Santa Clara, California

Not to be confused with Santa Clarita, California.
Santa Clara, California
City
City of Santa Clara

The Santa Clara Convention Center in July 2007

Flag
Seal

Location in Santa Clara County and the U.S. state of California
Santa Clara, California

Location in the United States

Coordinates: 37°21′16″N 121°58′9″W / 37.35444°N 121.96917°W / 37.35444; -121.96917Coordinates: 37°21′16″N 121°58′9″W / 37.35444°N 121.96917°W / 37.35444; -121.96917
Country  United States of America
State  California
County Santa Clara
Incorporated July 5, 1852[1]
Government
 • Type Council/Manager[2]
 • City Council[3] Mayor Lisa Gillmor
Pat Kolstad
Debi Davis
Jerry Marsalli
Dominic J. Caserta
Teresa O'Neill
Kathy Watanabe
 • City Manager Julio J. Fuentes[4]
Area[5]
 • Total 18.407 sq mi (47.675 km2)
 • Land 18.407 sq mi (47.675 km2)
 • Water 0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation[6] 72 ft (22 m)
Population (April 1, 2010)[7]
 • Total 116,468
 • Estimate (2014)[7] 122,192
 • Rank 3rd in Santa Clara County
48th in California
 • Density 6,300/sq mi (2,400/km2)
Time zone Pacific (UTC−8)
 • Summer (DST) PDT (UTC−7)
ZIP codes 95050–95056
Area codes 408/669
FIPS code 06-69084
GNIS feature IDs 1654953, 2411816
Website www.santaclaraca.gov

Santa Clara (/ˌsæntəˈklærə/) is a city in Santa Clara County, California, named after the Spanish mission that was established there in 1777. The city's population was 116,468 at the 2010 United States Census, making it the ninth-most populous city in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Located 45 miles (72 km) southeast of San Francisco, the city was founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission.[8] The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the grounds of Santa Clara University. Saint Clare is the patron saint of Santa Clara.[9]

Santa Clara is located in the center of Silicon Valley and is home to the headquarters of several high-tech companies such as Intel. It is also home to Santa Clara University, the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of California. Levi's Stadium, the home of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers, the site of Super Bowl 50, and the site of the 2019 College Football Playoff title game, is located in the city. It is bordered by San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Cupertino.

History

Santa Clara's Main Street, circa 1910.

The first European to visit the valley was José Francisco Ortega in 1769. He found the area inhabited by Native Americans, whom the Spanish called the Costanos, "coast people", later known as the Ohlone. The Spanish began to colonize California with 21 missions and the Mission Santa Clara de Asis was founded in 1777.

In 1846, the American flag was raised over Monterey and symbolized the transfer of the sovereignty of the California Republic over to the United States of America. In 1851, Santa Clara College was established on the grounds of the original Mission. In 1852, Santa Clara was incorporated as a town; it became state-chartered by 1862.

For the next century the economy centered on agriculture since orchards and vegetables were thriving in the fertile soil. By the beginning of the 20th century, the population had reached 5,000 and stayed about the same for many years.

In 1905, the first public high-altitude flights by humans were made over Santa Clara in gliders designed by John J. Montgomery. The semiconductor industry, which sprouted around 1960, changed the city and surrounding Valley of Heart's Delight; little of its agricultural past remains.

Santa Clara's first medical hospital was built in 1963. This structure, on Kiely Boulevard, was replaced in 2007 with the new Kaiser Permanente medical center located on Lawrence Expressway at Homestead Road.

Santa Clara was also home to a major mental health facility, Agnews State Hospital. According to the National Park Service, more than 100 persons were killed at this site in the 1906 earthquake. The site is the former home to Sun Microsystems and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Santa Clara is drained by three seasonal creeks, all of which empty into the southern portion of San Francisco Bay; these creeks are San Tomas Aquino Creek, Saratoga Creek, and Calabazas Creek.

