Lafayette CA Real Estate:
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Incorporated in 1968, Population 23,908 (2000 Census) 12.89 sq. miles Annual Rainfall: about 28 inches, Average Annual Snowfall: 0.00" Average Temperature: Summer about 80+/- degrees, Average in winter: 45-50 degrees Quiet sophistication, rural atmosphere, acres of recreational parks and trails, highly rated schools and strong community support for schools.
Most home buyers come for the high ranking schools, proximity to San Francisco, sense of safety, prestigious address and the pleasant ambience here with lovely rolling hills and native oaks. Lafayette is blessed with many recreational areas including the 925 acre Lafayette Reservoir area to the other East Bay Regional Park District lands in Contra Costa County and neighboring Alameda County. There are 46 regional parks with 600,000 acres, 500 miles of internal trails. and 100 miles of interconnecting trails. East Bay Regional Park site gives more details.
Frontiersman and farmer, Elam Brown settled in the area now known as Happy Valley back in 1848 and and as the first citizen here started what eventually became to be known as Lafayette. Soon Lafayette became a stopping point for travelers, farmers, lumbermen, ranchers and the Pony Express on route from St. Joseph, Missouri to San Francisco.
By 1900 the population of Lafayette had increased to 150 people. With the opening of the first tunnel through the Oakland Hills in 1903 and the railroad service in 1913, Lafayette began to grow. However, it wasn't until the completion of the Caldecott Tunnel through the Oakland Hills in 1937 with two bores that made it possible to go quickly through the tunnel that Lafayette grew from 4,000 people and by fifteen years later, there were 10,000 residents of Lafayette. The 1950's and 60's saw most of Lafayette develop as we know it today. Most homes were intended as middle-class residential properties. There is a strong public interest and support for the local schools and test scores for the public schools are among the highest in the state. (See Lamorinda Schools) The downtown area is very pleasant and Mt. Diablo Boulevard, the main street, and the adjoining shopping areas have been recently refurbished. You'll find Starbucks, Noah's Bagels, A.G. Ferrari Deli, Uncle Yu's, Yankee Pier, Chow, Metro Lafayette, Pizza Antica, Baja Fresh, Traders Joe's and Diablo Foods doing lots of business. The people are friendly here and love this pleasant, affluent community. Real estate here is expensive, but we think it's worth it! What a great place to live. SOME LOCAL SPOTS OF INTEREST
Chow Restaurant-it's a hit:
Other new restaurants: Lafayette is becoming quite a restaurant town. Gigi's was new in 2007, along with Pizza Antica, Metro Lafayette, and Yankee Pier.
Yankee Pier, Lafayette, my
new favorite in Lafayette, opened in Jan. 08. If you like seafood, this is the
place. My favorites are their lobster rolls, and their shrimp and
Voted by Diablo Magazine readers in 1999 as "The Best Place to Pretend You're in Italy."
Don't miss two other pages on Lafayette:
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ou'll
find Lafayette to be a prestigious, lovely, small town, suburban
community somewhat similar to neighboring Orinda and Moraga in many ways.
Lafayette is the largest of the three communities with population around
24,000. Orinda and Moraga each have about 16,000 residents.
Lafayette is close to the freeway, a decent commute to San Francisco and
Lafayette has very good access to BART (
Lafayette
History:
Lafayette
Reservoir:
The
Reservoir is just off Mt. Diablo Blvd. in western Lafayette. Boating (rowboats, canoes,
kayaks, sailboats), fishing (trout, bluegill, black bass, black crappie
and catfish) acres of picnic facilities plus the very popular
walking/jogging trails that circle the reservoir. No swimming is
allowed. The reservoir was finished in 1931 and was built to bring
water
to the East Bay. It’s currently a backup water system for the East Bay
Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). Everyone loves the "Res."
Located in La Fiesta Square shopping
area. Enjoyable, casual restaurant in Lafayette. Chow opened a couple
years ago and now has quite a following. The casual atmosphere,
reasonable prices and very good food draw lots of visitors at breakfast,
lunch and dinner. Outside tables fill up fast. There used to be a long
wait but it's much better now. Peak hours can still be very busy.
925-962-2469
chips.
Friendly, prompt service, lots of choices on the menu. Often busy so go on-line
and make a reservation at 
Outdoor
seating also and in the back left corner you'll see a sandbox for the kids.
Yankee Pier is located in the new Lafayette Mercantile building on Mt. Diablo,
the main downtown street in Lafayette.
A.G. Ferrari Deli:
Lafayette
has recently revitalized the La Fiesta Square shopping area and it is very
pleasant. This new deli features a wonderful large selection of Italian
foods both classic and hard-to-find imported food. There's take-out or eat there.
It's been a Bay Area institution since 1919 and has many other
locations.
