Livermore, California
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| Website: www.ci.livermore.ca.us |
Livermore is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. The population was 82,845 as of January 1, 2007.[2] Livermore is located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Livermore is a "major suburb" of the Bay Area.
Traditionally, Livermore is considered the easternmost city in the San Francisco Bay Area before entrance to the Central Valley.
It was founded by William Mendenhall and named after Robert Livermore, his friend and a local rancher who settled in the area in the 1830s.
Livermore is the home of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Livermore's south side, home to local vineyards, has developed several executive subdivisions near Ruby Hill. The city has also redeveloped the downtown.
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Geography
Watercourses draining the city of Livermore include Arroyo Mocho, Arroyo del Valle, Arroyo Seco and Arroyo Las Positas. The principal aquifer underlying the city is the Mocho Subbasin. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 23.9 square miles (62.0 km²), all of it land. Several local seismicially active faults lie near the city including the Greenville Fault and the Tesla Fault.
History and culture
History
The Livermore area was home to the Ohlone (or Costanoan) before the arrival of the Spanish in the 18th century; it was incorporated under the Roman Catholic Mission San Jose in 1796. The Livermore Amador Valley was primarily grazing land for Mission San Jose's thousands of cattle and sheep until secularization of California missions from 1834 to 1837 opened great amounts of land throughout California for Mexican land grants. The fourth and second largest of the valley's land grants was the Rancho Las Positas grant, made to rancher Robert Livermore (a naturalized Mexican citizen of English birth) and Jose Noriega in 1839. Livermore was as much interested in viticulture and horticulture as he was in cattle and horses; in 1846 he was the first in this area to plant both a vineyard and an orchard of pears and olives. The first building on the ranch was an adobe on Las Positas Creek, and in 1849 a two-story "Around the Horn" house was added; it was the first wooden building in the valley.
After the discovery of gold in California, Livermore became a popular stopping place for prospectors headed for the Mother Lode, as it was one day's journey by horse or stagecoach from San Jose.
Robert Livermore died in 1858 before the establishment of the town that bears his name. His ranch included much of the present-day city. The city itself was established in 1869 by William Mendenhall, who had met Robert Livermore while marching through the valley with Fremont's California Battalion. Livermore was officially incorporated on April 15, 1876.
Culture
Livermore's culture retains some vestiges of the farming and ranching traditions that have existed in the valley since the time of Robert Livermore, but now largely reflects the values of its suburban population. Livermore has a strong blue-collar element, as well as many professionals who work at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and various hi-tech industries within the Bay Area. The city has recently gone much more upscale with the addition of several hundred million dollar homes set amongst the southside's vineyards as well as a multi-million dollar renovation of the downtown area, which includes a new motion picture theater, as well as a performing arts theater, a parking structure, and office buildings. The new construction is expected to be finished in early to mid 2007.
Also, according to the latest U.S. Census information, Livermore is the third wealthiest midsize city in the nation. In 2005, the median household income in Livermore was $96,632, which ranked it the third highest income midsize city (between 65,000 and 249,999 people) just behind number two Newport Beach, CA ($97,428) and Livermore's western neighbor, Pleasanton, CA ($101,022),1
Livermore hosts the Livermore Rodeo (since 1918), the "World's Fastest Rodeo," that claims it has more riders per hour than any other. It also has the Livermore-Amador Symphony, Del Valle Fine Arts (a producer of chamber music concerts), and, in the valley at large, the Valley Choral Society, Livermore Valley Opera, and Valley Dance Theatre, a classical ballet company.
It boasts a state-of-the-art library (with a somewhat controversial front mosaic[3] by Maria Alquilar) that opened in 2004 and a busy growing Livermore Airport.
Livermore has a Hindu temple which is often visited by the large Indian population of the Bay Area.
Many Livermore residents enjoy the rodeo parade and festivities which take place yearly. Many cowboy-folk from across the land come to this event. Children are given the chance to ride ponies and elderly women are given free horseback rides across town and to the local market.
Many of the Livermore youth find entertainment at The Vine the local cinema, or at Livermore Cinemas, the newer theater that was added after fifteen years of debate, the Livermore skate park, Granada Bowl, and shops in the downtown area, such as Charlotte's Web, Panama Bay Coffee Company, and Donut Wheel.
Livermore has also long harbored a strong independent music scene, with venues such as Pine St. Bar and the now-defunct Unity Skateshop hosting national touring acts as well as Bay Area artists.
The first Indian Christian Church in the San Francisco Bay Area is at Livermore. The Mar Thoma Syrian Church is situated at Junction Avenue. At present the Vicar of the Church is Rev. James Veeramala.
Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 73,345 people, 26,123 households, and 19,513 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,065.8 people per square mile (1,183.9/km²). There were 26,610 housing units at an average density of 1,112.3/sq mi (429.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.90% White, 1.57% African American, 0.61% Native American, 5.80% Asian, 0.28% Pacific Islander, 5.34% from other races, and 4.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.37% of the population.
There were 26,123 households out of which 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.3% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 35.1% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $75,322, and the median income for a family was $82,421. Males had a median income of $59,703 versus $38,389 for females. The per capita income for the city was $31,062. About 3.8% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 1.5% of those age 65 or over.