There are some significant biological resources within the city including habitat for the burrowing owl, a species of special concern in California due to reduction in habitat from urban development during the latter 20th century.[10] This owl uses burrows created by ground squirrels and prefers generally level grasslands and even disturbed areas.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city covers an area of 18.4 square miles (48 km2), all of it land.

Despite being located only 45 miles from San Francisco, Santa Clara's climate is rather distinct—particularly during the summer, when it is generally warm and sunny, as opposed to the foggy and cool conditions one normally finds in San Francisco. The average daily temperatures in July range from 82 °F (28 °C) to 53 °F (12 °C). Winters are mild, with the mean daily temperatures in January ranging from 58 °F (14 °C) to 38 °F (3 °C). Most of the annual rainfall comes in the winter months; the summer months are generally rainless.

Climate data for Santa Clara, California (Santa Clara University, 1893–1976)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 58
(14)		 62
(17)		 66
(19)		 70
(21)		 74
(23)		 79
(26)		 82
(28)		 82
(28)		 81
(27)		 76
(24)		 67
(19)		 59
(15)		 71.3
(21.8)
Average low °F (°C) 38
(3)		 41
(5)		 42
(6)		 44
(7)		 47
(8)		 50
(10)		 53
(12)		 52
(11)		 51
(11)		 47
(8)		 42
(6)		 39
(4)		 45.5
(7.6)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.03
(77)		 2.56
(65)		 2.30
(58.4)		 1.03
(26.2)		 .40
(10.2)		 .09
(2.3)		 .01
(0.3)		 .04
(1)		 .27
(6.9)		 .63
(16)		 1.47
(37.3)		 2.66
(67.6)		 14.49
(368.2)
Average precipitation days (≥ .01 in) 10 9 9 5 3 1 0 0 1 3 6 9 56
Source: Western Regional Climate Center[11]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18802,416—
18902,89119.7%
19003,65026.3%
19104,34819.1%
19205,22020.1%
19306,30220.7%
19406,6505.5%
195011,70276.0%
196058,880403.2%
197086,11846.3%
198087,7001.8%
199093,6136.7%
2000102,3619.3%
2010116,46813.8%
Est. 2014122,192[12]4.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]

2010

A housing development.

The 2010 United States Census[14] reported that Santa Clara had a population of 116,468. The population density was 6,327.3 people per square mile (2,443.0/km²). The ethnic makeup of Santa Clara was 52,359 (45.0%) White, 3,154 (2.7%) African American, 579 (0.5%) Native American, 43,889 (37.7%) Asian (13.6% Indian, 6.9% Chinese, 6.2% Filipino, 3.9% Vietnamese, 3.0% Korean, 1.5% Japanese), 651 (0.6%) Pacific Islander, 9,624 (8.3%) from other races, and 6,212 (5.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 22,589 persons (19.4%); 14.6% of Santa Clara's population was of Mexican ancestry.

The Census reported that 113,272 people (97.3% of the population) lived in households, 2,860 (2.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 336 (0.3%) were institutionalized.

There were 43,021 households, out of which 14,477 (33.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 21,817 (50.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 4,081 (9.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 2,038 (4.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,146 (5.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 312 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 10,906 households (25.4%) were made up of individuals and 2,945 (6.8%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63. There were 27,936 families (64.9% of all households); the average family size was 3.18.

The age distribution of the population was as follows: 24,774 people (21.3%) were under the age of 18, 12,511 people (10.7%) aged 18 to 24, 41,876 people (36.0%) aged 25 to 44, 25,628 people (22.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 11,679 people (10.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.1 years. For every 100 females there were 102.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.9 males.

There were 45,147 housing units at an average density of 2,452.7 per square mile (947.0/km²), of which 19,747 (45.9%) were owner-occupied, and 23,274 (54.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.6%. 53,694 people (46.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 59,578 people (51.2%) lived in rental housing units.

