Cupertino, California
Encyclopedia
Cupertino is an affluent suburb
an city in Santa Clara County
, California
in the U.S.
, directly west of San Jose
on the western edge of the Santa Clara Valley
with portions extending into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains
. The population was 58,302 at the time of the 2010 census. Forbes
ranked it as one of the most educated small towns. It is best known as home to the worldwide headquarters of Apple Inc.
San José de Cupertino (now Stevens Creek). The creek had been named by Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza
's cartographer, who named it after Saint Joseph of Cupertino
. Saint Joseph (born Giuseppe Maria Desa, and later known as Giuseppe da Copertino) was named after the town of Copertino
in the Apulia
region of Italy
. The name Cupertino first became widely used when John T. Doyle, a San Francisco lawyer and historian, named his winery on McClellan Road "Cupertino". After the turn of the 20th century, Cupertino displaced the former name for the region, which was "West Side". Recently it tied up with Bhubaneswar
in India as a sister city for mutual and co-lateral growth.
, plum
, apricot
, and cherry
orchards. A winery on Montebello Ridge overlooking the Cupertino valley region was also operating by the late 19th century.
Soon railroads, electric railways, and dirt roads traversed the West Side farmlands. Monta Vista, Cupertino's first housing tract, was developed in the mid-20th century as a result of the electric railway's construction.
After World War II
, a population and suburban housing boom dramatically shifted the demographics and economy of the Santa Clara Valley
, as the "Valley of Heart's Delight" was beginning to transform into "Silicon Valley
". In 1954, Cupertino leaders began to drive for incorporation as they were concerned about unplanned development and rising property taxes. In the September 27, 1955 election, voters approved the incorporation of the City of Cupertino. Cupertino officially became Santa Clara County's 13th City on October 10, 1955.
A major milestone in Cupertino's development was the creation by some of the city's largest landowners of VALLCO Business and Industrial Park in the early 1960s. Of the 25 property owners, 17 decided to pool their land to form VALLCO Park, 6 sold to Varian Associates
(property later sold to Hewlett-Packard
), and two opted for transplanting to farms elsewhere. The name VALLCO was derived from the names of the principal developers: Varian Associates and the Leonard, Lester, Craft, and Orlando families. A neighborhood outdoor shopping center and, much later, the enclosed Vallco Fashion Park, briefly renamed Cupertino Square, were also developed.
De Anza College
opened in 1967. The college, named for Juan Bautista De Anza
, occupies a 112 acre (0.45324832 km²) site that was the location of a winery built at the turn of the 20th century, called Beaulieu by its owners, Charles and Ella Baldwin. Their mansion has now become the California History Center. De Anza College now has about 22,000 students and is a hub of activity in the city. Its flea market, held the first Saturday of the month, attracts thousands from around the area.
Housing developments were rapidly constructed in the following years as developers created many neighborhoods, including Fairgrove, Garden Gate, Monta Vista, Seven Springs, and many other developments. Although originally low-cost housing, Silicon Valley's housing prices shot up dramatically as many houses that were formerly lowly priced became multi-million dollar homes. The high cost of living in Cupertino is attributed by people wanting their children to receive high-quality schooling. Nevertheless, the price of housing seems to have weathered even the 2007–8 slump in economy.
On December 1, 2009, Cupertino became the first city in Northern California to have an Asian-American-majority city council.
was 5,179.1 people per square mile (1,999.7/km²). The racial makeup of Cupertino was 18,270 (31.3%) White, 344 (0.6%) Black American, 117 (0.2%) American Indian, 36,895 (63.3%) Asian (28.1% Chinese, 22.6% Indian, 4.6% Korean, 3.3% Japanese, 1.3% Vietnamese, 0.9% Filipino, 0.4% Pakistani, 0.1% Thai, 0.1% Bangladeshi), 54 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 670 (1.1%) from other races
, and 1,952 (3.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2,113 persons (3.6%); 2.4% of Cupertino is Mexican.
