Blackhawk Ranch was established in 1917 by Ansel Mills Easton and his son-in-law William Q. Ward, in an area east of the San Ramon and Sycamore Valleys. The name came from a famous Irish racehorse named Blackhawk that Easton's family had once owned. The land passed through the hands of several owners, including Raymond Force, the Hawaii-based sugar and pineapple company Castle & Cooke and Howard Peterson. In 1975, Peterson sold the land to Florida developer Ken Behring, who planned a housing development of 4800 dwelling units over 4200 acres of land. Critics charged that the plan would have various negative impacts, related to urban sprawl, environmental damage and violations of the County General Plan. A group of environmentalists and local residents called Amigos de Diablo organized against the Blackhawk Development Corporation, but were sued for libel. The Blackhawk Development Corporation finally reduced the number of homes planned to 2400 and offered more than 2000 acres of open space to Mount Diablo State Park.
Communities
Blackhawk is divided into seven individual gated communities scattered along Blackhawk Road, connected by a long jogging trail.
Hidden Oaks consists of 206 homes and in 1978 was the first Blackhawk community to be completed. Most homes are on half-acre lots.
Oakridge consists of medium-sized homes ranging from 2000 to, though a few large estates reside on the top of a private court.
Saddleback, the second community completed, is home to some of the most lavish homes in the entire Blackhawk development, most lots being no less than in size.
Silveroak is an upscale condo complex.
Silver Maple is designed around one of the main Blackhawk Country Clubs's golf holes, though no roads connect it to the rest of the main Blackhawk Country Club. It consists of approximately 110 custom homes between 2500-5000 Square Feet.
Blackhawk Country Club is the largest of the six communities.
In addition to Blackhawk, there are also numerous surrounding communities, including:
Alamo Creek
Bettencourt Ranch
Northridge
Monterosso
Blackhawk Country Club
Opened in 1979, Blackhawk Country Club is a highly exclusive 4,800 acre country club community at the base of Mt. Diablo where luxurious residential neighborhoods are surrounded by thousands of acres of permanent open lands. Eagle Ridge Dr. gives way to a separate gate which leads to extremely exclusive estates, including the Behring estate. In the middle of Country Club West is the 6,904 yard Lakeside golf course, designed by Bruce Devlin and Robert Von Hagge. The Lakeside course hosted the CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge, an event on the LPGA Tour from 2005 -2010. The newer 6,700 yard Falls golf course, designed by Ted Robinson, winds through Country Club East. Blackhawk's Tennis Club includes 20 tennis courts, a clubhouse and a pro shop. The Blackhawk Swim Club includes a competition-sized pool, a spa and dressing rooms and offers instructional programs. The 25 acre Sports and Recreation Center includes basketball courts, outdoor volleyball courts, a children's play park, Olympic-sized pool, sports fields and an amphitheater.
Land use
4,800 acres total
2,000 acres contiguous designated for expansion of adjacent Mt. Diablo State Park
1,000 acres for natural hillside, parks, golf courses and sports fields
2,400 home sites total
45 acres developed as a 450,000 square foot commercial center
Blackhawk Plaza
Blackhawk Plaza is a shopping center located outside the Blackhawk Country Club. It includes retail stores, restaurants, a movie theater and two museums, including the Blackhawk Museum.
Demographics
The 2010 United States Census reported that Blackhawk had a population of 9,354. The population density was 1,609.7 people per square mile. The racial makeup of Blackhawk was 6,882 White, 172 African American, 15 Native American, 1,801 Asian, 8 Pacific Islander, 75 from other races, and 401 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 464 persons. The Census reported that 100% of the population lived in households. There were 3,345 households, out of which 1,241 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,661 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 155 had a female householder with no husband present, 86 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 76 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 21 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 355 households were made up of individuals and 145 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80. There were 2,902 families ; the average family size was 3.00. The population was spread out with 2,271 people under the age of 18, 502 people aged 18 to 24, 1,394 people aged 25 to 44, 3,875 people aged 45 to 64, and 1,312 people who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males. There were 3,477 housing units at an average density of 598.3 per square mile, of which 3,345 were occupied, of which 3,044 were owner-occupied, and 301 were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.8%. 8,400 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 954 people lived in rental housing units.
Popular culture
Blackhawk is mentioned in the hit song "Salvation" by the punk band Rancid, as a place "where all the rich people hide." Blackhawk is also mentioned in The Lonely Island's short film The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience as the place where the titular Bash Brothers reside.
