Pleasanton, California

City of Pleasanton
—  City  —
Pleasanton sign on Main Street
Seal
Location of Pleasanton within Alameda County, California.
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	California
County	Alameda
Government
- Mayor	Jennifer Hosterman
- Senate	Ellen Corbett (D)
- Assembly	Joan Buchanan (D) Mary Hayashi (D) Alberto Torrico (D)
- U. S. Congress	Jerry McNerney (D) (CA-11) Pete Stark (D) (CA-13)
Area
- Total	21.8 sq mi (56.5 km2)
- Land	21.7 sq mi (56.1 km2)
- Water	0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Elevation	348 ft (106 m)
Population (2000 census)
- Total	63,654
- Density	2,937.3/sq mi (1,134.1/km2)
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP codes	94566, 94568, 94588
Area code(s)	925
FIPS code	06-57792
GNIS feature ID	0277578
Website	http://www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us/

Pleasanton (formerly, Alisal and Pleasonton) is a city in Alameda County, California, incorporated in 1894. It is a major suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area located about 25 miles (40 km) east of Oakland, and 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Livermore. The population in July 2007: 66,544 at the 2000 census. In 2005 and 2007, Pleasanton was ranked the wealthiest middle-sized city in the United States by the Census Bureau.^[1][2] Pleasanton is home to the headquarters of Safeway Inc. and Polycom. Although Oakland is the Alameda County seat, a few county offices and a courthouse are located in Pleasanton. Additionally, the main county jail is in the neighboring city of Dublin. The Alameda County Fairgrounds are located in Pleasanton, and the annual County Fair is held there during the last week of June and the first week of July. Shadow Cliffs Regional Park is located on the east side of town.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 2.1 Climate 3 Architecture 4 Culture 4.1 Events and festivals 4.1.1 First Wednesday 4.1.2 Friday Concerts in the Park 4.1.3 Fairgrounds 5 Economy 6 Demographics 7 Government 8 Infrastructure 8.1 Roads 8.2 Public transit 9 Education 9.1 Elementary schools 9.2 Middle schools 9.3 High schools 10 Sister cities 11 See also 12 Notes 13 References 14 External links

History

Pleasanton is located on the Rancho Valle de San José Mexican land grant and was founded by John W. Kottinger, an Alameda County justice of the peace, and named after his friend, Union army cavalry Major General Alfred Pleasonton. A typographical error by a U.S. Postal Service employee apparently led to the current spelling. One of the earliest houses built in the valley in 1854 is still standing and serves as the centerpiece of the Alviso Adobe Community Park. In the 1850s, the town was nicknamed "The Most Desperate Town in the West" and it was ruled by bandits and desperados. Main Street shootouts were not uncommon. Banditos such as Joaquin Murrieta, upon whom the legend of Zorro is based, would ambush prospectors on their way back from the gold rush fields and then seek refuge in Pleasanton. This reputation passed and in 1917, Pleasanton became the backdrop for the film Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, which starred Mary Pickford. The town was once home to Phoebe Apperson Hearst, who lived in a 50-room mansion on a 2,000 acre (8 km²) estate, now the site of Castlewood Country Club.^[3]

Geography

Pleasanton is located at (37.672530, -121.882517)^[4] and is adjacent to Hayward, Livermore, and Dublin. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.8 square miles (56.5 km²), of which, 21.7 square miles (56.1 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (0.78%) is water. On the east side of town on Stanley Blvd. near the Livermore border is Shadow Cliffs Regional Park, a lake that holds swimming, fishing, boating, and a waterslide. On the west side is the Pleasanton Ridge with the two parks Pleasanton Ridge and Augustin Bernal Park. Much of Pleasanton is drained by the Arroyo del Valle and Arroyo Mocho watercourses. Pleasanton lies along the route of the historic First Transcontinental Railroad.

Climate

The highest recorded temperature was 115 °F (46.1 °C) in 1950. The lowest recorded temperature was 17 °F (-8.3 °C) in 1990.^[5]

