Piedmont is a primarily residential community with fine architecture and tree-lined streets. Due to its exceptional school system, low crime rate and good weather it is regarded as one of the most desirable residential communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Property in Piedmont is markedly more expensive than real estate in neighboring communities.

In the 1920’s, Piedmont was known as the “City of Millionaires” because there were more resident millionaires per square mile than in any city in the United States. Many of these millionaires built mansions that still stand today.

Piedmont is largely zoned for residential use. It has one intimate commercial district in the center of town along Highland Avenue consisting of a gas station, three banks, some professional offices and a small convenience store. The city is served by two local weekly newspapers—the citizen-run Piedmont Post, and the Piedmonter, a neighborhood newspaper organized under the Contra Costa Times news organization. Piedmont also has several beautiful parks and a community center and offers numerous “hometown” celebrations including it’s annual 4th of July parade.

Official city website: ci.piedmont.ca.us

Geography

Piedmont, literally foot of the hills in Italian, sits at the base of the Oakland Hills and almost centrally in regards to the Bay Area’s fuller shape, putting it nearly directly across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco, and very close to Berkeley.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.7 miles with 10,952 people, 3,804 households, and 3,104 families residing in the city.

Piedmont’s major streets include Oakland Avenue, which runs from Piedmont’s small city center down into Oakland, Highland Avenue, Moraga Avenue, which runs near the city’s northern border, and Grand Avenue, which runs near Piedmont’s western border.

Piedmont is known for its public school system with three elementary schools (Havens, Beach, and Wildwood), a middle school (Piedmont Middle School), a high school (Piedmont High School), and an alternative high school (Millennium). Piedmont High School matriculates a high percentage (over 98%) of students bound for college. A significant number of Piedmont High graduates go on to attend private universities such as Georgetown, Harvard, Yale, and MIT. Many Piedmont High graduates, however, continue their education at public colleges and universities. In particular, the University of California, Berkeley is a popular choice for Piedmont High graduates due to its close proximity and excellent reputation. The Piedmont Unified School District is one of a few California public school systems to achieve such success. This can be largely attributed to the dedicated population of parents.

Piedmont voters regularly approve bond measures earmarked for maintaining and/or improving educational facilities. For example, Witter Field, home of the Piedmont Highlanders, was rebuilt over a period of years (1998-2000) improving it from the older facility to a newer (and markedly improved) one. Similar improvements have been made to the fields adjacent to the Beach Elementary School.