Reasons to Live in Pleasanton, CA
Vibrant economy, good schools, great recreation head a long list.
Livability.com ranks Pleasanton among the Top 100 Best Cities to Live, and there are many reasons why. This affluent suburb of the San Francisco Bay Area offers big-city amenities with a hometown charm, and here are some specific pleasantries about living in Pleasanton:
In This Article
A Lively Downtown
More than 165 stores and restaurants are enjoying success throughout the Pleasanton downtown district, and a thriving farmer’s market is open every Saturday morning off Main Street. The scenic downtown has made Pleasanton a designated California Main Street Community that offers events like an annual Friday Concerts in the Park series, and the beautiful architecture of downtown Pleasanton ranges from Art Deco to Italianate to Romanesque.
Booming Businesses
More and more corporate headquarters are calling Pleasanton home, including firms like Blackhawk Network, Patelco Credit Union, Safeway, Shaklee, The Cooper Companies, Thoratec and Workday. Other top employers with considerable operations in the city include AT&T, Cisco Systems, Clorox, Hitachi High Technologies America, Kaiser Permanente and Symantec.
It’s What You Know
Pleasanton parents and students are lucky to have access to a public school system that ranks among the Top 10 School Districts in California. Pleasanton Unified School District features two high schools that are rated among the best in the nation – Amador Valley and Foothill. Meanwhile, the city also houses several excellent private institutions, including Hacienda School and Stratford School.
Bring Your Appetite
A total of 220 dining establishments in Pleasanton (that’s a lot!) are sure to satisfy the tastes of any restaurant patron. One culinary highlight is Organic Coup, which is the first USDA-certified organic fast food restaurant in the United States. Also, Pleasanton has a number of excellent wineries and microbreweries available to the public.
Excitement in Store
At the intersection of Interstates 580 and 680 is Stoneridge Shopping Center, which meets the retail needs of local residents and the entire surrounding Tri-Valley region. Anchor tenants at Stoneridge are JC Penney, Macy’s, Nordstrom and Sears, and also available to the shopping public in Pleasanton is a robust downtown district with many specialty retailers.
Crowd Pleasing
Everyone from young families to retirees can enjoy the outdoor recreation opportunities in Pleasanton thanks to 1,200 acres of parks, open spaces and trails. The crown jewel is Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park, with gorgeous vistas ranging from deep-canyon streams to height elevations in excess of 1,600 feet. The park is ideal for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding.
It’s Go Time
The convenience of Interstate 580 and Interstate 680 allows Pleasanton residents to have easy transportation options when traveling to nearby cities like Fremont, Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose. In addition, serving the community is a Bay Area Rapid Transit commuter train system, and Pleasanton is also ranked among the most bike-friendly cities in the nation.