Climate data for Pleasanton, California
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	75 (23.9)	80 (26.7)	88 (31.1)	96 (35.6)	104 (40)	113 (45)	112 (44.4)	112 (44.4)	115 (46.1)	106 (41.1)	90 (32.2)	79 (26.1)	115 (46.1)
Average high °F (°C)	58 (14.4)	62 (16.7)	65 (18.3)	71 (21.7)	77 (25)	84 (28.9)	89 (31.7)	89 (31.7)	86 (30)	78 (25.6)	65 (18.3)	57 (13.9)	89 (31.7)
Average low °F (°C)	37 (2.8)	40 (4.4)	42 (5.6)	44 (6.7)	48 (8.9)	53 (11.7)	55 (12.8)	55 (12.8)	53 (11.7)	48 (8.9)	42 (5.6)	37 (2.8)	37 (2.8)
Record low °F (°C)	17 (-8.3)	23 (-5)	22 (-5.6)	29 (-1.7)	32 (0)	30 (-1.1)	36 (2.2)	40 (4.4)	35 (1.7)	29 (-1.7)	23 (-5)	18 (-7.8)	17 (-8.3)
Precipitation inches (mm)	2.99 (75.9)	2.77 (70.4)	2.47 (62.7)	0.96 (24.4)	0.43 (10.9)	0.09 (2.3)	0.03 (0.8)	0.08 (2)	0.24 (6.1)	0.84 (21.3)	1.88 (47.8)	2.04 (51.8)	11.713 (297.5)
Source: The Weather Channel[5]

Architecture

Because of the preservation of Pleasanton's historic downtown area, many examples of architectural styles dating back to the mid-1800s 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.^[6] After more than 100 years serving the community as a hardware store, Comerica Bank is set to take over the space.^[7]

La Hacienda del Pozo de Verona (The House of the Wellhead of Verona) was another Pleasanton landmark that was destroyed by a fire in 1969. Construction was originally started by architect A.C. Schweinfurth for William Randolph Hearst in the 1890s. 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 (1.83 km²) rancheria obtained in 1886 by George Hearst, who intended to use the location for a race horse farm.^[8] The 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",^[9] while Garnett wrote it would be more accurately called "Hispano-Moresque".^[10] Moorish influence was found throughout the estate, such as in the guardhouses which stood on either side of the courtyard entrance.^[11] 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.^[11]

Culture

Pleasanton is sometimes nicknamed "P-town".

Events and festivals

Pleasanton continues to maintain a small town flavor with regular events for the community. Every Saturday morning a farmers' market sets up on Angela, off Main Street. In December, there is Christmas parade, and a parking lot near downtown is converted to an outdoor ice-skating rink.

First Wednesday

The Pleasanton Downtown Association organizes the popular First Wednesday celebrations from May through September. On every first Wednesday of those summery months, Main Street is blocked to traffic and adopts a street fair atmosphere. Each First Wednesday celebration is given a different theme and planned with related activities. Typically the first theme is Cinco de Mayo since May is the first month for these street parties. 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 performs in the Round Table Pizza parking lot, which is closed off for dancing. The parking lot is also set up as a beergarden, with beer and wine available for consumption.^[12]

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. Locals will start laying out blankets in the park on Friday mornings as a way to reserve a spot.^[13] The music is generally eclectic. Past acts have included Tommy and the Four Speeds, The CoolTones, Night Fever Band, Night Shift, Midnight Hour, Magic Moments, La Ventana and Public Eye.^[14]

Fairgrounds

The Alameda County Fair runs annually at the Fairgrounds in Pleasanton. Many car shows are held at the Fairgrounds during the fair's off-season, and California's largest Scottish Highland Games are held there annually.

Economy

Pleasanton experienced a major economic boom starting in the early 1980s,^[15] 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, Inc., Thoratec Corporation, Polycom, Shaklee Corporation, and Ross Stores. 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), E-Loan (which was acquired by Popular, Inc.), Spreckels Sugar Company (which was acquired by Imperial Holly) and the home loan operation of Providian (which was acquired by Washington Mutual, itself later acquired by JPMorgan Chase). Oracle maintains the former Peoplesoft campus as a major division and is the second-largest employer in Pleasanton, behind Safeway. 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., Sage Software (Accpac, etc.), CooperVision, Clorox, Fireside Bank, Roche, BMC Software, Applied Biosystems, EMC Corporation, Portrait Displays, Inc. and Symantec.

In the retailing field, Pleasanton has one major regional mall (Stoneridge Shopping Center) and a number of other shopping centers. Most national and regional retailers have a Pleasanton location; besides the anchor tenants Nordstrom, Macy's, Sears, and JC Penney at Stoneridge, notable large stores elsewhere in the city include Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Kohl's, and Borders Books.

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.

