Community Overview
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Community Overview HISTORICAL OVERVIEW In 1869, William Mendenhall laid out and developed a new town when the first train went through the valley. The only direct route from San Francisco to the gold fields and Sacramento went through this area. Mendenhall named this town in memory of his good friend, Robert Livermore, who had owned a 20,000 acre land grant called Rancho Las Positas in this area. In the 1870s, Livermore was a growing town with a variety of immigrant groups. By the time Livermore was incorporated on April 1, 1876, it was a traditional western town with wooden sidewalks and horse-drawn buggies. By the 1880s the richness of the valley was revealed with cattle, sheep and horses grazing the hills. Livermore hay and grain were world renowned and shipped to Europe. Grape cuttings were planted in the gravelly sand and the local wine industry was born. As Livermore flourished, Livermore College, a private high school, was established. Livermore Union High School became the first Joint Union High School in the State of California. In 1902, Livermore became the first town in California to establish a free municipal public library. The Carnegie Library, designed by William H. Weeks, opened in 1911. After the turn of the century, Alameda County founded a hospital for the treatment of tuberculosis, and the federal government established the Veterans’ Hospital. The first Livermore Rodeo was held to benefit the Red Cross during World War I, and the City still holds a rodeo every June. In the 1950s the University of California Radiation Laboratory (now Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) was established on the site of the World War II Naval Training Station at East Avenue and Greenville Road. Sandia National Laboratory opened a few years later to provide engineering expertise for the work at the Radiation Laboratory. Today, Livermore’s arts, culture, western heritage and vibrant wine industry provide a unique blend of small-town ambience and metropolitan amenities. Livermore consistently receives high citizen survey ratings, so it’s not surprising that MONEY Magazine rated Livermore as one of the “most desirable places to live in America.” FISCAL YEARS 2012-13 & 2013-14 TWO-YEAR FINANCIAL P LAN UPDATE PAGE | 21 Community Overview ABOUT LIVERMORE Founded in 1869, Livermore is a general law city with a Council/Manager form of government. With a population of 83,325 (per California Department of Finance), Livermore is California’s oldest wine region, framed by award- winning wineries, farm lands and ranches that mirror the valley’s western heritage. The City of Livermore encompasses 26.8 square miles (per Livermore Planning Department), and is the easternmost city in the San Francisco Bay Area. Protection by the coastal mountain range provides the Livermore Valley with an average mean temperature of 59 degrees. This mild, Mediterranean climate enhances the pursuit of a more relaxed, less congested lifestyle. TECHNOLOGY As home to renowned science and technology centers, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratory, Livermore is a technological hub and an academically engaged community. The laboratories’ missions span a number of national programs including homeland security, combustion and renewable energy, water resources and biosciences. Research efforts include cleaning up the environment, battling cancer, decoding the human genome, exploring the universe, and studying global warming. Livermore has become an integral part of the Bay Area, successfully competing in the global market powered by its wealth of research, technology and innovation. The Livermore Valley Open Campus allows open science, business and academic collaboration on such topics as energy, cyber-security and high-performance computing. THE ARTS Livermore has a well-established and distinctive cultural arts identity. The city is home to a large and diverse collection of cultural arts organizations and other cultural assets, including the Bankhead Theater, symphony orchestra, opera company, and several dance companies. Livermore is home to many organizations for visual arts, literary arts and vocal music, as well as heritage groups and arts educators. Livermore even has a Poet Laureate. The City is rich with opportunities for local artists and artisans. FISCAL YEARS 2012-13 & 2013-14 TWO-YEAR FINANCIAL P LAN UPDATE PAGE | 22 Community Overview VITICULTURE Livermore Valley Wine Country is the original wine region in the San Francisco Bay Area. Less than an hour east of San Francisco, Livermore