Livermore, California

Geography Livermore is located at 37°41'8" North, 121°45'51" West (37.685496, -121.764096)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 62.0 km² (23.9 mi²). 62.0 km² (23.9 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 73,345 people, 26,123 households, and 19,513 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,183.9/km² (3,065.8/mi²). There are 26,610 housing units at an average density of 429.5/km² (1,112.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 81.90% White, 1.57% African American, 0.61% Native American, 5.80% Asian, 0.28% Pacific Islander, 5.34% from other races, and 4.51% from two or more races. 14.37% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 26,123 households out of which 40.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% are married couples living together, 9.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 25.3% are non-families. 18.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 5.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.80 and the average family size is 3.20.

In the city the population is spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 35.1% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 98.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $75,322, and the median income for a family is $82,421. Males have a median income of $59,703 versus $38,389 for females. The per capita income for the city is $31,062. 5.3% of the population and 3.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 7.0% are under the age of 18 and 1.5% are 65 or older.

Industry The largest employer in Livermore is Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL).

Postsecondary Education Livermore is home to Las Positas College[?].

Culture Livermore culture is an amalgam of the farming and ranching tradition that has existed in the valley since the time of Robert Livermore with that of the huge influx of technically-oriented professionals who work at LLNL. Thus, Livermore hosts the Livermore Rodeo[?], the "fastest rodeo in the West," that claims it has more riders per hour than any other. It also has the Livermore-Amador Symphony[?], Del Valle Fine Arts[?] (a producer of chamber music concerts), and, in the valley at large, the Valley Choral Society[?], Livermore Valley Opera[?], Valley Dance Theatre[?], and the Pleasanton Community Concert Band[?].

Wine In the early sixties, Livermore had as much area under vine as Napa Valley[?] did at that time. However, it remained relatively unknown, while Napa rose to worldwide prominence. Wente Vineyards[?] has long been the largest producer in Livermore, making around 300,000 cases of relatively inexpensive wine annually, much of it for export. The next largest, Concannon Vineyards[?], makes around 30,000 cases per year. The rest are mostly new and considerably smaller. Only in the last decade have smaller producers sprung up, with twenty-one wineries operating in Livermore as of 2002.

The relatively obscure Petite Sirah[?] grape produces Livermore's best known red wine, although the warm climate also makes for interesting dessert wines. The original plantings of Sémillon[?] and Sauvignon Blanc were cuttings taken from Château d'Yquem[?], and those grapes tend to produce fine wine in the Livermore area. There is also a move afoot among the wineries in Livermore to specialize in Merlot. Wine from Livermore is elgible for the Livermore Valley, San Francisco Bay, and Central Coast AVAs.