Danville residents like to call their town a special place. With oak trees lining the main street, rolling hills in the background and many businesses nestled in small wooden structures, the downtown has a quaint feel that the town’s leaders work actively to preserve.

Danville was named after Daniel Inman, who purchased 400 acres of farmland in 1858. To establish a post office, the area needed a name, so Danville it became, said historian Virgie V. Jones.

Today, the town’s main strip is Hartz Avenue, named after one of the area’s first subdividers. But around Inman’s time, the central avenue was Front Street, also known as Waterfront Street for its proximity to the San Ramon Creek.

Among the first businesses were a hotel, a blacksmith shop, a barbershop and a veterinarian’s office. The railroad came to Danville in 1891 and brought with it changes and growth. By the early 1900s, the town was growing rapidly, with the addition of several banks, a department store, a courtroom, telephone office, post office and high school. The 18-square-mile town incorporated in 1982.

---