Pleasanton is a city in
Alameda County, CaliforniaAlameda County is a county in the U.S. state of California. It occupies most of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,510,271, making it the 7th most populous county in the state...
, incorporated in 1894. It is a suburb in the
San Francisco Bay AreaThe San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
located about 25 miles (40 km) east of
OaklandOakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, and 6 miles (9.7 km) west of
LivermoreLivermore is a city in Alameda County. The population as of 2010 was 80,968. Livermore is located on the eastern edge of California's San Francisco Bay Area....
. The population was 70,285 at the 2010 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 Inc.Safeway Inc. , a Fortune 500 company, is North America's second largest supermarket chain after The Kroger Co., with, as of December 2010, 1,694 stores located throughout the western and central United States and western Canada. It also operates some stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern...
and
PolycomPolycom is a multinational corporation with approximately 3,200 employees worldwide and an annual revenue of approximately $1.2 billion in 2010. The company manufactures and sells telepresence and voice communications solutions.-Company History 1990:...
. 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
DublinDublin is a suburban city of the East Bay region of Alameda County, California, United States. Located along the north side of Interstate 580 at the intersection with Interstate 680, roughly east of Hayward, west of Livermore and north of San Jose, it was named after the city of Dublin in...
. The
Alameda County FairgroundsThe Alameda County Fairgrounds is a facility located in Pleasanton, California. It is home to the annual Alameda County Fair as well as numerous trade shows and community events. Its racetrack was built in 1858, making it the oldest one-mile horse racing track in America...
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 ParkShadow Cliffs Regional Park is a regional park in Livermore, Californiathat is part of the East Bay Regional Parks system on Stanley Blvd. The lake was once a gravel pit, but now includes a sandy beach with swimming, waterslides, and it supports fishing and recreational boating. The park is also a...
is located on the east side of town.
Pleasanton is number 63 in
CNNMoney.comCNNMoney.com is the world's largest business website. The site is the online home of Fortune and Money, and serves as CNN.com's exclusive business site. The site, edited by Chris Peacock, together with the three titles, is part of the Fortune|Money Group, and attracts more than 10.8 million unique...
′s list of "The Best Places to Live" in 2010, and was also named one of "Americans' Top Hometown Spots" in the United States in 2009 by
ForbesForbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
.
Alisal
Before the establishment of Pleasanton, in the 1850s, an earlier settlement, called Alisal was there. One of the earliest houses built in the valley in 1854 is still standing and serves as the centerpiece of the
Alviso Adobe Community ParkThe Alviso Adobe Community Park is a park in the city of Pleasanton, California, United States. It is built around an adobe house constructed in 1854 by Francisco Alviso, a rare surviving example of an early American adobe that was continuously in use until 1969...
. Alisal, nicknamed "The Most Desperate Town in the West" was was ruled by bandits and desperados. Main Street shootouts were not uncommon. Banditos such as
Joaquin MurrietaJoaquin Carrillo Murrieta , also called the Mexican or Chilean Robin Hood or the Robin Hood of El Dorado, was a semi-legendary figure in California during the California Gold Rush of the 1850s...
upon whom the legend of Zorro is based would ambush prospectors on their way back from the
gold rushA gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
fields and then seek refuge in Alisal. In the 1860's
ProcopioProcopio , also known as Red-Handed Dick and Red Dick was one of the most well-known bandits in California history. His nickname was reportedly given due either to his red hair, or his violent nature and bloodthirstiness...
, Narciso Bojorques and others took refuge there.
Pleasanton
Pleasanton is located on the
Rancho Valle de San JoséRancho Valle de San José was a Mexican land grant in present day Alameda County, California given in 1839 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Antonio Maria Pico, Agustín Bernal , Juan Pablo Bernal , and María Dolores Bernal de Suñol...
