Published June 25, 2025
Set in the heart of an old walnut orchard, the Walnut Hills housing tract in San Ramon opened in early 1966 with a marketing pitch no suburban buyer could resist: all the free walnuts you could ever want—right from your backyard. Developed by Brown & Kauffmann, the tract planned about 200 new homes shaded by towering walnut trees and wrapped in country-club charm.
Mapping Walnut Hills
Walnut Hills was built near Country Club Elementary School. Familiar streets include May Way, Northland Avenue, and portions of Davona Drive and Kent Place.
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| Annotated aerial map of the Walnut Hills housing tract in San Ramon, California. Base imagery from Google Maps. |
Walnut Hills homes and architectural style (1966)
When Brown & Kauffmann introduced Walnut Hills in 1966, prospective buyers encountered the housing tract through its model homes. The models showcased the different designs, floor plans, and lifestyles the builder was offering to buyers in San Ramon.
The original 1966 Walnut Hills models
The original model homes provide a useful cross-section of Walnut Hill's architecture. Brown & Kauffmann selected three models for the 1966 opening on Northland Avenue, with a fourth model opening soon after. Although buyers could choose among different elevations and options, these models document the versions Brown & Kauffmann chose to put on display.
The Plan 1 (unknown name)
This model offered approximately 1,706 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Original Plan 1 model today via Google Street View. |
The Almaden
This model offered approximately 1,721 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Original Almaden model today via Google Street View. |
The Heritage Home
This model offered approximately 2,247 to 2,423 square feet with 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.
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| Original Heritage Home model today via Google Street View. |
The Los Altos
This model offered approximately 1,935 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. A late addition for more variety.
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| September 1966 Oakland Tribune ad—the floor plan of the Los Altos model. |
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| Original Los Altos model today via Google Street View. |
The original 1969 Walnut Hills models
Young America Homes selected four models for the 1969 opening on Northland Place. Although buyers could choose among different elevations and options, these models document the versions Young America Homes chose to put on display.
The Wente
This model offered approximately 1,921 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Original Wente model today via Google Street View. It also was the sales office. |
The Glen Ellen
This model offered approximately 1,859 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Original Glen Ellen model today via Google Street View. |
The Cresta Blanca
This model offered approximately 2,212 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.
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| Original Cresta Blanca model today via Google Street View. |
The Inglenook
This model offered approximately 2,167 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.
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| Original Inglenook model today via Google Street View. |
The original 1971 Walnut Hills models
Brown & Kauffmann selected four models for the 1971 opening on May Way. Although buyers could choose among different elevations and options, these models document the versions Brown & Kauffmann chose to put on display.
The Plan 1
This model offered approximately 1,330 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Original Plan 1 model today via Google Street View. |
The Plan 2
This model offered approximately 1,745 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Original Plan 2 model today via Google Street View. |
The Plan 3
This model offered approximately 1,518 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Original Plan 3 model today via Google Street View. |
The Meadow Park
This model offered approximately 1,548 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
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| Original Meadow Park model today via Google Street View. |
Marketing Walnut Hills
Located in what was called the Country Club section of San Ramon Village, Walnut Hills wasn’t just another housing tract—it was a lifestyle. Prices started at $26,950, a step above nearby tracts, but buyers gained eligibility for membership in the nearby San Ramon Country Club.
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| April 1966 Oakland Tribune ad—picture it: all the free walnuts you could ever want—without even leaving your driveway. |
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| April 1966 Daily Review—the Plan 1 under towering walnut trees. |
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| July 1967 Oakland Tribune—The Heritage House, perfectly framed by majestic walnut trees—until the roots met the sprinkler system. |
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| October 1966 Oakland Tribune—Spanish flair and sky-high trees in the Los Altos model—because in the ’60s, big dreams (and landscaping) knew no limits. |
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| May 1968 Oakland Tribune ad—why stop at curb appeal when you can go full forest? |
A count today of the homes in the tract reveals about 80 homes were built from this phase. Brown & Kauffmann stopped advertising in 1968 and appears to have stopped building, at least temporarily. Whether due to pricing, the late 60s housing slump, or another reason is unknown. In turn, Young American Homes would appear on the scene.
The homes from this first phase were built along Northland Avenue, Devon Court, Amherst Court, and May Way.
Young America Homes arrives (1969)
In 1969, Young America Homes bought a group of remaining lots from Brown & Kauffmann and began building infill homes within Walnut Hills. The company advertised 107 planned homes, priced from $32,950 to $35,950, but ultimately built only 34.
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| June 1969 Contra Costa Times ad—The Cresta Blanca, where the walk-in closet was bigger than your first apartment—and the California island kitchen made every night feel like a cocktail party. |
Because Young America was working with scattered lots rather than developing a new section of the tract, its homes appeared alongside the earlier Brown & Kauffmann houses. The result is an unusual mix of home designs within Walnut Hills, with Young America's architecture appearing in several small pockets along Ernwood Place, Kent Place, and Northland Place.
Young America did not use the Walnut Hills name in its advertising, reflecting its role as an infill builder rather than the developer of a new housing tract.
Brown & Kauffmann return (1971)
In 1971, the original builders returned to build approximately 71 new homes, located primarily along May Way. The homes were angled on their lots for privacy—a rare touch. Advertising ceased in 1972 with an assumed sell out. Just one final custom home filled an empty lot in Walnut Hills in 1977.
Legacy of Walnut Hills
What began as a bold vision of orchard living faced the challenges of builder turnover and disappearing trees. Today, Walnut Hills remains a tract rooted in its agrarian past—even if the only walnuts now come from Safeway.
Its leafy streets and enduring mid-century charm stand as a tribute to San Ramon’s evolution—from farmland to suburbia, with a little fanfare and a lot of shade.
Collection
Continue exploring
- Country Club Park: Volk-McLain’s 1961 housing tract in San Ramon
- The Orchards: Tom Gentry's 1968 housing tract in San Ramon
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