Danville, California
The Town of Danville is located in a part of Contra Costa County, California called the San Ramon Valley, United States. It is one of the incorporated municipalities
in California that uses "town" in its name instead of "city". The
population was 41,715 at the 2000 census. Danville is considered an
upscale suburb of Oakland and San Francisco.
Danville is one of the wealthiest suburbs in the San Francisco Bay Area,
with some of the most expensive and exclusive country clubs and houses
in the country. Danville is filled with beautiful homes embedded on
some of the best golf courses in California. It still preserves the
characteristics of a town, being compact, largely self-sufficient as
far as shopping goes, and having only a couple of commercial centers.
Its downtown is noted for its somewhat rustic charm, intensively
upgraded owing to its now extremely affluent demographics and its
popularity as a regional destination for dining and light shopping.
With heavy restrictions on large development, the downtown consists of
many small shops on several traditional-styled plazas. It does not have
its own hospital, being well served by nearby regional medical centers,
nor, with the exception of a Costco location near its boundary with San Ramon,
does it host the "heavy shopping" provided by shopping malls located in
nearby cities to the north or south. Danville's main street is Hartz
Avenue in downtown Danville.
Every Saturday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, Danville hosts a farmer's
market, where merchants gather under makeshift tents and umbrellas to
sell a wide variety of goods. One can buy all sorts of fresh goods from
the market, from freshly grown fruits and vegetables, to kettle corn,
to baking goods, to flowers, to drinks, to olive oil, to the services
of a musician who usually entertains people passing by. The market can
be found on a weekly basis next to the San Ramon Valley Museum.
The Iron Horse Regional Trail runs through Danville. It was first a rail road. Extending all the way from Dublin to Concord,
the trail passes right through this town. Bikers, skaters, and joggers
usually find the Trail a source of outdoor recreation and exercise.
Furthermore, the Trail is relatively isolated from the heavy traffic on
the main road; so it's a safe path to travel on. The trail is also
close to all the major cafes and restaurants in Danville, so bikers who
are doing a long trip often stop in Danville to eat or drink.
The Danville Library hosts a number of community events, such as the annual Halloween activities for kids and book sales.
Danville is home to two main public high schools: Monte Vista High School and San Ramon Valley High School,
which both share a longstanding cross-town rivalry. There is a
continuation high school called Del Amigo, which is stationed right
next to San Ramon Valley High. It is also home to the private and
exclusive Athenian School, a college preparatory school for grades 6-12 that is nestled in the foothills of Mount Diablo State Park.
There is also a town theater called "The Village Theater," where
productions of mostly Broadway shows are produced. But also, kids
younger than eight can put on fun plays during all of the seasons.