In the six years since the census, the population has increased to 87,054. Increases also took place in the number of housing units (30,612), median household income ($87,321), and median family income ($100,121). The median home price was reported to be $662,100.[4]
Politics
In the state legislature Livermore is located in the 9th Senate District, represented by Democrat Don Perata, and in the 15th Assembly District, represented by Republican Guy Houston. Federally, Livermore is located in California's 10th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +9[5] and is represented by Democrat Ellen Tauscher. Tauscher received an 82% progressive rating from a self-described non-partisan group that provides a "searchable database of Congressional voting records from a Progressive perspective"[6], and a 26% conservative rating from a conservative group.[7]
World's longest lasting lightbulb
The town is noted for one world record. A 105+ year old 4-watt lightbulb called the Centennial Light housed by the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department is still burning bright. In truth, its "brightness" may be a matter of debate; it glows dimly, but definitely still functions as a lightbulb. The Guinness Book of World Records, Ripley's Believe It or Not, and General Electric have concluded that the bulb has been burning continuously since 1901 with the exception of power failures and three times for moving to another station. The lightbulb was manufactured by the Shelby Electric Company and was hand blown with a carbon filament.
Industry
Laboratories
Livermore is the home of two national laboratories. The largest employer in Livermore is the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) which is operated by a limited liability consortium named Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC (LLNS), a joint venture company of Bechtel National, the University of California, BWX Technologies, Washington Group International, and Battelle. LLNL is the location of the world's most powerful laser, the NIF and world's most powerful supercomputer, Blue Gene/L.
Livermore is also the California site of the Sandia National Laboratories, which is operated by Sandia Corporation (a Lockheed-Martin owned Company) and is the third largest employer in the city.
Wine
See main article at Livermore Valley.
Education
Public schools in Livermore are part of the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District (LVJUSD). The District is comprised of 11 Elementary (K-5) schools, 4 Middle (6-8) schools, and 3 High schools.
Schools
Elementary Schools
- Altamont Creek
- Arroyo Seco
- Leo Croce
- Jackson Avenue
- Marylin Avenue
- Joe Michell
- Don Gaspar de Portola
- Rancho Las Positas
- Emma C. Smith
- Sunset
- Vineyard
Middle Schools
- Christensen
- East Avenue
- Junction Avenue
- William Mendenhall
High Schools
- Livermore High School - established in 1891 and became the first union high school in the state of California.
- Granada High School - the second public high school in Livermore.
- Vineyard High School - an independent study high school.
- Del Valle and Phoenix High Schools - continuation high schools.
Adult Education
- Livermore Adult School
Charter School
- Livermore Valley Charter School (LVCS) - a K-8 public school. For more information, see http://www.lvcs.org/
Private Schools
Higher Education
Transportation
Livermore's general aviation needs are served by Livermore Municipal Airport. For commercial flights, one must go to San Francisco International Airport, Oakland International Airport, or San Jose International Airport.
Access to Bay Area Rapid Transit is available at the Dublin-Pleasanton Station.
One may also use the WHEELS bus system to get around Livermore and to the neighboring cities of Pleasanton and Dublin, California.
Livermore has two stations for the Altamont Commuter Express, a commuter train which runs from Stockton to San Jose with four round trips per workday. One station is at Vasco Road, and the other in downtown Livermore at its Transit Center, where connections to the WHEELS bus system can be made.
There is a petition drive to bring the BART system to Livermore. The group that started the petition was founded by the former mayor of Dublin, Linda Jeffery Sailors, who was successful in bringing BART to Dublin/Pleasanton.[8]
Sister cities
Livermore has three sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:
- Template:Country data Guatemala Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
- Template:Country data Russia Snezhinsk, Russia
- Template:Country data Japan Yotsukaido, Japan
Notable people from Livermore
- Louie Aguiar, an American football punter.
- Max Baer, a boxer and actor.
- Cynthia Breazeal, an Associate Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- Mark Davis, a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball.
- Randy Johnson, an American starting pitcher in Major League Baseball.
- Tara Kemp, Pop singer.
- Jack Trudeau, an American professional football player.
- Jason Sekany, former starting pitcher for Major League Baseball.
- James DePaiva, actor
- Gavin Glinton, professional soccer player
- Erick Threets, relief pitcher for the Fresno Grizzlies, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants
References
- ^ City Council. City of Livermore Official Web Site. Retrieved on 2007-04-20.
- ↑ a b c d City Profile. City of Livermore Official Web Site. Retrieved on 2007-04-20.
- ^ Miami Muralist Embroiled In Mosaic Misspelling Mess. WPLG (2004-10-07). Retrieved on 2007-04-20.
- ^ Livemore, California Fact Sheet. 2005 American Community Survey. United States Census Bureau (2005). Retrieved on 2007-04-20.
- ^ Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest?. Campaign Legal Center Blog. Retrieved on 2007-10-19.
- ^ Leading with the Left. Progressive Punch. Retrieved on 2007-10-19.
- ^ ACU Ratings of Congress, 2006. American Conservative Union (2006). Retrieved on 2007-10-19.
- ^ LivermoreBART.org. Retrieved on 2007-04-20.
- Livermore (2002), a film by Rachel Raney and David Murray.
- Owens, Bill (1972). Suburbia. ISBN 1-881270-40-8.
External links
- City of Livermore Official Website
- Livermore Community Guide
- Charlotte's Web, The Oldest Brick Building in Livermore
- Livermore Valley Wine Country
- Centennial Light Bulb Site
- Livermore Hindu Temple
- Las Positas College
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
- Sandia National Laboratories - California Home Page
- Livermore Rodeo
- Valley Dance Theatre
- Livermore, California travel guide from Wikitravel
- Livermore, California is at coordinates Template:Coord
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