Pleasanton

Welcome to Pleasanton

Charming, family-friendly community with the excellent downtown scene

 

Pleasanton is a diverse and growing suburban community amid the scenic rolling hillsides of the Tri-Valley Area, around 25 miles to the east of Oakland. Pleasanton enjoys year-round nice weather with mild winters and warm summers. Pleasanton has made many lists of the best places to live in America and is one of the nation’s wealthiest mid-sized cities. Local employers include a variety of software and cloud computing companies, along with the corporate headquarters of Safeway.

 

Pleasanton’s downtown area features many well-preserved buildings from the mid-1800s in a variety of styles. The neighborhood also offers many quiet, private neighborhoods with spacious, newly-constructed single-family homes. Pleasanton combines an enticing mix of old and new with gorgeous natural scenery that includes miles of trails and more than 40 parks.

 

What to Love

• Family-friendly small-town vibe
• A mix of old and new
• Charming historic downtown
• Alameda County Fair

People & Lifestyle

Pleasanton is a family-orientated small town with a fantastic Main Street area lined with a wide range of shops and restaurants. The community also boasts more parks than almost any other community of its size in California. Frequent local events help foster a strong sense of community. These events include the huge Alameda County Fair and numerous other events and trade shows at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. Pleasanton is ideally located for commuting into San Francisco or Silicon Valley via car or BART.

 

Dining, Entertainment & Shopping

The tree-lined streets of Downtown Pleasanton are lined with various historic buildings housing a diverse array of businesses. Oasis Restaurant & Wine Lounge serves classic Mediterranean dishes with a contemporary twist. The exotic décor of Oasis’ outdoor Rose Garden is the perfect place to while away the evening with craft cocktails or drinks from the extensive wine list. The Press Café offers artisanal breakfast eats, lunchtime sandwiches, and coffees. Inklings Coffee & Tea is another bustling downtown spot for gourmet hot drinks served alongside delicious freshly-baked pastries. Other dining highlights include Alberto’s Cantina and Blue Agave Club for authentic Mexican cuisine and drinks, Almare Gelato for Italian iced treats and espresso, Bunso for Filipino bread and coffee, and Barone’s and Chianti Reserve for flavorful Italian food and wine. West of downtown close to I-680, Sultan’s Kebab is a casual spot for mouthwatering Mediterranean kebabs and falafel with an extensive choice of vegetarian options.

 

Downtown’s boutiques and specialty stores include American Harvest for unique home décor items and antiques as well as Baqchi for stylish menswear. Other businesses include a variety of salons, spas, and yoga studios.

 

Things to Do

Alameda County Fair takes place over several weeks each summer at Pleasanton’s Alameda County Fairgrounds. This huge celebration has nightly concerts from top musical acts, tasting fests, an action sports arena, horse racing, fireworks, a fun run, special educational programs, and livestock exhibitions and contests.

 

Other unique events include the Scottish Highland Gathering & Games over Labor Day Weekend. Taking place every year since 1865, Pleasanton’s Scottish Highland Games feature seven stages of traditional and contemporary entertainment along with bagpipe and brass band performances, special exhibitions, and Celtic sports tournaments.

 

Pleasanton Farmers’ Market takes place every Saturday all year round with scores of vendors offering fresh produce and specialty foodstuffs. Many more events take place in Downtown Pleasanton throughout the year, including a St. Patrick’s Day Brew Crawl and April’s Bunny Hop Scavenger Hunt.

 

Pleasanton’s many parks include the 5271-acre Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park. This sprawling natural space is the second-largest park in the East Bay region with miles of trails winding through its diverse habitat. Other outdoor recreation spots include the public golf course at the Alameda County Fairgrounds Pleasanton Golf Center.

 

Schools

Public schools within Pleasanton belong to the Pleasanton Unified School District. Highlights include:

 

• Henry P. Mohr Elementary School, Public, K-5
• Fairlands Elementary School, Public, K-5
• Thomas S. Hart Middle School, Public, 6-8
• Harvest Park Middle School, Public, 6-8
• Foothill High School, Public, 9-12