The Census reported that 57,965 people (99.4% of the population) lived in households, 61 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 276 (0.5%) were institutionalized.
There were 20,181 households, out of which 9,539 (47.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 13,802 (68.4%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 1,393 (6.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 581 (2.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 378 (1.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 89 (0.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,544 households (17.6%) were made up of individuals and 1,612 (8.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87. There were 15,776 families
(78.2% of all households); the average family size was 3.28.
The population was spread out with 16,075 people (27.6%) under the age of 18, 3,281 people (5.6%) aged 18 to 24, 15,621 people (26.8%) aged 25 to 44, 16,044 people (27.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 7,281 people (12.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.9 years. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males.
There were 21,027 housing units at an average density of 1,867.9 per square mile (721.2/km²), of which 12,627 (62.6%) were owner-occupied, and 7,554 (37.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.7%. 36,464 people (62.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 21,501 people (36.9%) lived in rental housing units.
of the US Census Bureau, the median income for a household in the city was $118,635, and the median income for a family was $140,199. The per capita income
for the city was $44,774. About 3.6% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.
According to the 2005-2007 American Community Survey, White Americans made up 37.4% of Cupertino's population. Black Americans now made up 1.5% of Cupertino's population and American Indians made up 0.4% of the city's population. In addition, Cupertino now has an Asian American majority as this group now represents 55.7% of the city's population. Pacific Islander Americans remained at 0.1% of the population. Also, 2.5% of the population are from some other race and 2.4% of the population are from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos remained at 4.0% of Cupertino's population.
In the 2000 Census, non-Hispanic whites
made up 47.8% of Cupertino's population. According to the 2005-2007 American Community Survey, non-Hispanic whites now represented 35.3% of the city's population.
Cupertino was the only city
with both a population over 50,000 and a median household income
in excess of $100,000 in 2000 besides Naperville, Illinois.
. The eastern part of the city, located in the Santa Clara Valley
, is flat while the western part of the city slopes into the Santa Cruz Mountains
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 11.3 square miles (29.3 km²), 99.99% of it land and 0.01% of it water.
Cupertino has warm weather with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. Oak
and redwood forests cover the hills overlooking the Cupertino lowlands.
Averages in July (at Santa Clara University
)
Averages in January (at Santa Clara University
)
Extremes
, as many semi-conductor and computer companies were founded here and in the surrounding areas. The worldwide headquarters for Apple Inc. is also located here in a modern complex circled by the playfully named Infinite Loop
. Apple has also announced that it plans to build a new 150 acres (607,029 m²) second campus between Interstate 280, N Wolfe Rd, E Homestead Rd and along Tantau Ave one mile east of the old campus. The different (nine) properties (50 acre (0.202343 km²) south of Pruneridge Avenue were bought in 2006, the property (100 acre (0.404686 km²) north of it in 2010 (from Hewlett-Packard
). On June 7,
2011, a few months before his October 5 death from pancreatic cancer, Steve Jobs
gave a presentation to Cupertino City Council, detailing the architectural design of the new building and its environs. The new campus is planned to house up to 13,000 employees in one central four-storied circular building surrounded by extensive landscape (with parking mainly underground and the rest centralized in a parking structure).
Other companies headquartered in Cupertino include Trend Micro
, Cloud.com
, Lab126
, Packeteer
, Chordiant
, and Seagate Technology
. Over 60 high-tech companies have offices there, including IBM
, Olivetti
and Oracle
. Most of these high-tech companies are located on De Anza Boulevard, Cali Mill Plaza, and Bubb Road.
Though Cupertino is home to the headquarters of many high-tech companies, very little manufacturing actually takes place in the city. The city's large office parks are primarily dedicated to management and design functions.
