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Encyclopedia: Piedmont, California, Talk:Piedmont, California, Category:Piedmont, California, Millennium High School (Piedmont, California), Category:People from Piedmont, California, Talk:Millennium High School (Piedmont, California)

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.

About Piedmont

thumb|300px|left|El Cerrito Ave., one of Piedmont's tree-lined streets.

Piedmont is a small, primarily residential community with fine architecture, tree-lined streets, and competitive city schools. Due to 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.http://www.thepiedmontrealtor.com/piedmont-oakland-berkeley.html Piedmont, Oakland, and Berkeley Real Estate: A Comparison

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

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 (including Citibank, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America), a realty office, some professional offices and a small convenience store named Bonfare and has a small number of commercial enterprises along 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 also 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.

History

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 became a city.

By the Roaring Twenties, Piedmont was known as the "City of Millionaires" because there were more resident millionaires per square mile than in any city in the United States. Many of these millionaires built mansions that still stand, notably on Sea View Avenue 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.

Geography

right|Location of Piedmont, CaliforniaPiedmont is located at coor (37.821994, and straddles a ridge of hills situated west of the main ridgeline of the hills behind Oakland (technically, the Berkeley Hills). This ridgeline, actually 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 of the 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 in size 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.

Demographics

As of 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 had children under the age of 18 living with them, 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 comprised of a senior 65 years of age 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.

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 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.

Education in Piedmont

thumb|300px|left|A view of Piedmont Middle School and Witter Field, taken from Piedmont High School

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 Georgetown University, Harvard, Yale University, MIT, and Boston College. Many Piedmont High graduates, however, continue their education at public colleges and universities. In particular, the University of California, Berkeley is popular choice for Piedmont High graduates due to its close proximity and 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 may 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) improving 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 had 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, etc.

Notable residents

Current

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

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. Clint Eastwood resided in Piedmont. Country Joe McDonald resided in Piedmont in the 1970's. 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 a Piedmont 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.

External links

*http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/ Official City Website

*http://piedmont.k12.ca.us/ Piedmont Unified School District website

Cities of Alameda County,

Category:Cities in California
Category:Alameda County, California

References

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.

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