Piedmont, California

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Piedmont is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is completely surrounded by the city of Oakland. The population was 10,952 at the 2000 census.

Contents 1 Background 2 History 3 Geography 4 Demographics 5 Education 6 Notable residents 6.1 Current 6.2 Past 7 See also 8 External links 9 References

[edit] Background

Piedmont is a small, primarily residential community with fine architecture, tree-lined streets, and competitive city schools. Because of its school system, low crime rate, good weather, and high property values, it is regarded as one of the most desirable residential communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Property in Piedmont is markedly more expensive than real estate in neighboring communities.^[1]

Today, Piedmont remains notable for its minimal amount of commerce compared with its statistically similar counterparts. However, shopping is plentiful in adjacent Oakland neighborhoods such as Piedmont Avenue, Montclair, Grand Lake, and Rockridge.

Piedmont is also notable for its geography. Located in the East Bay hills, the city is completely surrounded by the city of Oakland.

Piedmont is largely zoned for residential use. It has a small commercial district in the center of town along Highland Avenue that includes a gas station, three banks (Citibank, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America), a realty office, some professional offices, and a small convenience store named Bonfare. A small number of commercial enterprises also line Grand Avenue near the southern Oakland border.

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

Piedmont has several parks and a community center. Recent community efforts have raised funds to improve Dracena Park, in which construction for a new play area began in 2005 and was completed in March 2006. In addition to a new play structure and two sets of swings, the new playground includes a climbing wall, a waterfall faucet for the sand area, and a cement slide built into a grassy manmade hill.

[edit] History

Main article: History of Piedmont, California

Residents originally sought incorporation in 1907 to avoid annexation by Oakland. Two elections were held among the citizens of Piedmont in 1907, both of which narrowly upheld the decision for Piedmont to become a city.

By the Roaring Twenties, Piedmont was known as the "City of Millionaires" because it had the most resident millionaires per square mile of any city in the United States. Many of these millionaires built mansions that still stand, notably on Sea View Avenue and Glen Alpine Road in upper 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 celebrates the year 2007 as its Centennial Anniversary since incorporation. The Centennial Committee plans to host celebratory events along a trail that runs through downtown Piedmont and denoted historical landmarks in the city. The Committee also plans to create a float for the city's Fourth of July parade.

The historical exhibit "A Deluxe Autonomy: Piedmont’s First 100 Years" is on display in the Oakland Public Library from January 5 to March 31, 2007.^[2]

[edit] Geography

Piedmont is located at 37°49′19″N, 122°13′53″W (37.821994, -122.231405)^GR1 and straddles a ridge of hills situated west of the main ridgeline of the hills behind Oakland (technically, the Berkeley Hills). This ridgeline, a shutter ridge formed by the Hayward Fault, is lower than the ridge to the east, thus appearing to be foothills of the higher ridge to some early residents, who chose the name "Piedmont" (Italian "foot of the mountain").

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.4 km² (1.7 mi²). There is a small lake with no public access called Tyson Lake, a small pond within the Mountain View Cemetery borders, and a swimming pool in the center of town.

Piedmont's major streets include Oakland Avenue, which runs from Piedmont's small city center down into Oakland; Highland Avenue, which divides Piedmont into upper and lower sections; Moraga Avenue, which runs near the city's northern border; and Grand Avenue, which runs near Piedmont's western border. Lots in upper Piedmont are, on average, larger than lots in lower Piedmont. A nearby shopping center on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland comes within two blocks of Piedmont but never actually enters the city's borders.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 10,952 people, 3,804 households, and 3,104 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,502.1/km² (6,488.7/mi²). There were 3,859 housing units at an average density of 881.6/km² (2,286.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.59 percent white, 1.24 percent African American, 0.11 percent Native American, 16.02 percent Asian, 0.04 percent Pacific Islander, 0.63 percent from other races, and 3.38 percent from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.97 percent of the population.

There were 3,804 households out of which 47.3 percent included children under the age of 18, 70.9 percent were married couples living together, 8.5 percent had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.4 percent were non-families. Of all households, 14.5 percent were made up of individuals and 7.8 percent consisted of a person aged 65 or older living alone. The average household size was 2.88, and the average family size was 3.18.

