| Piedmont, California |
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Piedmont is a city located in Alameda County, California . It is completely surrounded by the city of Oakland . As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 10,952. ABOUT PIEDMONT Piedmont is a small, primarily residential community with fine architecture, tree-lined streets, and competitive city schools. Due to its school system, low crime rate, good weather, and high property values, it is regarded as one of the most desirable residential communities in the San Francisco Bay Area . Property in Piedmont is markedly more expensive than real estate in neighboring communities. In the Roaring Twenties, Piedmont was known as the "City of Millionaires" because there were more resident millionaires per square mile than in any city in the United States. Many of these millionaires built mansions which still stand, notably on Sea View Avenue in upper Piedmont. Today, Piedmont remains notable for its minimal amount of commerce when compared to its statistically similar counterparts. However, since it is right in the center of the Oakland Hills there is plentiful shopping in adjacent Oakland neighborhoods such as Piedmont Avenue , Montclair , Grand Lake , and Rockridge . Piedmont is largely Zoned for residential use. It has one small commercial district in the center of town along Highland Avenue consisting of a gas station, three banks (including Citibank, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America), a realty office, some professional offices and a small convenience store named Bonfare and has a small number of commercial enterprises along Grand Avenue at the Oakland border. The city is served by two local weekly newspapers--the citizen-run Piedmont Post, and the Piedmonter, a neighborhood newspaper organized under the Contra Costa Times news organization. Piedmont also has several parks and a community center. Recent community efforts have raised funds to improve Dracena Park, in which construction for a new play area began in 2005. Piedmont is the home of many celebrations including its annual 4th of July parade. The Nova Neighbors , a neighborhood group renowned for its creative floats, has won the Highland Cup (grand prize) for the past five years. GEOGRAPHY Piedmont is located at 37°49'19" North, 122°13'53" West (37.821994, -122.231405). Piedmont, literally '' foot of the mountain'' in Italian, sits at the base of the Oakland Hills. Piedmont is situated almost centrally in regards to the Bay Area's fuller shape, putting it nearly directly across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco, California , and very close to Berkeley, California . The north-eastern section of the city of Oakland, California surrounds Piedmont. Residents originally sought incorporation in 1907 to avoid Annexation by Oakland. The papers filed with the State of California to incorporate the new city used a map from the Piedmont Sanitary Sewer District. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 4.4 Km&2 (1.7 Mi&2 ). There is a small lake with no public access called Tyson Lake, a small pond within the Mountain View Cemetery borders, and a swimming pool in the center of town. Piedmont's major streets include Oakland Avenue, which runs from Piedmont's small city center down into Oakland, Highland Avenue, which divides Piedmont into upper and lower sections, Moraga Avenue, which runs near the city's northern border, and Grand Avenue, which runs near Piedmont's western border. Lots in upper Piedmont are, on average, larger in size than lots in lower Piedmont. Smaller streets such as Nova Drive and Requa Road define local neighborhoods within Piedmont. A nearby shopping center on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland comes within two blocks of Piedmont, but never actually enters the city's borders. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census of 2000, there were 10,952 people, 3,804 households, and 3,104 families residing in the city. The Population Density was 2,502.1/km&2 (6,488.7/mi&2). There were 3,859 housing units at an average density of 881.6/km&2 (2,286.3/mi&2). The racial makeup of the city was 78.59% White , 1.24% African American , 0.11% Native American , 16.02% Asian , 0.04% Pacific Islander , 0.63% from Other Races , and 3.38% from two or more races. 2.97% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 3,804 households out of which 47.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.9% were Married Couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.4% were non-families. 14.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.18. In the city the population was spread out with 30.3% under the age of 18, 3.8% from 18 to 24, 18.5% from 25 to 44, 34.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $134,270, and the median income for a family was $149,857. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $58,553 for females. The Per Capita Income for the city was $70,539. 2.0% of the population and 1.0% of families were below the Poverty Line . 2.6% of those under the age of 18 and 1.