Family Focus, Excellent Schools And Quality Home Choices Highlight Village Of Questa at Mountain House

MOUNTAIN HOUSE, CA, July 13, 2012 (Press-News.org) New homebuyers who want to make their move in time for the upcoming school year are finding exceptional opportunities in the village of Questa at Mountain House. Available new homes here include desirable move-in ready choices that make now the time to buy for families who want to get their kids enrolled in a top elementary school before September.

The village of Questa at Mountain House offers 24 distinctive one- and two-story designs that attract first-time buyers, move-up families and empty nesters. Situated in 5 inviting neighborhoods, these detached homes are priced from the $200,000s to the $400,000s and offer 1,957 to 3,664 square feet of living space. And the builders--Meritage Homes, Shea Homes and Standard Pacific--are award-winning companies with national reputations for quality and service.

Sebastian Questa Elementary is the school buyers will find in their new community. Serving the village of Questa, it has more than 500 K-8 students, advanced technologies and the highest API (Academic Performance Index) score in Lammersville Unified School District. As a top-notch learning center, the school is also a key asset for the larger community.

Lemuel ("Lem") Vergara is Principal of Sebastian Questa Elementary School. That makes him high visibility with parents here, who care deeply about their kids' education. Yet this is only part of the civic involvement that keeps Vergara out and about in his community.

Launching Mountain House Little League team with a group of friends five years ago, he became a coach. He also signed on as a soccer coach, when his wife Micaela helped in organizing the Mountain House Soccer Club last year.

"Schools and kids are core reasons many people choose to live at Mountain House, so it's natural that school activities generate social and cultural networking and organizations that serve the wider community," says Vergara. "Our campus is right next to Questa Park and the school includes a terrific multi-use component, so you see a lot of community action here."

Micaela is a fourth grade teacher and serves on the school board. "My boss at work, my boss at home!" says Vergara. Their sons, 8 and 6, are also thoroughly engaged, at school and with baseball, soccer and some of the many other activities so easy to tap into at Mountain House.

"We learned about Mountain House from my parents, who are in Wicklund Village, and we moved to our new home in time for the 2005-2006 school year," says Vergara. "We wanted to be part of a new place, a place that was forming its own culture--one where the families are really involved with their children's lives, and with the quality of the community. We found it all right here."

An education professional for more than 17 years, Vergara taught school in East San Jose and Union City before entering his administrative career as an assistant principal. Then Mountain House drew the Vergara family further east, and to the opportunity at Wicklund School, and ultimately, to Sebastian Questa Elementary School.

"We were attracted by coming to a small district that would grow, and by the wonderful diversity of the Bay Area, which we like very much, and which we see reflected in Mountain House," says Vergara. "And while our cultural backgrounds are diverse, residents of Mountain House and Questa Village share real dedication to quality education and quality lifestyle for their kids. The involvement level is just tremendous."

A vibrant Community Services District strengthens this dynamic, creating even more choices for people moving here. Naming but a few on the annual calendar, Vergara cited concerts in the park, kite festivals, fun runs, carnivals and seasonal events.

"All these activities happen organically, because someone who loves an activity will find people to share it," says Vergara. "We have a mothers' club, tennis club, dog club, running club, flag football--the list goes on!"

Whether structured or spontaneous, Mountain House doings are widely publicized, and online channels are big. Residents stay in the know at www.MountainHouseLiving.com, with its links to community forums, blogs and related Facebook sites. Questa Elementary newsletters, curriculum information and more can be found online at the Lammersville Unified School District.

While online connections help nurture the close-knit community dynamic, Vergara stresses that real people are every bit as visible as virtual ones. "This is not the kind of place where people open their garage doors, drive in and disappear, or where you can only make contact online."

"You see people in our parks and on our streets, out walking their dogs, riding their bikes--and pushing strollers at school every morning," he says. These are active, engaged citizens who share core beliefs about solid family life, and it's great."

Vergara also reported that the new high school is moving forward, as the Lammersville Unified School District responds to ongoing new home sales and construction in the village of Questa and Mountain House. He added that the district plans joint use arrangements for the upcoming facility, to further enhance community life.

"There is a place for everyone in Mountain House, and that feeling is one of the main reasons people are so incredibly happy to call it home," adds Vergara. "I can easily say that Micaela and I have no plans to be anywhere but right here."

Some 750 acres of reserved open space also highlight this new town east of Livermore, which is home to approximately 3,000 people. Established amenities include five parks, three state-of-the-art K-8 schools and a library. Today's Mountain House has four villages. At completion, Mountain House will include 10 villages, additional K-8 schools, a high school, and a Town Center with shopping, entertainment, and dining.

From the Bay Area, take the I-580 past Livermore. Exit Mountain House Parkway. Follow signs to model home centers. Call 209-830-9933 for Meritage Homes. Call 209-833-7081 for Standard Pacific Homes and call 209-833-8427 for Shea Homes.

Mountain House is served by the Mountain House Community Services District (MHCSD). The developer of Questa at Mountain House is Shea Mountain House LLC. Visit www.MountainHouseLiving.com.