Mountain House, San Joaquin County, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mountain House
Census-designated place
Mountain House High School
Mountain House, San Joaquin County, California Location in California
Country	United States
State	California
County	San Joaquin
Area
• Total	3.192 sq mi (8.268 km2)
• Land	3.192 sq mi (8.268 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation	82 ft (25 m)
Population  (April 1, 2020)
• Total	24,499
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific Time Zone)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
ZIP codes	95391
Area code	209
FIPS code	06-49582
GNIS feature IDs	1888888, 2628761

Mountain House is a planned community in San Joaquin County, California. Located at the border of the San Joaquin Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area, Mountain House is 5 miles (8.0 km) northwest of Tracy, 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Interstate 205, and about 50 miles (80 km) east of San Francisco. The population was 24,499 at the 2020 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Mountain House as a census-designated place (CDP).

History

The Cholbon triblet of the Northern Valley Yokuts were the original inhabitants of the Mountain House area. Their territory ran along Old River a distributary of the San Joaquin River.

In 1849 Thomas Goodall erected a blue denim cloth tent to serve as a midway stopover for gold miners headed from San Francisco to the Sierra Nevada (U.S.) foothills via Altamont Pass. Goodall eventually built an adobe house at the eastern edge of the Diablo Range hills, calling it The Mountain House. Simon Zimmerman later acquired the stop and it became known as Zimmerman's Mountain House, and became a well-known way station stop on the way to Stockton. The last remaining settlement buildings were leveled in 1940. In November 1994, the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors officially launched the new community of Mountain House two miles to the northeast along Mountain House Creek.

Mountain House was projected to be a small full-fledged city developed over 30-year period by Trimark Communities. The community covers 4,784 acres (1,936.0 ha) in San Joaquin County. The town was planned for 12 distinct neighborhoods including 10 family neighborhoods and two age-restricted neighborhoods each organized around a center containing a neighborhood park, a K-8 school, and a small commercial area.

As of 2013^[update], Mountain House includes the established villages of Altamont, Bethany, Wicklund, Questa and the developing fifth village of Hansen. At the end of 2012 approximately 3,500 homes were in Mountain House. Some 15,500 households or approximately 40,000 people are anticipated when Mountain House is fully completed. Construction began in 2001, but expansion stopped because of the Great Recession. Development accelerated through 2011 and 2012. Questa had six neighborhoods in various stages of completion, and three additional neighborhoods scheduled for 2013 openings. Also completed is Questa's K-8 school and a village park. Mountain House High School opened for the 2014-2015 academic year. All schools are part of Lammersville Unified School District.

Milestones

• November 10, 1994 – Mountain House project approved by San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors
• May 14, 2001 – Trimark breaks ground on Mountain House project
• January 18, 2003 – First home foundation poured
• August 24, 2004 – Wicklund Elementary School opens
• November 6, 2007 – Mountain House votes to form an independent board for the MH Community Services District (MHCSD)
• December 7, 2007 – The San Joaquin Delta College satellite campus site is annexed to Mountain House CSD through a public-private partnership with developer Gerry N. Kamilos.
• November 2008 – Noted for having the highest percentage of homes "under water" in the U.S. First independent board of the MHCSD was elected.
• August 17, 2009 – Delta College Mountain House Campus opens for classes
• June 8, 2010 – Voters approve unification of Lammersville School District
• January 2011 – 15-year-old resident Thia Megia becomes youngest finalist ever on American Idol
• July 2012 – Mountain House High School breaks ground
• March 2013 – New development announced for Questa and Altamont
• August 2014 – Mountain House High School opens
• June 2015 – Drought conditions place Mountain House water supply at risk

Financial downturn

In November 2008, The New York Times reported that Mountain House was the "most underwater community in America" – the ZIP code with the highest amount of negative equity on its homes. With home values decreasing across the nation, Mountain House was described as the worst-hit, with 90% of its homes worth less than the amount their owners owe in mortgages. The average homeowner in Mountain House was reported to be $122,000 in debt. Many local businesses in the 95391 ZIP code were closing because the homeowners were cutting back on their spending.

