Piedmont, California

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City of Piedmont
City
A view of Piedmont
A view of Piedmont
Location in Alameda County and the state of California
Location in Alameda County and the state of California
City of Piedmont is located in USA
City of Piedmont
City of Piedmont
Location in the United States
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country  United States
State  California
County Alameda
Incorporated January 31, 1907[1]
Government
 • Mayor Margaret Fujioka[2]
 • Vice Mayor Jeff Wieler[2]
 • State Senate Loni Hancock (D)[3]
 • State Assembly Tony Thurmond (D)[4]
 • U. S. Congress Barbara Lee (D)[5]
Area[6]
 • Total 1.678 sq mi (4.345 km2)
 • Land 1.678 sq mi (4.345 km2)
 • Water 0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation[7] 331 ft (101 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 10,667
 • Density 6,400/sq mi (2,500/km2)
Time zone Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
 • Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code 94602, 94610, 94611, 94618
Area code(s) 510
FIPS code 06-56938
GNIS feature IDs 1659383, 2411418
Website www.ci.piedmont.ca.us

Piedmont is a small, mostly-residential, semi-suburban city located in Alameda County, California, United States. The City of Piedmont is surrounded by the city of Oakland. Piedmont's residential population was 10,667 at the 2010 census. The name comes after the region of Piedmont in Italy, and literally means foothill. Piedmont was incorporated in 1907, and was developed significantly in the 1920s and 1930s. The Piedmont Unified School District (PUSD) includes three elementary schools, one middle school, and two high schools.

Background

File:Piedmont CA street.JPG
El Cerrito Ave., one of Piedmont's tree-lined streets

Piedmont is a small, residential community surrounded on all sides by the City of Oakland.

Piedmont is almost entirely zoned for single-family dwelling residential use. Piedmont has minimal commerce compared with statistically similar cities, and relies primarily on property taxes and fees for public revenues to support public services. The city also has relatively few multi-family or second (in-law) units. The city has a very small number of businesses in its commercial district on Highland Avenue and a very small number of businesses on Grand Avenue near Piedmont's western border with Oakland.

Located in the East Bay hills, Piedmont is surrounded on all sides by the city of Oakland's more historic residential districts. Specifically, Piedmont's northwestern border is adjacent to Oakland's Piedmont Ave commercial district. Piedmont borders Oakland's historic Grand Lake District (Lakeshore and Grand Ave commercial districts) to the west, Oakland's Rockridge District to the northeast, the quaint and more rustic Montclair District on its eastern border and the Crocker Highlands and Glenview Districts to the southwest. Piedmont provides its own fire, police, parks, and recreational services but does not have its own public library nor federal post office; these services are shared with Oakland. Special, incremental property tax assessments on Piedmont real estate for schools and some public services are not shared with Oakland.

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

Piedmont has a City Hall, a Community Hall, a Veterans' Memorial Building, a Recreation Center, Acquatics Center, and Center for the Arts. Public parks include Piedmont Park, Dracena Park, Crocker Park, Hampton Park, Linda Ave Tot Lot and Dog Run, Kennelly Skate Park, and Blair Park. Playfields include Coaches Playfield, Linda Playfield, and Piedmont Sports Field (at Hampton Park).

History

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Main article: History of Piedmont, California

Residents originally sought incorporation in 1907. Two elections were held among the citizens of Piedmont in 1907, both of which narrowly upheld the decision for Piedmont to become a separate city, rather than become a neighborhood within the city of Oakland.

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 Sotelo Avenue/Glen Alpine Road in 'Alta' 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 celebrated the year 2007 as its Centennial Anniversary since incorporation. The Centennial Committee hosted celebratory events along a trail that runs through downtown Piedmont and denoted historical landmarks in the city. The Committee also created a float for the city's Fourth of July parade.[8]

The historical exhibit "A Deluxe Autonomy: Piedmont’s First 100 Years" was on display in the Oakland Public Library from January 5 to March 31, 2007.[9]

Geography

Piedmont is located at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found..[10] It is located near the Hayward Fault, a geological fault line that runs through the East Bay region.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km2), all land.

