Albany Real Estate

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About Albany 

The City of Albany Today
With a population of around 18,000 and more than 350,000 living within a 15-mile radius, Albany today combines a small-town ambience with its central location in a major metropolitan area. Albany prides itself on being a safe, community-oriented city, with strong services and programs for youth, families and the elderly. It is a city made up primarily of single-family homes and small businesses, its small town character exemplified by its "Main Street," Solano Avenue. Albany's public schools have an outstanding reputation with student test scores at the elementary, middle and high school levels among the highest in the state.

Population
18,000 (Estimate 2000 Association of Bay Area Governments)
Albany is often referred to as "kid town," with over half of the population 35 years of age or younger. About 75% of Albany residents live in family households, and, of those families, 75% are headed by married couples.

Ethnic Composition
The ethnic composition of Albany has changed over the years. There are over 17 foreign languages spoken by students in the schools reflecting the diverse cultural backgrounds of the residents of Albany, among them are Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Spanish. The following statistics are based on 1990 Census data.
White - 66%
Asian/Pacific Islander - 20%
Hispanic 8%
African-American 6%
Median Single Family Home Price: $245,750 (August 1999)
Mean Household Income: $61,400 (1995 adjusted)
Form of Government: City Council - City Administrator
Incorporated: 1908


Education
Albany Unified School District operates one high school, one middle school, three elementary schools, and one continuation high school. Year after year, the school district proudly boasts the continued achievement of producing some of the highest academic test scores throughout the state and certainly in the Bay Area. In state academic ranking, Albany Schools consistently place in the 90th percentiles.
In Alameda County, the number of Albany residents holding college degrees is second only to Piedmont. The community is very supportive of education, and in recent years, voters have approved several bond measures for renovation of existing or construction of new school facilities. Ocean View Elementary School and the new Albany Middle School opened in September 1999. Albany High School is scheduled to open its new facility in September 2001.


Health
Albany is located just a few miles from several well-known and highly regarded health care facilities in the East Bay Area. Among those serving the community are Alta Bates in Berkeley, Children's Hospital and Summit Medical Center in Oakland, and Kaiser Permanente in Richmond. All of these locations can be reached in less than 15 minutes.

Recreation and Culture
Albany is located in the center of almost any desired form of recreation and culture available. With San Francisco to the west and Berkeley to the east and south, theaters and museums of all types are only minutes away. In addition, professional and college sports activities abound throughout the area.
Within Albany itself, Golden Gate Fields, one of the largest thoroughbred racetracks in the United States, draws its participants from throughout the entire Bay Area. Throughout Albany, but especially on Solano Avenue, there are sidewalk cafes, as well as numerous full-dining establishments that offer everything from simple fare to a variety of international dishes.

Committed to environmental preservation, Albany has an ongoing creek restoration program, and recently dedicated 1/3-mile of land to the San Francisco Bay Trail. The Albany Mudflats are frequented by numerous shorebirds, such as, snowy egrets, double-breasted cormorants, and Canadian Geese, as proof that the preservation efforts are certainly worthwhile and effective.

Albany also operates a Community Center/Library, Senior Center, Teen Center, Child Care Center, and seven local parks with playgrounds, ballfields, and tennis courts. The school district owns and operates an indoor swimming pool that is open to the public.

Community groups also put on a variety of activities of general interest to the community. One such event, The Solano Stroll, is a mile-long celebration of food, fun and music and draws about 75,000 people from throughout the Bay Area each year on the second Sunday in September.


Community Development
The City of Albany is committed to serving business with lower development fees that surrounding cities and a friendly can-do attitude towards commercial improvement. City staff strive to employ an entrepreneurial spirit when assisting new businesses. With a level of taxable sales per resident lower than most East Bay cities, Albany is a prime target for enterprising businesses. The involvement of residents in the development of Solano and San Pablo Avenues indicates strong local interest in better access to shops and services. With high incomes compared to those found elsewhere in the East Bay, Albany residents comprise a potentially lucrative retail market.

Albany's Commercial Areas
Solano Avenue is a pedestrian-oriented street featuring grocers, florists, and charming retails shops, and is particularly popular for its variety of restaurants. Typical of a small-town "Main Street," Solano Avenue is a strong regional attraction and is visited by thousands of shoppers and strollers each year.
San Pablo Avenue is a well-traveled boulevard of medium sized storefronts with high traffic counts and great retail potential.

Eastshore Highway and Cleveland Avenues provide high visibility locations along Interstate 80 and 580. Light manufacturing, warehousing and other industrial land uses are currently accommodated in this area, away from residential neighborhood, and there is ample opportunity for intensive retail or office use.

source: http://www.albanyca.org/

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