Lafayette is a city in Contra Costa County, California, set in the wooded hills of the East Bay about thirteen miles east of Oakland. It forms the Lamorinda area together with the neighboring towns of Moraga and Orinda, a region known for its scenic landscape, strong schools, and established suburban character. The city covers about fifteen square miles, with much of its terrain defined by oak-dotted hillsides and the valleys between them. The area's history reaches back to Rancho Acalanes, a Mexican land grant made to Candelario Valencia in 1834, whose name derives from an earlier native village. American settlement began in 1848 with the arrival of Elam Brown, who purchased the rancho, and the community was later named for the Marquis de Lafayette, the French hero of the American Revolution. Lafayette incorporated as a city in 1968. Today Lafayette is home to roughly 25,000 residents. The city is served by the Lafayette School District for elementary and middle grades and by the Acalanes Union High School District for secondary education; Acalanes High School, the first of the district's four schools, is located in town. A BART station on the Yellow Line sits in the median of State Route 24, giving Lafayette direct rail access to Oakland, San Francisco, and the wider Bay Area. The Lafayette Reservoir, a mile from the BART station off Highway 24, anchors the city's outdoor life with hiking, boating, and fishing. For homebuyers, Lafayette offers a rare combination in the Bay Area: a quiet, low-density hillside setting, highly regarded schools, and genuine rail access to the region's urban centers.