Sunol, California Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Sunol, California Suñol
census-designated place
Historic Sunol Train Depot, on the Niles Canyon Railway
Location in Alameda County and the state of California
Country	United States
State	California
County	Alameda
Area
• Total	27.764 sq mi (71.91 km²)
• Land	27.751 sq mi (71.87 km²)
• Water	0.013 sq mi (0.03 km²) 0.05%
Elevation	266 ft (81 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	913
• Density	32.884/sq mi (12.697/km²)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	94586
Area code(s)	925, 510, 341
FIPS code	06-77042
GNIS feature IDs	1670341, 2410033

Sunol (which is Suñol in Spanish) is a small community in Alameda County, California. It's known as a census-designated place, meaning it's a specific area identified for census purposes.

Sunol is located in the Sunol Valley in the East Bay region. In 2010, about 913 people lived there. The town is famous for the Sunol Water Temple and its old-fashioned tourist train, the Niles Canyon Railway.

Sunol's Name and History
Where is Sunol Located?
People in Sunol
- 2010 Population Details
Fun Places to Visit in Sunol
Schools in Sunol
Images for kids
See also

Sunol's Name and History

Don Antonio Suñol, the person Sunol is named after.

Sunol was once called Sunolglen. The town gets its name from Don Antonio Suñol. He was an important person who lived in the area in the 1840s. His old ranch house was located where the San Francisco water system now operates.

The first post office in Sunol opened in 1871. The name changed to Sunolglen that same year, but then changed back to Sunol in 1920. Antonio Suñol was the first postmaster in nearby San Jose. He also owned part of the large Rancho Valle de San Jose land grant, which included the area where Sunol is today. In 1884, a man named Thomas Foxwell Bachelder sold land from his large farm in Sunol, which helped create much of the town.

Where is Sunol Located?

Sunol is situated close to two railroad lines. It's also near where two major roads, Interstate 680 and State Route 84, meet. These roads connect Sunol to other cities. You can travel to Fremont to the south and west, Pleasanton to the north, and Livermore to the northeast.

Sunol is about 17 miles (27 km) north of San Jose and 32 miles (51 km) southeast of San Francisco. The town is near Alameda Creek, on the northwest side of the Sunol Valley. The San Antonio Reservoir is about 3 miles (5 km) east of Sunol. The Calaveras Reservoir is about 8 miles (13 km) south. North of Sunol is a place called Kilkare Woods, which you can only reach by going through Sunol.

The Sunol area covers about 27.8 square miles (72 km²). Almost all of this area is land, with a very small amount of water.

People in Sunol

2010 Population Details

In 2010, the population of Sunol was 913 people. Most of the people living in Sunol were White (85.4%). There were also smaller groups of Asian, Native American, African American, and Pacific Islander residents. About 10% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.

There were 362 households in Sunol. Many of these (63%) were married couples. About 21% of households had children under 18 living with them. The average household had about 2.5 people. The average family size was about 2.9 people.

The population included people of all ages. About 16% were under 18 years old, and about 16% were 65 or older. The average age in Sunol was 49.3 years. Most homes (75.1%) were owned by the people living in them, while others were rented.

Fun Places to Visit in Sunol

The Sunol Water Temple, a unique building inspired by Roman architecture.

The Sunol Water Temple is a very interesting building that looks like an ancient Roman temple. It marks where three water sources come together before flowing into the Sunol Valley.
You can explore nature at the Sunol Regional Wilderness.
The Niles Canyon Railway Sunol Depot was built in 1884. It's a historic train station that has been restored. You can visit it and learn about old trains.
Niles Canyon Road is a beautiful 7-mile (11 km) drive from Sunol to Fremont.
In front of the Post Office, there's a statue of Bosco. Bosco was a dog who was actually elected mayor of Sunol! He became famous around the world.
A songwriter named Will Stratton even wrote a song about Sunol in 2007.

Schools in Sunol

Most of Sunol is part of the Sunol Glen Unified School District. The only school in this district is the Sunol Glen School, which teaches students from kindergarten through 8th grade. After 8th grade, high school students usually go to Foothill High School in nearby Pleasanton. Small parts of Sunol are also served by the Castro Valley Unified School District and Pleasanton Unified School District.