Piedmont is a small city in Alameda County, California, United States, enclaved by the city of Oakland. Its residential population was 11,270 at the 2020 census. The name comes from the region of Piedmont in Italy, and it means 'foothill'. Piedmont was incorporated in 1907, and was developed significantly in the 1920s and 1930s.
History
The original neighborhood of Piedmont was larger than the current municipality of Piedmont, with the Mountain View Cemetery considered full part of the Piedmont neighborhood.
Residents initially sought incorporation in 1907. Two elections were held among the citizens of Piedmont in 1907, both of which narrowly upheld the decision for Piedmont to become a separate city, rather than become a neighborhood within the city of Oakland.
According to the city's webpage, "In the Roaring Twenties, Piedmont was known as the 'City of Millionaires' because there were more millionaires per square mile than in any city in the United States." Many of these millionaires built mansions that still stand, notably on Sea View Avenue and Sotelo Avenue/Glen Alpine Road in 'Alta' Piedmont. Piedmont became a charter city under the laws of the state of California on December 18, 1922. On February 27, 1923, voters adopted the charter, which can only be changed by another vote of the people.
Like surrounding Oakland, Piedmont has a history of racial segregation, but it also has a separate history of racial exclusion. On January 21, 1924, Sidney and Irene Dearing, a Black and Seminole couple, got around the city's restrictive housing covenants by purchasing a home using a white family member as a proxy. They could not count on the city of Piedmont to protect them from violent threats against their lives—the chief of police at the time, Burton Becker, was an active member of the Ku Klux Klan. In May, a mob of over five hundred residents of Piedmont gathered at their home to demand they leave. In June, multiple bombs were planted on and around the Dearings' property. That same month, the city council voted to condemn the property, nominally to extend a road. On February 14, 1925, the city of Piedmont bought the property. Rather than demolish it, they re-sold it later that year.
Before 1968, restrictive housing covenants and redlining were used to exclude non-whites in the city for many years. The American sociologist and historian James W. Loewen identified Piedmont as a "probable" sundown town, meaning that non-whites were not welcome after dusk and could face violence and intimidation. While surrounding Oakland is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse cities in the United States, Piedmont has a less racially diverse population. Attempts to ethnically and culturally diversify the city and allow for higher density and affordable housing are typically met with resistance from the city's residents.
In early 2021, the city council indicated that it intended "to move forward with public acknowledgement and an apology for the abhorrent treatment Sidney Dearing and his family received in 1924." In 2023, landscape architect Walter Hood was selected to design a memorial on a piece of land in front of the Dearings' former house.
In August 2017, the mayor of Piedmont, Jeffrey Wieler, resigned after making disparaging Facebook posts about Black Lives Matter and transgender people.
Geography
Piedmont is located near the Hayward Fault, a geological fault line that runs through the East Bay region. The city has a total land area of , all land.
Borders Piedmont is surrounded on all sides by the city of Oakland. Specifically, Piedmont's northwestern border is adjacent to Oakland's Piedmont Avenue commercial district. The city borders Oakland's historic Grand Lake District (Lakeshore and Grand Avenue commercial districts) to the southwest, the quaint and rustic Montclair District to the northeast, and the Crocker Highlands and Glenview Districts to the south.
Major streets Piedmont's major streets include Oakland Avenue, which runs east-west through Piedmont's small city center; Highland Avenue, which divides Piedmont into upper and lower sections; Moraga Avenue, which runs along the city's northern border; and Grand Avenue, which runs near Piedmont's western border and further distinguishes 'Lower' Piedmont (west of Highland Ave) from 'Baja' Piedmont (west of Grand Avenue). Lots in upper Piedmont are, on average, larger than lots in lower Piedmont. A nearby shopping district on Piedmont Avenue is located in Oakland, not Piedmont. A small shopping hamlet had been located on Highland Avenue near the Exedra at Piedmont Park for many years, but in the last few decades has dwindled in number to a small, local grocer-deli (Mulberry's Market), a service station and three banks. No major highways run within Piedmont's borders, but entrances to CA Highway 13 and CA I-580 are quite near.
Housing The city is almost entirely zoned for single-family dwelling residential use. Piedmont has minimal commerce compared with statistically similar cities and relies primarily on property taxes and fees for public revenues to support public services. The city also has relatively few multi-family or second (in-law) units. The city has a very small number of businesses in its commercial district on Highland Avenue and a very small number of businesses on Grand Avenue near Piedmont's western border with Oakland.
Public services Piedmont provides its own fire, police, parks, and recreational services but does not have its own public library nor federal post office; these services are shared with Oakland. Special, incremental property tax assessments on Piedmont real estate for schools and some public services are not shared with Oakland.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Piedmont had a population of 11,270 and a population density of . The median age was 45.7 years. 26.5% of residents were under the age of 18, 6.8% were aged 18 to 24, 15.6% were aged 25 to 44, 30.0% were aged 45 to 64, and 21.1% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 96.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males age 18 and over.
