San Lorenzo is an unincorporated community bounded by San Leandro to the north and Hayward to the south. The first residents of the area were Indians related to the Ohlone tribe. Their first villages were along El Arroyo San Lorenzo, now known as San Lorenzo Creek, in an area rich with deer, elk, grizzly bears and other game. Spanish soldiers and missionaries visited the land in 1769.

In 1797, the Spaniards mapped the grazing lands in the area. Mexico granted the land, then called Rancho San Lorenzo, to Guillermo Castro, a soldier and surveyor. People from across the United States came to the area during the Gold Rush and settled along the arroyo. When Spanish landowners failed to evict them from what came to be known as Squattersville, they sold the land to the squatters, or their disputes were taken to American courts after California became a state in 1850.

The federal government accepted the name San Lorenzo with the opening of the agricultural community’s post office on April 4, 1854. John Boyle started his forge-fire blacksmith shop, the first business in town, in 1853. There were two main attractions in the community - Roberts Landing at the foot of Lewelling Boulevard and a resort community surrounding the park at San Lorenzo Grove. Two hotels provided tourist accommodations. By 1870, the San Lorenzo Grove consisted of eight acres of recreation area. It sported a dance pavilion, picnic grounds and playing fields. A trolley service connected the park to East 14th Street and 150th Avenue.

The grove later became an apricot orchard and the pavilion was torn down in 1926. By 1942, the population grew to more than 1,500. During World War II, David Bohannon’s Greenwood Corp. built 1,459 homes, which later became the San Lorenzo Village Homes that make up the core of the community today. The San Lorenzo Village Homes Association has grown to more than 5,600 homes, and is one of the oldest and largest such associations in the country, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 1995.

Governed by an elected five-member board of directors, and representing more than 80 percent of the population, the association is responsible for street sweeping, enforcement of homeowners’ regulations, operating community facilities and maintaining a liaison with local agencies.

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http://www.alamedacountysheriff.org/
[Alameda County Sheriff]

http://www.ci.san-leandro.ca.us/slacfiredept.html
[San Leandro Fire Department]

http://www.co.alameda.ca.us/fire/
[Alameda County Fire Department]