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Silicon Valley Real Estate
Whether you prefer relaxation or excitement, Santa Clara County has the ideal mix of amenities to satisfy every home buyer’s whim and mood. If your idea of the perfect home includes nearby options for shopping, then take your time exploring the elegant retail centers, colorful markets, bakeries, bookstores, and one-of-a-kind boutiques scattered throughout the cities and small towns of Silicon Valley.
Santa Clara County Geography
The County of Santa Clara is known as “Silicon Valley,” the birthplace of the high technology revolution. It is unique because of its combination of physical attractiveness and economic diversity. Santa Clara County has long been considered one of the best areas in the United States to live and work. Home owners in Silicon Valley enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the country. Located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay, Santa Clara County encompasses 1,312 square miles. Santa Clara Valley runs the entire length of the county from north to south, ringed by the rolling hills of the Diablo Range on the east, and the Santa Cruz Mountains on the west. Salt marshes and wetlands lie in the northwestern part of the county, adjacent to the waters of San Francisco Bay.
The Climate
Santa Clara County home owners enjoy warm and dry weather much of the year. The temperature seldom drops below freezing and the humidity is rarely uncomfortable. Rain is generally confined to the winter. Silicon Valley home owners can sometimes enjoy snow that falls at the tops of the Mt. Hamilton Range lining the eastern border of the County and the Santa Cruz Mountains to the west.
Employment
Santa Clara County is a major employment center for the region; it provides more than one-quarter of all jobs in the Bay Area. Silicon Valley home owners enjoy one of the highest median family incomes in the country and a result, attracts people from all over the world. The local industry of the County of Santa Clara is dominated by the technology sector. Computer software and hardware manufacturing, wholesale and services in particular are some of the largest industry segments in terms of both annual receipts and employees. According to the California Employment Development Department, twelve of the top fifteen major employers are high technology companies.
The Population
Santa Clara County home owners reside in one of the largest counties in the State of California, following Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange Counties. It is the largest of the nine Bay Area counties. With nearly 1.7 million Silicon Valley residents, its population constitutes about one-fourth of the Bay Area’s total population. As of 2000, there were 565,863 households in the County of Santa Clara.
Cities in Santa Clara County
There are almost endless Santa Clara County real estate options, as it is comprised of 15 cities including Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga, and Sunnyvale, ranging from Palo Alto to the north, to Gilroy in the south. San Jose is the largest city in the County, with a population of nearly 900,000. San Jose is the administrative site of County Government. A significant portion of the county’s land area is unincorporated ranch and farmland. Nearly 92% of the Santa Clara County residents live in cities.
Amenities and Entertainment
Santa Clara County offers numerous amenities to its residents and is home to many public and private golf courses. The County also operates 27 parks covering more than 50,000 acres which includes miles of hiking and biking trails.
Silicon Valley was once California’s first premium wine production regions. It was named “the Valley of the Heart’s Delight” by Native Americans. Local wineries include: J. Lohr Winery, Sarah’s Vineyard, Solis Winery, Sycamore Creek Vineyards, Creekview Vineyards, Fortino Winery and many more.
The region produces excellent Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, among others. Many of the wineries offer tours, picnic grounds, tasting and on-site purchases.
The Tech Museum of Innovation, the Rosicrucian Museum, the Children’s Discovery Museum, the San Jose Museum of Art, and the Triton Museum are a only a few of the local museums and art galleries.
There are also many performing arts venues including concerts, symphonies, opera, musical theater, children’s musical theater, and repertory theater.
The Mountain Winery and Villa Montalvo are among the venues for local concerts.
Bonfante Gardens, Raging Waters, Paramount’s Great America, and the Santa Clara County Fair are among the local theme parks.
Silicon Valley home owners can enjoy the famous Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton, the hills of San Francisco, or any number of beautiful beaches along the Pacific Ocean from Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay to Monterey and Carmel as they are only a short drive away.
Santa Clara County also boasts Santa Clara University, a Jesuit, Catholic university. Santa Clara University offers its more than 8,000 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, plus master’s, Ph.D., and law degrees.