Earlier in its history Cupertino attributed some of its city income from Vallco Fashion Park (see above), at the time one of the only major indoor shopping malls in the South Bay area. People from the greater South Bay area would come to spend money and contribute to the sales tax. Since then, several other shopping malls have sprung up; Valley Fair (now known as Westfield Valley Fair
) in Santa Clara caters to the high end, expensive name brand boutique stores, while the Great Mall
in Milpitas in the 1990s opened to the low-priced and bargain retailers. Vallco Fashion Park was hit hard by these developments, as well as the loss of one of its anchor stores, Emporium, and has had a hard time recovering ever since.
In 2002, Cupertino had a labor force of 25,780 with an unemployment rate of 4.5%. The unemployment rate for the Santa Clara County as a whole was 8.4%.
One of the major employers in the area is the aggregate rock quarry and cement
plant in the foothills to the west of Cupertino. Currently owned and operated by Lehigh Southwest Cement, it was originally founded by Henry J. Kaiser
as the Kaiser Permanente Cement Plant in 1939. Its somewhat novel charter was to provide the majority of the cement used in the construction of the Shasta Dam
. It achieved this goal to with impressive results, supplying the 6 Moilbbl of cement over a dedicated nine mile (14 km)-long conveyor system. The cement plant continues to be an important part of the local economy, and is the sole reason for the lone railroad line that runs through the city. Lehigh Permanente Cement was honored as the Large Business of the Year by the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce in 2001-2002. On October 5, 2011, the Lehigh Permanente Cement Plant was the site of a shooting
in which a disgruntled employee named Shareef Allman shot and killed three people and wounded seven, including one person who was injured during the course of a carjacking by Allman after the shooting. Allman was shot dead by three deputies, two men and one woman (each with less than five years' time at the department), after he would not surrender and displayed a firearm in a threatening manner toward the deputies.
Cupertino contracts with the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office and the Santa Clara County Fire Department for public safety services. The Cupertino Library is part of the Santa Clara County Library System.
The city's symbol is a conquistador's morion
. A sculpture of this helmet stands next to Cupertino City Hall, and several versions of the helmet have also been used as the city logo. The original sculpture was made in 1971 by John Augsburger of San Luis Obispo. A full-sized replica of the sculpture, made by Fred Subega was given to the city of Toyokawa, Japan as a gift to commemorate their tenth anniversary as sister cities. A smaller sculpture in the shape of the helmet in the 1999-2007 Cupertino city seal was also given to the city of Toyokawa as a twenty-fifth anniversary present.
Cupertino is located in the 11th Senate
District, represented by Democrat
Joe Simitian
, and in the 22nd Assembly
District, represented by Democrat Paul Fong. Federally, Cupertino is located in California's 15th congressional district
, which has a Cook PVI
of D+14 and is represented by Democrat Mike Honda
.
and Interstate 280
, intersect in Cupertino, and like any typical middle-class California suburb, it also has multi-lane boulevards with landscaped medians and traffic lights at all major intersections. Streets are in good condition and nearly all have sidewalks. The few exceptions are in unincorporated
pockets at the city's edges, which are maintained directly by Santa Clara County.
Gridlock traffic occurs at some main intersections during evening rush hour (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.), particularly at De Anza Boulevard and Interstate 280 because of freeway metering lights.
Cupertino has bike lanes
on many of its boulevards, though due to the high volume of traffic bicyclists
must exercise caution. Bicycle traffic is heavy usually around morning and noon times around DeAnza college, helmets are compulsory for cyclists below the age of eighteen, but are always recommended. Patrol cars will not stop juvenile riders not wearing a helmet, but patrol cars will not hesitate to stop and warn bicyclists not following the Cupertino Bicycle laws. The VTA has several buses running through Cupertino at major arteries, and all buses have bike racks that can support up to two bikes. If there are already two bikes on the rack, it is up to the bus driver to decided whether the passenger can bring the bike aboard or not - usually the passenger is not allowed to if the bus is already full. Blinkers and safety reflectors are mandatory and recommended for night time riding, Cupertino's main streets are well lit, while a few older roads towards the Monta Vista High School area are a little dim requiring a higher level of awareness for bicyclists during night times.
