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San Ramon — the neighborhoods that built a suburban city

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Modern San Ramon grew from two major planned communities. To the south, Volk-McLain's San Ramon Village transformed former ranchland into the city's first suburban neighborhoods beginning in 1960. To the northwest, Carl Damé's Twin Creeks community followed during the 1970s and 1980s, expanding San Ramon's suburban landscape through a new generation of planned neighborhoods.

Between these communities lay ranchland, walnut orchards, and open space that gradually disappeared as suburban development expanded across the valley. By the end of the 1980s, these once-separate communities had merged into the city recognized today.

This archive explores the neighborhoods, subdivisions, and planning ideas that shaped San Ramon during its principal years of suburban growth.

Annotated map of San Ramon from Apple Maps highlighting the 1960s and 1970s neighborhoods of the city.
Annotated Apple Maps view of San Ramon showing the two major planned communities that shaped the city's suburban growth.

South San Ramon

South San Ramon is where modern San Ramon began. Beginning in 1960, the San Ramon Village planned community transformed former ranchland and walnut orchards into the city's first suburban neighborhoods. Today, these communities are commonly grouped together as South San Ramon, although they were originally developed as a series of distinct neighborhoods over nearly two decades.

Explore the South San Ramon story

Communities within South San Ramon

Twin Creeks

Twin Creeks became the second major planned community in the development of modern San Ramon. Developed by Carl Damé during the 1970s and 1980s, it expanded the city beyond the original San Ramon Village communities through a series of neighborhoods planned and built under a single developer. Today, Twin Creeks remains one of San Ramon's most recognizable neighborhood identities.

Explore the Twin Creeks story

Communities within Twin Creeks