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San Ramon, California facts for kids

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San Ramon, California
City of San Ramon
San Ramon Waterfall Park
San Ramon Waterfall Park
Official seal of San Ramon, California
Seal
Location in Contra Costa County and the state of California
Location in Contra Costa County and the state of California
San Ramon, California is located in the United States
San Ramon, California
San Ramon, California
Location in the United States
Country United States
State California
County Contra Costa
Incorporated July 1, 1983
Area
 • Total 18.72 sq mi (48.48 km2)
 • Land 18.68 sq mi (48.39 km2)
 • Water 0.03 sq mi (0.09 km2)  0.09%
Elevation
486 ft (148 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 84,605
 • Rank 99th in California
 • Density 4,519.5/sq mi (1,745.15/km2)
Time zone UTC-8 (Pacific)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP codes
94582, 94583
Area code 925
FIPS code 06-68378
GNIS feature IDs 1656275, 2411805

San Ramon (Spanish: San Ramón, meaning "St. Raymond") is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, located within the San Ramon Valley, and 34 miles (55 km) east of San Francisco. San Ramon's population was 84,605 per the 2020 census, making it the 4th largest city in Contra Costa County, behind Richmond, Concord and Antioch.

San Ramon is home to the headquarters of Chevron Corporation, Cooper Companies, 24 Hour Fitness, the West Coast headquarters of AT&T, GE Digital, as well as the San Ramon Medical Center. Major annual events include the Art and Wind Festival on Memorial Day weekend and the Run for Education in October.

On April 24, 2001, San Ramon was designated a Tree City USA.

Geography

MtDIabloFromSanRamon
A view of Mount Diablo from San Ramon

San Ramon is adjacent to Danville, California, to the north and Dublin, California, to the south. Unincorporated county lands border San Ramon to the east and west. It is located around 500 feet (150 m) above sea level. Mount Diablo flanks the city to the northeast and is prominently visible from almost all parts of the city. The Las Trampas Regional Wilderness borders San Ramon's extreme northwest, at the northern end of Bollinger Canyon. The smaller Bishop Ranch Regional Preserve straddles San Ramon's western border, located approximately between Interstate 680 and the Alameda County line.

The topography of San Ramon is varied, featuring a mix of the rolling hills of the Diablo Range and the flatter basin of the San Ramon Valley. The city is predominantly urban and residential; however much of the land around the city’s perimeter regions remains undeveloped, and is covered by grasslands and oak tree orchards. During the drier months the grasses are golden; with the precipitation of winter and spring, the grasses turn green, in the late fall and beginning of winter, some trees with all the leaves all fall off and die, and in the late winter and beginning of spring the leaves start growing.

Climate

San Ramon’s weather typifies Mediterranean climate, seasonal, and moderate. Summers are warm and dry, while winters are mild, damp and rather short. Its weather is similar to the adjacent cities of Danville, Dublin and Pleasanton. Fog can be infrequent but occurs normally in the western reaches of the city, at the eastern mouth of Crow Canyon, through which marine weather patterns funnel in from the San Francisco Bay via Castro Valley. It usually burns off by mid-to-late morning.

Average January temperatures are a maximum of 58 °F (14 °C) and a minimum of 32 °F (0 °C). Average July temperatures are a maximum of 89 °F (32 °C) and a minimum of 56 °F (13 °C). January is normally the wettest month, averaging 5.20 inches (132 mm) of precipitation. July is usually the driest month, with an average of only 0.06 inches (1.5 mm) of precipitation. Snow is very rare, but Hail occurs a few times in the winter.

Climate data for San Ramon, California
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 75
(24)
80
(27)
88
(31)
96
(36)
104
(40)
103
(39)
107
(42)
105
(41)
103
(39)
95
(35)
90
(32)
79
(26)
107
(42)
Average high °F (°C) 58
(14)
61
(16)
66
(19)
70
(21)
77
(25)
84
(29)
89
(32)
89
(32)
87
(31)
78
(26)
66
(19)
59
(15)
67
(19)
Average low °F (°C) 36
(2)
40
(4)
43
(6)
45
(7)
49
(9)
53
(12)
56
(13)
56
(13)
54
(12)
49
(9)
42
(6)
38
(3)
46
(8)
Record low °F (°C) 18
(−8)
19
(−7)
22
(−6)
28
(−2)
32
(0)
38
(3)
36
(2)
40
(4)
35
(2)
29
(−2)
23
(−5)
18
(−8)
18
(−8)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 5.20
(132)
4.64
(118)
4.27
(108)
1.72
(44)
0.71
(18)
0.15
(3.8)
0.06
(1.5)
0.11
(2.8)
0.36
(9.1)
1.15
(29)
3.69
(94)
3.84
(98)
25.90
(658)
Source 1: The Weather Channel
Source 2: MSN Weather

