History of Blackhawk, California

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Blackhawk is an unincorporated master planned community and census site located in Contra Costa County, California, the United States, east of Danville and Oakland. It had a population of 9,354 as of the 2010 census. Blackhawk has a country club, two golf courses, a sports complex, restaurants and the adjacent Blackhawk Plaza, governed by county rules and regulations and a homeowner association (HOA). 24-hour security plus additional law enforcement contracted through the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office shall be subject to HOA fees. 

 

The area is covered by the Fire Protection District of San Ramon Valley. The code for ZIP is 94506. The community is inside area code 925. Blackhawk is known for its uniform McMansion architecture and suburban lifestyle, with the median household income being $167,875 and median home price of $1,117,500.

 

Blackhawk 's history began in the late 1970s, when Ken Behring, Florida real estate developer, formed the Blackhawk Development Corporation to break the ground on what had previously been the Blackhawk Ranch. Approximately 2,400 homes have been built and 2,000 acres have been dedicated to Open Space as part of Mount Diablo State Park.

 

Blackhawk 's reputation for high-end luxury homes is long-standing and well-deserved. Although there are many houses here that have been built speculatively and with a living space well below 2,500 square feet, including some townhouses, a glance along Blackhawk Drive reveals a number of architectural styles where the English Tudor sits happily alongside the French Provincial or the Greek Revival home. Many of these properties are over 5,000 square feet and are built to the highest standards.

 

Opened in 1979, the Blackhawk Country Club is a highly exclusive 4,800 acre (19 km2) country club community located at the base of Mt. Diablo, where luxurious residential neighborhoods are surrounded by thousands of acres of permanent open land. Eagle Ridge Dr. gives way to a separate gate that leads to very exclusive estates, including a 28,673-square-foot (2,663.8 m2) Behring estate.

 

The Lakeside Golf Course, designed by Bruce Devlin and Robert Von Hagge, is 6,904 yards (6,313 m) in the middle of Country Club West. The Lakeside course hosted the CVS / Pharmacy LPGA Challenge, the 2005-2010 LPGA Tour event. The newer 6,700 yard (6,126 m) Falls Golf Course, designed by Ted Robinson, winds through the East Country Club.

 

 The Blackhawk Tennis Club includes 20 tennis courts, a clubhouse and a pro shop. The Blackhawk Swimming Club includes a competition-sized swimming pool, a spa and dressing rooms and an educational program. The 25 acre (100,000 m²) Sports and Recreation Center includes basketball courts, outdoor volleyball courts, a children's play park, Olympic-sized pool, sports fields and an amphitheater.

 

Blackhawk Plaza is a shopping center outside the Blackhawk Country Club. It includes retail stores , restaurants, a film theater and two museums, including the Blackhawk Museum.

 

The Blackhawk Ranch was founded in 1917 by Ansel Mills Easton and his son-in - law, William Q. Ward, in an area east of the San Ramon and Sycamore Valleys. The name came from a famous Irish racehorse named Blackhawk, once owned by Easton 's family. The land passed through the hands of several owners, including Raymond Force (owner of Caterpillar Tractor Company), the Hawaii-based sugar and pineapple company Castle & Cooke, and Howard Peterson (owner of Peterson Tractor).

 

In 1975, Peterson sold the land to Florida developer Ken Behring, who planned to develop 4800 dwelling units over 17 km2 (4200 acres ) of land. Critics accused the plan of having various negative impacts related to urban sprawl, environmental damage and violations of the County General Plan. A group of environmentalists and local residents called Amigos de Diablo organized against the Blackhawk Development Corporation, but they were sued for libel. The Blackhawk Development Corporation finally reduced the number of homes planned to 2,400 and opened up more than 2,000 acres (8 km2) of open space to Mount Diablo State Park.