Having added nearly 6,000 residents in the past three years the East Bay suburb of Dublin is known as one of the fastest growing cities in Alameda County.
With nearly 56,000 residents, the city’s growth can be attributed to its housing costs and quality schools.
Dublin is the Bay Area’s affordable solution
With a number of San Francisco, San Jose and inner East Bay residents getting priced out of their housing markets, Dublin represents a more affordable alternative.
Roughly 35 miles from both San Jose and downtown San Francisco, Dublin boasted a median existing home sales price of $780,000 as of mid-April, according to Realtor.com. While this sales prices is significantly lower than San Francisco’s $1.2 million median price, home values in Dublin have risen by more than 9 percent spanning the past year.
With population growth comes the need for new housing and homebuilders are responding in Dublin.
Brookfield Residential recently announced it will construct 1,995 homes as part of a development in Dublin. The first phase will feature roughly 400 homes – a mix of townhomes and single-family detached. The majority of the development will be for-sale product rather than multifamily. K Hovnanian Homes is another active homebuilder.
Currently Landsea Holdings, a U.S. subsidiary of a large Chinese homebuilder, is selling two, three and four-bedroom condos/townhomes.
Expansion to Dublin pushes enrollment
Population growth has significantly impacted the city’s school district, as Dublin High School’s enrollment is expected to exceed capacity within a year.
In a move to build a third high school the Dublin Unified School District has entered into a partnership with IKEA, who is attempting to build a store within the city. Under the partnership’s proposal IKEA would build a high school right into its new Dublin store or next to it.
The district is highly touted, as it recently ranked as the 41st top district in California. GreatSchools gave the district a score of 10, with the top rated schools being Dublin Elementary School, Dublin HIgh School, Eleanor Murray Fallon School and James Dougherty Elementary School.
Dublin’s past
Prior to Dublin’s population expansion the city housed, and still houses, a prison, a correctional institution, a training area and a sizable regional park.
The Santa Rita Jail is one of the largest in both California and the U.S., and considered a “mega-jail.”
The Federal Correctional Institution within Dublin’s city limits is one of only three federal prisons for women in the nation. The prison is said to be nearly three times over populated.
Camp Parks, a parks reserve forces training area is also located in the city, as is Dublin Hills Regional Park, a 654-acre undeveloped open space that features a number of trails.
