Published October 20, 2025
Tucked against the rolling, oak-studded hills of what is now the Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park, Highland Oaks emerged in the mid-1960s as one of west Pleasanton's first large-scale housing tracts. Built in four phases between 1965 and 1969, the tract brought approximately 363 homes to the edge of what was then still a small, agrarian town on the brink of suburban transformation.
The tract was constructed by Schulte-Blackwell, a builder known for creating family-oriented neighborhoods with modern comforts. Though sales began in October 1965, the official grand opening wasn't until January 1966—by which time more than 100 homes had already been sold, a testament to the area’s appeal and the shifting demand for suburban living among Bay Area families.
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| This January 1966 newspaper ad heralded the grand opening of Highland Oaks. Featured are the first five model homes and recreation center in a self-contained community tucked against Pleasanton’s west hills. |
Where is Highland Oaks?
The Highland Oaks tract can be found off Foothill Road. Familiar streets include Highland Oaks Drive, Driftwood Way, Desertwood Lane, and a portion of Muirwood Drive.
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| Annotated aerial map of the Highland Oaks tract in Pleasanton, California. Base imagery from Apple Maps. |
A new lifestyle on Foothill Road
Situated off Foothill Road, before the construction of the West Las Positas Boulevard overpass, Highland Oaks is a neighborhood defined by both its geographic beauty and a sense of promise. Commuters reached it via the Foothill exit off the new Interstate 580, or the Bernal exit from 680, which wouldn’t open until 1967—a major event that would shorten commutes to Fremont and San Jose, helping solidify Pleasanton's role as a bedroom community for the South Bay tech industry.
In those early years, before Pleasanton’s own west side schools were built, children from Highland Oaks were bused to Dublin schools. The tract would later include Lydiksen Elementary School and Muirwood Community Park, shaping a self-contained community where education and recreation were central values.
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Selling the dream
With prices starting at $20,950 and down payments as low as $650, buyers were promised more than just square footage—they were sold on a lifestyle. Marketing materials invited families to “move up to the good life” at Highland Oaks, where homes came complete with:
Front lawns and rear yard fencing
Tappan kitchen ranges and dishwashers
Handcrafted oak staircases (in 2-story models)
Shake roofs
Pre-wired master antenna systems that offered reception from up to 11 television stations
These weren’t just homes—they were gateways to postwar prosperity and the suburban ideal that was rapidly transforming the Tri-Valley region.
At the heart of Highland Oaks is its defining feature: a private recreation center and swim club reserved exclusively for residents, and maintained by the homeowners association. Unlike the typical neighborhood pool-and-cabana model, the Highland Oaks Swim Club spans two acres and features:
A 13,000 sq. ft. deck area
A large swimming pool for family recreation
A multi-purpose clubhouse with kitchen and 26’ x 10’ meeting room
Most uniquely, two Viking sauna baths, a rare amenity in Pleasanton’s housing developments at the time
This investment in recreation highlighted the developers’ commitment to fostering not just houses, but a strong sense of community and wellness, reflective of broader suburban planning trends of the 1960s.
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| Oakland Tribune newspaper ad from July 1966—with the opening of the MacArthur Freeway (I-580) commute times to San Francisco reduced by 11 minutes, and neighborhoods in the Tri-Valley became more attractive. |
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| This May 1967 newspaper ad promoted the leisure lifestyle of Highland Oaks. Set at the community pool, it features an image steeped in the era’s aspirational suburban ideal. Beyond selling homes, the ad sold a vision of status, sunshine, and social life in one of Pleasanton’s most modern developments. |
Legacy and buildout
By late 1968, the model complex was retired, and final sales were handled out of Schulte-Blackwell’s nearby Foothill Farms development. The final homes sold by mid-1969, completing a tract that would become a quiet cornerstone of Pleasanton’s west side.
Today, Highland Oaks stands as a living example of mid-century suburban planning, representing the optimism and aspirations of a generation seeking space, stability, and community just beyond the reach of the rapidly urbanizing Bay Area.
The original Highland Oaks models and sales materials
When Schulte-Blackwell introduced Highland Oaks in 1965, 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 Pleasanton.
The original model homes provide a way to revisit that introduction. The guide below shows where Schulte-Blackwell's models were located, preserves the original sales material where available, and explores the designs the builder offered to prospective buyers when the tract was new.
Original model home complex
Highland Oak's six original model homes were arranged on Capewood Place around a temporary sales complex that welcomed prospective buyers during the neighborhood's grand opening in January 1966.
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| Annotated aerial map of the original Highland Oaks model homes on Capewood Place. Base imagery from Apple Maps. |
Original advertised prices
- Oct. 1965 advertisement: From $20,950
- Jan. 1966 advertisement: $21,500 - $26,950
- May 1967 advertisement: $22,950 - $28,500
- May 1968 advertisement (Unit 4): From $24,950
- Sep. 1969 advertisement (Unit 4): From $25,950
Former model homes
1. The Southwood - This model offered approximately 1,593 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The 3-bedroom version (approximately 1,355 sq. ft.) was The Oakwood.
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| A Southwood home today (the original model home is camera shy) via Google Street View. |
2. The Redwood - This model offered approximately 1,680 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Introduced in 1967. The 3-bedroom version (approximately 1,555 sq. ft.) was The Sequoia.
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| Original Redwood model today via Google Street View. |
3. The Highland - This model offered approximately 1,868 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. The 3-bedroom version (approximately 1,707 sq. ft.) was The Northwood.
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| Original Highland model today via Google Street View. |
4. The Westwood - This model offered approximately 1,255 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The 4-bedroom version was The Hillview.
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| Original Westwood model today via Google Street View. |
5. The Hillcrest - This model offered approximately 1,810 square feet with 5 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. The 6-bedroom version (approximately 2.098 sq. ft.) was The Cliffwood.
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| Original Hillcrest model today via Google Street View. |
6. The Castlemont - This model offered approximately 1,911 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Introduced in Unit 2, April 1966.
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| Original Castlemont model today via Google Street View. |
Design not shown in the model complex
The Havenwood - This design offered approximately 1,682 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. However, it was only built in Unit 1, then discontinued.
Collection
Pleasanton — the places that built a modern city
This collection explores the housing tracts, builders, and neighborhoods that reshaped Pleasanton during the decades when the city evolved from an agricultural town into one of the East Bay's defining suburban cities.
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