Demographics

San Lorenzo Population in July 2007: 21,879.

Males: 10,600 (48.5%)
Females: 11,279 (51.5%)

San Lorenzo Median resident age: 37.7 years
California median age: 33.3 years

San Lorenzo Zip codes: 94580.

San Lorenzo: Estimated median household income in 2008: $70,677
San Lorenzo: Estimated median household income in 2000: $56,170
California: $61,021

Estimated per capita income in 2008: $28,062

Estimated median house or condo value in 2008: $464,326
Estimated median house or condo value in 2000: $223,400
California median house or condo value in 2008: $467,000

Mean prices in 2008: All housing units: $430,345; Detached houses: $437,405; Townhouses or other attached units: $321,719; In 2-unit structures: $333,393; In 5-or-more-unit structures: $469,483; Mobile homes: $174,744; Occupied boats, RVs, vans, etc.: $5,000

As of the census of 2000, there were 21,898 people, 7,500 households, and 5,677 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 7,893.4 people per square mile (3,052.3/km²). There were 7,609 housing units at an average density of 2,742.7/sq mi (1,060.6/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 63.32% White, 2.81% Black or African American, 0.89% Native American, 15.48% Asian, 0.48% Pacific Islander, 10.82% from other races, and 6.21% from two or more races. 24.65% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The Hispanic population has been growing rapidly in recent years.

There were 7,500 households, out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.3% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.34.

San Lorenzo History

San Lorenzo is located on the Rancho San Lorenzo Mexican land grant given to Guillermo Castro in 1841. San Lorenzo was mostly farmland, a significant center of production of fruit and flowers, from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century.

Many of the early inhabitants have been laid to rest in Pioneer Cemetery, including Moses Wicks, who brought oysters to San Leandro Bay (by boat around the cape) from Patchogue, Long Island.

In 1944, under contract to the U.S. Navy, David Bohannon's Greenwood Company began construction of San Lorenzo Village, a tract of two- and three-bedroom homes for workers in the East Bay's war industries. San Lorenzo Village was one of the nation's first planned communities, with parcels designated for schools, churches, parks, and several retail centers. Bohannon's pioneering pre-cutting techniques, referred to as the "California method," were used in later developments, such as the more famous Levittown, Pennsylvania. Home construction continued into the 1950s to accommodate the region's booming population.

The first post office opened in San Lorenzo in 1854