellen Tauscher, former Congresswoman for California's 10th congressional district
 * Donna Theodore, singer and actress
 * Gabrielle Union, film and television actress
 * David Yost, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers actor.

Sister cities

 * Blairgowrie and Rattray, Scotland, UK
 * 🇨🇦 Fergus, Ontario, Canada
 * 🇲🇽 Tulancingo, Mexico

title: Pleasanton, California