In the city, the population was spread out with 30.3 percent under the age of 18, 3.8 percent from 18 to 24, 18.5 percent from 25 to 44, 34.0 percent from 45 to 64, and 13.5 percent who were 65 years of age or older. 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.

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

[edit] Education

Piedmont is known for its public school system, with three elementary schools (Havens, Beach, and Wildwood), a middle school (Piedmont Middle School), a high school (Piedmont High School), and an alternative high school, Millennium. Piedmont High School matriculates a high percentage (over 98 percent) of students bound for college. A significant number of Piedmont High graduates go on to attend private universities such as Stanford, Georgetown University, Harvard, Yale University, and MIT. Many Piedmont High graduates, however, continue their education at public colleges and universities. In particular, the University of California, Berkeley is a popular choice for Piedmont High graduates because of its proximity and its excellent reputation in a broad range of disciplines.

The Piedmont Unified School District is one of a few California public school systems to achieve such success. This can be largely attributed to the dedicated population of parents who have resources to pay higher prices for housing so that their children can attend Piedmont schools instead of private schools. In particular, cost-benefit analyses will reveal that, for many households, Piedmont schools make more economic sense than private schooling. Such analyses, for example, may take into consideration real estate prices, mortgage interest rates, projected real estate value appreciation, local taxes, federal tax deductions, quality of schools, private tuition costs per student, and number of children.

Piedmont voters regularly approve bond measures earmarked for maintaining and/or improving educational facilities. For example, Witter Field, home of the Piedmont Highlanders, was rebuilt over a period of years (1998–2000), transforming it from the older facility to a newer and markedly improved one. Similar improvements have been made to the fields adjacent to the Beach Elementary School.

In 2005, Piedmont citizens voted in favor of Measures B and C with an overwhelming majority. Measure B renews the school district parcel tax, which pays for 21 percent of the district's budget, and Measure C adds an additional amount that compensates for reduced funding from state and federal sources. Had Measures B and C failed, students returning in the 2006–2007 school year would have been met with larger class sizes, far fewer course options, and fewer teachers, aides, custodians, and other staff.

In 2006, voters authorized the Piedmont City Unified School District to issue up to $56 million in bonds to improve Piedmont public school buildings so as to reduce dangers from earthquakes, to meet state and federal seismic safety standards.

The Piedmont Educational Foundation awards a number of grants for academic innovation in Piedmont schools each year, and provides a sustained source of funding for the PUSD through its Endowment Fund.^[3]

[edit] Notable residents

Further information: Category:People from Piedmont, California

[edit] Current

Piedmont is home to ex-Major League Baseball player Dave McCarty, ex-National Football League star Bill Romanowski, Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis, Green Day member Tre Cool and Peter Docter, director of Pixar's Monsters, Inc..

[edit] Past

Author Jack London lived in Piedmont, and Kennedy's Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara grew up in Piedmont, where his family lived on Ranleigh Way. McNamara does not have fond memories of Piedmont and has refused invitations to return.^{[citation needed]} Clint Eastwood resided in Piedmont. Country Joe McDonald resided in Piedmont in the 1970s. Actors Dean Butler (Little House on the Prairie) and Austin Tichenor (Reduced Shakespeare Company) also grew up in Piedmont. Further, notable tennis player and coach Brad Gilbert, grew up in Piedmont. Charles R. Schwab, founder of the discount stock brokerage firm bearing his name, and his family also lived in Piedmont in the early 1980s.

Other past notables include 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, thus introducing the name later adopted by the city upon its incorporation.

[edit] See also

• People from Piedmont, California
• Oakland, California

[edit] External links

• Official City Website
• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 37.821994° -122.231405°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
• Piedmont Unified School District website
• Piedmont Educational Foundation

[edit] References

1. ^ Piedmont, Oakland, and Berkeley Real Estate: A Comparison
2. ^ A Deluxe Autonomy: Piedmont's First 100 Years Historic Exhibit Opens January 5. Oakland Public Library (2007). Retrieved on March 7, 2007.
3. ^ Piedmont Educational Foundation

1. San Francisco Chronicle, Feb. 4, 1988, Page A23; San Francisco Examiner, Feb. 14, 1988, Pages B1 and B8; Los Angeles Times, Feb. 4, 1988, Page 2.