Dedicated on April 30, 2009, Cupertino opened the Mary Avenue Bicycle Footbridge
, the first cable-stay bicycle pedestrian bridge over a California freeway. This bridge connects the north and the south sections of the Stevens Creek Trail. The total cost of the bridge project was $14,800,000.
The Union Pacific Railroad
operates a branch line track up to the Lehigh Permanente Cement Plant from the mainline at San Jose Diridon Station. It is however strictly for the quarry and very little to no non-quarry traffic runs there.
There is no commuter rail or light rail service in the city. Caltrain
commuter rail runs through the cities to the north and east, and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
(VTA)'s Mountain View - Winchester
light rail
line runs to Campbell
, California
to the south. Bus service is also provided by VTA, and the prospect of twenty-four hour bus service on Stevens Creek Boulevard is being studied. Though this corridor (line 23) is one of VTA's most heavily used routes, there is no express or limited-stop service that takes commuters into San Jose
, and the quality of service is therefore considered to be relatively poor. Better service would most likely not be economical because the population density
of the area is relatively low due to the trend of the area toward independent houses and very small apartment blocks.
Cupertino is landlocked and, like most Bay Area cities, relies on the Port of Oakland
for most oceangoing freight.
Passenger and cargo air transportation is available at San Jose International Airport
in San Jose. The closest general aviation airport is in Palo Alto
; it is known as Palo Alto Airport of Santa Clara County
.
In addition, China Airlines
operates bus services from Marina Food at 10122 Bandley Drive in Cupertino to San Francisco International Airport
to feed its flight to Taipei
, Taiwan
.
Cupertino School Map
Cupertino is very well known for its high achieving primary and secondary schools. For example, Murdock-Portal Elementary
and Faria Elementary School are tied for highest score for elementary public school in the state of California
, per California 2011 API test scores. Kennedy Middle School is the third best in the state. Furthermore, Monta Vista High School is ranked number 23 out of all the public schools in the nation.
Primary (K-8) public schools are organized into the Cupertino Union School District, while the Fremont Union High School District is responsible for high school students. Cupertino High School
and its feeder school, Hyde Middle School, are located in the Rancho Rinconada section of Cupertino, while Monta Vista High School
and its feeder, Kennedy Middle School, are in the Monta Vista
neighborhood in the western half of Cupertino. There is also a new school called Lawson Middle School
that feeds mostly Cupertino and Monta Vista High. In addition, Homestead High School
is located in the northwestern portion of Cupertino, along the city border with neighboring Sunnyvale
. The school system covers Cupertino plus some southern areas of Sunnyvale and Los Altos
and some western areas of San Jose
.
, one of the two community college
s in the Foothill-De Anza Community College District
. De Anza runs a facility called Flint Center, a large enclosed theater which is the primary venue for performing arts
in the West Valley, which is widely used as a music hall by various symphonies, such as the California Youth Symphony
and the San Francisco Symphony
.
The University of California, Santa Cruz
(Extension) and the University of San Francisco
(a private Catholic university) have satellite campuses in Cupertino.
San Jose State University
, Santa Clara University
, and Stanford University
, are also close by. The main UC Santa Cruz campus is about 45 minutes away via Highway 17.
operates the Cupertino Library. The library is the busiest branch in the Santa Clara County Library system, with about 3 million items circulated annually.
, Apulia
, Italy
Hsinchu
, Republic of China (Taiwan) Toyokawa
, Japan
Bhubaneswar
, Orissa
, India
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
an city in Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County is a county located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 it had a population of 1,781,642. The county seat is San Jose. The highly urbanized Santa Clara Valley within Santa Clara County is also known as Silicon Valley...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, directly west of San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
on the western edge of the Santa Clara Valley
Santa Clara Valley
The Santa Clara Valley is a valley just south of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California in the United States. Much of Santa Clara County and its county seat, San José, are in the Santa Clara Valley. The valley was originally known as the Valley of Heart’s Delight for its high concentration...
with portions extending into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains
Santa Cruz Mountains
The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central California, United States. They form a ridge along the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco, separating the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco Bay and the Santa Clara Valley, and continuing south,...
