A great and unique place to live for families and
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2/12/2016
My wife and I have lived in Livermore for 21 years now, 11 years before retirement and 10 years since. Climate, costs, educational and entertainment opportunities, culture, and friendly people are all as good as anyone could reasonably ask.
The Ace Commuter Train Service to Silicon Valley, and the hourly Bart Rapid Transit Service to Oakland and San Francisco are the sensible ways to commute to big-city jobs and entertainment. For scientists and technical support professionals, the largest local employer is the Livermore National Laboratory, which is located here on the East Side of town. Nearby Pleasanton is home to a number of major medical equipment and software companies.
For retirees interested in continuing their own cultural endeavors, there are very active and vibrant community art and music associations. Churches of all denominations thrive here. Continuing education opportunities are provided through free lectures and concerts sponsored by the Livermore Library. The Las Positas community college campus on the North side of Livermore offers a wide range of adult education courses, and the young students stage regular plays and musical productions. The downtown Bankhead Theater provides a modern professional theater venue for plays and musical artists.
For the young professionals, there is a vibrant weekend musical and restaurant entertainment social scene, fostered largely because Livermore Valley is the home of the vineyards and wineries that comprise the local wine industry serving the whole San Francisco Bay Area. Retirees can join in. Downtown Livermore is home to a wide variety of mom-and-pop restaurants, providing every type of ethnic fare. Except at the dinner hour when lines form, diners in Livermore are seldom rushed and feel welcome to settle and enjoy a leisurely meal and glass of wine.
Major chain hotels and auto dealerships and an Outlet Mall are located along I-580 running Eastward from Oakland to Stockton and the Sierra Gold Country. Yosemite National Park is almost directly East,via a four-hour drive through scenic orchards and Sierra foothill country.
Livermore's agricultural heritage is cattle raising, which made Livermore a major rail-stop on the transcontinental railroad. The Livermore Professional Rodeo is staged each June, preceded by a very charming family-friendly Saturday morning parade of local service groups.
All this has makes our little city a familiar 'All-American' town that is an exceptionally attractive and unique place to live. As it grows, I hope it stays fundamentally the same.
Jerry | Livermore, CA