Rossmoor, Walnut Creek, California
Encyclopedia
Rossmoor is a gated community
in Walnut Creek
, California
, with a population of about 9200. It was one of the first "active adult" communities for residents 55 years or older in the San Francisco Bay Area
.
and raised show horses. Over the years they expanded the estate of 1436 acres (5.8 km²) to 2200 acres (8.9 km²).
In 1960, R. Stanley Dollar Jr (son of the shipping magnate) sold the family estate to Ross W. Cortese. Cortese owned a development company called Rossmoor Corporation. Cortese had been active in Orange County
and the unincorporated community there named Rossmoor
was one of his projects. After finishing Rossmoor he started on a new idea of private gated
retirement communities
for active seniors called Leisure World
, starting with the Leisure World
in Seal Beach
in 1960.
Leisure World gave promise of low-cost housing, coupled with services appropriate to Cortese's view of retirement—golf course
s, swimming pool
s, clubhouses, riding stable
s, transportation, medical services, and a host of administrative employees to see that the residents did not have to bother themselves with house and yard maintenance, and even little things like waste collection
, cable television
service, and watering the lawn.
Cortese's plans were a bit too ambitious and he lost control of Rossmoor in Walnut Creek almost immediately after ground was first broken. The name Leisure World is still used as a trademark by Cortese's family, but it has not applied to Rossmoor in Walnut Creek for many years. Cortese's idea was popular though and others carried out his scheme.
Amenities include two NCGA-rated golf course (one nine-hole and one 18-hole); a large indoor pool and fitness complex, two outdoor pools, six tennis courts, lawn bowling greens, bocce courts, hiking trails and table tennis facilities.
,
Gated community
In its modern form, a gated community is a form of residential community or housing estate containing strictly-controlled entrances for pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles, and often characterized by a closed perimeter of walls and fences. Gated communities usually consist of small residential...
in Walnut Creek
Walnut Creek, California
Walnut Creek is an incorporated city located east of the city of Oakland. It lies in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. While not as large as neighboring Concord, Walnut Creek serves as the business and entertainment hub for the neighboring cities within central Contra Costa...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, with a population of about 9200. It was one of the first "active adult" communities for residents 55 years or older in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The 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...
.
History
In the 1930s shipping tycoon Stanley Dollar constructed an estate in Tice Creek Valley near Walnut Creek in Contra Costa County. The Dollars bred purebred Hereford cattleHereford (cattle)
Hereford cattle are a beef cattle breed, widely used both in intemperate areas and temperate areas, mainly for meat production.Originally from Herefordshire, England, United Kingdom, more than five million pedigree Hereford Cattle now exist in over 50 countries...
and raised show horses. Over the years they expanded the estate of 1436 acres (5.8 km²) to 2200 acres (8.9 km²).
In 1960, R. Stanley Dollar Jr (son of the shipping magnate) sold the family estate to Ross W. Cortese. Cortese owned a development company called Rossmoor Corporation. Cortese had been active in Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
and the unincorporated community there named Rossmoor
Rossmoor, California
Rossmoor is an affluent planned census-designated place located in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a total population of 10,244, down from 10,298 at the 2000 census...
was one of his projects. After finishing Rossmoor he started on a new idea of private gated
Gated community
In its modern form, a gated community is a form of residential community or housing estate containing strictly-controlled entrances for pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles, and often characterized by a closed perimeter of walls and fences. Gated communities usually consist of small residential...
retirement communities
Retirement community
A retirement community, or active adult community, is a very broad, generic term that covers many varieties of housing for retirees and seniors - especially designed or geared for people who no longer work, or restricted to those over a certain age . It differs from a retirement home which is a...
for active seniors called Leisure World
Leisure World
Leisure World is the name of several retirement communities:* Leisure World, Arizona* Leisure World, Seal Beach, California* Laguna Woods Village, Laguna Woods, California, formerly known as Leisure World* Leisure World, Rossmoor, Maryland...
, starting with the Leisure World
Leisure World, Seal Beach, California
Leisure World is a gated retirement community located in Seal Beach, Orange County, California.Construction on the approximately one square mile community was begun in 1960 with the first residents moving in on June 6, 1962. This was the first major planned retirement community of its type in the...
in Seal Beach
Seal Beach, California
-Neighborhoods:Seal Beach encompasses the Leisure World retirement gated community with roughly 9,000 residents. This was the first major planned retirement community of its type in the U.S...
in 1960.
Leisure World gave promise of low-cost housing, coupled with services appropriate to Cortese's view of retirement—golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
s, swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
s, clubhouses, riding stable
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
s, transportation, medical services, and a host of administrative employees to see that the residents did not have to bother themselves with house and yard maintenance, and even little things like waste collection
Waste collection
Waste collection is the component of waste management which results in the passage of a waste material from the source of production to either the point of treatment or final disposal...
, cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
service, and watering the lawn.
Cortese's plans were a bit too ambitious and he lost control of Rossmoor in Walnut Creek almost immediately after ground was first broken. The name Leisure World is still used as a trademark by Cortese's family, but it has not applied to Rossmoor in Walnut Creek for many years. Cortese's idea was popular though and others carried out his scheme.
Community description
Rossmoor Walnut Creek is a nationally recognized and award winning senior adult community located in the 1800 acres (7.3 km²) Tice Valley area of Walnut Creek, California. Surrounded by acres of open space, this community is two miles (3 km) from downtown Walnut Creek, and 25 miles (40.2 km) from downtown San Francisco. Development of the community began in 1963, and today, there are approximately 6,700 residential units in three cooperatives, 12 condominium and one single-family home developments (referred to as Homeowner Associations or HOAs). Forty percent of the homes are garden-style duplexes to four-plexes, and the remaining are either mid-to-high-rise, and one area of 63 individual single-family homes. Homes vary in price from low $100,000s for some cooperatives to over $1 million for the single-family homes and garden style condominiums. At least one resident must be 55 years of age or older to live in a home in Rossmoor.Amenities include two NCGA-rated golf course (one nine-hole and one 18-hole); a large indoor pool and fitness complex, two outdoor pools, six tennis courts, lawn bowling greens, bocce courts, hiking trails and table tennis facilities.
Management
Rossmoor is managed by the Golden Rain Foundation, which is a nonprofit corporation. It has nine directors each elected from separate districts in Rossmoor. Each director serves a three year term.External links
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