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Town of Danville
Museum of the San Ramon Valley, pictured in 2021.
Museum of the San Ramon Valley, pictured in 2021.
Motto(s): 
Live Locally
"Heart of the San Ramon Valley."
Location of Danville in Contra Costa County, California.
Location of Danville in Contra Costa County, California.
Danville, California is located in the United States
Danville, California
Danville, California
Location in the United States
Country United States
State California
County Contra Costa
Incorporated July 1, 1982
Area
 • Total 18.08 sq mi (46.82 km2)
 • Land 18.08 sq mi (46.82 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0%
Elevation
358 ft (109 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 43,582
 • Density 2,410.78/sq mi (930.82/km2)
Time zone UTC-8 (Pacific)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP codes
94506, 94526
Area code 925
FIPS code 06-17988
GNIS feature IDs 277497 2412403

The Town of Danville is located in the San Ramon Valley in Contra Costa County, California. It is one of the incorporated municipalities in California that use "town" in their names instead of "city". The population was 43,582 at the 2020 census. Since 2018, for four years in a row, Danville was named "the safest town in California".

The Iron Horse Regional Trail runs through Danville. It was first a railroad that has been converted to an 80-foot (24 m) wide corridor of bike and hike trails as well as controlled intersections. Extending from Livermore to Concord, the trail passes through Danville.

Danville is also home to the Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site, Village Theatre and Art Gallery, and the Museum of the San Ramon Valley.

History

For over 130 years, Danville's history has been one of change and growth. Often referred to as the "Heart of the San Ramon Valley," Danville was first populated by Native Americans who lived next to the creeks and camped on Mount Diablo in the summer. Later it was part of Mission San Jose's grazing land and a Mexican land grant called Rancho San Ramon.

Initially a farming community, the Town of Danville switched from wheat to fruits and nuts after the Southern Pacific Railroad built a spur line through the area in 1891. It developed as a residential suburb starting in 1947 when the first sizable housing tracts were constructed and its population boomed in the 1970s and 1980s.

The Danville Post Office opened in 1860 with hotel owner Henry W. Harris as the first postmaster. Harris reported in 1862 that there were 20 people living in the town proper, with 200 ballots cast in the last general election. Hearing stories of the prosperity to be found in California, people from the mid-west and east began to settle in Danville and the surrounding valleys. Most new residents had been farmers and observed that the valley land was fertile and the weather benign, altogether an ideal place to settle. The 1869 census counted nearly 1800 people in the combined Danville and Lafayette areas. They squatted or purchased land from the Mexican and other owners and established ranches, farms and businesses.

Settlers raised cattle and sheep and grew wheat, barley and onions. Later the farms produced hay, a wide variety of fruit crops (apples, plums, pears), walnuts and almonds. In the 1800s horses and wagons hauled these products north to the docks at Pacheco and Martinez, following Road No. 2, which wound by San Ramon Creek and was almost impassable in the rainy season.

Churches, schools, farmers unions and fraternal lodges began as the community evolved. The Union Academy, a private high school begun by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, served the County from 1859 to 1868 when it burned down. The Danville Presbyterian Church was dedicated in 1875, following a vote of Protestants regarding what denomination it should be. The new building was described as the handsomest church building in the County by the writers of the day.

In 1873, Danville Grange No. 85 was chartered with Charles Wood elected as the first Worthy Master. The Grange began as a family farmers union and included all the Valley "movers and shakers." It served as the focal point for community social, educational and political activity for years and still meets at its Hall on Diablo Road.

A remarkable number of early Danville buildings remain today such as the houses belonging to the Boone, Osborn, Young, Spilker, Podva, Vecki, Root, Elliott and Hartz families. The original 1874 Grange Hall exists as well, and the original Danville Hotel remains downtown and is currently being renovated as of 2014. Many of the early pioneer names appear on the streets and schools, including Baldwin, Harlan, Wood, Love, Hemme, Boone, Bettencourt and Meese.

When the Southern Pacific Railroad came to the Valley in 1891, Danville changed dramatically. The farmers built warehouses and shipped crops by rail in any kind of weather, and the residents traveled to and from Danville with an ease they had not experienced before.

