Pleasant Hill, California
Encyclopedia
Pleasant Hill is a city in Contra Costa County
, California
, United States
, in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area
. The population was 33,152 at the 2010 census. It was incorporated in 1961. Pleasant Hill is the home of College Park High School
, Diablo Valley College
, John F Kennedy University, the Pleasant Hill Library of the Contra Costa County Library system, and Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park District.
, the city has a total area of 7.1 square miles (18.4 km²). Pleasant Hill has a varied landscape with some valleys and rolling hills. In undisturbed wilderness, oak woodlands
and mixed woods
can be found. It is located in the central East San Francisco Bay
.
Pleasant Hill's climate is a Mediterranean
one having cool and wet winters and dry, warm summers. Winter tends to be in the forties and fifties and summers reign in the high seventies to upper eighties occasionally reaching the low nineties. On very rare occasions the temperatures can get in the one hundred range during extreme Heatwaves. Freezing in winter is also rare, but it does happen. Occasionally, summer Fog
will roll in, but winter fog is very common.
For most of its history, Pleasant Hill did not have a true downtown
or Main Street
. In 1991, the city began planning the redevelopment of the area around the intersection of Monument Boulevard and Contra Costa Boulevard. In July 2000, "Downtown Pleasant Hill" finally opened, as a privately owned and operated outdoor shopping center designed to resemble a typical suburban Main Street.
The city hall of Pleasant Hill has won several awards in architectural design.
Elementary schools
Middle schools
High schools
Private schools include:
is located in Pleasant Hill. The library system has its headquarters in Pleasant Hill.
was 4,688.1 people per square mile (1,810.1/km²). The racial makeup of Pleasant Hill was 24,846 (74.9%) White, 686 (2.1%) African American, 127 (0.4%) Native American, 4,516 (13.6%) Asian, 66 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 1,079 (3.3%) from other races
, and 1,832 (5.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4,009 persons (12.1%).
The Census reported that 32,689 people (98.6% of the population) lived in households, 151 (0.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 312 (0.9%) were institutionalized.
There were 13,708 households, out of which 3,892 (28.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 6,329 (46.2%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 1,359 (9.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 597 (4.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 789 (5.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 152 (1.1%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,929 households (28.7%) were made up of individuals and 1,431 (10.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38. There were 8,285 families
(60.4% of all households); the average family size was 2.96.
The population was spread out with 6,563 people (19.8%) under the age of 18, 3,180 people (9.6%) aged 18 to 24, 8,901 people (26.8%) aged 25 to 44, 9,902 people (29.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 4,606 people (13.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.7 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.
There were 14,321 housing units at an average density of 2,025.2 per square mile (781.9/km²), of which 8,470 (61.8%) were owner-occupied, and 5,238 (38.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.1%. 21,253 people (64.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 11,436 people (34.5%) lived in rental housing units.
of 2000, there were 32,837 people, 13,753 households, and 8,403 families residing in the city. The population density
was 4,633.6 inhabitants per square mile (1,788.2/km²). There were 14,034 housing units at an average density of 1,980.3 per square mile (764.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.77% White
, 1.53% Black
or African American
, 0.47% Native American
, 9.43% Asian
, 0.27% Pacific Islander
, 2.32% from other races
, and 4.19% from two or more races. 8.43% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 13,753 households out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples
living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.3% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.
According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $80,737, and the median income for a family was $104,297. Males had a median income of $57,278 versus $42,013 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $33,076. About 2.7% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
at a relatively early stage of its modern growth. Notably the city authorized a study of hill
side development in the 1980s that included detailed mapping of biota
, geotechnical hazards, sound levels
and other environmental constraints. These studies were used to establish appropriate zoning
and development densities for all the principal undeveloped hillside areas within the city.
, Mexico
Merzifon
, Turkey
Contra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County is a primarily suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 1,049,025...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. The population was 33,152 at the 2010 census. It was incorporated in 1961. Pleasant Hill is the home of College Park High School
College Park High School (Pleasant Hill, California)
College Park High School is a public distinguished high school located in Pleasant Hill, California, adjacent to Valley View Middle School and Diablo Valley College...
, Diablo Valley College
Diablo Valley College
Diablo Valley College is a two-year community college in Pleasant Hill in Contra Costa County, California.DVC is one of three publicly supported two-year community colleges in the Contra Costa Community College District , and was first opened in 1949...
