Pleasanton

Pleasanton is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. Located in the Amador Valley, it is a suburb in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2005 and 2007, Pleasanton was ranked the wealthiest middle-sized city in the United States by the Census Bureau.

Pleasanton experienced a major economic boom starting in the early 1980s, largely associated with the development of a number of business parks, the largest of which is the Hacienda Business Park.

In addition to the business parks and retail centers, Pleasanton is known for its lively downtown, which is home to a number of fine-dining, casual, and ethnic restaurants, specialty retailers, and service businesses. A redesign of Main Street in the 1990s emphasized pedestrian traffic and outdoor dining.

Pleasanton maintains regular events for the community. Every Saturday morning a farmers’ market sets up on Angela, off Main Street. There are several parades during the year, commemorating Christmas, Memorial Day, and Veterans Day, as well as kicking off the beginning of the Alameda County Fair and soccer season.

The Alameda County Fairgrounds is a 270-acre facility located in Pleasanton. It is home to the annual Alameda County Fair, held since 1912,[29] as well as numerous trade shows and community events including but not limited to the Scottish Games which occur annually on Labor Day weekend. There is a 3,000 seat amphitheater, as well as a nine-hole golf course located within the track’s infield.

Because of the preservation of Pleasanton’s historic downtown area, many examples of architectural styles dating back to the mid-19th century exist. One of the icons of downtown Pleasanton is the Kolln Hardware building, located at 600 Main Street. It is designed in the Commercial Italianate style, but the prominent five-sided corner tower and a few other features are indicative of the Colonial Revival style. The structure mixes in a little bit of Queen Anne design in the tower and gable.

For the majority of Pleasanton, the public schools are part of the Pleasanton Unified School District. Pleasanton USD formed in 1988 when the school districts of Pleasanton and Dublin unified along city lines. A very small portion of Pleasanton lies in the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District.

source: wikipedia.org