Livermore Valley

Livermore Valley, formerly Valle De San Jose, is a valley in eastern Alameda County, in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, northern California.[1]

The valley is bounded by the Diablo Range on the north, east, and south; and is linked to the west with the Amador Valley. The city of Livermore is located in the valley.

Watercourses draining the Livermore Valley include Arroyo Mocho, Arroyo Valle, Arroyo Seco, and Arroyo Las Positas.

Geography

In the Livermore Valley region are three cities: Pleasanton, Dublin, and Livermore. The total population of these cities is about 200,000.[2][3][4] Livermore, the easternmost city of these three cities, is the largest in population and the highest in elevation at 495 feet (151 m). Pleasanton and Dublin are the westernmost towns.

Both Pleasanton and Livermore have historic downtowns. In northern Pleasanton, Hacienda Crossings is a major business park, known for its unusual traffic lights. Before Hacienda Business Park was constructed, much of northern Pleasanton was farmland.

Wine Country

The southern side of Livermore, along with parts of Pleasanton, are wine country. Wineries in the area include Wente Vineyards and Concannon Vineyards.[5] Most of Pleasanton's vineyards are in the far southeast.

Laboratories

In the east of Livermore is the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. Element 116 on the periodic table, Livermorium, is named after this laboratory.[6] Sandia Laboratory is also located in eastern Livermore.

Due to these laboratories, much of eastern Livermore is off-limits to the general public.

History

Livermore Valley was named after Robert Livermore, an immigrant American rancher in Mexican Alta California, who with his business partner José Noriega were keeping livestock in the valley since 1834. Livermore and Jose Noriega received the Mexican land grant for Rancho Las Positas, which encompassed the valley, in 1839 from Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado.

In 1847 Noriega and Livermore purchased Rancho Canada de los Vaqueros adjacent to the north of Rancho Las Positas and Livermore Valley in the Diablo Range.

Livermore's name became well known during the California Gold Rush in the late 1840s−early 1850s, for an inn at his adobe ranch house in the valley that served miners and other travelers eastbound on the road from the Bay Area through the Diablo Range's passes to the Mother Lode region in the Sierra Nevada.

The valley came to be called by his name, as was Livermore Pass then (present day Altamont Pass), the valley's northern pass that led to Stockton and the gold fields.

See also

Coordinates: 37°41′19″N 121°44′08″W / 37.68861°N 121.73556°W / 37.68861; -121.73556

References

  1. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Livermore Valley
  2. ↑ suburbanstats.org. "Current Dublin, California Population, Demographics and stats in 2016, 2017". SuburbanStats.org. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  3. ↑ suburbanstats.org. "Current Livermore, California Population, Demographics and stats in 2016, 2017". SuburbanStats.org. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  4. ↑ suburbanstats.org. "Current Pleasanton, California Population, Demographics and stats in 2016, 2017". SuburbanStats.org. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  5. ↑ "Wineries in Livermore, California (CA) - We have over 50 wineries here in our beautiful valley". www.livermorechamber.org. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  6. ↑ "Facts About Livermorium". Live Science. Retrieved 2017-12-06.



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