. The population was 58,302 at the time of the 2010 census. Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
ranked it as one of the most educated small towns. It is best known as home to the worldwide headquarters of Apple Inc.
Toponym
Cupertino was named after ArroyoArroyo (creek)
An arroyo , a Spanish word translated as brook, and also called a wash is usually a dry creek or stream bed—gulch that temporarily or seasonally fills and flows after sufficient rain. Wadi is a similar term in Africa. In Spain, a rambla has a similar meaning to arroyo.-Types and processes:Arroyos...
San José de Cupertino (now Stevens Creek). The creek had been named by Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza
Juan Bautista de Anza
Juan Bautista de Anza Bezerra Nieto was a Novo-Spanish explorer and Governor of New Mexico for the Spanish Empire.-Early life:...
's cartographer, who named it after Saint Joseph of Cupertino
Joseph of Cupertino
Saint Joseph of Cupertino, O.F.M. Conv., was an Italian Franciscan friar who is honored as a mystic and a saint. He was said to have been remarkably unclever, but prone to miraculous levitation and intense ecstatic visions that left him gaping...
. Saint Joseph (born Giuseppe Maria Desa, and later known as Giuseppe da Copertino) was named after the town of Copertino
Copertino
Copertino is a town and comune in the province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy.-History:Following Charles of Anjou's successful campaign in 1266, the Hohenstaufen tower of Copertino was held first by the de Pratis family and then by Walter VI of Brienne, Duke of Athens, Duke of...
in the Apulia
Apulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
region of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The name Cupertino first became widely used when John T. Doyle, a San Francisco lawyer and historian, named his winery on McClellan Road "Cupertino". After the turn of the 20th century, Cupertino displaced the former name for the region, which was "West Side". Recently it tied up with Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar is the capital of the Indian state of Orissa, officially Odisha. The city has a long history of over 2000 years starting with Chedi dynasty who had Sisupalgarh near present-day Bhubaneswar as their capital...
in India as a sister city for mutual and co-lateral growth.
History
Cupertino in the 19th century was a small rural village at the crossroads of Stevens Creek Road and Saratoga-Mountain View Road (also known locally as Highway 9; later Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road, and then renamed to De Anza Boulevard within Cupertino city limits). Back then, it was known as the West Side and was part of Fremont Township. The primary economic activity was fruit agriculture. Almost all of the land within Cupertino's present-day boundaries was covered by prunePrune
A prune is any of various plum cultivars, mostly Prunus domestica or European Plum, sold as fresh or dried fruit. The dried fruit is also referred to as a dried plum...
, plum
Plum
A plum or gage is a stone fruit tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera in the shoots having a terminal bud and solitary side buds , the flowers in groups of one to five together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one...
, apricot
Apricot
The apricot, Prunus armeniaca, is a species of Prunus, classified with the plum in the subgenus Prunus. The native range is somewhat uncertain due to its extensive prehistoric cultivation.- Description :...
, and cherry
Cherry
The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....
orchards. A winery on Montebello Ridge overlooking the Cupertino valley region was also operating by the late 19th century.
Soon railroads, electric railways, and dirt roads traversed the West Side farmlands. Monta Vista, Cupertino's first housing tract, was developed in the mid-20th century as a result of the electric railway's construction.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, a population and suburban housing boom dramatically shifted the demographics and economy of the Santa Clara Valley
Santa Clara Valley
The Santa Clara Valley is a valley just south of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California in the United States. Much of Santa Clara County and its county seat, San José, are in the Santa Clara Valley. The valley was originally known as the Valley of Heart’s Delight for its high concentration...
