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===High school===
===High school===
Nearby Tracy's high schools serve Mountain House. The master plan of Mountain House plans a future high school in 2013 located within the development.But in meantime 2 to 3 miles away in nearby Tracy is new [[John C. Kimball High School]] which open August 2009 and serve Mountain House high school age children.
Nearby Tracy's high schools serve Mountain House. The master plan of Mountain House plans a future high school called [[Mountain House High school]] that will be build in july 2010 and open 3 years after that. in located within the development.But in meantime 2 to 3 miles away in nearby Tracy is brand new [[John C. Kimball High School]] which open August 2009 and serve Mountain House high school age children.
===College===
===College===

Revision as of 00:08, 15 April 2009

Mountain House, California
unincorporated area
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountySan Joaquin
Government
 • TypeMountain House Community Services District Board of Directors
 • SenateMichael Machado (D)
 • AssemblyGuy Houston (R)
 • U. S. CongressJerry McNerney (D)
Area
 • Land7.8 sq mi (About 4,800 km2)
Population
 (2008)
 • Total~7,453
Time zoneUTC-8 (PST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP codes
95391
Area code209

Mountain House is an unincorporated planned community near the foothills of the Diablo Range at the eastern base of the Altamont Pass, along the western boundary of San Joaquin County, California, United States, approximately 5 miles (8 km) northwest of the city of Tracy. Its population in 2008 was 7,453.[citation needed]

The Mountain House development, planned to create 15,600 residences and associated commercial and industrial development, was established officially by the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors (SJCBoS) on November 10, 1994. Completion of the development is planned for 2025.[citation needed]

A separate Mountain House exists in Alameda County and lies between the California Aqueduct and the Delta-Mendota Canal at a crossroads two miles (3 km) southwest of the planned community of the same name.[1] In addition, two more California places named Mountain House exist in Butte and Siskiyou Counties.[2]

Location

The planned community is accessible from Interstate 205 via the Mountain House Parkway (formerly Patterson Pass Road) exit. County Route J4 (Byron Road), connecting Tracy and Brentwood, passes the community at the road's intersection with Mountain House Parkway (separate from Mountain House Road, three miles (5 km) to the east in Alameda County). Template:Geolinks-US-hoodscale

Early history

The Mountain House area was originally inhabited by the American Indian Cholbon tribelet of the Northern Valley Yokuts. The tribelet's territory extended westward along Old River to just west of Bethany.

In the late 18th century Spanish explorers led by Juan Bautista de Anza, traveled from the San Francisco Bay to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The Spanish never settled in this region and the land was mostly used for agriculture and stopping off points for transportation and trade.

The name Mountain House originates from the Gold Rush era. When miners traveled from San Francisco to the Sierra foothills, they often rested about midway at a house called "Mountain House" at the bottom of a range of hills. The first Mt. House structure took the form of a blue tent and was built in 1849 by Thomas Goodall. With the help of American Indians, Goodall built an adobe house on the site where Mountain House became a rest stop for miners, stockmen, rancheros, and immigrants. Simon Zimmerman purchased the stop and through his hard work Mountain House became a famous way station on the road to Stockton.

In the mid-1850s Mohr's Landing developed around Old River to support commerce and trade. Unfortunately, in the early 1860s flooding of the Old River destroyed Mohr’s Landing and a regional farmer, Eric Wicklund, built a new town near the Mountain House site. The town of Wicklund became the transportation and trade center for the area. During the 1870s the arrival of the Central Pacific Railroad allowed faster transportation of goods and Wicklund’s commerce faded.

In 1878 the first train ran through Bethany Railroad Station and Bethany became a new center for trade. To accommodate growth, the Byron-Bethany Irrigation District was formed in 1916 to transport water, which eased dependency on dry farming. Through the 1920s Bethany grew to include a church, blacksmith shop, general store, bar, dancehall, and post office. During this time the Mountain House School was built in the foothills of the region.

In 1940 the last remaining structure of Bethany, the Bethany Post Office was torn down. Until the current development, land in the Mountain house area was primarily used for agriculture.

The planned development

The Mountain House development plan states that the community, upon full build-out, would consist of 12 residential neighborhoods, each organized around a Neighborhood Center containing a park, a K-8 school, and a small commercial area. The neighborhoods, according to the plan, would each have a separate identity, including design and landscaping. Two of the neighborhoods are planned to be "for seniors only" surrounding a community golf course. Major shopping and other services would be met by the Village Centers and the Town Center, the civic and commercial focus of the community, which is designated for mixed use commercial, office and residential development. Employment centers would include office and industrial parks. The Mountain House Creek corridor and the Old River edge are designated by the plan as part of an overall parks and open space system.