History

The lands now occupied by the City of San Ramon were formerly inhabited by Seunen people, an Ohlone/Costanoan group who built their homes near creeks. Sometime around 1797 they were taken by Mission San José for use as grazing land. In 1834, they were part of the Rancho San Ramon land grant to José María Amador.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1880 75
1970 4,084
1980 22,356 447.4%
1990 35,303 57.9%
2000 44,722 26.7%
2010 72,148 61.3%
2020 84,605 17.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

The 2010 United States Census reported that San Ramon had a population of 72,148. The population density was 3,991.1 people per square mile (1,541.0/km2). The racial makeup of San Ramon was 38,639 (53.6%) White, 2,043 (2.8%) African American, 205 (0.3%) Native American, 25,713 (35.6%) Asian, 156 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 1,536 (2.1%) from other races, and 3,856 (5.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6,250 persons (8.7%).

The Census reported that 72,073 people (99.9% of the population) lived in households, 52 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 23 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 25,284 households, out of which 11,988 (47.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 16,318 (64.5%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,997 (7.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 850 (3.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,067 (4.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 187 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 4,682 households (18.5%) were made up of individuals, and 1,105 (4.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85. There were 19,165 families (75.8% of all households); the average family size was 3.30.

The population was spread out, with 21,351 people (29.6%) under the age of 18, 3,557 people (4.9%) aged 18 to 24, 22,798 people (31.6%) aged 25 to 44, 18,815 people (26.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 5,627 people (7.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.

There were 26,222 housing units at an average density of 1,450.6 per square mile (560.1/km2), of which 25,284 were occupied and 18,056 (71.4%) of them were owner-occupied, and 7,228 (28.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.0%. 54,705 people (75.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 17,368 people (24.1%) lived in rental housing units.

The median income for a household in the city was $119,297, and the median income for a family was $132,339. Males had a median income of $97,475 versus $70,083 for females. The per capita income for the city was $50,736. About 2.0% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.

Demographic profile 2010
Total Population 72,148 – 100.0%
One Race 68,292 – 94.7%
Not Hispanic or Latino 65,898 – 91.3%
White alone 34,956 – 48.5%
Black or African American alone 1,946 – 2.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone 128 – 0.2%
Asian alone 25,531 – 35.4%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone 141 – 0.2%
Some other race alone 146 – 0.2%
Two or more races alone 3,050 – 4.2%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 6,250 – 8.7%

Future downtown

The city of San Ramon is planning a new downtown district. In 2014, the city approved the project’s latest design that calls for an animated civic space featuring 350,000 square feet of quality shops, restaurants and a multiscreen movie theater. At the heart of this development would be a one-acre piazza—open to the sky and lined with trees—for outdoor concerts, art exhibits and other public festivities. A grand opening is eyed for spring 2017.

Memorial Park

San Ramon Memorial Park 01
Memorial Park
Aerial View of Memorial Park
Aerial View of Memorial Park, including play area, ball field and BMX track

Originally, this city park, located on a hill overlooking Bollinger Canyon Road and San Ramon Valley Blvd., was to be named Alta Mesa Park. During the construction of the park, the City Council voted to change the name to Memorial Park to honor Tom Burnett, a San Ramon resident, and other victims from Flight 93 killed in the September 11 attacks of 2001. A plaque was installed at the base of a lighted flagpole dedicated to those victims and the surrounding meadow is part of the city’s memorial tree program dedicated to local residents who have perished. The park was dedicated on September 11, 2002.

This 16 acre park includes a play area, a BMX course, a picnic area, a bocce ball court, horseshoe courts, a ball field, a dog park, rest rooms and water fountains (including a doggy water fountain). The play area has two big play structures, one for ages 2–5 and another for ages 5–12.

Points of interest

David Glass House in San Ramon
David Glass House at Forest Home Farms
Museums and historic sites
Parks
  • Athan Downs
  • Bellingham Square Park
  • Bollinger Canyon School Park
  • Boone Acres Park
  • Centennial Park
  • Compass Point Park
  • Country Club School Park
  • Country Fair Park
  • Coyote Creek School Park
  • Coyote Crossing Park
  • Crow Canyon Gardens
  • East Branch Park
  • Golden View School Park
  • Hidden Crest Park
  • Hidden Hills School Park
  • Memorial Park
  • Mill Creek Hollow
  • Monarch
  • Montevideo School Park
  • Neil Armstrong School Park
  • Old Ranch Park
  • Piccadilly Square Park
  • Pine Valley School Park
  • Ramona Park
  • Rancho San Ramon Community Park
  • Red Willow Park
  • San Ramon Central Park
  • Senior Center Park
  • Souyen Park
  • Valley View Park
  • Village Green Park
  • Walt Disney School Park

Infrastructure

Transportation

Local bus service in the San Ramon Valley is provided primarily by County Connection (Central Contra Costa Transit Authority, or CCCTA). Ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft are also accessible in San Ramon.

