Mountain House, California | |
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City Formercensus designated place | |
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| Coordinates:37°46′26″N121°32′39″W / 37.77389°N 121.54417°W /37.77389; -121.54417 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | San Joaquin |
| Established | May 14, 2001 |
| Incorporated (city) | July 1, 2024 (2024-07-01) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council Manager |
| Area | |
• Total | 7.441 sq mi (19.271 km2) |
| • Land | 7.436 sq mi (19.259 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0046 sq mi (0.012 km2) 0.06% |
| Elevation | 82 ft (25 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 24,499 |
• Estimate (2025)[4] | 28,795 |
| • Density | 3,294.7/sq mi (1,272.1/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific Time Zone) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| ZIP codes | 95391 |
| Area code | 209 |
| FIPS code | 06-49582 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 1888888,2628761 |
| Website | Official website |
| [2] | |
Mountain House is a city on the western edge ofSan Joaquin County, California, United States, lying just east of the historical waystopMountain House inAlameda County. Theplanned community was originally approved by theSan Joaquin County Board of Supervisors in 1994 and construction was officially started in 2001. Mountain House was thenincorporated in 2024. As of the2020 census, when Mountain House was still classified as acensus-designated place, the population was 24,499.[3]
In 1849, Thomas Goodall erected a blue denim cloth tent to serve as a midway stopover for gold miners headed from San Francisco to theSierra Nevada foothills via Altamont Pass. Goodall eventually built an adobe house at the eastern edge of theDiablo Range hills, calling it The Mountain House. Simon Zimmerman later acquired the stop and it became known as Zimmerman's Mountain House and became a well-known way station stop on the way toStockton. The last remaining settlement buildings were leveled in 1940.[5]
In November 1994, the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors officially approved the new community of Mountain House. In 1996, the master plan was approved. In August 2000, many of the documents controlling the development and growth of Mountain House were adopted and approved by the San Joaquin Board of Supervisors acting as the Mountain House Board of Directors.[6]
Mountain House was projected to be a small full-fledged city developed over a 30-year period by the Master Developer Trimark Communities.[7] The community covers 4,784 acres (1,936 ha) in San Joaquin County. The town was planned for 12 distinct neighborhoods including 10 family neighborhoods and two age-restricted neighborhoods, each organized around a center containing a neighborhood park, a K-8 school, and a small commercial area.
Construction began in 2001, but growth slowed down to about 50 permits per year because of theGreat Recession in 2008. Development started again with increasing building permits and small land development projects in 2010 and 2011 and has continued at a high rate.
As of 2013, Mountain House included the established villages of Wicklund, Bethany, Altamont, Questa, Hansen, Cordes, and College Park. Some 15,000 households or approximately 45,000–50,000 people are anticipated when Mountain House is fully completed.[8]
Local control led Mountain House residents to seek incorporation as California's newest city in 2024. In the March primary election, more than 90% of voting residents voted for incorporation. The city officially came into existence on July 1, 2024, and celebrated with a ceremony on July 4.[9]
In November 2008,The New York Times reported that Mountain House was the "most underwater community in America" – the ZIP code with the highest amount ofnegative equity on its homes.[18] With home values decreasing across the nation, Mountain House was described as the worst-hit, with 90% of its homes worth less than the amount their owners owe in mortgages.[18] The average homeowner in Mountain House was reported to be $122,000 in debt.[18] Many local businesses in the 95391 ZIP code were closing because the homeowners were cutting back on their spending.[18]
CalPERS, an agency that manages pensions for California public employees, invested heavily in Mountain House beginning in 2005, purchasing approximately 9,000 residential lots from Shea Homes. By May 2010, the $1.12 billion investment by CalPERS had been reduced to 18% of that figure: $200 million.[19] Even though home values had dropped significantly, CalPERS determined that they would hold on to the investment, counting on a recovery of the housing market.[19]
An uptick in economic performance at Mountain House was noted in September 2011 byBig Builder, a trade magazine of major land and housing development published by Hanley-Wood.[20]
Acknowledging theNew York Times 2008 article that branded Mountain House as the most underwater community in America, the article chronicled a grassroots commitment by residents to keep their neighborhoods looking well-kept by mowing neglected lawns of homes in foreclosure, short sales or abandoned.
This community spirit helped persuade CalPERS to hold onto its Mountain House investment, despite the drawbacks of a 1994-vintage land plan, termed "out of sync with the realities of the post-housing crash world".[This quote needs a citation] Helping to balance the challenges of the land plan was the level of established infrastructure and homebuyers motivated by affordable pricing, proximity to job centers and traditional neighborhoods.
In April 2012,Big Builder again reported on the community, noting more robust first-quarter sales, new lot offers, and flexibility for semi-finished and raw land in future development.[21]
Mountain House lies on the foothills of the Diablo Range, and close to theAltamont Pass which is over 1,000 feet (300 m) in elevation. It is on the border ofAlameda andContra Costa counties.[22] According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 7.5 square miles (19.3 km2), nearly all of it land.[1] The community is bisected byMountain House Creek.[23] Mountain House Creek originates south of the Altamont Pass andInterstate 580, flowing northeasterly along and crossing under the interstate, then along Grant Line Road to the intersection with Mountain House Road at the historic Alameda County Mountain House.[24] The creek continues northeasterly through the residential communities of Mountain House before emptying into theOld River, adistributary of theSan Joaquin River.