John Hartz sold 8.65 acres (3.50 ha) of his land for the Danville Depot and granted land access to the station. He then subdivided and sold lots east of the station, shifting the town's focus from Front Street to Hartz Avenue. Eventually, a bank, drug store, saloon, doctor's office and Chinese laundry joined the houses lining the street. The Danville Hotel originally sat across from the station and was moved to face Hartz avenue in 1927.

The twentieth century found Danville affected by the wars, the Spanish flu, the depression and new immigrants. The Valley became a melting pot of Chinese, Portuguese, German, and Japanese immigrants. They often began working in the hay fields or as cooks and gardeners, later becoming blacksmiths, landowners, teachers and storekeepers.

Residents worked diligently to improve their community. In 1910 a public high school district was organized and San Ramon Valley Union High School was built; a library supervised by Lillian Close opened in 1913 with 104 books; St. Isidore's Catholic Church was first established at Hartz and Linda Mesa in 1910; and an Improvement League spearheaded the first streetlights and paved roads in 1915.

Danville continued to be farm country well into the 1940s. The whole Valley had 2,120 people in 1940, growing to 4,630 by 1950. Developments such as Montair and Cameo Acres were built, the water and sewer districts extended their boundaries, and the new I-680 freeway which sliced through Danville in the mid-1960s altered Danville permanently.

The Valley population leaped from 12,700 in 1960 to 15,900 in 1970, to 21,100 in 1975 to 26,500 in 1980. The 1980 census showed that 82 percent of Danville's 26,500 had arrived after 1970. In 2000, Danville's population reached 40,484. Many newly successful individuals particularly from the booming Silicon Valley looked to San Ramon Valley as a safe area with great schools, leading to a large increase of Danville residents.

In 1982, Danville citizens voted to incorporate their community.

Geography

Adjoining towns and cities are San Ramon to the south, Diablo, and Alamo to the north. Walnut Creek is 9 miles (14 km) north, while Pleasanton is about 12 miles (19 km) south.

Interstate 680 serves as the main means of transport out of the town.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 18.0 square miles (47 km2), all of it land.

Danville is set in a narrow section of the San Ramon Valley with the Las Trampas Ridge to the west and the Diablo Range to the east. The most prominent landmark of Danville is the backdrop of Mount Diablo, which stands to the east at 3,849 feet (1,173 m) and provides a picturesque backdrop for Danville and neighboring towns and cities. Sycamore Creek drains some of the Mount Diablo slopes and flows through Danville.

Rossmoor, Moraga Alamo, Diablo Blackhawk, Diablo
Las Trampas Regional Wilderness Blackhawk
   Danville    
Las Trampas Regional Wilderness San Ramon San Ramon

Climate

Extreme temperatures range from 115 °F (46 °C), recorded in 1950, to 18 °F (-8 °C), recorded in 1990.

Climate data for Danville, California
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 56
(13)		 61
(16)		 66
(19)		 71
(22)		 77
(25)		 83
(28)		 89
(32)		 88
(31)		 86
(30)		 77
(25)		 64
(18)		 56
(13)		 73
(23)
Average low °F (°C) 39
(4)		 42
(6)		 44
(7)		 46
(8)		 50
(10)		 54
(12)		 57
(14)		 57
(14)		 55
(13)		 50
(10)		 43
(6)		 39
(4)		 48
(9)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.87
(73)		 2.98
(76)		 2.36
(60)		 1.01
(26)		 0.48
(12)		 0.09
(2.3)		 0
(0)		 0.05
(1.3)		 0.22
(5.6)		 0.85
(22)		 1.84
(47)		 2.58
(66)		 15.33
(391.2)

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1960 3,585 —
1970 14,059 292.2%
1980 26,446 88.1%
1990 31,306 18.4%
2000 41,715 33.2%
2010 42,039 0.8%
2020 43,582 3.7%
source:

According to Business Insider, Danville's 94506 is the 14th wealthiest zip code in America. Danville is one of the wealthiest suburbs of Oakland and San Francisco. Danville also ranks as the 2nd highest-income place in the United States with a population of at least 40,000. It is home to some of the most expensive real estate in the San Francisco Bay Area and the United States. According to CNN Money, Danville's 94506 also has the fourth highest percentage of six-figure income earners in the nation, with 78% of Danville households having at least a six-figure income.