CalPERS, an agency that manages pensions for California public employees, invested heavily in Mountain House beginning in 2005, purchasing approximately 9,000 residential lots from Shea Homes. By May 2010, the $1.12 billion investment by CalPERS had been reduced to 18% of that figure: $200 million. Even though home values had dropped significantly, CalPERS determined that they would hold on to the investment, counting on a recovery of the housing market.

Economic recovery

An uptick in economic performance at Mountain House was noted in September 2011 by Big Builder, a trade magazine of major land and housing development published by Hanley-Wood.

Acknowledging the New York Times 2008 article that branded Mountain House as the most underwater community in America, the article chronicled a grassroots commitment by residents to keep their neighborhoods looking well-kept by mowing neglected lawns of homes in foreclosure, short sales or abandoned.

This community spirit helped persuade CalPERS to hold onto its Mountain House investment, despite the drawbacks of a 1994-vintage land plan, termed "out of synch with the realities of the post-housing crash world." Helping to balance the challenges of the land plan was the level of established infrastructure and homebuyers motivated by affordable pricing, proximity to job centers and traditional neighborhoods.

In April 2012, Big Builder again reported on the community, noting more robust first-quarter sales, new lot offers, and flexibility for semi-finished and raw land in future development.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²), all of it land. The community is bisected by Mountain House Creek. Mountain House Creek originates south of the Altamount Pass and Interstate 580, flowing northeasterly along and crossing under the interstate, then along Grant Line Road to the intersection with Mountain House Road at the historic Alameda County Mountain House. The creek continues northeastly through the modern residential communities of Mountain House before emptying into the Old River, a distributary of the San Joaquin River.

Demographics

The 2010 United States Census reported that Mountain House had a population of 9,675. The population density was 3,030.8 people per square mile (1,170.2/km²). The racial makeup was 3,467 (35.8%) White, 903 (9.3%) African American, 45 (0.5%) Native American, 3,830 (39.6%) Asian, 71 (0.7%) Pacific Islander, 663 (6.9%) from other races, and 696 (7.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,637 persons (16.9%).

The Census reported that 9,675 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 2,807 households, out of which 1,676 (59.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,985 (70.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 227 (8.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 151 (5.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 186 (6.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 31 (1.1%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 299 households (10.7%) were made up of individuals, and 18 (0.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.45. There were 2,363 families (84.2% of all households); the average family size was 3.73.

The population was spread out, with 3,351 people (34.6%) under the age of 18, 501 people (5.2%) age 18 to 24, 3,780 people (39.1%) ages 25 to 44, 1,676 people (17.3%) ages 45 to 64, and 367 people (3.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.2 males.

There were 3,237 housing units at an average density of 1,014.0 per square mile (391.5/km²), of which 2,205 (78.6%) were owner-occupied, and 602 (21.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.6%. 7,444 people (76.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 2,231 people (23.1%) lived in rental housing units.

Transportation

The nearest railway station is in Tracy, operated by Altamont Corridor Express (ACE). Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority provides bus service to Hacienda Business Park and the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station. San Joaquin RTD provides van service to the Tracy Transit Center.

Education

Elementary and middle schools

Students in Mountain House are served by the Lammersville Joint Unified School District or LUSD. Mountain House children attend six LUSD K–8 elementary schools: Wicklund, Bethany, Questa, Altamont, Hansen and Cordes.

Lammersville Elementary School is a K–8 school in unincorporated San Joaquin County that is part of the LUSD but not part of Mountain House that serves unincorporated Tracy.

Mountain House Elementary School, which is a K–8 school in unincorporated Alameda County, with a student body of approximately 50, is run by the independent Mountain House Elementary School District.

High schools and community college

Mountain House High School (MHHS) opened in 2014. MHHS received the California Distinguished School Award in 2019. The school mascot is the Mustang and the school colors are royal blue and silver. Sports teams from MHHS compete in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

The south campus of the San Joaquin Delta College was fully completed in July 2020.

See also

In Spanish: Mountain House para niños