San Leandro is a city of rich and varied history that spans thousands of years. Read on to learn more about its founding and its culture and quality of life today.
History
The first inhabitants of the geographic region which would eventually become San Leandro were the ancestors of the Ohlone Nation, who arrived sometime between 3500 and 2500 BC. The Spanish settlers called these natives Costeños or “coast people” and the English-speaking settlers called them Costanoans. San Leandro was first visited by Europeans on March 20, 1772 by Spanish soldier Captain Pedro Fages and the Spanish Catholic priest Father Crespi.
San Leandro is located on the Rancho San Leandro and Rancho San Antonio Mexican land grants. Both were located along El Camino Viejo, modern 14th Street / State Route 185.
The smaller, Rancho San Leandro, approximately 9,000 acres, was given to José Joaquín Estudillo in 1842. The larger, Rancho San Antonio, approximately 44,000 acres was given to another Spanish soldier Don Luis Maria Peralta in 1820. Beginning in 1855, two of Estudillo’s sons-in-law, John B. Ward and William Heath Davis, laid out the town site that would become San Leandro. The city has a historic Portuguese population dating from when immigrants from the Azores and laborers from Hawaii began settling in the city in the 1880s and established farms and businesses. By the 1910 census, they had accounted for nearly two-thirds of the San Leandro’s population.
In 1856 San Leandro became the county seat of Alameda county, but the county courthouse was destroyed there by the devastating 1868 quake on the Hayward Fault. The county seat was then re-established in the town of Brooklyn (now part of Oakland), California in 1872.
Economy
San Leandro has long been home to many food processing operations, and is home to many corporate businesses such as JanSport, The North Face, Ghirardelli and Otis Spunkmeyer and a Coca-Cola plant. Maxwell House operates a coffee roasting plant, where the Yuban brand is produced. It also has five shopping centers, the Bayfair Center, Westgate Center, Greenhouse Shopping Center,Marina Square Center,and Pelton Plaza.Lucky’s flagship store opened in San Leandro.
The Zero Net Energy Center is a 46,000 square foot electrician training facility created by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 595 and the Northern California chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association. Training will include energy efficient construction methods, while the facility will operate as a zero-energy building
Education
San Leandro is home to two school districts: The San Lorenzo Unified School District includes parts of parts Washington Manor and the San Leandro Unified School District includes most of San Leandro plus a small part of Oakland. A number of students residing in San Leandro attend San Lorenzo Unified School District schools, including Arroyo High School, Washington Manor Middle School and Corvallis Elementary School, due to proximity to the San Leandro/San Lorenzo border. The rest of San Leandro is served by San Leandro Unified School District.
San Leandro High School is home to such academic programs as the Business Academy, Social Justice Academy, and San Leandro Academy of Multimedia (SLAM). One of the award winning national programs located in San Leandro is Distributed Education Clubs of America (DECA), an association for marketing students.
Parks and Recreation
The San Leandro Marina, which contains group picnic areas and trails, as well as docking facilities, is part of the San Leandro Shoreline Recreation Area. In addition to Marina Park, the City of San Leandro maintains and services 16 other parks throughout the city, all of which are available for use by residents and visitors alike. The Department of Recreation and Human Services for the City of San Leandro also staffs and maintains the Marina Community Center, the San Leandro Senior Community Center and the San Leandro Family Aquatic Center. Adjacent Lake Chabot Regional Park is popular for its scenic hiking trails, camping, and fishing.
For more information about San Leandro and all that it has to offer, go here.
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