After the creation of Alameda County in 1853, a slow, growing number of immigrants to the area bought small farms or set up a few small businesses in Dublin. In fact, the eastern portion of the County was named Murray Township after Michael Murray. They and the other residents founded a school, church, a few small hotels, and a general store at the crossroads. Later, small groups of settlers or workers coming to the area reflected the general nationalities of immigrants coming to California and to America in the 1800s. Those immigrants included people from Mexico, Ireland, China, Canada, Denmark, Portugal, and Germany. Native Americans continued to live and work in the area.
Faster development took place in Livermore and Pleasanton after the late 1860s with the arrival of the transcontinental railroad. Dublin continued to be a hub for local freight, mainly agricultural products and cattle going to in Hayward, Oakland, and San Francisco.
The advent of the automobile and truck started to change the area in the early 1900s. More and more commercial and agricultural traffic used the crossroads and early highways to move people and products. By 1919, the Stockton-Hayward road became part of the Lincoln Highway. This was a grand plan to connect San Francisco and New York for motor traffic. As traffic grew, Dublin was often referenced in local newspapers as the location of gruesome car and truck accidents that happened along the highway. The highways also provided a convenient method for transporting illegal alcoholic beverages from, or to, the San Francisco Bay Area during Prohibition (1920-1933).