Piedmont's major streets include Oakland Avenue, which runs east-west through Piedmont's small city center; Highland Avenue, which divides Piedmont into upper and lower sections; Moraga Avenue, which runs along the city's northern border; and Grand Avenue, which runs near Piedmont's western border and further distinguishes 'Lower' Piedmont (west of Highland Ave) from 'Baja' Piedmont (west of Grand Ave). Lots in upper Piedmont are, on average, larger than lots in lower Piedmont. A nearby shopping district on Piedmont Avenue is located in Oakland, not Piedmont. A small shopping hamlet had been located on Highland Avenue near the Excedra at Piedmont Park for many years, but in the last few decades has dwindled in number to a small, local grocer-deli (Mulberry's Market), a service station and three banks. No major highways run within Piedmont's borders but entrances to scenic* CA Highway 13 and CA I-580 are quite near. *A 'scenic' designation means no billboards or advertisements are permitted.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1890 634 —
1910 1,719 —
1920 4,282 149.1%
1930 9,333 118.0%
1940 9,866 5.7%
1950 10,132 2.7%
1960 11,117 9.7%
1970 10,917 −1.8%
1980 10,498 −3.8%
1990 10,602 1.0%
2000 10,952 3.3%
2010 10,667 −2.6%
Est. 2014 11,236 [11] 5.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]

2010

The 2010 United States Census[13] reported that Piedmont had a population of 10,667. The population density was 6,358.5 people per square mile (2,455.0/km²). The racial makeup of Piedmont was 7,917 (74.2%) White, 144 (1.3%) African American, six (0.1%) Native American, 1,939 (18.2%) Asian, 13 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 94 (0.9%) from other races, and 554 (5.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 421 persons (3.9%). The Census reported that 10,664 people (100% of the population) lived in households, three (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and none (0%) was institutionalized.

There were 3,801 households, out of which 1,606 (42.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,738 (72.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 260 (6.8%) had a female head of household with no spouse present, 119 (3.1%) had a male head of household with no spouse present. There were 67 (1.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 38 (1.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 578 households (15.2%) consisted of an individual householder, and 344 (9.1%) were senior (age 65+) individual householders. There were 3,117 families (82.0% of all households); the average family size was 3.11.

The age distribution of Piedmont's population is diverse with 3,017 people (28.3%) under the age of 18, 451 people (4.2%) aged 18 to 24, 1,638 people (15.4%) aged 25 to 44, 3,922 people (36.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,639 people (15.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.2 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.

There were 3,924 housing units with an average household size was 2.81. Piedmont's average housing-unit density is 2,339.1 units per square mile (903.1/km²). Piedmont had 3,358 (88.3%) owner-occupied housing units, and 443 (11.7%) renter-occupied housing units. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.7%. 9,393 people (88.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,271 people (11.9%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 10,952 people, 3,804 households, and 3,104 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,488.7 inhabitants per square mile (2,502.1/km²). There were 3,859 housing units at an average density of 2,286.3 per square mile (881.6/km²).

There were 3,804 households, 47.3% containing children under the age of 18, 70.9% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 18.4% were other family configurations. 14.5% of all households consisted of individuals and 7.8% were households consisting of senior (age 65+ years) individuals. The average household size was 2.88, and the average family size was 3.18.

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the age-distribution of Piedmont's population was spread with 30.3% of residents under the age of 18, 3.8% aged 18 to 24 years, 18.5% aged 25 to 44 years, 34.0% aged 45 to 64 years, and 13.5% aged 65+ years. 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.

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

Education

A view of Piedmont Middle School and Witter Field, taken from Piedmont High School

Elementary and secondary students (PK-12) residing in Piedmont, children of City of Piedmont employees, and children of Piedmont Unified School District employees are eligible to attend schools within the Piedmont Unified School District. The district, coinciding with the municipal boundaries, includes three elementary schools (Havens, Beach, and Wildwood), one middle school (Piedmont Middle School), and two high schools—one larger (Piedmont High School), and one smaller, alternative high school, Millennium High School. A very high percentage[quantify] of Piedmont High School graduates are accepted to 4-year undergraduate programs. Many graduates continue their post-secondary education at very prestigious and competitive public and private colleges and universities.[citation needed]

The Piedmont Unified School District was ranked #10 of 756 districts in the state of California according to one statistical analysis of California public education.[15]

Piedmont voters have approved several local bond measures earmarked for maintaining and/or improving PUSD's educational facilities. For instance, Witter Field, PUSD's sports complex, was rebuilt between 1996 and 1999. The city-owned field adjacent to Beach Elementary School was resurfaced with natural cork-based artificial turf in early 2015. The PUSD-owned artificial turf field at Havens Elementary School (Becker Playfield) was placed in 2010.

