Alan 'AJ' Nisen California Contra Costa Mortgage Officer

Orinda Neighborhoods:

Orinda is a small upscale community. The community has almost perfect weather due to its micro-climate. The micro-climate is defined by a set hills that protects Orinda from the encroachment of ocean fog, but on the other hand, allows the fog to influence Orinda's temperature 10 degrees lower than the hot valley during the hot summer months.

Why is Orinda so desirable?

• Is it the Culture?
• The Perfect Climate all year around?
• The Highly Rated School Systems where over 95% of the Graduates go to college?
• The Uniqueness of Orinda's urban setting?
• The ease of access to all of the San Francisco Bay Area's Activities?

No matter why Orinda is so desirable, you should check out all the neighborhoods before you purchase a home, your new home in Orinda California.

Northern Orinda:

• Orinda Downs / Sundown Terrace / Orinda View are sought after neighborhoods for affluent buyers looking for high-end luxury homes in the Orinda hills. Sundown Terrace has slightly newer luxury homes. All areas are convenient to the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system and the Freeway.
  


• Sleepy Hollow is an older area but a highly desirable area in Orinda. . Sleepy Hollow has a history of having the best weather in Orinda. The micro-climate is such that the fog often by-passes this area in Orinda. For buyers with young children, this area includes Sleepy Hollow Elementary School. For those who like golf and tennis, The Orinda Country Club is just minutes away.
  


• Claremont / El Toyonal is an older area with small homes that were originally San Franciscan's vacation homes. The Claremont Area is closer to the valley while the El Toyonal goes up into the hills and borders Tilden Park. The Wagner Ranch Elementary School is located on the old Wagner Ranch site.

Central Orinda

• Orinda Country Club Area is another highly sought after neighborhood which surrounds the Orinda Country Club. The exclusive Orinda Country Club has an challenging Golf Course for the golfer. Lake Cascade (reservoir) next to the Orinda Country Club is a pretty setting that adds beauty to the area. Many homes have been here since the 1920's and 30's. One of the oldest homes is the deLavega estate, a historical landmark, which was built in 1888 by Miguel and Marie LeBreton deLaveaga. Most homes have been remodeled.
  


• Orindawoods is a plan development of attached town homes and detached single-family homes which appeals to the busy executive. Orindawoods has an association that runs a community center and a swim and tennis complex. Homes in this development are close to BART and the freeway with access to all of the Bay Area's activities.

East Orinda

• Charles Hill/St. Stephens Area borders up to Lafayette. This area has easy access to both Lafayette and Orinda, and to both the freeway and BART.
  


• Tahos: This area is high in the Eastern Orinda Hills, dotted with many contemporary homes with some traditional and Spanish style homes mixed in.

West Orinda

• Wilder: Wilder is located west of downtown Orinda off the Gateway Blvd exit on Highway 24. The Wilder homes between $2,500,000 and $4,000,000 are currently being built. Wilder will be "the" affluent neighborhood, the essence of Luxury in Orinda. Wilder will feature 245 homesites, an extensive network of trails and pathways, a private neighborhood swim and recreation center, five community playfields and over 1,300 acres of dedicated open space connecting to the East Bay Regional Park District.

South Orinda

• Glorietta area is a very popular neighborhood, close to both Orinda and Lafayette, the freeway and BART. The Glorietta Elementary School is a draw for parents with young children.
  


• Ivy Drive Area is at the south end of Orinda. Ivy Drive is another desirable neighborhood because it is relativiely flat area and its proximity to both the Orinda Intermediate School and Miramonte High School.
  


• Del Rey Area is at the south end of Orinda next to the Ivy Drive Area. The Del Rey area is relativiely flat with predominately ranch style homes. In the Middle of the Del Rey Area is the Del Rey Elementary School. And above the Del Rey Elementary school is the historic house that Joaquin Moraga built in 1841.

  

  You can find AJ Nisen on Active Rain at Contra Costa California Mortgages. Call AJ to talk about your Mortgage, Mortgage Rates, Free Credit Report or visit AJ's website to use his mortgage calculator.
  
  Alan 'AJ' Nisen
  Mortgage Loan Officer
  Board Member on the Orinda Chamber of Commerce
  AJ's Email
  AJ's Mortgage Website
  AJ's ActiveRain Blog

  

History of Lafayette California

Lafayette is located in Contra Costa County which is a little northwest of San Francisco. Lafayette is a still a quaint community with that small town feel. Even so, Lafayette has grown into one of the top income per capita towns in the US as reported by CNN (#21).