The Census reported that 99.9% of the population lived in households, 0.1% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized. 100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 3,831 households, out of which 44.2% included children under the age of 18. 73.3% were married-couple households, 2.6% were cohabiting couple households, 16.4% had a female householder with no partner present, and 7.6% had a male householder with no partner present. 13.2% of households were one person, and 9.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.94. There were 3,185 families (83.1% of all households).
There were 3,947 housing units at an average density of , of which 3,831 (97.1%) were occupied. Of these occupied units, 86.4% were owner-occupied and 13.6% were occupied by renters. 2.9% of housing units were vacant; the homeowner vacancy rate was 0.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 2.2%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 7,218 64.0% Black or African American 126 1.1% American Indian and Alaska Native 10 0.1% Asian 2,267 20.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 13 0.1% Some other race 177 1.6% Two or more races 1,459 12.9% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 729 6.5%
2023 ACS estimates
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 11.7% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 82.6% spoke only English at home, 1.4% spoke Spanish, 5.1% spoke other Indo-European languages, 9.7% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 1.2% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 98.9% were high school graduates and 86.8% had a bachelor's degree.
The median household income was more than $250,000, and the per capita income was $143,485. About 2.8% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line. Arts and culture
Piedmont has a City Hall, a Community Hall, a Veterans' Memorial Building, a Recreation Center, Aquatics Center, and Center for the Arts. Public parks include Piedmont Park, Dracena Park, Dearing Park, Crocker Park, Hampton Park, Linda Ave Tot Lot and Dog Run, Kennelly Skate Park, and Blair Park. Playfields include Coaches Playfield, Linda Playfield, and Piedmont Sports Field (at Hampton Park).
Regular town events include the July 4 Parade, Movies in the Park, Harvest Festival, Haunted House, Thanksgiving Turkey Trot, and Christmas Tree Lighting. Piedmont High School's annual Bird Calling Contest was previously featured on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and the Late Show with David Letterman.
Active charities and community groups include the Piedmont Education Foundation, the Piedmont Historical Society, the Piedmont Center for the Arts, the Piedmont Beautification Foundation, the Daughters of the American Revolution (Piedmont Chapter), the Piedmont League of Women Voters, Dress Best for Less, the Piedmont Highlanders Drums & Pipes, the Piedmont Civic Association, the Piedmont Community Church, the Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir, the Piedmont-Montclair Rotary Club, Piedmont Scouting, the Piedmont Baseball Foundation, the Piedmont Basketball Foundation, the Piedmont Soccer Club and the Piedmont Makers. The Children's Support League holds annual Heart of the Home tours of Oakland and Piedmont homes.
Politics
According to the California Secretary of State, as of February 10, 2019, Piedmont has 8,535 registered voters. Of those, 5,082 (59.5%) are registered Democrats, 1,173 (13.7%) are registered Republicans, and 2,022 (23.7%) have declined to state a political party.
From its incorporation until 1992, Piedmont was a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. Since 1992, when Bill Clinton became the first Democrat to win Piedmont, it has trended Democratic.
+ Piedmont vote by party in presidential elections Year Democratic Republican202486.0% 6,29411.2% 818202087.7% 7,03510.6% 851201683.5% 6,01311.4% 823201274.8% 5,23023.4% 1,636200878.1% 5,61120.5% 1,411200472.4% 4,90726.3% 1,799200061.9% 3,92333.3% 2,110199654.7% 3,24736.4% 2,158199252.3% 3,36833.2% 2,136198846.4% 2,92952.3% 3,300198437.5% 2,39461.4% 3,918198024.1% 1,37861.4% 3,505197626.7% 1,57971.6% 4,240197228.8% 1,83469.3% 4,422196826.2% 1,59170.4% 4,283196436.2% 2,24763.8% 3,953
Education
Piedmont Unified School District includes three elementary schools (Havens, Beach, and Wildwood), one middle school (Piedmont Middle School), and two high schools—one larger (Piedmont High School), and one smaller, alternative high school, Millennium High School.
Piedmont voters have approved several local bond measures earmarked for maintaining and/or improving PUSD's educational facilities. For instance, Witter Field, PUSD's sports complex, was rebuilt between 1996 and 1999. The city-owned field adjacent to Beach Elementary School was resurfaced with natural cork-based artificial turf in early 2015. The PUSD-owned artificial turf field at Havens Elementary School (Becker Playfield) was placed in 2010.
Most recently, with the passage of Measure E in 2006, voters authorized the Piedmont Unified School District to issue up to $56 million in bonds to improve Piedmont public school buildings to reduce dangers from earthquakes, eliminate major collapse risks, and to meet or exceed all current state and federal seismic safety standards.