, John F Kennedy University, the Pleasant Hill Library of the Contra Costa County Library system, and Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park District.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 7.1 square miles (18.4 km²). Pleasant Hill has a varied landscape with some valleys and rolling hills. In undisturbed wilderness, oak woodlands
California oak woodland
California oak woodland is a plant community found throughout the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of California in the United States and northwestern Baja California in Mexico...
and mixed woods
California mixed evergreen forest
California mixed evergreen forest is an ecoregion, of the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome, that occurs in the Pacific Coast Ranges of southwestern Oregon and California, and in the Coast, Transverse, and Peninsular Ranges in California...
can be found. It is located in the central East San Francisco Bay
East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)
The East Bay is a commonly used, informal term for the lands on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay, in the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States...
.
Pleasant Hill's climate is a Mediterranean
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
one having cool and wet winters and dry, warm summers. Winter tends to be in the forties and fifties and summers reign in the high seventies to upper eighties occasionally reaching the low nineties. On very rare occasions the temperatures can get in the one hundred range during extreme Heatwaves. Freezing in winter is also rare, but it does happen. Occasionally, summer Fog
Fog
Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...
will roll in, but winter fog is very common.
History
The first post office opened in 1948. The city incorporated in 1961.For most of its history, Pleasant Hill did not have a true downtown
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
or Main Street
Main Street
Main Street is the metonym for a generic street name of the primary retail street of a village, town, or small city in many parts of the world...
. In 1991, the city began planning the redevelopment of the area around the intersection of Monument Boulevard and Contra Costa Boulevard. In July 2000, "Downtown Pleasant Hill" finally opened, as a privately owned and operated outdoor shopping center designed to resemble a typical suburban Main Street.
The city hall of Pleasant Hill has won several awards in architectural design.
Top employers
According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diablo Valley College Diablo Valley College Diablo Valley College is a two-year community college in Pleasant Hill in Contra Costa County, California.DVC is one of three publicly supported two-year community colleges in the Contra Costa Community College District , and was first opened in 1949... |
1,124 |
| 2 | Mount Diablo Unified School District Mount Diablo Unified School District The Mount Diablo Unified School District is a public school district in Contra Costa County, California. It currently operates 32 elementary schools, 10 middle schools and six high schools, with 13 alternative school programs and an adult education program. Mt... |
537 |
| 3 | John F. Kennedy University John F. Kennedy University John F. Kennedy University is a nonprofit, private university located in Pleasant Hill, California, with satellite campuses in Campbell, Berkeley, and Costa Mesa. It was founded in 1964 to focus on providing continuing opportunities for non-traditional higher education. Enrollment is approximately... |
517 |
| 4 | Nelson Staffing | 186 |
| 5 | Contra Costa County Office of Education | 180 |
| 6 | City of Pleasant Hill | 142 |
| 7 | Target Target Corporation Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's... |
129 |
| 8 | Mervyns Mervyns was an American middle scale department store chain based in Hayward, California. It carried national brands of clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, electronics, and housewares. Many of the company's stores were in shopping malls... |
117 |
| 9 | Century Theatres Century Theatres Century Theatres is a movie theater chain which operates many multiplexes in the western United States, primarily in California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona. In recent years, it has expanded into the inter-mountain states, the Pacific Northwest, Texas, and parts of the Midwest... |
115 |
| 10 | Kohl's Kohl's Kohl's Corporation is an American department store chain headquartered in the Milwaukee suburb of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, operating , 1,089 stores in 49 states. In 1998, it entered the S&P 500 list, and is also listed in the Fortune 500... |
113 |
Primary and secondary schools
Public schools include:Elementary schools
- Fair Oaks Elementary School
- Gregory Gardens Elementary School
- Pleasant Hill Elementary School
- Sequoia Elementary School
- Strandwood Elementary School
- Valhalla Elementary School
Middle schools
- Pleasant Hill Middle School
- Sequoia Middle School
- Valley View Middle School
High schools
- College Park High SchoolCollege Park High School (Pleasant Hill, California)College Park High School is a public distinguished high school located in Pleasant Hill, California, adjacent to Valley View Middle School and Diablo Valley College...
Private schools include:
- Christ the King Catholic School
- Pleasant Hill Adventist Academy
Colleges and universities
- Diablo Valley CollegeDiablo Valley CollegeDiablo Valley College is a two-year community college in Pleasant Hill in Contra Costa County, California.DVC is one of three publicly supported two-year community colleges in the Contra Costa Community College District , and was first opened in 1949...