Mexican land grant and was founded by John W. Kottinger, an Alameda County
justice of the peaceA justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
, and named after his friend,
Union armyThe Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
cavalryCavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
Major GeneralMajor general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Alfred PleasontonAlfred Pleasonton was a United States Army officer and General of Union cavalry during the American Civil War. He commanded the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac during the Gettysburg Campaign, including the largest predominantly cavalry battle of the war, Brandy Station...
. A typographical error by a U.S. Postal Service employee apparently led to the current spelling.
The reputation it had gained from its days as Alisal passed and in 1917, Pleasanton became the backdrop for the film
Rebecca of Sunnybrook FarmRebecca of Sunnybrook Farm is a 1917 silent comedy-drama film directed by Marshall Neilan based upon the novel of the same name by Kate Douglas Wiggin. This version is notable for having been adapted by famed female screenwriter Frances Marion...
, which starred
Mary PickfordMary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
. The town was once home to
Phoebe Apperson HearstPhoebe Apperson Hearst was an American philanthropist, feminist and suffragist. She was also the mother of William Randolph Hearst.-Biography:...
, who lived in a 50-room mansion on a 2000 acres (8.1 km²) estate, now the site of Castlewood Country Club.
Geography
Pleasanton is located at 37°40′21"N 121°52′57"W (37.672530, -121.882517) and is adjacent to
HaywardHayward is a city located in the East Bay in Alameda County, California. With a population of 144,186, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda County. Hayward was ranked as the 37th most populous municipality in California. It is included in...
,
LivermoreLivermore is a city in Alameda County. The population as of 2010 was 80,968. Livermore is located on the eastern edge of California's San Francisco Bay Area....
, and
DublinDublin is a suburban city of the East Bay region of Alameda County, California, United States. Located along the north side of Interstate 580 at the intersection with Interstate 680, roughly east of Hayward, west of Livermore and north of San Jose, it was named after the city of Dublin in...
. According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 24.3 square miles (62.9 km²), of which, 24.1 square miles (62.4 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (0.63%) is water. On the east side of town on Stanley Blvd. near the Livermore border is
Shadow Cliffs Regional ParkShadow Cliffs Regional Park is a regional park in Livermore, Californiathat is part of the East Bay Regional Parks system on Stanley Blvd. The lake was once a gravel pit, but now includes a sandy beach with swimming, waterslides, and it supports fishing and recreational boating. The park is also a...
, a lake that holds swimming, fishing, boating, and a waterslide. On the west side is the Pleasanton Ridge with the two parks
Pleasanton RidgePleasanton Ridge Regional Park is a park in the East Bay Regional Park District overlooking Pleasanton, California and the Livermore Valley to the east. The park is scheduled to grow by almost with the acquisition of the Tyler Ranch....
and
Augustin Bernal ParkAugustin Bernal Park is a park in the hills southwest of Pleasanton, California.The park was donated to the city in 1971 by Walter S. Johnson, and connects to Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park. The hike up the Valley View Trail features panoramic views of the city of Pleasanton.Access to the park's...
. Much of Pleasanton is drained by the
Arroyo del ValleArroyo del Valle or Arroyo Valle is a westward-flowing stream in Alameda County and Santa Clara County, California, USA, that is tributary to Arroyo de la Laguna which in turn flows into Alameda Creek. The stream drains much of the southern portion of the city of Livermore, and it also flows...
and
Arroyo MochoArroyo Mocho is a stream in eastern Alameda County, California that traverses the cities of Livermore and Pleasanton.The underlying aquifer is the Mocho Subbasin, whose eastern boundary is the Tesla Fault...
watercourseA watercourse is any flowing body of water. These include rivers, streams, anabranches, and so forth.-See also:* physical geography* Environmental flow* Waterway* Hydrology* Wadi-External links:...
s. Pleasanton lies along the route of the historic
First Transcontinental RailroadThe First Transcontinental Railroad was a railroad line built in the United States of America between 1863 and 1869 by the Central Pacific Railroad of California and the Union Pacific Railroad that connected its statutory Eastern terminus at Council Bluffs, Iowa/Omaha, Nebraska The First...
