78,252
Population
Sunny Days: 264
75100 Affordability
100100 Schools
58100 Diversity
88100 Safety
We only have two kinds of weather in California, magnificent and unusual.
– James M Cain"
Pleasanton, California
The Most Desperate Town in the West
Downtown Pleasanton
Hiking to the Peak in Pleasanton
Golf in Pleasanton
Winter Lantern Festival
The Best Thing About Pleasanton?
Suburban with a Downtown
The most popular national trend in moves is finding smaller cities, near major metros, that have suburban amenities but also walkable downtowns. If you’re looking for that then BOOM, Pleasanton is made for you. It’s the very definition of a suburban city, with tons of single family homes, decent-sized yards (for California), plenty of biking/walking/parks/pools and outdoor activities for the kiddos and best of all for some, a fun downtown for family meals, local events and date nights when you get a sitter. Pleasanton also has one of the best school districts in the state and country and two BART (bay area rapid transit) stations so you can avoid the messy freeways if you need to commute into Oakland, Berkeley or San Francisco.
The Worst Thing About Pleasanton?
It’s Quiet (and expensive)
If you check out reviews of Pleasanton, families rave and young professionals will complain about suburbia and advocate living in Oakland, Berkeley or SF. There are tons of jobs in Pleasanton and the area however so young professionals face the commute vs. the social life choice. Most choose the commute. As a side note, housing prices average around $1.6mm so it’s pricey. It is however much less expensive than living in the suburbs that line 101 in Silicon Valley so it’s considered a good value for the area.
Lifestyle of Pleasanton
Pleasanton has a nice balance between outdoor play, community events, suburban-downtown nightlife, and more family-friendly attractions than much bigger cities.
For outdoor play you’ve got plenty of parks, and trails for runs, walks and bike-rides including and especially the Alameda Creek Trail, Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park, and Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area. It has plenty of golf, tennis and of course a growing number of pickleball courts.
Downtown has plenty of restaurants, cafes, boutique shopping, and a growing number of craft breweries and wine bars. It’s also the center community events and festivals, farmers’ markets and the First Wednesday Street Parties, held on the first Wednesday of each month, which offer live music, food vendors, and activities for all ages.
For families you’ve got the Alameda County Fairgrounds, which has year-round rides, games, and animal exhibits. As has been noted, the parks and trails also give the kiddos an incredible variety of options for play and community pools are great for neighborhood culture and cooling off in the summer heat.
Check out the city's calendar of events
Worklife of Pleasanton
Pleasanton is a tech hub of sorts with huge software players like Workday, Oracle and Veeva Systems here. Kaiser, Safeway and Thermo Fisher Scientific are also major employers. While Pleasanton is suburban, it is also a major company town. For those lucky enough to work and live here life is indeed pleasant. If you live here but work elsewhere (and you have to go into the office), try very hard to BART to work as the freeways are cruel and unusual with traffic.
Why You Should Move Here Now?
A Smart Choice
If you’re a family, and you want a suburban lifestyle with a decent downtown social life in the east bay of the bay area then Pleasanton should be on your short list. It’s one of the best values in Northern California that is a relatively easy train commute from Oakland/SF/Berkeley, which makes it a smart choice.
Living in Pleasanton
Neighborhoods in Pleasanton
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Downtown
Young Professionals/Empty Nesters/Retirees
Pleasanton is not a hub for young professionals but if you need to live here for a short commute then make sure you live Downtown. It’s the spot for restaurants, pubs/craft breweries, cafes and everything else you can find to do here. It’s also where the bulk of the apartment/condo buildings are going up. Plenty of one and two-bedroom options with gyms and pools to stay fit and cool throughout the year. Downtown parks like Lions Wayside and Delucchi offer courts for play and run and plenty of sports leagues including: basketball, softball, tennis and even Bocce!
There are also small older homes in the downtown area for young families, couples and empty nesters/retirees who crave a downtown lifestyle but in a quieter city.
Vintage Hills
Families
Vintage Hills is a lovely neighborhood, just east of Downtown, perfect for younger families looking for kid-friendly blocks and midsize, more affordable homes than the country-club neighborhoods of Ruby Hill or Castlewood. One of the nicest features of the neighborhood are the pretty hills and trees that keep things cool and give residents beautiful views of the area. You get the excellent schools of Pleasanton and a better value than some of the other neighborhoods, particularly if you like the easy access to the downtown social life.
Ruby Hill
Families
Ruby Hill is a luxury neighborhood with beautiful, relatively newer homes, many of which surround the Jack-Nicklaus-designed Ruby Hill Golf Club. In addition to the highest-end homes, and the nicest golf club in the city, you also get perks like community center that includes a fitness center, swimming pool and tennis courts. Pair this lifestyle with parks/trails for outdoor play and some of the best public schools in the area and you can see why families pay the price for homes in Ruby Hill.