Valley Wine Country’s picturesque canyons and ridges play host to the welcoming sign of vines and tasting rooms which define the quality of life in the area. The region is experiencing a wine renaissance echoing the golden years of early California wine history. The area boasts over 50 wineries. Popular wine bars, tasting rooms and lovely wine stores thrive in the downtown district as well. DOWNTOWN After the adoption of the 2004 Downtown Specific Plan, revitalization of Livermore’s downtown progressed rapidly. Downtown Livermore is a popular destination, and now includes two multi-screen cinemas, boutiques, bars, galleries and spas. The Livermore Valley Plaza hosts retail and office space, a variety of restaurants, and a 500- seat performing arts theater. The city plaza in front of the theater features a variety of outdoor entertainment events throughout the year SPORTS AND RECREATION Livermore offers a total of 1,777 acres of parks and open spaces for residents to enjoy. Between City of Livermore and the Livermore Area Recreation and Park District (LARPD) efforts, Livermore residents benefit from the variety of over 40 parks. These include neighborhood parks, community parks, regional parks, special-use parks, soccer and ball fields and two public golf courses. Additionally, LARPD provides preschool programs, teen programs, youth and adult sports, aquatics, and senior services. In 2005, LARPD completed the Robert Livermore Community Center on East Avenue. The 71,000-square-foot facility includes a teen center, a senior center, meeting and activity rooms, a full-size double gymnasium, a 400-seat banquet hall and two outdoor pools. FISCAL YEARS 2012-13 & 2013-14 TWO-YEAR FINANCIAL P LAN UPDATE PAGE | 23 Community Overview COMMUNITY EVENTS The annual Livermore Rodeo and the Wine Country Festival are just a few of the world-class events that take place in Livermore. Livermore hosted a stage start or finish of the prestigious Amgen Tour of California professional bike race in 2011, 2012 and 2013. The Taste of Downtown food and wine stroll, Downtown Halloween Carnival, and Annual Holiday Parade & Tree Lighting are other popular Livermore events. Residents also enjoy and support Livermore’s two weekly Farmers’ Markets. TRANSPORTATION Livermore is conveniently located near to two major freeways—I-580 and I-680, and is close to the metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose. In addition to its proximity to the Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose international airports, the City of Livermore owns and operates the Livermore Municipal Airport. This general aviation airport services private and corporate customers, and records more than 135,000 takeoffs and landings annually. EDUCATION Las Positas College enrolls more than 8,500 students and offers a two-year curriculum for students who seek career preparation, personal enrichment, or transfer to a four year college. Las Positas College also houses the no-cost Tri- Valley One Stop Career Center. The Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District includes 18 schools which serve over 12,000 students with an average daily attendance of 12,396. The Livermore Public Library also supports the educational needs of the community with a variety of services and programs. The Library’s popular Summer Reading Program boasts participation of over 3,200 children annually. FISCAL YEARS 2012-13 & 2013-14 TWO-YEAR FINANCIAL P LAN UPDATE PAGE | 24 Community Overview BUSINESS Livermore hosts one of the most talented workforces in the world. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratory are premier research facilities which conduct some of the nation’s most innovative science. The Science and Technology Center, adjacent to the national labs, is a growing campus hosting emerging clean-tech and green technologies. Over 70 companies headquartered in Livermore, such as Bridgelux and Form Factor, are taking advantage of the many amenities that the city has to offer including a municipal airport, a top- ranked community college, and the close proximity to the Silicon Valley, San Francisco and Oakland. HOUSEHOLD INFORMATION Total Housing Units (August 2012) 31,647 (source: State Department of Finance Demographic Research Unit) Median Household Income $75,322 (source: Zillow.com) Median Home Sale Prices (March 2013) $423,700 (source: Zillow.com) Property Tax rate (2012-2013) 1.1097% (source: Alameda County Auditor-Controller) FISCAL YEARS 2012-13 & 2013-14 TWO-YEAR FINANCIAL P LAN UPDATE PAGE | 25 FISCAL YEARS 2012-13 & 2013-14 TWO-YEAR FINANCIAL P LAN UPDATE PAGE | 26.