.
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.
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 RevivalThe Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
, Pioneer,
ItalianateThe Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
, Commercial Italianate,
Colonial RevivalThe Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own...
, and
Queen AnneThe Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
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 serving the community as a hardware store, Comerica Bank has taken over the space.
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 HearstWilliam Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...
in the 1890s. Phoebe Apperson Hearst had the hacienda remodeled and expanded by architect
Julia MorganJulia Morgan was an American architect. The architect of over 700 buildings in California, she is best known for her work on Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California...
for use as her primary residence after her husband died. The estate was built upon a 453 acres (1.8 km²) rancheria obtained in 1886 by
George HearstGeorge Hearst was a wealthy American businessman and United States Senator, and the father of newspaperman William Randolph Hearst.-Early life and education:...
, who intended to use the location for a race horse farm. The name was inspired by the circular, carved marble wellhead purchased by Phoebe and William in
VeronaVerona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of 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 styleThe Mission Revival Style was an architectural movement that began in the late 19th century for a colonial style's revivalism and reinterpretation, which drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century Spanish missions in California....
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 CastleHearst Castle is a National Historic Landmark mansion located on the Central Coast of California, United States. It was designed by architect Julia Morgan between 1919 and 1947 for newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, who died in 1951. In 1957, the Hearst Corporation donated the property to...
at
San SimeonSan Simeon is a census-designated place on the Pacific coast of San Luis Obispo County, California. Its position along State Route 1 is approximately halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, each of those cities being roughly 230 mi away...
and sold the estate.
Events and festivals
Pleasanton continues to maintain a small town flavor with regular events for the community. Every Saturday morning a
farmers' marketA farmers' market consists of individual vendors—mostly farmers—who set up booths, tables or stands, outdoors or indoors, to sell produce, meat products, fruits and sometimes prepared foods and beverages...
sets up on Angela, off Main Street. In December, there is a Christmas parade.
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 MayoCinco de Mayo is a holiday held on May 5. It is celebrated nationwide in the United States and regionally in Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla, where the holiday is called El Dia de la Batalla de Puebla...
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 PizzaRound Table Pizza is a large chain of pizza parlors in the western United States. The company's headquarters are located in Concord, California.The company slogan for many years has been "The Last Honest Pizza".- History :...
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.
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'Lions Clubs International is a secular service organization with over 44,500 clubs and more than 1,368,683 members in 191 countries around the world founded by Melvin Jones Headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, United States, the organization aims to meet the needs of communities on a local and...
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. 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.
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.
Firehouse Arts Center
The Firehouse Arts Center is a center of culture and art for Pleasanton. It features two galleries, classrooms, and a stage. It is also home to the critically acclaimed teen improv comedy troupe, Creatures Of Impulse.
Economy
Pleasanton experienced a major economic boom starting in the early 1980s, largely associated with the development of a number of
business parkA business park or office park is an area of land in which many office buildings are grouped together. All of the work that goes on is commercial, not industrial or residential....
s, the largest of which is the
Hacienda Business ParkHacienda Business Park is a 900 acre mixed used job center and housing development in Pleasanton, California.-History:Approved in 1982 and ratified by Pleasanton voters in 1983, the business park covers approximately 20 square blocks and features many multi-story office buildings and headquarters...
. 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
SafewaySafeway Inc. , a Fortune 500 company, is North America's second largest supermarket chain after The Kroger Co., with, as of December 2010, 1,694 stores located throughout the western and central United States and western Canada. It also operates some stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern...
,
ThoratecThoratec Corporation is a United States-based company that designs, manufactures, sells, and supports products that treat a wide range of clinical needs for advanced heart failure patients, specifically proprietary medical devices for circulatory support, vascular graft applications, point-of-care...
