TractTales | Neighborhood history of the Tri-Valley

Known today by some residents and real estate agents as Sunset West, Granada Village was Sunset Homes’ first large-scale master-planned community in Livermore. Developed between 1958 and 1968, it marked a departure from the incremental tract development that characterized much of the postwar era. Instead, Granada Village was conceived as a single suburban framework at city scale, guided by consistent planning principles for street layout, density, and neighborhood structure even as its architecture evolved over time. In this sense, Granada Village was less a finished neighborhood than a working system. It established both the physical footprint and the market expectations that Sunset Homes would refine throughout the 1960s, as the company moved from replication toward experimentation. Where Granada Village is located Annotated aerial map of the Granada Village (Sunset West) neighborhood in Livermore, California. Base imagery from Google Maps. From ranchland to suburban framework...

Three Fountains was part of Sunset Homes’ Sunsetown strategy in Livermore, a shift away from single-style tracts toward neighborhoods built from multiple architectural series. Built between 1971 and 1973, it combined Wildwood, Quietwood, and Ripplebrook homes within a single planning framework—creating variation without abandoning subdivision order. Rather than a uniform subdivision, Three Fountains functioned as a curated mix of Sunset Homes’ architectural lines, including Wildwood, Quietwood, and Ripplebrook—each contributing different floor plans, elevations, and living arrangements within the same streetscape. Sunsetown planning and the multi-series model Three Fountains emerged during Sunset Homes’ Sunsetown phase, when the company began treating Livermore as a connected network of neighborhoods rather than isolated tracts. Buyers were encouraged to choose from multiple home series and, in some cases, select from different neighborhoods within the broader development. This...

The Whispering Pines neighborhood in Livermore represents one of the most complete expressions of Sunset Homes’ suburban vision during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Tucked into Livermore’s scenic south side against rolling hills and vineyard landscapes, Whispering Pines combined spacious lots, architectural variety, and thoughtful planning into one of the city’s most distinctive residential neighborhoods. Developed as part of the larger Sunset South tract, Whispering Pines opened in 1968 and quickly became known for its generous 10,000+ square-foot lots, mature landscaping potential, and wide range of Sunset home series. Unlike many subdivisions built around a single product line, Whispering Pines blended nearly every major Sunset Homes design into one cohesive neighborhood. From compact mid-century homes to sprawling architectural showpieces, Whispering Pines offered buyers an unusually diverse suburban experience. Stone and wood pillars mark the entrance to Whispering Pines on Ha...

Sunset East is one of Livermore’s most distinctive mid-century neighborhoods, known for its wide variety of home styles, thoughtful planning, and classic suburban design. Built by Sunset Homes beginning in 1968, Sunset East became one of the company’s most ambitious developments and remains one of the best-preserved collections of 1960s and 1970s homes in Livermore today. As one of six major neighborhoods developed by Sunset Homes, Sunset East represented a major step forward in Livermore suburban planning. After completing Granada Village, Sunset Homes created an entirely new master-planned community designed for Livermore’s rapidly growing population during the late 1960s. A brick monument welcomes you to Sunset East, complete with the original Sunset Homes emblem. Where is Sunset East in Livermore? Sunset East is located just south of downtown Livermore and directly east of Granada Village. Together, the neighborhoods form one of the largest continuous developments ever built by Su...

Developer of Town Square, Somerset, and Somerset West It’s hard to believe now, but much of north Livermore in the early 1960s was still shaped by the remnants of a World War II auxiliary airfield on Rincon Avenue. What had once been a dirt-runway military facility—built as a backup to the larger Livermore airfield near what is now Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory—sat quietly as the city expanded around it. By the 1960s, that forgotten airfield and surrounding land would become the foundation for one of Livermore’s most important suburban transformations, led by developer  H. C. Elliott . Pictured here in 1968, developer H. C. Elliott played a major role in shaping north Livermore. His vision and commitment to affordable housing led to the creation of Town Square, Somerset, and Somerset West—neighborhoods that transformed a former airfield into vibrant communities. From WWII airfield to suburban opportunity in Livermore By the late 1950s and early 1960s, Livermore was gro...

Between 1958 and 1977, developer Masud Mehran built more than 3,500 homes in Livermore. While many California builders expanded into multiple cities, Mehran focused almost exclusively on a single community. Over the course of two decades, he used Livermore as a laboratory for changing ideas about suburban living. Each new Sunset Homes development reflected the needs and aspirations of a different generation of homebuyers. From the family-oriented streets of Granada Village to the award-winning designs of Sunset East and the open-space planning of Shadowbrook, Mehran continually adapted his neighborhoods to changing tastes, lifestyles, and expectations. The result was Sunsetown—a collection of neighborhoods that helped shape modern Livermore and documented the evolution of the postwar suburban dream. Explore Sunsetown Sunset Homes developed six major Livermore neighborhoods between 1958 and 1977. Each reflected changing ideas about suburban living. Granada Village Sunset East...