Pleasanton, Residential city in Alameda County, California, US.
Pleasanton is a residential city in Alameda County, California, spreading across the Amador Valley between flat stretches and gentle hills in the East Bay section of the San Francisco Bay Area. The community sits between several highways, linking neighborhoods with parks and agricultural land along its edges.
The settlement gained its name in the 1860s through a clerical mistake that misspelled Civil War General Alfred Pleasonton's surname. The area was previously known as Alisal and grew from agricultural settlements along old routes between San Francisco and the Central Valley.
Downtown streets preserve buildings from the 19th century, with Gothic Revival facades and Italianate details that still mark the commercial center. Many of these structures stand where early settlers opened their first shops and homes.
The school district runs several high schools, including Amador Valley and Foothill, serving students from across the community. The central area sits near major through roads and is easy to explore on foot.
The Alameda County Fairgrounds hosts one of the oldest continuously operating horse racing tracks in the nation, dating back to 1858. Visitors can still watch races on this historic oval during the summer fair season.
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