San Lorenzo is a census-designated place in Alameda County, on the flatlands of the East Bay between the incorporated cities of San Leandro to the north and Hayward to the south. Historically part of the Eden Township, the area's story runs from the Muwekma Ohlone through the Mission era and the Gold Rush, when the vicinity was informally known as Squattersville. It remained largely rural until the middle of the twentieth century. The community's defining feature is San Lorenzo Village, a residential development laid out after World War II and often described as one of the first planned housing communities in the United States. Built to house returning veterans and their families, the Village established the pattern of several thousand single-family homes surrounding a modest commercial district that still defines San Lorenzo today. The area was recognized as a distinct unincorporated community beginning with the 1960 census. San Lorenzo remains unincorporated, governed by Alameda County rather than its own city government. Its roughly 29,600 residents enjoy a suburban, community-oriented feel, with neighborhood parks, walking paths, and green space threaded through the residential streets, and marshland along the bay shore to the west. The community's location gives it direct access to Interstate 880 and Interstate 238, and Bay Area Rapid Transit stations in neighboring Hayward and San Leandro place Oakland, San Francisco, and the wider Bay Area within convenient commuting distance. For families, the San Lorenzo Unified School District serves the community and surrounding areas, anchoring the local school system. The community also sits near the East Bay Regional Park District's open-space network, with the hills and shoreline of the East Bay close at hand. Together these qualities make San Lorenzo a practical, long-established East Bay base with deep mid-century roots.