Lafayette is one of my favorite towns in the whole world. Lafayette seems to attract people who love to volunteer. There are many volunteer organizations in town. One of those volunteer organizations is the Assistance League of Diablo Valley who in 1978 purchased one of Lafayette's existing pieces of history, The Way Side Inn.

Here is a little history about this great community.

Lafayette California's Way Side Inn.

Lafayette California still has several historic buildings from it's beginnings. One of those historic buildings is the Way Side Inn. In an area then called Hotel Corner but now called Plaza Square (Mt Diablo Blvd. and Moraga Road), Edward J. Brady, in 1894, constructed the Way Side Inn, a hotel and tavern. The Way Side Inn was marketed as a "first class" establishment.

At the time the Way Side Inn was built, Mt. Diablo Blvd. was on the stagecoach road between Walnut Creek and Oakland. The Way Side Inn was in a perfect location for travelers and business. It soon became a stopping place for cattlemen driving their livestock to market. Cowboys needed a place to clean off and of course, take advantage of the local tavern before driving their cattle over the Berkeley Oakland hills to market. Teamsters, who hauled redwoods from Canyon to Martinez, also needed a place to stay and refresh themselves.

Around 1910, Thomas Reed purchased the property and named it the Way Side Inn. He turned the property into a rooming house and saloon. But it was rumored that "ladies of the evening" worked upstairs.

Early Lafayette History did have a lot of color to it.

To find more history about Lafayette California, You might like to read:

• A Little History of Lafayette California Chapter 1.
• How Lafayette California Was Named: Chapter 2.
• The Pony Express Rides Throught Lafayette California: Chapter 3.

You can find AJ Nisen on Active Rain at Contra Costa California Mortgages. Call AJ to talk about your Mortgage, Mortgage Rates, Free Credit Report or visit AJ's website to use his mortgage calculator.

Alan 'AJ' Nisen
Mortgage Loan Officer
Board Member on the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce
AJ's Email
AJ's Mortgage Website
AJ's ActiveRain Blog

History of Lafayette California

Lafayette is one of my favorite towns in the whole world. One of the reasons I like Lafayette is that the community support for the businesses in town like Ed Stokes' Diablo Foods or Jesse Wellen's Lafayette Car Wash. The slogan "Shop Lafayette" is a key part of what makes Lafayette the great community it is.

Lafayette is located in Contra Costa County which is a little northwest of San Francisco. Lafayette is a still a quaint community with that small town feel. Even so, Lafayette has grown into one of the top income per capita towns in the US as reported by CNN (#21).

Here is a little history about this great community.

How The Pony Express Came to Town.

One of the most exciting bits of Western Laure was the Pony Express. The Pony Express route started in St. Joseph, Missouri and travel 1840 miles to Sacramento, California, where the mail was placed on a steamer to San Francisco. The entire trip would take 10 days!

Twice in 1860 and at least 18 times in 1861, the Pony Express missed the boat connection (literally). The mail had to be routed overland from Sacramento to Oakland California. The Pony Express route took the mail through Lafayette California down Mt. Diablo Blvd. The riders would stop at what is now the intersection of Moraga Road and Mt. Diablo Blvd to get a fresh horse. Yes, the mail had to be delivered by the Pony Express, rain or shine and sometimes through Lafayette.

That is how The Pony Express Came to Lafayette California.

To find more history about Lafayette California, You might like to read:

• A Little History of Lafayette California Chapter 1.
• How Lafayette California Was Named: Chapter 2.

  

  You can find AJ Nisen on Active Rain at Contra Costa California Mortgages. Call AJ to talk about your Mortgage, Mortgage Rates, Free Credit Report or visit AJ's website to use his mortgage calculator.
  
  Alan 'AJ' Nisen
  Mortgage Loan Officer
  Board Member on the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce
  AJ's Email
  AJ's Mortgage Website
  AJ's ActiveRain Blog

  

History of Lafayette California

Lafayette is one of my favorite towns in the whole world. I really enjoy how the town rallies around local events. Some of Lafayette's annual events are:

• A Taste of Lafayette (May 20th 2008)
  


• Lafayette Criterium Bike Race (held July 13th in 2008)
  


• Lafayette Art and Wine (The 3rd Weekend in September). This event draws over 100,000 people.
  