Demographic profile[15] 2010
Total Population 116,468 - 100.0%
One Race 110,256 - 94.7%
Not Hispanic or Latino 93,879 - 80.6%
White alone 42,026 - 36.1%
Black or African American alone 2,929 - 2.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone 240 - 0.2%
Asian alone 43,531 - 37.4%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone 604 - 0.5%
Some other race alone 321 - 0.3%
Two or more races alone 4,228 - 3.6%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 22,589 - 19.4%

2000

As of the census[16] of 2000, there are 102,361 people, 38,526 households, and 24,117 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,149.1/km² (5,566.2/mi²). There are 39,630 housing units at an average density of 832.0/km² (2,155.0/mi²). The ethnic makeup of the city is 55.59% White, 2.29% African American, 0.53% Native American, 29.27% Asian, 0.43% Pacific Islander, 6.94% from other races, and 4.95% from two or more races. 15.99% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 38,526 households out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the city the population was spread out with 19.9% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 39.1% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 103.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.9 males.

According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $75,687, and the median income for a family was $98,977. Males had a median income of $58,641 versus $43,131 for females. The per capita income for the city was $31,755. About 4.5% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

McAfee headquarters

Santa Clara owns and operates an electric utility called Silicon Valley Power. In 2005 Silicon Valley Power brought online the Donald Von Raesfeld (DVR) Power Plant. The new combined cycle gas turbine plant produces 147 megawatts of electricity for the city and its residents.[17] As a result, the going rate for electricity in Santa Clara is considerably cheaper than that offered by Northern California's dominant utility, Pacific Gas and Electric.

Affymetrix, Agilent Technologies, Applied Materials, Arista Networks, Atheros, Coherent, Extreme Networks, FileMaker, Hortonworks, Intel, Intevac, Marvell, McAfee, National Semiconductor, Nvidia, OmniVision Technologies, Palo Alto Networks, PMC-Sierra, Rovi, Synaptics, Marvell Technology Group, OOYALA (www.ooyala.com) and Trident Microsystems are among the companies headquartered in Santa Clara. Namco Bandai Games's United States office is in Santa Clara.[18]

Top employers

According to the City's 2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[19] the top private employers in the city are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 Applied Materials 8,500
2 Intel 7,001
4 Texas Instruments 3,500
5 California's Great America 2,500
6 EMC Corporation 1,338
7 Santa Clara University 1,200
8 Macy's 1,200
9 ON Semiconductor Corporation 1,100
10 Agilent 1,000

Government

Park near the library.
Jerry Brown (D)
Barbara Boxer (D)[20]
Dianne Feinstein (D)[20]
Mike Honda (D)[20]
Bob Wieckowski (D)[21]
Kansen Chu (D)[21]
Ken Yeager of District 4
Julio J. Fuentes
Lisa Gillmor (mayor)
Debi Davis
Pat Kolstad
Dominic J. Caserta
Jerry Marsalli
Teresa O'Neill
Kathy Watanabe

Transportation

The Santa Clara Caltrain station.

Santa Clara has two major train stations: the Santa Clara – Great America Station and the Santa Clara Station. The former is served by Amtrak's Capitol Corridor train and Altamont Commuter Express, while the latter is served by Caltrain, Amtrak's Capitol Corridor train, and Altamont Commuter Express. Santa Clara is located adjacent to Mineta San Jose International Airport, in fact a small portion of the airport is in Santa Clara. Some other nearby major airports include San Francisco International Airport and Oakland International Airport. Most public buses in the city are operated by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. There is a light rail system in Santa Clara and the rest of the county which is also operated by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority(VTA).

Education

Central Park Library in Santa Clara
Interior view of the Santa Clara City Library
Another interior view of the Santa Clara City Library

Santa Clara Unified School District serves Santa Clara and small portions of Sunnyvale and North San Jose. The city is home to nineteen K-8, elementary, and high schools. Many of the schools are named for former farmers, ranchers, and other notable Santa Clara residents such as Bowers and Bracher elementary schools, Buchser Middle School, Wilcox High School, and Santa Clara High School. A small part of the city however is served by Cupertino High School and its feeder schools in the nearby town of its namesake. Jesuit college Santa Clara University, junior college Mission College, and Golden State Baptist College are among the city's higher education facilities.