Most recently, with the passage of Measure E in 2006, voters authorized the Piedmont Unified School District to issue up to $56 million in bonds to improve Piedmont public school buildings to reduce dangers from earthquakes, eliminate major collapse risks, and to meet or exceed all current state and federal seismic safety standards.

In addition to the public bond measures approved for PUSD facility upgrades and modernization, Piedmont voters have quadrennially approved, since 1980, a supplemental parcel tax (collected annually) which accounts for a very significant portion of PUSD's basic operational budget. In 2005, two measures were approved by voters, one of which renewed the basic school district parcel tax, paying for 21% of the district's budget, and another which added an incremental amount, short-term, to compensate for reduced funding from mainly state, and some federal, sources. Piedmont's most recent school support tax, Measure A, was again approved by 88% of Piedmont voters in 2012. Due to further reductions in state educational budgets during the Great Recession (2008-2011), state diversions from local school property tax allocations since 2004, and shifting of state financial responsibilities onto local school districts, Piedmont's local school parcel tax now represents 30% of PUSD's annual operating budget.

Piedmont High School hosts the annual Leonard J. Waxdeck Bird Calling Contest every spring, with the top three winners appearing on the Late Show with David Letterman and performing their bird calls.[16][17]

The Piedmont Educational Foundation awards a number of grants for academic innovation in Piedmont schools each year, and provides a source of operational funding for the PUSD through its Endowment Fund[18] which reached $6 million in 2015.

Transportation

AC Transit provides Piedmont with bus service. Bus routes 11 and 12 connect Piedmont to Oakland's BART stations. AC Transit also provides express Transbay bus routes C and P to downtown San Francisco during peak commute hours.

Notable people

Current

Piedmont is home to a number of notable individuals in the political, business, sports, and academic communities, including: current University of California, Berkeley Head Football Coach Sonny Dykes; ex-Major League Baseball player Dave McCarty; ex-National Football League player Bubba Paris, San Francisco 49ers; ex-National Football League player Bill Romanowski; Ambassador to Australia Jeff Bleich; Peter Docter, director of Pixar's Monsters, Inc. and Up and co-writer of WALL-E; and Billie Joe Armstrong of the rock band Green Day (though he was not born or raised in Piedmont as is mistakenly written about him); Alex Hirsch, the creator of the Disney XD animated series Gravity Falls, in which he bases the protagonists Dipper and Mabel Pines' home as Piedmont.

Past

Author Jack London wrote Call of the Wild while living on Blair Avenue in a house that exists today; since this predated incorporation, technically he was never a citizen of Piedmont. John F. Kennedy's Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara grew up in Piedmont, where his family lived on Annerley Road.[19] Clint Eastwood resided in Piedmont and attended Piedmont schools. 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. 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, as did Dean Witter, founder of Dean Witter Reynolds brokerage, in the 1940s.

Other past notables include Ruth Leach Amonette, the first woman to become a vice president at IBM. Ruth was raised in and attended high school in Piedmont.[20]

Other residents have included: F. Wayne Valley, philanthropist, construction magnate, owner of the Oakland Raiders and founding member of the AFL; 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, introducing the name adopted by the city upon incorporation.

Other people who have lived in Piedmont, past and present, include:

See also

References

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  6. ↑ U.S. Census
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ The Living and the Dead, Paul Hendrickson, A.A. Knopf 1996, p. 45; precise address is 1036 Annerley Road.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

 Emeryville Berkeley Orinda
Moraga
San Francisco
  Piedmont (within Oakland)  
Alameda San Leandro
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