Saranap, California

Saranap (until 1913, Dewing Park) is a residential census-designated place (CDP) within central Contra Costa County, California. Lying at an elevation of 180 feet (55 m), it is bounded on the south and east by portions of Walnut Creek (including the gated senior residential development Rossmoor) and on the north and west by Lafayette. Saranap's ZIP code is 94595, but is addressed "Walnut Creek, CA" for delivery purposes as this is the postal designated city name used by residents. The community is in telephone area code 925. Saranap's population as of the 2020 census was 5,830.

Saranap has had numerous opportunities to be annexed as either part of Lafayette, or of Walnut Creek. These have been largely resisted by the occupants, whose land use is governed by county rules. These include the ability to keep small aviaries and bees, which can be highly restricted by law in surrounding cities, and in newer neighborhoods by restrictive covenants. As the local school district is independent of these city boundaries, and some of the cities impose additional parcel taxes, residents have little incentive to change the status quo. Only a minor addition was made to Lafayette from Saranap in recent decades, adding only one more street and being largely motivated by marginally superior housing values associated with the city of Lafayette.

Etymology

The community's name comes from the Sacramento Northern Railway, an early 20th-century electric interurban railway. The local station, located near the intersection of Tice Valley Boulevard and Olympic Way, was named after the railroad developer's mother, Sara Napthaly. This developer promoted the railroad to enhance the value of land developments, a process that led to a development pattern similar to a trolley car suburb.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all of it land.

Demographics

Saranap first appeared as a census designated place in the 2010 U.S. Census.

The 2020 United States census reported that Saranap had a population of 5,830. The population density was . The racial makeup of Saranap was 71.3% White, 1.5% African American, 0.4% Native American, 11.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.9% from other races, and 12.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.7% of the population.

The census reported that 97.0% of the population lived in households, 2.3% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.7% were institutionalized.

There were 2,250 households, out of which 32.4% included children under the age of 18, 55.6% were married-couple households, 4.8% were cohabiting couple households, 24.8% had a female householder with no partner present, and 14.8% had a male householder with no partner present. 26.4% of households were one person, and 11.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.51. There were 1,509 families (67.1% of all households).

The age distribution was 21.6% under the age of 18, 6.3% aged 18 to 24, 24.8% aged 25 to 44, 28.5% aged 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 43.1years. For every 100 females, there were 93.1 males.

There were 2,335 housing units at an average density of , of which 2,250 (96.4%) were occupied. Of these, 69.0% were owner-occupied, and 31.0% were occupied by renters.

Education

Much of Saranap is in the Walnut Creek Elementary School District while some is in the Lafayette Elementary School District. All of Saranap is in the Acalanes Union High School District.

External links

Google Map
Centered at Tice Valley/Boulevard Way and Olympic Blvd., location of the original Saranap Station.

References

{{authority control

Census-designated places in Contra Costa County, California
Census-designated places in California