When your name comes from an Irish racehorse, you are bound to be surrounded by an aura of luck and good fortune. That’s the case with Blackhawk, a Contra Costa County community nestled at the foothills of Mt. Diablo.*
The community “stats” are impressive—and have proven to be a real draw to the all-star athletes, top execs and other local notables who call Blackhawk home:
- 4,800 acres total
- 2,400 home sites situated in five private gated communities, each with its own feel
- 2,000 acres contiguous designated for expansion of adjacent Mt. Diablo State Park
- 1,000 acres dedicated to natural hillside, parks, golf courses and sports field
- 10,000 residents
- 1 quaint, inviting commercial center
Blackhawk is an upscale gated community where golf, hiking and other outdoor activities dominate the “Blackhawk experience.” The neighborhood truly is a recreational paradise with two championship NCGA-rated 18-hole golf courses in a nine square mile area, a 25-acre sports complex, 20+ tennis courts (complete with lights for evening play), and the stellar Blackhawk Country Club. Hiking in Mt. Diablo is fun and filled with fantastic views (and few hikers), especially on the Mary Bowerman Interpretive Trail, which takes you just below the Mt. Diablo Summit.
Blackhawk Plaza, the East Bay’s premier shopping experience, features an exclusive mix of local, regional and national shops in a setting unlike any other shopping experience. The plaza is home to the gourmet grocery favorite Draeger’s Market (a long-time Peninsula favorite), retail shops, several restaurants, a movie theater and the famed Blackhawk Museum. Founded in 1988 by local real estate developer Ken Behring (who developed Blackhawk), the non-profit museum has a wonderful mix of exhibits touching on the art, technology, cultural and historical impact of the automobile in California—and beyond. The museum is best known for its significant collection of classic cars (90+ in all), as well as traveling exhibits from the Smithsonian Museum of American History. The Museum also serves as the hub of different cultural happenings in the community, including musical events featuring the Blackhawk Chorus, a 140-member choir that has been performing great choral music in the Bay Area and around the world for the past 20 years.
Blackhawk offers its residents one of the best education systems in California. The San Ramon Valley School District, which provides elementary, intermediate and high school education to Blackhawk residents, currently ranks 6th among all unified school districts in California.
Coordinates
East of Danville, south of Walnut Creek, in the Mt. Diablo foothills
Contra Costa County
Average home sale (2010 – current): $1,030,931
Days on market (2010 – current): 87
* Blackhawk was named for Ansel Mills Easton who established the area as Blackhawk Ranch in 1917