Saranap
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saranap is an unincorporated residential area within central Contra Costa County, California. It is bounded on the south and east by portions of Walnut Creek (including the gated senior residential development Rossmoor) and on the north and west by Lafayette. The local post office (94595) considers the area to be a part of Walnut Creek for delivery purposes and this is the postal designated city name used by residents.
The region has had numerous opportunities to become either part of Lafayette, or of Walnut Creek. These have been largely resisted by the occupants, whose land use is governed by county rules. These include the ability to keep small aviaries and bees, which can be highly restricted by law in surrounding cities, and in newer neighborhoods by restrictive covenants. As the local school district is independent of these city boundaries, and some of the cities impose additional parcel taxes, residents have little incentive to change the status quo. Only a minor addition was made to Lafayette from Saranap in recent decades, adding only one more street and being largely motivated by marginally superior housing values associated with the city of Lafayette.
[edit] Etymology
The name comes from an early 20th century inter-urban commuter rail system. The local station, located near the intersection of Tice Valley Boulevard and Olympic Way, was named after the railroad developer's daughter, Sara Napthaly. This developer promoted the railroad to enhance the value of land developments, a process that lead to the development similar to a trolley car suburb, although in fact the railroad was a conventional regional rail line.