, Simpson Manufacturing,
PolycomPolycom is a multinational corporation with approximately 3,200 employees worldwide and an annual revenue of approximately $1.2 billion in 2010. The company manufactures and sells telepresence and voice communications solutions.-Company History 1990:...
, The Cooper Companies,
ShakleeShaklee Corporation is a privately held manufacturer and distributor of nutritional supplements, weight-management products, beauty products, and household products. The company is based in Pleasanton, California with operations in Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Taiwan and China...
, 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 CorporationOracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...
),
DocumentumDocumentum is an enterprise content management platform, now delivered by EMC Corporation, as well as the name of the software company that originally developed the technology. EMC acquired Documentum for $1.7 billion in December, 2003...
(which was acquired by
EMC CorporationEMC Corporation , a Financial Times Global 500, Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company, develops, delivers and supports information infrastructure and virtual infrastructure hardware, software, and services. EMC is headquartered in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, USA.Former Intel executive Richard Egan and his...
),
E-LoanE-Loan, Inc. is a Rosemont, Illinois-based financial services company that offers savings accounts and certificates of deposit and access to partners that may be able to assist customers in obtaining loans....
(which was acquired by
PopularPopular, Inc., is a financial services conglomerate that has been operating in Puerto Rico for almost 115 years and in the United States for over 52 years. In recent years, it has expanded into other areas of the Caribbean and Central America. It is better known as Banco Popular, but it is also...
),
Spreckels Sugar CompanyThe Spreckels Sugar Company is an American sugar beet refiner that for many years controlled much of the U.S. West Coast refined sugar market. Spreckels Sugar was founded by entrepreneur, industrialist, newspaper publisher, and railroad executive Claus Spreckels in 1881...
(which was acquired by
Imperial HollyImperial Sugar is a major U.S. sugar producer and marketer based in Sugar Land, Texas, with sugar refinery operations in California, Georgia, and Louisiana....
) and the home loan operation of
ProvidianProvidian Financial Corporation was one of the leading credit card issuers in the United States when it was sold to Washington Mutual for approximately US$6.5 billion in October 2005. Providian was headquartered in San Francisco, California, and had more than 10 million card holders at the time of...
(which was acquired by
Washington MutualWashington Mutual, Inc. , abbreviated to WaMu, was a savings bank holding company and the former owner of Washington Mutual Bank, which was the United States' largest savings and loan association until its collapse in 2008....
, itself later acquired by JPMorgan Chase). Oracle maintains the former Peoplesoft campus as a major division and is the third-largest employer in Pleasanton, behind Safeway and Kaiser Permanente. In addition, Pleasanton is the site of a large
AT&TAT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
campus.
Other companies with major operations in Pleasanton include Hitachi High Technologies America, Inc.,
Cisco SystemsCisco Systems, Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in San Jose, California, United States, that designs and sells consumer electronics, networking, voice, and communications technology and services. Cisco has more than 70,000 employees and annual revenue of US$...
, Sage Software (Accpac, etc.), CooperVision,
CloroxThe Clorox Company is a US-based manufacturer of various food and chemical products based in Oakland, California, which is best known for its bleach product, Clorox.- History :...
, Fireside Bank,
RocheRoche Applied Science is producers of reagents and systems for life science research, with focus on DNA sequencing, microarrays, gene expression, and cell analysis. Important applications fields of the company´s products are Biotech R&D and Pharma R&D...
,
BMC SoftwareBMC Software, Inc. is a multinational corporation specializing in Business Service Management software, with record annual revenue in fiscal 2009 of $1.87 billion...
, Applied Biosystems,
EMC CorporationEMC Corporation , a Financial Times Global 500, Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company, develops, delivers and supports information infrastructure and virtual infrastructure hardware, software, and services. EMC is headquartered in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, USA.Former Intel executive Richard Egan and his...