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Danville had a population of 42,039. The population density was 2,331.9 people per square mile (900.3/km2). The racial makeup of Danville was 34,942 (83.1%) White, 372 (0.9%) African American, 67 (0.2%) Native American, 4,417 (10.5%) Asian, 68 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 509 (1.2%) from other races, and 1,664 (4.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2,879 persons (6.8%).

The Census reported that 41,796 people (99.4% of the population) lived in households, 56 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 187 (0.4%) were institutionalized.

There were 15,420 households, out of which 6,034 (39.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 10,389 (67.4%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,140 (7.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 449 (2.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 452 (2.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 84 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 2,801 households (18.2%) were made up of individuals, and 1,365 (8.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71. There were 11,978 families (77.7% of all households); the average family size was 3.10.

The population was spread out, with 11,196 people (26.6%) under the age of 18, 2,117 people (5.0%) aged 18 to 24, 8,050 people (19.1%) aged 25 to 44, 14,628 people (34.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 6,048 people (14.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.

There were 15,934 housing units at an average density of 883.8 per square mile (341.3/km2), of which 15,420 were occupied, of which 13,020 (84.4%) were owner-occupied, and 2,400 (15.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.3%. 36,137 people (86.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 5,659 people (13.5%) lived in rental housing units.

Demographic profile 2010
Total Population 42,039 - 100.0%
One Race 40,375 - 96.0%
Not Hispanic or Latino 39,160 - 93.2%
White alone 32,834 - 78.1%
Black or African American alone 355 - 0.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone 47 - 0.1%
Asian alone 4,360 - 10.4%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone 61 - 0.1%
Some other race alone 110 - 0.3%
Two or more races alone 1,393 - 3.3%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 2,879 - 6.8%

Business

A cargo airline, Asia Pacific Airlines, is headquartered in Danville. However, it conducts no operations in Danville (its main base of operations is in Guam).

Largest employers

According to the Town's 2014 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 Costco 284
2 Keller Williams Realty Danville 212
3 J. Rockcliff Realtors 134
4 Safeway 117
5 Crow Canyon Management Corp. 84
6 Danville Nursing & Rehabilitation Center 81
7 Lunardi's Market 73
8 Alain Pinel Realtors 71
9 Sotheby's International Realty 67
10 Marshall's 64

Points of interest

Museum Of The San Ramon Valley, California
Museum Of The San Ramon Valley
Danville CA Town Meeting Hall crop
Town Meeting Hall
Museums and historic sites
Parks

Seasonal events

  • The Danville International Children's Film Festival which has featured guests like Alyson Stoner, Joey Travolta, and Daryl Sabara.
  • The Fourth of July parade
  • Hot Summer Nights, which is held the third Thursday on Hartz Avenue in Downtown Danville in July and August, features hundreds of vintage pre-1960s automobiles on display with live music.
  • The Fall Arts Festival in late October draws craftspeople and artists with their works of highest quality.
  • Annual Christmas Tree lighting

Education

Public schools

Danville Schools are included in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District.

  • (John) Baldwin Elementary School
  • Del Amigo High (Continuation)
  • Diablo Vista Middle School
  • Creekside Elementary School
  • Green Valley Elementary School
  • Greenbrook Elementary School
  • Los Cerros Middle School
  • Montair Elementary School
  • Monte Vista High School
  • Sycamore Valley Elementary School
  • Tassajara Hills Elementary School
  • Vista Grande Elementary School
  • San Ramon Valley High School

Private schools

  • San Ramon Valley Christian Academy (Christian)
  • St. Isidore's School (Roman Catholic)
  • The Athenian School (non-denominational)

Notable people

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Danville (California) para niños

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