, as the "Valley of Heart's Delight" was beginning to transform into "Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
". In 1954, Cupertino leaders began to drive for incorporation as they were concerned about unplanned development and rising property taxes. In the September 27, 1955 election, voters approved the incorporation of the City of Cupertino. Cupertino officially became Santa Clara County's 13th City on October 10, 1955.
A major milestone in Cupertino's development was the creation by some of the city's largest landowners of VALLCO Business and Industrial Park in the early 1960s. Of the 25 property owners, 17 decided to pool their land to form VALLCO Park, 6 sold to Varian Associates
Varian Associates
Varian Associates was one of the first high-tech companies in Silicon Valley. It was founded in 1948 by Russell H. and Sigurd F. Varian, William Webster Hansen, and Edward Ginzton to sell the klystron, the first tube which could generate electromagnetic waves at microwave frequencies, and other...
(property later sold to Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
), and two opted for transplanting to farms elsewhere. The name VALLCO was derived from the names of the principal developers: Varian Associates and the Leonard, Lester, Craft, and Orlando families. A neighborhood outdoor shopping center and, much later, the enclosed Vallco Fashion Park, briefly renamed Cupertino Square, were also developed.
De Anza College
De Anza College
De Anza College is a community college located in Cupertino, California. It was founded in 1967 on the site of the Beaulieu Winery and is named after the Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza...
opened in 1967. The college, named for Juan Bautista De Anza
Juan Bautista de Anza
Juan Bautista de Anza Bezerra Nieto was a Novo-Spanish explorer and Governor of New Mexico for the Spanish Empire.-Early life:...
, occupies a 112 acre (0.45324832 km²) site that was the location of a winery built at the turn of the 20th century, called Beaulieu by its owners, Charles and Ella Baldwin. Their mansion has now become the California History Center. De Anza College now has about 22,000 students and is a hub of activity in the city. Its flea market, held the first Saturday of the month, attracts thousands from around the area.
Housing developments were rapidly constructed in the following years as developers created many neighborhoods, including Fairgrove, Garden Gate, Monta Vista, Seven Springs, and many other developments. Although originally low-cost housing, Silicon Valley's housing prices shot up dramatically as many houses that were formerly lowly priced became multi-million dollar homes. The high cost of living in Cupertino is attributed by people wanting their children to receive high-quality schooling. Nevertheless, the price of housing seems to have weathered even the 2007–8 slump in economy.
On December 1, 2009, Cupertino became the first city in Northern California to have an Asian-American-majority city council.
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Cupertino had a population of 58,302. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 5,179.1 people per square mile (1,999.7/km²). The racial makeup of Cupertino was 18,270 (31.3%) White, 344 (0.6%) Black American, 117 (0.2%) American Indian, 36,895 (63.3%) Asian (28.1% Chinese, 22.6% Indian, 4.6% Korean, 3.3% Japanese, 1.3% Vietnamese, 0.9% Filipino, 0.4% Pakistani, 0.1% Thai, 0.1% Bangladeshi), 54 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 670 (1.1%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1,952 (3.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2,113 persons (3.6%); 2.4% of Cupertino is Mexican.
The Census reported that 57,965 people (99.4% of the population) lived in households, 61 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 276 (0.5%) were institutionalized.
There were 20,181 households, out of which 9,539 (47.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 13,802 (68.4%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 1,393 (6.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 581 (2.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 378 (1.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....
, and 89 (0.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,544 households (17.6%) were made up of individuals and 1,612 (8.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87. There were 15,776 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...
(78.2% of all households); the average family size was 3.28.
The population was spread out with 16,075 people (27.6%) under the age of 18, 3,281 people (5.6%) aged 18 to 24, 15,621 people (26.8%) aged 25 to 44, 16,044 people (27.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 7,281 people (12.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.9 years. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males.