, Portrait Displays, Inc. and
SymantecSymantec Corporation is the largest maker of security software for computers. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and is a Fortune 500 company and a member of the S&P 500 stock market index.-History:...
.
In the retailing field, Pleasanton has one major regional mall (
Stoneridge Shopping CenterStoneridge Shopping Center is an upscale regional shopping mall located in Pleasanton, California. The mall is managed and co-owned by Simon Property Group, and is adjacent to Interstate 680.The mall is anchored by Nordstrom, Macy's, JCPenney, and Sears....
) and a number of other shopping centers. Most national and regional retailers have a Pleasanton location; besides the anchor tenants
NordstromNordstrom, Inc. is an upscale department store chain in the United States, founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin. Initially a shoe retailer, the company today also sells clothing, accessories, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics, fragrances, and in some locations, home furnishings...
,
Macy'sMacy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
,
SearsSears, officially named Sears, Roebuck and Co., is an American chain of department stores which was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in the late 19th century...
, and JC Penney at Stoneridge, notable large stores elsewhere in the city include Home Depot,
Wal-MartWal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
,
Kohl'sKohl's Corporation is an American department store chain headquartered in the Milwaukee suburb of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, operating , 1,089 stores in 49 states. In 1998, it entered the S&P 500 list, and is also listed in the Fortune 500...
, and Borders Books (closed in 2011).
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. Similarly, for 2007, the median household income rose to $113,345, also the highest in the category.
According to the Bay East Association of REALTORS, the median price of a detached single family home is $665,000 as of April 2009.
Top employers
According to the City's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
| # |
Employer |
# of Employees |
| 1 |
Kaiser PermanenteKaiser Permanente is an integrated managed care consortium, based in Oakland, California, United States, founded in 1945 by industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and physician Sidney Garfield...
|
3,738 |
| 2 |
SafewaySafeway Inc. , a Fortune 500 company, is North America's second largest supermarket chain after The Kroger Co., with, as of December 2010, 1,694 stores located throughout the western and central United States and western Canada. It also operates some stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern...
|
3,300 |
| 3 |
OracleOracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...
|
1,500 |
| 4 |
Pleasanton Unified School District The Pleasanton Unified School District is a public primary and secondary education school district located in Pleasanton, California. It consists of nine elementary schools, three middle schools, two high schools, and two alternative high schools....
|
1,185 |
| 5 |
Valley Care Medical Center |
1,048 |
| 6 |
State Compensation Insurance Fund The State Compensation Insurance Fund is a workers' compensation insurer that was created as a "public enterprise fund" by the U.S. state of California, and today has partial autonomy from the rest of the state government...
|
650 |
| 7 |
Macy'sMacy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
|
584 |
| 8 |
Roche Molecular Diagnostics Roche Diagnostics Division is a subsidiary of Hoffmann-La Roche which manufactures equipment and reagents for research and medical diagnostic applications. Internally, it is organized into five major business areas: Roche Applied Science, Roche Professional Diagnostics, Roche Diabetes Care, Roche...
|
422 |
| 9 |
City of Pleasanton |
419 |
| 10 |
Hendrick Joseph Riddick Hendrick III , better known as Rick Hendrick, is the current owner of the American NASCAR team, Hendrick Motorsports and founder of the Hendrick Automotive Group and Hendrick Marrow Program. He attended Park View High School in South Hill, Virginia, and began his career in auto...
Automotive Group |
405 |
| 11 |
Thoratec Thoratec Corporation is a United States-based company that designs, manufactures, sells, and supports products that treat a wide range of clinical needs for advanced heart failure patients, specifically proprietary medical devices for circulatory support, vascular graft applications, point-of-care...
|
388 |
| 12 |
Workday |
1047 |
| 13 |
AT&TAT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
|
377 |
| 14 |
Fireside Bank |
365 |
| 15 |
EMCEMC Corporation , a Financial Times Global 500, Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company, develops, delivers and supports information infrastructure and virtual infrastructure hardware, software, and services. EMC is headquartered in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, USA.Former Intel executive Richard Egan and his...
|
331 |
Demographics
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Pleasanton had a population of 70,285. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,896.5 people per square mile (1,118.4/km²). 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 racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 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 couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
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 partnershipsPOSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....