The city is also home to the Santa Clara City Library.[22]

Athletics

Points of interest

Santa Clara is also home to California's Great America, an amusement park currently operated by Cedar Fair, L.P.. Nearby is the Santa Clara Convention Center, one of Silicon Valley's largest event and meeting venues. Santa Clara also offers several museums such as the Intel Museum, Triton Museum of Art, and the Harris - Lass historical house. Near the above-mentioned Mission College is the Our Lady of Peace Shrine notable for its thirty-two foot tall statue which is viewable from Highway 101 in a manner similar to the statue of Junípero Serra in Hillsborough, CA. The Mission City Center for Performing Arts is the city's venue for theatrical productions and entertainment.

The San Francisco 49ers NFL football team has its headquarters and practice facilities in Santa Clara. On Wednesday, November 8, 2006, the 49ers announced their intention to move the team to Santa Clara in time for the fall 2014 season, after negotiations failed with the city of San Francisco to build a new stadium.[23]

Levi's Stadium

Main article: Levi's Stadium

In 2011, Santa Clara voters approved a plan to build a 68,500-seat stadium for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. The groundbreaking for the stadium, located 45 miles southeast of San Francisco, occurred on April 19, 2012.[24] The stadium is located between the Great America park (to the south) and the Convention Center. The official ribbon cutting took place on Thursday, July 17, 2014. The first professional sporting event hosted at the stadium was a Major League Soccer (MLS) match between the San Jose Earthquakes and the Seattle Sounders on August 2, 2014. The first professional football event hosted at the stadium was a pre-season game between the 49ers and the Denver Broncos, played on August 17, 2014.

The stadium hosted Super Bowl 50 on February 7, 2016, between Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers - the Broncos won the game 24-10.

Sister cities

As of May 2015, Santa Clara has three sister cities:[25]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "California Cities by Incorporation Date" (Word). California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Government". City of Santa Clara. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Councilmembers". City of Santa Clara. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  4. ↑ "City Manager". City of Santa Clara. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  5. ↑ "2010 Census U.S. Gazetteer Files – Places – California". United States Census Bureau.
  6. ↑ "Santa Clara". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  7. 1 2 "Santa Clara (city) QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  8. ↑ Gannett, Henry (1902). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Bulletin of the United States Geological Survey (United States Geological Survey) (197): 231. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Santa Clara University Ethnobiographical Background." Santa Clara University. Retrieved on March 13, 2010.
  10. ↑ Environmental Impact Report for the Esperanca property, Santa Clara, California, Earth Metrics Inc., California State Clearinghouse (1990)
  11. ↑ Santa Clara University, California - Climate Summary. Wrcc.dri.edu. Retrieved on 2013-07-29.
  12. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  14. ↑ "2010 Census Interactive Population Search: CA - Santa Clara city". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Demographic Profile Bay Area Census".
  16. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  17. ↑ Silicon Valley Power Dedicates Donald Von Raesfeld Power Plant on June 15, 2005, City of Santa Clara news release (2005)
  18. ↑ "Company Info." Namco Bandai. Retrieved on December 8, 2008.
  19. ↑ City of Santa Clara CAFR
  20. 1 2 3 "California's 17th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  21. 1 2 "Statewide Database". UC Regents. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Library." City of Santa Clara. Retrieved on December 7, 2009.
  23. ↑ "Source: 49ers plan to move out of S.F.". Yahoo News. November 9, 2006. (Link dead as of 15 January 2007)
  24. ↑ Video: 49ers' groundbreaking ceremony for Santa Clara stadium - San Jose Mercury News. Mercurynews.com. Retrieved on 2013-07-29.
  25. ↑ "News : New Sister City". City of Santa Clara. Retrieved May 1, 2015.

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