What is a good, all-around tree to plant in a Northern California garden?

I love California redwoods, which are native to the area, but I assume by an "all-around" tree, you mean a "typical" tree (deciduous) rather than an evergreen.<br /><br />One really nice tree that grows well here is the Chinese Pistache. It has narrow, almost feathery leaves that turn bright red in the fall. It grows to about 30 feet and tolerates heat and drought well.































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This is very dependent on your tastes and micro-climate... Do you want deciduous or evergreen? Tropical or temperate? Big or small? Flowering? Dense or loose leaves?<br /><br />Many, many different trees grow well on the peninsula in the bay area. I prefer evergreen myself. Examples of big evergreen trees that grow well are oak, magnolia, california pepper & madrone, and that's a very short list.