, and 156 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 4,860 households (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
familiesA family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...
(76.0% of all households); the average family size was 3.20.
The population was spread out 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 per square mile (414.5/km²), 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.
2000
As of the
censusA census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 63,654 people, 24,311 households, and 17,390 families residing in the city. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
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 per square mile (427.0/km²).
There were 23,311 households out of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.7% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
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
incomeIncome is the consumption and savings opportunity gained by an entity within a specified time frame, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. However, for households and individuals, "income is the sum of all the wages, salaries, profits, interests payments, rents and other forms of earnings...
for a household in the city was $113,345, and the median income for a family was $131,048. Males had a median income of $95,465 versus $60,493 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
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-managerThe council–manager government form is one of two predominant forms of municipal government in the United States; the other common form of local government is the mayor-council government form, which characteristically occurs in large cities...
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), Cheryl Cook-Kallio (Vice Mayor), Jerry Thorne, Cindy McGovern, and Matt Sullivan. The City Manager is Nelson Fialho.
In the
state legislatureThe California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
Pleasanton is located in the 10th
SenateThe California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
District, represented by
DemocratThe Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Ellen CorbettEllen Marie Corbett is a Democratic politician from San Leandro, California. She is currently serving her second term in the California State Senate. Corbett represents the 10th District, which includes San Leandro, Hayward, Pleasanton, Union City, Fremont, Newark, Milpitas and part of San Jose...
, and in the 15th, 18th, and 20th
AssemblyThe California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
Districts, represented by
DemocratThe Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Joan BuchananJoan T. Buchanan is a Democratic public official and former school board member from Alamo, California. She has been a member of the California State Assembly since December 2008...
, Democrat
Mary HayashiMary Hayashi was elected to the California State Assembly in 2006. She was re-elected in 2008 and 2010. She is a Democrat. She represents the 18th Assembly District which includes San Leandro, Hayward, Dublin and the unincorporated areas of Ashland, Cherryland, and San Lorenzo...
, and Democrat
Bob WieckowskiBob Wieckowski is an American attorney and politician in California. He was elected November 2, 2010 to the California State Assembly to represent the 20th District, which includes the cities of Fremont, Newark, Union City, and Milpitas, as well as portions of San Jose, Pleasanton, Hayward, and...
respectively. Federally, most of Pleasanton is in
California's 11th congressional districtCalifornia's 11th congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of California. Based in Northern California, it encompasses parts of San Joaquin, Alameda, Contra Costa, and Santa Clara counties....
, which has a
Cook PVIThe Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...
of R +1 and is represented by Democrat
Jerry McNerneyGerald "Jerry" McNerney is an engineer, energy specialist, and the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
. A small part of Pleasanton is in the
13th districtCalifornia's 13th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California that includes portions of Alameda and Santa Clara counties.The district is currently represented by Democrat Fortney "Pete" Stark.-Voting:...
, which has a Cook PVI of D +22 and is represented by Democrat
Pete StarkFortney Hillman "Pete" Stark, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1973. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Currently he is the 5th most senior Representative, as well as 6th most senior member of Congress overall...
.
Infrastructure
Roads
Pleasanton is situated at the crossroads of two major
Interstate HighwaysThe Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
,
I-580Interstate 580 is an 80-mile east–west Interstate Highway in Northern California. The heavily traveled spur route of Interstate 80 runs from San Rafael in the San Francisco Bay Area to Interstate 5 near Tracy in the Central Valley...
and
I-680Interstate 680 is a north–south Interstate Highway in Northern California. It curves around the eastern cities of the San Francisco Bay Area from San Jose to Interstate 80 at Cordelia, bypassing cities along the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay such as Oakland and Richmond while serving...
