WELCOME TO PIEDMONT

Piedmont is a small, primarily residential community with fine architecture, tree-lined streets, and competitive city schools. Because of its school system, low crime rate, good weather, and high property values, it is regarded as one of the most desirable residential communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Piedmont was named one of the "25 Top-Earning Towns" in CNN Money Magazine's list of 'The Best Places to Live.'

Piedmont is largely zoned for residential use. Piedmont has a minimal amount of commerce compared with its statistically similar counterparts. However, shopping is plentiful in adjacent Oakland neighborhoods such as Piedmont Avenue, Montclair, Grand Lake, and Rockridge. It has a small commercial district in the center of town along Highland Avenue that includes a gas station, three banks (Citibank, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America), a realty office, Mulberry's Market, and some professional offices. A small number of commercial enterprises also line Grand Avenue near Piedmont's southwest border with Oakland. Located in the East Bay hills, Piedmont is surrounded by the city of Oakland. Piedmont provides its own fire and police services but does not have its own public library or federal post office; these services are shared with Oakland. Indeed, Piedmont's three ZIP codes are all shared with Oakland. The relationship between Oakland and Piedmont is remarkable among American cities; although property in Piedmont is surrounded by Oakland and residents depend on neighboring communities for supermarkets and other commerce, property taxes on Piedmont real estate are not shared with Oakland. Some residents have remarked that, in a sense, Oakland's most valuable real estate and most wealthy residents are actually in the city of Piedmont.

The city is served by two local weekly newspapers: the citizen-run Piedmont Post and the Piedmonter, a neighborhood newspaper organized under the Contra Costa Times news organization.

Piedmont has several parks and a community center. It is also the location of the national lawn darts championship.