The major freeway in the area is Interstate 680.

Economy

BishopRanchBldg3
Bishop Ranch #3
Chevronheadquartersentrance
The sign marking the Chevron Corporation headquarters
24HourFitnessHQ
The headquarters of 24-Hour Fitness

Bishop Ranch, a master-planned office park development, with some retail elements, began major construction in the early 1980s, and provides a healthy tax base for the city. Bishop Ranch is situated on 585 acres once owned by Western Electric, and was farmland before that. Current tenants include the corporate headquarters of Chevron Corporation (formerly ChevronTexaco), as well the West Coast headquarters of AT&T Inc. (which had been the headquarters of Pacific Bell from about 1983, when it relocated from downtown San Francisco, until the merger with SBC Communications that created the current AT&T). United Parcel Service has a regional distribution center in Bishop Ranch. Toyota has a regional office and parts distribution center located there. GE Global Research started its Global Software Center in Bishop Ranch in 2011. Bishop Ranch covers the vast majority of "Central San Ramon", which is the large square formed by Freeway 680 on the west, Crow Canyon Road on the north, Iron Horse trail on the east, and Bollinger Canyon Road on the south (though several complexes are south of Bollinger). In December 2016, the Ligier EZ-10 began use in the first autonomous vehicle passenger shuttle route in North America, looping through Bishop Ranch Office Park, with on-sight operation and maintenance by First Transit.

ChevronTexaco's headquarters moved from San Francisco to San Ramon in 2001 but 12 years later, 800 jobs were moved to Houston, a quarter of the San Ramon workforce due to high corporate costs and to consolidate existing units in Houston.

Largest employers

According to the city's 2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

# Employer # of Employees  % of Total City Employment
1 Chevron 3,500 12.28%
2 AT&T 1,753 6.15%
3 Bank of the West 1,600 5.61%
4 Robert Half International 1,100 3.86%
5 Accenture 750 2.63%
6 Pacific Gas & Electric 604 2.12%
7 San Ramon Regional Medical Center 500 1.75%
8 GE Digital 1000 1.75%
9 Primed Management Consulting 413 1.45%
10 IBM 408 1.45%

Downtown

In 2014, the city approved the project's design that called for an animated civic space featuring 350,000 square feet (33,000 m2) of quality shops, restaurants and a multi-screen movie theater. The city center was designed by the award-winning international architectural firm Renzo Piano Building Workshop. The grand opening was on November 8, 2018.

Education

San Ramon's public schools are part of the San Ramon Valley Unified School District (SRVUSD), serving approximately 30,300 students. The city has 11 elementary schools and four middle schools. The high schools are California and Dougherty Valley High School. An alternative K–12 school is operated by the SRVUSD to support home-schooled students: Venture Independent Study School. The district has two additional high schools outside San Ramon, including Monte Vista and San Ramon Valley.

California High School was founded in 1973 and ranked 250th best high school in the United States by Newsweek. Dougherty Valley High School is ranked 42nd within California; it is ranked No. 281 in the national rankings and earned a gold medal.

Higher education

  • Diablo Valley College – San Ramon branch campus
  • University of San Francisco – San Ramon regional campus
  • UC Davis Graduate School of Management – the Bay Area working professional program

Notable people

  • Mark Appel, professional baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies
  • David Bingham, MLS player for San Jose Earthquakes
  • Tom Burnett, passenger on United Airlines Flight 93
  • Colby Buzzell, author, blogger and former United States Army soldier
  • Andrew Champion, vocalist for Screw 32, Hopelifter, End Of The World, Shadowboxer, Highwire Days, Dance Hall Crashers and Curse The Cannons
  • Justin Eugene Evans, film director, cinematographer, screenwriter, producer, visual effects supervisor, inventor and college instructor
  • Austin Hooper, professional football player
  • Guy S. Houston, Former mayor of Dublin and member of the California State Assembly
  • Marv Hubbard, retired professional American football player
  • James Jones, professional football player
  • Khalil Mack, professional football player
  • Auston Matthews, NHL player for the Toronto Maple Leafs, first overall pick in the 2016 NHL draft
  • Remi Prieur, professional soccer player
  • Andre Rawls, professional soccer player, born in San Ramon
  • Dennis Richmond, former news anchor for KTVU
  • Tiffany Roberts, U.S. soccer player
  • Tony Stewart, former professional American football player
  • Maggie Steffens, gold medal-winning water polo player
  • John S. Watson, former CEO of Chevron
  • Andrew Wiedeman, former professional soccer player
  • Barbara Willis, American ceramic artist
  • Max Wittek, American football quarterback, born in San Ramon

Images for kids

See also

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

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