, which mirror the prehistoric crossroutes of
Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribes who used the precursor paths as major trading routes. This fact was first discovered with the excavations for Hacienda Business Park, revealing significant
tribalA tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
artifactsA cultural artifact is a term used in the social sciences, particularly anthropology, ethnology, and sociology for anything created by humans which gives information about the culture of its creator and users...
and human skeletal remains.
Public transit
The
eastern terminusDublin/Pleasanton is a Bay Area Rapid Transit station on the border of Dublin and Pleasanton. The station is fed by twenty local and regional bus lines from five different providers....
of the
Bay Area Rapid TransitBay Area Rapid Transit is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. The heavy-rail public transit and subway system connects San Francisco with cities in the East Bay and suburbs in northern San Mateo County. BART operates five lines on of track with 44 stations in four counties...
(BART) commuter train system's Dublin/Pleasanton - Daly City Line is located in Pleasanton. Another station, the West Dublin/Pleasanton station, is located just west of the I-680 interchange.
The
WHEELSWHEELS is a bus service that provides public transportation in the Tri-Valley Region of the San Francisco Bay Area, in the United States...
bus transit system, which has a number of routes in the city, serves Pleasanton. The
Altamont Commuter ExpressThe Altamont Commuter Express is a regional rail service in California connecting Stockton with San Jose....
rail service stops near Pleasanton's downtown.
Education
Pleasanton's two
comprehensive high schoolComprehensive high schools are the most common form of public high schools in the United States and are meant to serve the needs of all students, as compared to the common practice in other nations in which examinations are used to sort students into different high schools for different populations...
s,
Amador ValleyAmador Valley High School is a public high school in Pleasanton, California, USA, a city east of San Francisco. Amador Valley is one of four high schools in the Pleasanton Unified School District, which includes Foothill High School, Village High School, and Horizon High School. The school was...
and
FoothillFoothill High School is a four-year secondary school in Pleasanton, California. It was built in 1973. It is one of two comprehensive high schools and one alternative high school in the Pleasanton Unified School District. The current enrollment is 2,343 students. The school mascot is the falcon...
, are ranked by
NewsweekNewsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
among the top 400 high schools in the nation. There are also two
continuation high schoolA continuation high school is an alternative to a comprehensive high school primarily for students who are considered at-risk of not graduating at the normal pace. The requirements to graduate are the same but the scheduling is more flexible to allow students to earn their credits at a quicker...
s: 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
Middle schools
- Public: Hart
Hart Middle School is the newest of the three middle schools in the Pleasanton Unified School District, along with Harvest Park and Pleasanton Middle School. The school is named after Thomas S. Hart.-Programs:...
, Harvest Park, Pleasanton Middle SchoolPleasanton Middle School is a public middle school in Pleasanton, California, a suburban community in the San Francisco Bay Area. The school is in the Pleasanton Unified School District, which also contains schools such as Harvest Park Middle School and Hart Middle School. The school's motto is...
High schools
- Public Comprehensive: Amador Valley High School
Amador Valley High School is a public high school in Pleasanton, California, USA, a city east of San Francisco. Amador Valley is one of four high schools in the Pleasanton Unified School District, which includes Foothill High School, Village High School, and Horizon High School. The school was...
, Foothill High SchoolFoothill High School is a four-year secondary school in Pleasanton, California. It was built in 1973. It is one of two comprehensive high schools and one alternative high school in the Pleasanton Unified School District. The current enrollment is 2,343 students. The school mascot is the falcon...
- Public Alternative: Horizon High School
Horizon High School is a public high school for school-age mothers located in Pleasanton, California, a community in the San Francisco Bay Area. Horizon is a part of the Pleasanton Unified School District, which also includes Amador Valley High School, Foothill High School, and Village High School....
