Explore Landmarks in Lafayette, California

Lafayette is a town in the U.S. county of Contra Costa, California. In 2010 the population of the town was 23,893. This was named after a French war hero of the American Revolutionary War, the Marquis de Lafayette. Today Lafayette is renowned for its rolling green hills, strong schools and wealthy inhabitants.

The city is part of the greater San Francisco Bay Area and has its own mass transit station on the BART system. Lafayette is situated between Walnut Creek, Moraga and Orinda and is culturally known as part of "Lamorinda" together with the latter two cities.

The Berkeley Hills (and the Caldecott Tunnel flowing beneath) distinguish Lafayette from greater Berkeley and Oakland, a spatial border within the East Bay that also reflects important meteorological, economic, and political distinctions. Lafayette, like the rest of the San Francisco Bay Area, has Mediterranean climate.

The area immediately east of the hills is commonly known for its more residential or agricultural setting, which features rolling, grassy hills that reflect a more calm, domestic look. The Lafayette Reservoir is situated in the southwestern part of Lafayette, and the Briones Regional Park stretches through the northern part of Lafayette. Wildlife habitats in Lafayette contain mixed woodland and oak trees.

Another historic location located in Lafayette is the Park Theatre, which opened first in 1941, and then ceased operations in 2005. The Park Theater was originally a movie theatre on an intersection where the statue of LaFayette was built. Until ceasing operations in 2005, it then screened its last video. Recently; however, plans have been made to rebuild the viewing theater.

Lafayette is surrounded by beautiful hills and green fields. Trails offer a means for people to connect and communicate directly with this environment, and provide alternatives to travel. Lafayette has seven City-managed parks, and a Community Park hiking network — about 16 miles of parks. Furthermore, Lafayette profits from East Bay Regional Park District parks – the Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail, and several more parks across our neighboring mountains. The Lafayette Reservoir land of the East Bay Public Utility District has a paved path around the lake, and an upper gravel path along the rim of the reservoir.

In 1983 the City purchased the Civic Center from the board of Lafayette High School. It was a former primary school in Burton. The Community Center has 10 rooms that are of varying sizes and are used for a variety of recreational purposes.