Pleasanton Parks and Recreation Master Plan

1-6 Pleasanton Parks and Recreation Master Plan Section One ‐ Introduction 2014 Summary of Demographic Context Understanding the demographic context of Pleasanton is an important component of recreation facility and program planning. Demographic characteristics such as age, presence of children, ethnicity, and income have been demonstrated in past research to have a relationship to recreation patterns and program needs. For these reasons, an overview of changes and emerging trends of the resident population is important as the community plans its preferred future. The varying rates of participation in recreation activities by demographic segments of the population are taken into account when preparing the demand and needs projections. Pleasanton has an above average proportion of population under 18 years of age which is reflected in the relatively large proportion of households with children. This together with an above average homeownership rate, high home values, rents, and income levels is indicative of an active community and defines the demand profile for the various types of City recreation facilities. The City of Pleasanton experienced rapid growth of 36%5 between 1990 and 2000. Growth slowed to 10% between 2000 and 2010. Overall, Pleasanton has experienced an increase of over 66,082 residents since 1960. Due to the economic downturn of 2007‐2009 and the resulting slow rate of recovery, Pleasanton’s growth rate is anticipated to continue at a very modest annual average rate of 1.4% (by an additional 10,620 residents) until the time General Plan buildout is reached sometime after 2025. It is expected that Pleasanton will experience a continued increase in ethnic diversity. In 2000, the Asian population of Pleasanton was 11.8% of the total population and the Hispanic 7.9%. In just 10 years those percentages have increased to 25.9% for the Asian population and 10.3% for the Hispanic population. Household sizes should remain stable and the percentage of children under 18 years of age could decline somewhat. Along with U.S. demographic trends, the percentage of Pleasanton residents aged 55 and older increased from 16.4% of the total population in 2000 to 22.8% in 2010, and is expected to increase further in the coming years. Pleasanton household income levels are well above average at $110,935 and are expected to remain so in the future. Pleasanton is known for being an employment center, which makes it a good medium‐sized City in which to live, work and play. The percentage of Pleasanton workers who live and work in town5 is 31.8%, which is higher than neighboring cities (for example Livermore is 27.2%, San Ramon 26.5%, Dublin 5%, Danville 19%). At the same time the average worker commute is higher than its neighbors, at 33.3 minutes per commute (ranking 35th on the worst 100 Cities commutes list). This means that workers seeking recreation opportunities during the work day are higher than average, but because there are many people with long commutes, this statistic has an impact on both the hours available for recreation use as well as the times of the day those hours are available (before and after work and weekends). 5 http://www.city‐data.com/city/Pleasanton‐California.html