, Village High SchoolVillage High School is a public continuation high school located in Pleasanton, California, a community in the San Francisco East Bay area. Village is a part of the Pleasanton Unified School District, which also includes Amador Valley High School, Foothill High School, and Horizon High School...
People from Pleasanton
- John Madden
John Madden may refer to:*Jack Madden, basketball referee*John Madden , American former football coach and television announcer*John Madden , ice hockey player...
, football coach, lives there
- Jim Trimingham
Jim Trimingham was Mayor of the City of Pleasanton, California from 1952 to 1955.Trimingham ran the first fleet of school buses for the Amador Valley Joint Union High School District from 1932 to 1946....
, former mayor
- Brandon Crawford
Brandon Michael Crawford is an American professional baseball player for the San Francisco Giants in Major League Baseball . The shortstop was the sixth player in MLB history to hit a grand slam in his first Major League game...
, baseball player, lived as a child there
- Phoebe Hearst
Phoebe Apperson Hearst was an American philanthropist, feminist and suffragist. She was also the mother of William Randolph Hearst.-Biography:...
- Walter S. Johnson
Walter S. Johnson was a notable businessman and philanthropistin San Francisco, California. He was one of the founders of theAmerican Forest Products Corporation, a Fortune 500 company in the...
- Scott Perry
Scott Endecott Perry is a former American football defensive back in the National Football League. He played four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals where he caught 4 interceptions and returned 2 for touchdowns. He attended Williams College- References :...
, professional football player (born)
- Randal J. Kirk
Randal J. Kirk is the founder, chairman and chief executive of New River Pharmaceutical, and one of Virginia's wealthiest residents.-Personal life:...
, businessman
- Jerry McNerney
Gerald "Jerry" McNerney is an engineer, energy specialist, and the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
, US Representative
- Paula Creamer
Paula Creamer is an American professional golfer on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. As a professional, she has won 11 tournaments, including 9 LPGA Tour events. Creamer has been as high as number 2 in the Women's World Golf Rankings. She was the 2010 U.S...
, professional golfer
Sister cities
Blairgowrie and RattrayBlairgowrie and Rattray and Raitear is possibly from an English language cognate of Gaelic ràth, meaning fortress + a Pictish term cognate with Welsh tref, meaning settlement) is a twin burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. Amongst locals, the town is colloquially known simply as "Blair"...
,
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Fergus, OntarioFergus is the largest community in Centre Wellington, a township within Wellington County in Ontario, Canada. It lies on the Grand River about 25 km north of Guelph.-History:...
,
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
TulancingoTulancingo is the second-largest city in the Mexican state of Hidalgo. It is located in the southeastern part of the state and also forms one of the 84 municipalities of Hidalgo, as well as the Archdiocese of Tulancingo...
,
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
See also
- Bernal Subbasin
The Bernal Subbasin is an aquifer located in the southwestern corner of Livermore Valley Groundwater Basin, Alameda County, California, USA. All of the groundwater in Livermore Valley moves toward the Bernal Subbasin, which is bounded on the east by Pleasanton Fault, on the north by the Park...
- Livermore Pleasanton Fire Department
The Livermore Pleasanton Fire Department provides fire and advanced life support services to the cities of Livermore and Pleasanton, California under the direction of Fire Chief James Miguel. LPFD is located in the east bay of Alameda County...
- Pleasanton Fault
The Pleasanton Fault is a seismically active geological structure in Alameda County and Contra Costa County, California , USA.-Relation to hydrological features:...
- Pleasanton Public Library
The Pleasanton Public Library serves the city of Pleasanton in Alameda County, California. The library is located near downtown Pleasanton at 400 Old Bernal Avenue....
- Rancho Santa Rita (Pacheco)
Rancho Santa Rita was a Mexican land grant in present day Alameda County, California given in 1839 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Jose Dolores Pacheco...
External links