Northridge is located in the northern portion of Lafayette, California. This community dates back to 1961 and has continued to develop over the years. The zip code of Northridge is 94549, and the main streets of the neighborhood are Nordstrom Lane, Glen Road and Lincoln Way.
Northridge is blessed with an abundance of fun attractions for residents and visitors to enjoy. Here’s a short list of our favorites:
The Lafayette Recreation Area, located off Highway 24 just one mile from the Lafayette BART station, is an all-year-round day-use area suitable for hiking, jogging, fishing, boating and picnicking. At Lafayette Reservoir, there are two key trails. The Nature Path on the Lakeside (paved, 2.7 miles) and the Rim Trail (unpaved, 4.7 miles). In addition, there are 928 acres of open space for hiking, watching nature, photography, and enjoying lovely views.
More than just the ballet! The theater had so many entertainment options from magician shows to major plays. Take a look at the schedule and plan a playdate with the Arts. Great place for getting your kids into the theater experience. It's very easy to get in and out safely with kids.Park in the garage near the top floors and use the elevator. You don't have to go to the street to get in and parking is often free or cheap.
Lindsay Wildlife Experience specializes in the care of animals unable to return to the wild. Almost all of the 70 animals that call Lindsay Wildlife home have a physical, emotional, or behavioral condition that would render them unable to live in the wild. As animal ambassadors, all the animals that reside at Lindsay Wildlife Experience represent and inform the public on conservation and natural history. Some animals are on public view; others live off show and are taken out for lectures, workshops, tours, and meetings with private animals.
All-Outdoors was founded by George Armstrong, a whitewater rafting pioneer, in 1962, and has grown to be one of California's largest family-owned and operated rafting outfitters. In addition to maintaining a large fleet of rafts and equipment on each channel, the company remains headquartered in Walnut Creek. All-Outdoors is now a family owned by Scott Armstrong, the son of George.
Sather Tower is a bell tower on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley with clocks on its four faces. Owing to its similarities to the Campanile di San Marco in Venice, it is more generally known as The Campanile. It is a familiar university emblem. This is the third-highest bell-and-clock-tower in the world given by Jane K. Sather in memory of her husband, Banker Peder Sather. Its present 61-bell carillon, designed around a 12-bell nucleus also provided by Jane Sather, can be heard for several miles and supports a robust campanology education program.
Residents of Northridge are blessed to live in an area full of nature while also being quite close to city life. There is never a shortage of coffee shops, parks or shopping centers to enjoy within a five-minute drive of Northridge. Residents are also able to enjoy a rich spiritual life at the following houses of worship:
Founded on July 1, 1966, St. Stephen, Walnut Creek, CA was born. It was founded by Bishop Floyd L. Begin, Bishop of the Diocese of Oakland, and consisted of segments of St. Mary, Christ the King and St. Perpetua parishes on a portion of Sousa-Silva ranch grazing land. A generous donation of $50,000 from St. Mary and Christ the King parishes supported the creation of St. Stephen Parish. The church was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright's student and eventual partner, Aaron Green. The design process lasted more than two years. A college, a convent and a rectory were part of the original master plan.
In 1959, the Fellowship became the Mt. Diablo Unitarian Church and named its first minister, Aron Gilmartin, from the University Unitarian Church in Seattle. For the minister's office and space for church school classes, they leased the basement of the Highland House. Services were held at the Walnut Creek Women's Center, and they met at the Red Cross Building as attendance grew, with two Sunday morning services. The members dreamed that they were all together. For a year, the Building Committee worked to find a location. They decided, "This is the place," when they saw the hillside on which their church now stands.
The most significant choice you will make is to choose your spiritual direction. St Luke's Lutheran Church is a small, caring congregation nestled in Walnut Creek's southern section. Their seven-acre campus lends itself to reflection, slowing down, contemplation and quietness that is much required. Life is a trip, not a sprint. They wish to create a place where you and your loved ones can reflect, listen to the Scripture and develop in your spiritual life.
In 1958, Grace Presbyterian Church was established to serve Walnut Creek's rising population. The Rev. Robert Williams, the former founding pastor, still serves as Pastor Emeritus of the parish. Charie Reid, a former associate pastor, also serves as Pastor Emerita. In 2018, the second Senior Pastor, Reverend Roger Reaber, retired. In the midst of the global pandemic crisis, the third Senior Pastor, Rev. Mark Burnham, began his tenure in April 2020. Grace is providing their first ever online worship experience in response to this crisis.
Hillside Covenant Church’s first and primary aim in their community’s worship times is to express to God our praise for who He is and what He has done (and continues to do) in our lives. They also want our times of worship to be times of sincerity in which not only our joy and thanks, but also our brokenness, doubt, and pain can be expressed to God and to each other. They believe that God visits us and ministers to us as we give up all of ourselves to His agenda.
Northridge is also home to some amazing parks, schools, public libraries and schools for its citizens to enjoy. These facilities are all world-class, beautifully maintained and clean so residents of surrounding communities often visit to enjoy them. Here’s a short list all located in Northridge:
Springhill Elementary School is a highly ranked public school in Lafayette, CA. With a student-teacher ratio of 22 to 1, it has 454 students in grades K-5. 75 percent of students are at least proficient in math and 79 percent in reading, according to state test scores.
The Acalanes Union High School District is recognized as one of California's best performing school districts. Parent participation and support is given by parents and booster groups, and foundations with voluntary hours and fund-raising. To upgrade district services, the community passed bond elections in 1988, 2002, 2005, and 2009; and passed parcel taxes in 1991, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2005, and 2010 to preserve or enhance educational opportunities for district students.
The school provides trained staff with comprehensive early care and education training; regular, comforting and enjoyable routines that meet the needs of each age group; constructive guidance strategies including clear limits, redirection, modeling, choices and positive expectations for each child; organized events and experiences to improve abilities and independence in self-help.
In 1948, in an area where agriculture was moving out to make way for suburban growth, Parkmead Elementary School, located in Walnut Creek, first opened its doors. It's now a fast 10-minute walk from a booming downtown area that has developed into the San Francisco East Bay region's culturally rich center. The centralized location of the school offers an ideal base to explore the Bay Area, the nature museum of the city, many sites of living history, and the main performing arts center of the region, all of which are frequently used by the school. In 1985, because of low enrollment, the governing board decided to close the school. With 324 students, Parkmead was reopened in 1989. Parkmead School has grown to its present population of nearly 450 TK-5 students in the years since it reopened.
Seven Hills was founded by a collection of East Bay parents in 1962 (as St. Stephen's Day School) who wanted to create a different kind of educational experience for their children, mixing academic excellence with character-building, material mastery with trust and agility to navigate an increasingly complex environment. The school's first home was in Orinda, before it moved to Walnut Creek's Seven Hills Ranch, where it now resides. Inspired by the natural beauty of its new site, the school's name was changed to The Seven Hills School by school leaders.