- John F. Kennedy UniversityJohn F. Kennedy UniversityJohn F. Kennedy University is a nonprofit, private university located in Pleasant Hill, California, with satellite campuses in Campbell, Berkeley, and Costa Mesa. It was founded in 1964 to focus on providing continuing opportunities for non-traditional higher education. Enrollment is approximately...
- Paul Mitchell the School
Public libraries
The Pleasant Hill Library of the Contra Costa County LibraryContra Costa County Library
Contra Costa County Library is a public library that is part of Contra Costa County, California, United States. There are 26 community libraries, access to electronic information via a website, over 455,000 cardholders and more than 7 million items borrowed annually...
is located in Pleasant Hill. The library system has its headquarters in Pleasant Hill.
Demographics
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Pleasant Hill had a population of 33,152. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 4,688.1 people per square mile (1,810.1/km²). The racial makeup of Pleasant Hill was 24,846 (74.9%) White, 686 (2.1%) African American, 127 (0.4%) Native American, 4,516 (13.6%) Asian, 66 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 1,079 (3.3%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1,832 (5.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4,009 persons (12.1%).
The Census reported that 32,689 people (98.6% of the population) lived in households, 151 (0.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 312 (0.9%) were institutionalized.
There were 13,708 households, out of which 3,892 (28.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 6,329 (46.2%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 1,359 (9.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 597 (4.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 789 (5.8%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....
, and 152 (1.1%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,929 households (28.7%) were made up of individuals and 1,431 (10.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38. There were 8,285 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...
(60.4% of all households); the average family size was 2.96.
The population was spread out with 6,563 people (19.8%) under the age of 18, 3,180 people (9.6%) aged 18 to 24, 8,901 people (26.8%) aged 25 to 44, 9,902 people (29.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 4,606 people (13.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.7 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.
There were 14,321 housing units at an average density of 2,025.2 per square mile (781.9/km²), of which 8,470 (61.8%) were owner-occupied, and 5,238 (38.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.1%. 21,253 people (64.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 11,436 people (34.5%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 32,837 people, 13,753 households, and 8,403 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 4,633.6 inhabitants per square mile (1,788.2/km²). There were 14,034 housing units at an average density of 1,980.3 per square mile (764.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.77% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 1.53% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.47% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 9.43% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.27% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 2.32% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 4.19% from two or more races. 8.43% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 13,753 households out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.3% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.
According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $80,737, and the median income for a family was $104,297. Males had a median income of $57,278 versus $42,013 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $33,076. About 2.7% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
Planning and environmental factors
Pleasant Hill utilized a system of environmental planningEnvironmental planning
Environmental Planning is the process of facilitating decision making to carry out development with due consideration given to the natural environmental, social, political, economic and governance factors and provides a holistic frame work to achieve sustainable outcomes.-Elements of environmental...
at a relatively early stage of its modern growth. Notably the city authorized a study of hill
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
side development in the 1980s that included detailed mapping of biota
Biota (ecology)
Biota are the total collection of organisms of a geographic region or a time period, from local geographic scales and instantaneous temporal scales all the way up to whole-planet and whole-timescale spatiotemporal scales. The biota of the Earth lives in the biosphere.-See...
, geotechnical hazards, sound levels
Noise pollution
Noise pollution is excessive, displeasing human, animal or machine-created environmental noise that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life...
and other environmental constraints. These studies were used to establish appropriate zoning
Zoning
Zoning is a device of land use planning used by local governments in most developed countries. The word is derived from the practice of designating permitted uses of land based on mapped zones which separate one set of land uses from another...
and development densities for all the principal undeveloped hillside areas within the city.
Sister cities
ChilpancingoChilpancingo
Chilpancingo de los Bravo is the capital and second-largest city of the state of Guerrero, Mexico. It is located at . In the 2005 census the population of the city was 166,796. Its surrounding municipality, of which it is municipal seat, had a population of 214,219 persons...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
Merzifon
Merzifon
Merzifon is a town and district in Amasya Province in the central Black Sea region of Turkey. It covers an area of 970 km², and the population is 69,237 of which 52,947 live in the town of Merzifon, the remainder spread throughout the surrounding countryside...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...