Jensen tract replaced farmlands on edge of town Jensen tract replaced farmlands on edge of town (September 27, 2002)

Location still excellent, but people count most
by Teresa Brown

It was the year Yahtzee was invented, the "Wizard of Oz" first aired on television, and Elvis Presley made his television debut on the Dorsey Brothers' Stage Show. It was 1956.

That same year, Bob Williams and his family moved into their brand new home in a development just north of town. And just as no one could foretell the future of the board game, the classic film and the rock icon, no one could have known that the Williams family would stay in the same house and become part of the history of the neighborhood known as the Jensen tract.

Today, the 14-street neighborhood is situated east of Santa Rita Road and is bordered by Kolln Street to the east, Valley Avenue to north, and the Union Pacific railroad tracks to the south. But in 1956, it was little more than a smattering of houses just outside of town.

"It was right on the edge of town," said Williams, who lives on School Street. "There were only about 2,000 people here (in Pleasanton) when we moved."

Another longtime neighborhood resident, John McWilliams, said, "At the time, the city limit sign was by the Pleasanton Hotel. We moved there in 1959, and there were only three streets at that time: Jensen, School and Silver. North of that to Highway 50 (now I-580), it was dairy farms and ranchers."

McWilliams moved to the neighborhood from Rose Avenue with his parents and four siblings when he was 9 years old. His parents paid about $14,000 for the new home, and houses ranged from one-two baths and two-three bedrooms. "The Realtor was Bernie Gerton," McWilliams said, "and he told my father, 'Hey Jack, I got a place for you to move. How about somewhere out in the country?'" McWilliams and his family now live in that same house his parents bought 43 years ago, raising a second generation.

The houses in the development were built by Roy Jensen, a Livermore builder. McWilliams said the neighborhood was originally dubbed "Pioneer Village," but at some point was renamed after its builder.

Before becoming a housing development, the Jensen tract was farming land. Paul Delucchi, who moved into the tract in 1967, said, "My father farmed the land that the Jensen tract is on. I used to plow these fields when I was young." Delucchi said his father owned land adjacent to the tract and to Alisal school and farmed grain, tomatoes and sugar beets.

During the early days, the children could not walk along Santa Rita Road to Alisal School, which opened in 1956, Williams said. It was not safe for pedestrians, and they had to be bussed.

"Our children had to walk up to the corner at Kolln and School, to the next street over, Silver. The children sat on Doc Collin's lawn, waiting for the school bus. Some of them got hungry and ate their lunch while waiting," he said, laughing.

Life in the Jensen tract was a bit like "Mayberry," McWilliams said, referring to the 1950s television program. "You knew everybody's mother. You visited every house and played baseball on the side streets. As kids, we would take our .22 rifles to the edge of town, go to the creek and shoot at targets." Sometimes McWilliams would go fishing in the creek by the Pleasanton Hotel.

"When the California Zephyr would come through town, we'd crawl under the railroad trestle at the end of St. John Street (which was freestanding over the creek), and watch the train roll over us," he recalled. "That was exciting - a real rush in those days."

In contrast, what would be exciting by today's standards, was routine back then. "They used to drive cattle down during the summer," Williams said. There were several dairies, including one at the corner of Valley and Hopyard Road, and one on Black Avenue. Williams said the cattle were driven down Main Street and Santa Rita Road, passing by the subdivision on the way to the dairies.

"Young heifers came in fresh to the dairies," Williams said. "It wasn't a big deal. Sometimes we'd hear mooing."

As Pleasanton grew, more residents moved to the development to enjoy the peaceful life. Rich Deltredici, who calls himself a "new-timer" because he moved into his Jensen tract home in 1965, used to walk to work at Amador Valley High School, where he was an English teacher. "It's a nice place," he said, having raised three children there.

Since moving to Jensen tract, he's seen neighbors come and go but noted the longevity of some. About half of the residents, he said, seem to stay a long time. "I saw kids that were 18 when I moved to the neighborhood when I was 24. I still see them. A lot of them stayed in the area."

He attributes the long-time residency to the people, whom he called warm and caring. Also for those who have stayed put, the value has increased substantially; a local Realtor estimated the current prices to be from $470,000 to $500,000. Moreover, the now-central location is also a boon.

"You can walk downtown," Williams said. "It's close to two schools." And with BART and the bus service, he added, the residents are close to everything.

Janice Daniels, a resident of four years, agreed. "Everything is within walking distance," she said. Daniels and her husband rented a home in Pleasanton for three years before buying in the Jensen tract. "We heard these homes were well-built."

A "new" resident of six years, Robert Schroeder, echoed that view. "We moved here because of the neighborhood and community. The location to schools, both Alisal and Harvest Park, and downtown. The neighborhood is really good. It's established," he said.

While practicality may have motivated their selection, it is the neighbors who have won their hearts.

"There's one couple, they must be in their 70s. I see them walking their route every day, holding hands," Daniels said.

Given the chance, she declared she would not move to another Pleasanton location. "Even if I had more money, I would rebuild and stay here," she said. "This is the perfect place."