Alamo is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Contra Costa County, California, in the United States. It is a suburb located in the San Francisco Bay Area’s East Bay region, approximately 28 miles east of San Francisco.
Alamo is equidistant between the city of Walnut Creek and the incorporated town of Danville. As of the 2010 census, the population was 14,750. The community of Alamo is well known for its bucolic country feel, notable residents, and its affluent lifestyle with the median home sold price being $3,010,000 as of February 2022.
Police services are provided by the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff. Fire and EMS services are provided by the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District.
Alamo has a median household income of $300,000 (as of 2022). In August 2007, a group of citizens launched a new initiative to incorporate the community, the latest in a series of attempts that go back to the early 1960s or before; it was defeated by referendum in March 2009. Previous failed Alamo incorporation efforts always included parts of other nearby unincorporated areas: Alamo-Danville (1964) and Alamo-Danville-San Ramon (1976).
History
Alamo was first inhabited by the Tatcan Indians over 5000 years ago. The Tatcan Indians, a Bay Miwok tribe closely connected to the Saclans of Walnut Creek, lived in Alamo in the eighteenth century.
After Mission San José was founded in 1797, its grazing area stretched throughout the San Ramon Valley. The Mexican land grant Rancho San Ramon was deeded to Mariano Castro and his uncle Bartolo Pacheco in 1833. It covered modern-day Danville and Alamo. Castro owned the northern half, which included Alamo.
In 1843 much of the Alamo, Las Trampas and Tice Valley areas were granted to brothers Inocencio and José Romero. It was called Rancho El Sobrante de San Ramon. Because of missing title papers, the brothers lost their ranch in American courts in 1857.
Pioneers Mary Ann and John Jones traveled through Alamo in 1847. She provided the earliest English description of the area in her diary. Her husband stopped the wagon saying, “Mary, look! Did you ever see anything so beautiful?” She wrote later:
The Jones family returned to Alamo in 1851, after California had become a state. John became the first postmaster in 1852 and she applied her considerable energies to schooling children and beginning a Cumberland Presbyterian church. Other early Alamo founders included David Glass, George Engelmeyer, Silas and Susanna Stone, Captain Wall, Joshua Bollinger, and James Foster.
The area was named Alamo, which comes from the Spanish word álamo, meaning “poplar” or “cottonwood.” Because of its location and climate, Alamo grew quickly. An early road from the redwoods near Moraga ran through Tice Valley to Alamo, since Americans preferred redwood for building materials instead of Mexican adobe brick.
The Hemme, Bollinger, Jones and Stone ranches began by grazing cattle and raising wheat and other grains. In 1891 the Hemme train station was placed near today’s Hemme Avenue; later it was renamed the Alamo station.
Eventually orchards and vineyards spread across the area. Almonds, walnuts, pears, grapes and other fruit thrived in the temperate climate. In 1873, Alamo pioneer Myron Hall grafted Persian cuttings to native walnut trees and helped start the prosperous walnut industry in Contra Costa County. This “mother tree” was tended for over 100 years.
The Alamo post office is the oldest continuously operated one in the valley. It was always an important community gathering place. According to longtime postmaster Bertha Linhares, when the mail was expected the men sat in the post office-store in the winter … the women went into our sitting room and visited with my mother … We always heard all the news and troubles of the Alamo residents.
Her father, brother and sister were also postmasters from 1905 to 1960.
Demographics
The 2010 United States Census reported that Alamo had a population of 14,570. The population density was 1,507.2 inhabitants per square mile (581.9/km2). The racial makeup of Alamo was 12,662 (86.9%) White, 1,190 (8.2%) Asian, Hispanic or Latino of any race were 839 persons (5.8%), 479 (3.3%) from two or more races, 126 (0.9%) from other races, 73 (0.5%) African American, 22 (0.2%) Pacific Islander and 18 (0.1%) Native American.
The Census reported that 14,539 people (99.8% of the population) lived in households, 22 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 9 (0.1%) were institutionalized.
There were 5,152 households, out of which 1,921 (37.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 3,982 (77.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 274 (5.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 141 (2.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 111 (2.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 43 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 598 households (11.6%) were made up of individuals, and 341 (6.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82. There were 4,397 families (85.3% of all households); the average family size was 3.05.
The population was spread out, with 3,739 people (25.7%) under the age of 18, 695 people (4.8%) aged 18 to 24, 2,095 people (14.4%) aged 25 to 44, 5,470 people (37.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,571 people (17.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.9 males.
There were 5,378 housing units at an average density of 556.3 per square mile (214.8/km2), of which 5,152 were occupied, of which 4,709 (91.4%) were owner-occupied, and 443 (8.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.5%. 13,340 people (91.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,199 people (8.2%) lived in rental housing units.
Education
Public education in the majority of Alamo is provided by the San Ramon Valley Unified School District.[21] There are three schools in total; two elementary schools and one middle school:
Alamo School: Today’s Alamo Elementary School at 100 Wilson Road opened in 1965. It is the fourth Alamo school bearing the name. It has the original school bell from the 1880s in its courtyard. The dedication ceremony for the bell was March 22, 1974. The bell has a San Ramon Valley Historical Society plaque that commemorates the history of early education in Alamo. The three previous Alamo Schools were built near what is today the corner of Stone Valley Road West and Danville Boulevard. The first Alamo school was built back in 1871.
Rancho Romero Elementary School: The school was originally built in 1959. At that time it consisted of 12 classrooms and a small teachers’ room/office combination. In 1961, a main office, kindergarten, library, multi-use room and additional classrooms were added. At present, there are 556 students and 25 self-contained classrooms. Measure A funds were used during the 1993–94 school year for a $2.5 million reconstruction of the entire school. In 1998, Rancho was designated by the Alamo Parks and Recreation Committee (R7A) to receive $350,000 for field and playground renovations and to establish park amenities for the community.
Stone Valley Middle School: a Middle School in the suburbs of Alamo. It’s an above-state-average school with a 21-1 student to teacher ratio. Stone Valley has been newly remodeled with a budget of around 29 million USD. Stone Valley is ranked #421 in California middle schools. It has an estimated 560 students (52% boys and 48% girls).
A small portion of Alamo is in the Walnut Creek Elementary School District and the Acalanes Union High School District.