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. EDUCATION IN PIEDMONT Piedmont is known for its public school system with three elementary schools (Havens, Beach, and Wildwood), a middle school (Piedmont Middle School), a high school ( Piedmont High School ), and an alternative high school (Millennium). Piedmont High School matriculates a high percentage (over 98%) of students bound for college. A significant number of Piedmont High graduates go on to attend private universities such as Georgetown University , Harvard , Yale University , and MIT . Many Piedmont High graduates, however, continue their education at public colleges and universities. In particular, the University Of California, Berkeley is popular choice for Piedmont High graduates due to its close proximity and excellent reputation in a broad range of disciplines. The Piedmont Unified School District is one of a few California public school systems to achieve such success. This may be attributed to the dedicated population of parents who have resources to pay higher prices for housing so that their childen may attend Piedmont schools instead of private schools. In particular, cost/benefit analyses will reveal that, for many households, Piedmont schools make more economic sense than private schooling. Such analyses, for example, may take into consideration real estate prices, mortgage interest rates, projected real estate value appreciation, local taxes, federal tax deductions, quality of schools, private tuition costs per student and number of children. Piedmont voters regularly approve bond measures earmarked for maintaining and/or improving educational facilities. For example, Witter Field, home of the Piedmont Highlanders, was rebuilt over a period of years (1998-2000) improving it from the older facility to a newer (and markedly improved) one. Similar improvements have been made to the fields adjacent to the Beach Elementary School. In 2005, Piedmont citizens voted in favor of Measures B and C with an overwhelming majority. Measure B renews the school district parcel tax, which pays for 21% of the district's budget, and Measure C adds an additional amount that keeps the overall funding at the same level, which is necessary to make up for a drop in money from state and federal funding and other sources. The city parcel tax, which is separate from the district tax, faced trouble passing the previous November, but eventually succeeded. On the other hand, the district tax, which, had it failed, would have led to drastic cuts in staff and classes, passed with both measures receiving over 82% of the vote. The Piedmont Unified School District, like other California school districts, faces a budget crisis. Though it is less severe than in other California schools, there been many cuts, and if Measures B and C had failed, students returning in the 2006-2007 school year would have been met with larger class sizes, far fewer course options, and fewer teachers, aides, custodians, and other staff. In 2006, voters authorized the Piedmont City Unified School District to issue up to $56 million in bonds to improve Piedmont public school buildings so as to reduce dangers from earthquakes, to meet state and federal seismic safety standards, etc. NOTABLE RESIDENTS Piedmont is home to ex- Major League Baseball player Dave McCarty , ex- National Football League star Bill Romanowski , Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis , and Green Day member Tre Cool . UCLA Quarterback Drew Olson also grew up in Piedmont and played for their high school football team. Other younger, yet still notable, star athletes from Piedmont are Courtney Paris and her sister Ashley Paris , who are each currently attending University Of Oklahoma , where Courtney has already broken the scoring record in her Freshman year with 22 points. Courtney, is the starting Center for the USA women's basketball team. Courtney and Ashley's father is ex- NFL star Bubba Paris . Author Jack London lived in Piedmont, and Kennedy's Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara grew up in Piedmont, where his family lived on Ranleigh Way. McNamara does not have fond memories of Piedmont, and has refused invitations to return. Clint Eastwood resided in Piedmont. Country Joe McDonald resided in Piedmont in the 1970's. Actors Dean Butler ( Little House On The Prairie ) and Austin Tichenor ( Reduced Shakespeare Company ) also grew up in Piedmont. An 18 year-old woman and Piedmont resident, Sarah Rutledge Birnbaum, was the first known person to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge twice. She survived her jump on New Year's Day 1988 and is surmised to have perished in her February, 1988 fall; although her body was never found, her car was in a nearby parking lot and a passerby saw a young blonde woman jump over the railing. She was disappointed, in part, because she was not admitted to Stanford, and did not have a good experience in her first quarter at UCLA.San Francisco Chronicle, Feb. 4, 1988, Page A23; San Francisco Examiner, Feb. 14, 1988, Pages B1 and B8; Los Angeles Times, Feb. 4, 1988, Page 2 EXTERNAL LINKS |