Danville is one of the suburban cities in the outer East Bay (meaning it’s on the eastern side of the hills that run basically north-south through the East Bay). Thanks to the location of these hills, which block the fog that creeps across the San Francisco Bay, Danville tends to be significantly warmer than cities in the inner East Bay.

The Basics:

• Population: 42,182, as of 2011
• Percent of residents with at least a high school education: 96.6 percent (according to CityData.com)

• Median age of residents: 44.5 years
• Major streets and freeways: Interstate 680, Sycamore Valley Road, Camino Tassajara, El Cerro Boulevard, Danville Road, Diablo Road

General Location and Information:

Danville is located in the strip of towns on the eastern side of the Berkeley Hills. Alamo and Walnut Creek lie to the north, while San Ramon lies to the south.

To the west, you’ll find the beautiful Las Trampas Regional Wilderness. Mount Diablo State Park, with the elegant nearly 4,000 foot Mount Diablo, lies to the east.

Thanks to this abundance of local parkland on two sides, Danville feels much more rural in some ways than it really is. Depending on where you live, you’ll see beautiful rolling hills dotted with oak trees when you look out your windows, rather than the urban bustle you might expect.

With that said, Danville certainly isn’t a rural town. It’s a thriving suburban city with a charming downtown area. As a relatively wealthy city – the median household income is over twice that of California in general – you can expect large homes with perfect yards.

Danville offers a strong sense of family-oriented community. There always seems to be something going on in the downtown area.

Getting There:

Interstate 680 runs through the western portion of Danville.

From Dublin and Pleasanton, take 680 North toward Sacramento. From Walnut Creek and Martinez, take 680 South toward San Jose.

If you are coming from the inner East Bay, you have to find a way to the outer East Bay before you can get onto 680. From northern locations like Hercules, Rodeo, and Pinole, take Highway 4 east toward Concord, and then take 680 South.

From Berkeley and Oakland, take 24 East to Walnut Creek, and then take 680 South.

From Hayward and San Leandro, take 580 East to Dublin, and then take 680 North.

Another option, which makes most sense from Richmond and El Sobrante, is to take San Pablo Dam Road to Orinda. From there, take 24 East toward Walnut Creek, and then take 680 South to Danville.

Landmarks:

If you’re a fan of playwright Eugene O’Neill – or of theater in general – you’ll be interested to know that the Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site is located in Danville. This site includes Tao House, where O’Neill lived for several years and wrote his final plays.

The Museum of the San Ramon Valley is also located within Danville. If you’re interested in learning about the area, this is the place to go!

There are far too many parks to list in and near Danville, but a couple stand out as particularly interesting or important. Mount Diablo State Park includes Mount Diablo – one of the only East Bay locations where you can ever see snow! To be fair, this only happens rarely and the snow generally melts off very quickly. Las Trampas Regional Wilderness, to the west of Danville, is a large and beautiful park that is well worthy of many visits.

A Brief History:

Danville was, of course, originally inhabited by Native Americans. That changed dramatically around the time of the gold rush. By the mid-1800s, Danville had a small community of residents, and the town was officially named Danville by 1860.

At that time – and for many decades afterward – Danville was primarily a farming community. It wasn’t until the middle of the 20th century that Danville began to grow quickly and changed from a small community into a bustling suburban city.