According to the latest U.S. Census information, Pleasanton is the wealthiest midsize city in the nation. 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.^[1] Similarly, for 2007, the median household income rose to $113,345, also the highest in the category.^[2]

According to the Bay East Association of REALTORS, the median price of a detached single family home is $665,000 as of April 2009.^[16]

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	350		—
1880	600		71.4%
1890	984		64.0%
1900	1,100		11.8%
1910	1,254		14.0%
1920	991		−21.0%
1930	1,237		24.8%
1940	1,278		3.3%
1950	2,244		75.6%
1960	4,203		87.3%
1970	18,328		336.1%
1980	35,160		91.8%
1990	50,533		43.7%
2000	63,654		26.0%
Est. 2007	66,544		4.5%
source:[17][18]

As of the census^[19] of 2000, there were 63,654 people, 23,311 households, and 17,390 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,938.1 people per square mile (1,134.1/km²). There were 23,968 housing units at an average density of 1,106.3/sq mi (427.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.44% White, 3.38% African American, 0.33% Native American, 10.69% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 2.35% from other races, and 3.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.87% of the population.

There were 23,311 households out of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.7% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were non-families. 19.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.2% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males.

According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $113,345, and the median income for a family was $131,048.^[20] Males had a median income of $95,465 versus $60,493 for females. The per capita income for the city was $51,623. About 3.6% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The City of Pleasanton operates under a council-manager form of municipal government. 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 year by the City Council.

The City Council consists of: Jennifer Hosterman (Mayor), Jerry Thorne (Vice Mayor), Cindy McGovern, Matt Sullivan, and Cheryl Cook-Kallio. The City Manager is Nelson Fialho.

In the state legislature Pleasanton is located in the 10th Senate District, represented by Democrat Ellen Corbett, and in the 15th, 18th, and 20th Assembly Districts, represented by Democrat Joan Buchanan, Democrat Mary Hayashi, and Democrat Alberto Torrico respectively. Federally, most of Pleasanton is in California's 11th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +1^[21] and is represented by Democrat Jerry McNerney. A small part of Pleasanton is in the 13th district, which has a Cook PVI of D +22 and is represented by Democrat Pete Stark.

Infrastructure

Roads

Pleasanton is situated at the crossroads of two major Interstate Highways, I-580 and I-680, which mirror the prehistoric crossroutes 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.^[22]

Public transit

The eastern terminus of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) commuter train system's Dublin/Pleasanton - Daly City Line is located in Pleasanton. Another station, the West Dublin/Pleasanton station, is under construction in the median of I-580 just west of the I-680 interchange between the Castro Valley and Dublin/Pleasanton stations. Construction estimates for this station are $100 million, with funding coming from a unique public-private partnership and transit-oriented development (TOD) project on adjacent BART-owned property.^[23] Construction on the station began in October 2006, and is slated for completion in 2009.^[24]

The WHEELS bus transit system, which has a number of routes in the city, serves Pleasanton. Additionally, the Altamont Commuter Express rail service stops near Pleasanton's downtown.

Education

Pleasanton's two comprehensive high schools, Amador Valley and Foothill, are ranked by Newsweek among the top 400 high schools in the nation.^[26] There are also two continuation high schools: Village and Horizon; the latter is for school age mothers and young fathers. There are a number of private schools in Pleasanton, including Carden West School and Hacienda School.

Elementary schools

• Public: Alisal, Donlon, Fairlands, Hearst, Lydiksen, Mohr, Valley View, Vintage Hills, Walnut Grove
• Private: Hacienda, Carden West School - preschool through 5th Grade

Middle schools

• Public: Hart, Harvest Park, Pleasanton Middle School

High schools

• Public Comprehensive: Amador Valley High School, Foothill High School
• Public Alternative: Horizon High School, Village High School

Sister cities

• Blairgowrie and Rattray, Scotland^[27]
• Fergus, Ontario, Canada^[27]
• Tulancingo, Mexico^[28]

See also

• Bernal Subbasin
• Livermore Pleasanton Fire Department
• Pleasanton Fault
• Pleasanton Public Library
• Rancho Santa Rita (Pacheco)

Notes

References

• Pleasanton: Being a self-conducted tour of the major commercial and residential architectural styles prevalent before 1910, compiled by the Amador-Livermore Valley Historical Society Museum for the edification of Pleasanton's residents and its visitors. The Amador-Livermore Valley Historical Society 
• Hagemann, Herbert L., Jr. (1993). A History of the City of Pleasanton. The Amador-Livermore Valley Historical Society 
• Wainwright, Mary-Jo; The Museum on Main (2007). Pleasanton. Images of America. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-4761-9 
• U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Pleasanton, California

External links

• City of Pleasanton Official Website
• Alameda County Fairgrounds
• Tri-Valley Community Television (TV30)
• 101.7 KKIQ
• Pleasanton Weekly
• Tri-Valley Herald Online Edition
• Tri-Valley Eisteddfod (Tri-Valley Performing Arts Competition)
• Contra Costa Times (parent of Valley Times)
• Info Pleasanton

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