• Lafayette Reservoir Run (The Last Sunday in October)

Lafayette is located in Contra Costa County which is a little northwest of San Francisco. Lafayette is a still a quaint community with that small town feel. Even so, Lafayette has grown into one of the top income per capita towns in the US as reported by CNN (#21). But, here is a little history about how this community came into existance.

How Lafayette was Named.

Benjamin Shreve came West to make is fortune with the California Gold Rush. After failing to make his fortune, he decided to settle in Lafayette, California. Benjamin built and ran Lafayette's first school.

In 1857 Benjamin Shreve became Lafayette's postmaster. As postmaster, Benjamin decided the town needed a permanent name. Up to this point, the town had been called Dog Town, Brown's Corner, Brown's Mill, Acalanus, and Centerville. Benjamin wanted the name Centerville, but it was rejected because there was another Centerville in the state. Benjamin's second choice was La Fayette which became the name of this small community. In 1932 the name was changed to today's spelling, "Lafayette".

That is how Lafayette California was Named.

To find more history about Lafayette California, You might like to read:
Lafayette California was Named After General Marquis-de Lafayette
A Little History of Lafayette California Chapter 1.

You can find AJ Nisen on Active Rain at Contra Costa California Mortgages. Call AJ to talk about your Mortgage, Mortgage Rates, Free Credit Report or visit AJ's website to use his mortgage calculator.

Alan 'AJ' Nisen
Mortgage Loan Officer
Board Member on the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce
AJ's Email
AJ's Mortgage Website
AJ's ActiveRain Blog

History of Lafayette California

Lafayette is one of my favorite towns in the whole world. Maybe that is because I lived in Lafayette half my life. Lafayette is located in Contra Costa County which is a little northwest of San Francisco.

Lafayette is a still a quaint community with that small town feel. Even so, Lafayette has grown into one of the top income per capita towns in the US as reported by CNN (#21).

Lafayette's Beginning

Lafayette was originally settled by the Saclan Indians, a part of the Bay Miwok Indian tribe, roughly 10,000 years ago. The Saclans settled throughout what is now known as the Diablo Valley including Lafayette. The Saclans were a peaceful group who lived off the land.

Life changed with the arrival of the Spanish settlers. The Saclans died from diseases brought by the Spanish and were forced out of the area unless they were willing to be missionized by the Catholic Church. It was reported that in 1797, the Saclans fought a battle with the Spaniards on what was later to become Lafayette.

After the Spaniards, American settlers started to travel west by wagons to Oregon and California. Elam Brown, one of the first settlers in Contra Costa County, led a fourteen family wagon train through the Donner Pass in 1847 just days before the ill-fated Donner party.

Soon after Elam Brown arrived, Brown bought a 3,329 acre Mexican land grant called Rancho Acalanus, which is now almost all of present day Lafayette. Elam built the first of his three homes in February of 1848 in the Lafayette's Happy Valley area, making this the start of what was to become the first community in central Contra Costa County.

Elam Brown sold parts of his property to other farmers who were in his wagon train. Elam and his neighbors farmed the area, mainly growing grain. To mill their grain, Elam and others had to take a 7-10 day journey to San Jose California where the closest grist mill was located. This was too long of a journey for Elam and his neighbors. So Elam built his own horse-drawn grist mill (a mill which turns grain into flour). Latter, Elam built a steam powered mill on Lafayette Creek which would be near First Street in present day Lafayette.

Once that mill was built, Lafayette's commercial center began to grow. The first businesses were a blacksmith's shop, a bar, a general store and rooming houses. In relation to the present day, these businesses were located at the intersection of Mt. Diablo Blvd. and Moraga Road.

There will be more to come.

More information about Lafayette and the Lafayette Historical Society can be found on the web at www.LafayetteHistory.org. You can order a copy of the book there as well. Questions about the organization may be sent to PO Box 133, Lafayette, CA 94549 or asked via the website. Membership in the organization is $10/year.

You can find AJ Nisen on Active Rain at Contra Costa California Mortgages. Call AJ to talk about your Mortgage, Mortgage Rates, Free Credit Report or visit AJ's website to use his mortgage calculator.

Alan 'AJ' Nisen
Mortgage Loan Officer
Board Member on the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce
AJ's Email
AJ's Mortgage Website
AJ's ActiveRain Blog