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Dublin — the neighborhoods that built a new city

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Many of Dublin's earliest neighborhoods were built before the modern city itself had fully emerged. During the 1960s, former ranchland and open hills along the Interstate 580 corridor gradually gave way to housing tracts and larger planned developments that established the foundations of modern Dublin.

The largest early development originated as part of Volk-McLain's San Ramon Village planned community in the early 1960s. Developed across what are now Dublin and southern San Ramon, San Ramon Village introduced large-scale suburban planning to the area years before Dublin incorporated as a city. Later developments, including Silvergate and Briarhill, expanded Dublin's suburban landscape with new housing types, architectural styles, and neighborhood identities.

This archive explores the neighborhoods, builders, and planning ideas that shaped Dublin during its principal years of suburban growth. Together, these articles provide a way to understand Dublin through the places that emerged during that period, revealing how a collection of residential developments gradually became the modern city.

The archive currently covers 10 early residential developments dating from 1960 to 1965.

Annotated map of Dublin from Apple Maps highlighting the 1960s and 1970s neighborhoods of the city.
Annotated Apple Maps view of Dublin, California showing the location of 1960s and 1970s neighborhoods in the city.

Briarhill

Built along the western hills of Dublin, Briarhill introduced larger homes and hillside development to the city's early suburban landscape.

San Ramon Village

Dublin's earliest suburban neighborhoods began as part of Volk-McLain's San Ramon Village planned community. Built beginning in 1960, these housing tracts formed the Alameda County portion of a larger vision that stretched into what is now San Ramon. As Volk-McLain left homebuilding in the mid-1960s, other builders continued developing portions of the community.

Annotated aerial map showing the housing tracts that formed the Dublin portion of San Ramon Village.
Annotated aerial map showing the housing tracts that formed the Dublin portion of San Ramon Village. Base imagery from Apple Maps. Numbers indicate tracts.
① Parkwood
② Glenoaks
③ San Ramon Village
④ Brighton Circle
⑤ Barkley Square
⑥ Villa de San Ramon (includes Shamrock Estates)
⑦ Appletree
⑧ Ecco Park

Explore the San Ramon Village story

Housing tracts

Silvergate

Developed beginning in 1962, Silvergate became one of Dublin's most recognizable residential developments, known for its tract homes and strong identity as a place within the emerging city.

Collection last updated: October 2025