It is the largest such planned development in San Joaquin County in many years and is planned to establish 15,600 homes for 45,000 residents by 2025. Builders in Mountain House include Lennar, Centex and Pulte.[citation needed] Trimark Communities, LLC, a subsidiary of Sunchase Holdings, Inc., was the original developer of Mountain House and spent 13 years planning and seeking approvals for the project. The development broke ground in 2001.

As a result of plunging home values that occurred nationwide during 2007-2008, almost 90 percent of homeowners in Mountain House owed more on their mortgages than their houses were worth. In November 2008, this was the highest percentage in the country. The average homeowner in Mountain House was "underwater,” as "negative equity" is more commonly known, by $122,000.[3]

Notable dates

  • November 10, 1994 - Mountain House project approved by SJCBoS
  • May 14, 2001 - Trimark breaks ground on Mountain House project
  • January 18, 2003 - First home foundation poured
  • August 24, 2004 - Wicklund Elementary School opens
  • November 22, 2005 - Specific Plan III & Delta College approved by SJCBoS
  • November 6, 2007 - Mountain House votes to become independent district
  • December 7, 2007 - Delta College site annexed to Mountain House

Government

The Mountain House Community Services District (MHCSD), a special-purpose government district, was formed in 1996. The role of the MHCSD, which is divided into 6 departments, is to set policies, ordinances, regulations and to serve the residents of Mountain House. Prior to December 5, 2008, the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors (SJCBoS) served as the Board of Directors of the MHCSD. In the November 2008 election, the residents of Mountain House elected its own independent Board of Directors to direct the MHCSD.

Parks and recreation

The Mountain House development plan intends for each residence to be located within a half mile of a park and within two miles of a community sports park. The plan also calls for extensive use of bike paths and pedestrian trails. Mountain House's larger parks are:

  • Central Park
  • Mountain House Creek Recreation Area — a combined wildlife preserve and storm detention facility

The following are the community's smaller parks:

  • Wicklund Park
  • Bethany Park
  • Bethany Pocket Park
  • Altamont Park
  • Questa Park
  • Costa Park

Education

The master plan of Mountain House intends 12 facilities for kindergarten through 8th grade. Each school is planned to be located at its neighborhood's center, accompanied by a park.

Elementary Schools

The elementary school programs (K-8) in Mountain House are managed by the Lammersville Elementary School District 1,700-student district from Mountain House. Mountain House currently has 2 fully operational elementary schools, Wicklund and Bethany, with Lammersville Elementary School located near the community.

High school

Nearby Tracy's high schools serve Mountain House. The master plan of Mountain House plans a future high school called Mountain House High school that will be build in july 2010 and open 3 years after that. in located within the development.But in meantime 2 to 3 miles away in nearby Tracy is brand new John C. Kimball High School which open August 2009 and serve Mountain House high school age children.

College

The Delta College Center at Mountain House is satellite campus of San Joaquin Delta Community College has been planned to be built in phases. A 114-acre campus, with 84,000 square feet of interior space, is planned.

Shopping

The Mountain House Town Center is planned to be a mixed-use commercial center with retail, offices, government facilities, and residences.

Media

  • The Tracy Press is a twice-weekly newspaper that covers both Tracy and Mountain House and has operated since the 19th century.
  • The Mountain House Times is a monthly paper that covers Mountain House news and events.
  • The Stockton Record is a daily paper that covers the San Joaquin County area.

Transportation

Public transportation

Roads

Mountain House is located adjacent to County Route J4 (Byron Road), a highway connecting Tracy and State Route 4 near Brentwood and Discovery Bay. Also nearby are Interstate 580, which connects Interstate 5 with the San Francisco Bay Area, and Interstate 205, which connects Interstates 580 and 5 via Tracy.

Within the development itself, all streets are designed according to the master plan, which also includes a trail system for pedestrians and bicyclists.

References

  1. ^ Mahler, Les. "Mistaken civic identity: Will the real Mountain House stand up?". Oakland Tribune, via findarticles.com, 18 September 2006. Retrieved on 20 August 2007.
  2. ^ United States Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System query for Mountain House in California. Retrieved on 20 August 2007.
  3. ^ "A Town Drowns in Debt as Home Values Plunge".
  4. ^ MH Villages

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mountain_House,_San_Joaquin_County,_California&oldid=283895286"