| Climate data forTracy Pumping Plant (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1955–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 74 (23) | 77 (25) | 88 (31) | 97 (36) | 107 (42) | 112 (44) | 112 (44) | 111 (44) | 112 (44) | 102 (39) | 85 (29) | 74 (23) | 112 (44) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 56.3 (13.5) | 61.9 (16.6) | 67.4 (19.7) | 73.2 (22.9) | 80.2 (26.8) | 88.1 (31.2) | 93.3 (34.1) | 92.5 (33.6) | 88.8 (31.6) | 79.1 (26.2) | 65.6 (18.7) | 56.6 (13.7) | 75.2 (24.0) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 48.4 (9.1) | 52.8 (11.6) | 57.2 (14.0) | 61.7 (16.5) | 67.7 (19.8) | 73.7 (23.2) | 77.6 (25.3) | 77.2 (25.1) | 74.5 (23.6) | 66.8 (19.3) | 55.9 (13.3) | 48.5 (9.2) | 63.5 (17.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 40.5 (4.7) | 43.7 (6.5) | 47.0 (8.3) | 50.2 (10.1) | 55.2 (12.9) | 59.4 (15.2) | 61.9 (16.6) | 61.9 (16.6) | 60.2 (15.7) | 54.5 (12.5) | 46.1 (7.8) | 40.3 (4.6) | 51.7 (10.9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 18 (−8) | 23 (−5) | 25 (−4) | 29 (−2) | 34 (1) | 37 (3) | 44 (7) | 42 (6) | 40 (4) | 30 (−1) | 24 (−4) | 17 (−8) | 17 (−8) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.51 (64) | 2.32 (59) | 1.60 (41) | 0.84 (21) | 0.52 (13) | 0.13 (3.3) | 0.00 (0.00) | 0.01 (0.25) | 0.08 (2.0) | 0.67 (17) | 1.32 (34) | 2.37 (60) | 12.37 (314) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 12.9 | 9.6 | 8.4 | 4.8 | 2.7 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 6.7 | 11.8 | 61.1 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Source:NOAA[25][26] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 9,675 | — | |
| 2020 | 24,499 | 153.2% | |
| 2025 (est.) | 28,795 | [4] | 17.5% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[27] 1850–1870[28][29] 1880-1890[30] 1900[31] 1910[32] 1920[33] 1930[34] 1940[35] 1950[36] 1960[37] 1970[38] 1980[39] 1990[40]2000[41] 2010[42] | |||
Mountain House first appeared as acensus designated place in the2010 U.S. census, one of ten CDPS (Acampo,Collierville,Dogtown, Mountain House,Peters,Terminous,Thornton,Victor,Waterloo, andWoodbridge) formed out of the deletedNorth Woodbridge CDP andSouth Woodbridge CDP.[42] In 2024, Mountain House incorporated as a city.
The 2010 Census reported that Mountain House had a population of 9,675.The 2020 Census reported that Mountain House had a population of 24,499, an increase of 153% over the decade.
In 2020, 42% of the population was age 18 or younger and 6% were above age 65.
In 2020, Mountain House grew increasingly diverse with a population that is now 54.6% Asian, 18.7% Non-Hispanic White, 13% Hispanic and 7.3% black, and 9.5% two or more races; 45% of the population have a bachelor's degree or higher.
There were 5,948 households in 2020 and the median household income was $154,347.
The Mountain House Community Services District (MHCSD) provided services from 2008 until the city incorporated in 2024. Before 2008, all services were provided by San Joaquin County.
The MHCSD had 18 primary powers which include providing police (contracted with San Joaquin Sheriffs), fire (contracted with French Camp Fire), library services, water, sewer, garbage (contracted with West Valley Disposal), public recreation, road maintenance, street lights, graffiti abatement, CC&R (Master Restrictions) enforcement, telecommunication services, converting utilities to underground, transportation services, flood control protection, wildlife habitat mitigation, pest and weed abatement, and dissemination of information.[43]
Mountain House is entirely within theLammersville Joint Unified School District.[44] The district became a unified school district in 2010; previously it was aK-8 school district while students attendedTracy Unified School District for high school.[45]Mountain House High School opened in 2014.[46]
Mountain House Elementary School is a K–8 school in unincorporated Alameda County, run by theMountain House Elementary School District.[47]
The south campus of theSan Joaquin Delta College opened in 2020, and is located in the College Park Village of Mountain House.[48]
Mountain House has many immersive community events. In Central Park, a well-known conducted event is “Music in the Park”, where the community gathers to listen to a variety of rotating bands that play different eras of music. This is a monthly outdoor event in the summer to dance, visit vendors, and spend time.[49]
Mountain House Matters is a monthly publication about Mountain House, its people, and activities.[citation needed]
TheTracy Press is a weekly newspaper that covers Tracy and Mountain House.[citation needed]
The nearest railway station is in Tracy, operated byAltamont Corridor Express (ACE).Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority providesbus service toHacienda Business Park and theDublin/Pleasanton BART station.[50]San Joaquin RTD provides van service to theTracy Transit Center.[51]
Interstate 205 serves as the closest major highway to Mountain House, which runs just south of the community and is connected via an interchange at Mountain House Parkway (exit 2). Mountain House Parkway then proceeds by an overpass above I-205 where it becomes International Parkway in Tracy and connects to the southeasterly terminus ofInterstate 580 which eventually merges withInterstate 5 nearVernalis south of Tracy.
Places adjacent to Mountain House, California | |
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Municipalities and communities ofSan Joaquin County, California,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Census-designated places | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
