Livermore's suburban landscape took shape gradually. Beginning in the late 1950s and accelerating through the 1960s and 1970s, ranches, orchards, former military land, and open fields gave way to housing tracts and larger residential developments built by many of Northern California's homebuilders.
The houses ranged from practical Ranch homes to increasingly varied designs as builders responded to changing markets, architectural tastes, and ideas about suburban living. At the same time, larger developments brought new approaches to streets, parks, open space, and the organization of residential communities.
TractTales documents that landscape through original advertisements, newspaper coverage, maps, photographs, and other contemporary sources, examining the housing tracts, builders, home series, architecture, and development patterns that shaped suburban Livermore.
The archive currently covers Livermore's suburban development from 1958 to 1974, including 8 individual housing tracts as well as larger planned developments and residential areas.
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| Annotated Apple Maps view of Livermore showing the location of housing tracts and larger residential developments documented in the archive. |
Builders
Sunset Homes
Sunset Homes built housing tracts and named home series across Livermore from 1958 to 1977. Its developments included Sunset West (Granada Village), Sunset East, Three Fountains, Whispering Pines, Shadowbrook, and The Meadows. The names used in advertising sometimes differed from those used today, and individual home series appeared in multiple neighborhoods.
H. C. Elliott
H. C. Elliott developed several Livermore housing tracts, including Town Square, Somerset, and Somerset West, as residential development expanded northward.
Housing tracts
Carlton Square
One of Livermore's early postwar housing tracts, Carlton Square introduced Ranch homes during the city's rapid suburban expansion.
Granada Park
Granada Park was built out by two separate developers over a nine-year period, starting in 1963.
Granada Woods
A small custom-home enclave developed within Sunset Homes' larger Granada Village residential development.
Ivanhoe Villas
Built in 1970 by Sunset Homes, these zero lot-line homes were aimed at homebuyers seeking low-maintenance.
Los Altos Heights
One of the first housing tracts built on Livermore's north side, Los Altos Heights introduced hillside housing during the early expansion of north Livermore. The tract was later incorporated into the larger area now known as The Meadows.
Quietwood
Built by Sunset Homes starting in 1971, Quietwood introduced four mid-market designs that were built across the Sunset East, Three Fountains, and Whispering Pines neighborhoods.
Ripplebrook
Built by Sunset Homes starting in 1971, Ripplebrook introduced four affordable designs that were built across the Sunset East, Three Fountains, and Whispering Pines neighborhoods.
Shadowbrook
Developed starting in 1973, Shadowbrook reflects Livermore's later suburban expansion, when builders were introducing larger homes and new approaches to residential design.
Somerset
Developed by H. C. Elliott as an extension of the Town Square development, Somerset illustrates the builder's continued expansion into north Livermore during the late 1960s. Its homes reflect the architectural styles and suburban preferences of the period.
Somerset West
Developed by H. C. Elliott in north Livermore in the early 1970s, Somerset West represents a later phase of the builder's residential development in the city, following Town Square and Somerset.
Sunset East
Developed by Sunset Homes beginning in 1968, Sunset East brought together larger lots, multiple home series, and a wider range of house designs as the builder expanded its Livermore developments.
Sunset West (Granada Village)
Sunset Homes' first master-planned residential development, built out in stages from 1958 to 1968. It introduced a larger-scale approach to residential development that became an important part of Livermore's suburban expansion.
The Expandables
As north Livermore continued to build out in the late 1960s, Kaufman & Broad acquired land between Somerset West and Somerset Homes and developed two sequential housing tracts: The Expandables and Green Meadows.
The Meadows
Developed by Sunset Homes starting in 1973, The Meadows was one of the builder's later residential developments in north Livermore. The Meadows brought together later Sunset housing with the earlier Los Altos Heights tract within a larger residential area.
Town Square
One of H. C. Elliott's early Livermore developments, Town Square was built on the former Livermore Army Airfield as north Livermore began to expand.
Wildwood
Built by Sunset Homes starting in 1970, Wildwood introduced four higher-end designs that were built across the Shadowbrook, Sunset East, The Meadows, Three Fountains, and Whispering Pines neighborhoods.