There were 21,027 housing units at an average density of 1,867.9 per square mile (721.2/km²), of which 12,627 (62.6%) were owner-occupied, and 7,554 (37.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.7%. 36,464 people (62.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 21,501 people (36.9%) lived in rental housing units.
2005
According to the 2005-2007 American Community SurveyAmerican Community Survey
The American Community Survey is an ongoing statistical survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, sent to approximately 250,000 addresses monthly . It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census...
of the US Census Bureau, the median income for a household in the city was $118,635, and the median income for a family was $140,199. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $44,774. About 3.6% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.
According to the 2005-2007 American Community Survey, White Americans made up 37.4% of Cupertino's population. Black Americans now made up 1.5% of Cupertino's population and American Indians made up 0.4% of the city's population. In addition, Cupertino now has an Asian American majority as this group now represents 55.7% of the city's population. Pacific Islander Americans remained at 0.1% of the population. Also, 2.5% of the population are from some other race and 2.4% of the population are from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos remained at 4.0% of Cupertino's population.
In the 2000 Census, non-Hispanic whites
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
made up 47.8% of Cupertino's population. According to the 2005-2007 American Community Survey, non-Hispanic whites now represented 35.3% of the city's population.
Cupertino was the only city
Highest-income places in the United States
-100 highest-income places with at least 1,000 households:This is a list of the 100 richest places in the United States with at least 1,000 households. This is the most common list used for referring to the richest communities in the country, as it eliminates any places with insignificant populations...
with both a population over 50,000 and a median household income
Median household income
The median household income is commonly used to generate data about geographic areas and divides households into two equal segments with the first half of households earning less than the median household income and the other half earning more...
in excess of $100,000 in 2000 besides Naperville, Illinois.
Geography
Cupertino is located at 37°19′3"N 122°2′31"W (37.317492, −122.041949), at the southern end of the San Francisco BaySan Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
. The eastern part of the city, located in the Santa Clara Valley
Santa Clara Valley
The Santa Clara Valley is a valley just south of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California in the United States. Much of Santa Clara County and its county seat, San José, are in the Santa Clara Valley. The valley was originally known as the Valley of Heart’s Delight for its high concentration...
, is flat while the western part of the city slopes into the Santa Cruz Mountains
Santa Cruz Mountains
The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central California, United States. They form a ridge along the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco, separating the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco Bay and the Santa Clara Valley, and continuing south,...
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 11.3 square miles (29.3 km²), 99.99% of it land and 0.01% of it water.
Cupertino has warm weather with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. Oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
and redwood forests cover the hills overlooking the Cupertino lowlands.
Averages in July (at Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
)
- Maximum 82 °F (27.8 °C)
- Minimum 54.1 °F (12.3 °C)
Averages in January (at Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
)
- Maximum 58.2 °F (14.6 °C)
- Minimum 38.7 °F (3.7 °C)
Extremes
- High 114 °F (45.6 °C) - June 1961
- Low 16 °F (-8.9 °C) - December 1990
Neighborhoods
Cupertino is made up of numerous subdivisions, most of them developed since the 1960s. Two of the newest parts of Cupertino are actually among its oldest housing tracts. Monta Vista and Rancho Rinconada were developed outside of the city's boundaries in the 1950s and before. Rancho Rinconada was annexed in 1999 and the last part of Monta Vista was annexed in 2004. The neighborhood of Seven Springs is at the Southern tip of Cupertino and was developed in the 1980s. The newest and most northern neighborhood, Oak Valley, borders Rancho San Antonio Park and was developed around the year 2000.Layout
Cali Mill Plaza marks the traditional center of the city and the historical location of Crossroads. However, Cupertino does not have a traditional downtown shopping and commercial district.Economy
Cupertino is one of many cities that claim to be the "heart" of Silicon ValleySilicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
, as many semi-conductor and computer companies were founded here and in the surrounding areas. The worldwide headquarters for Apple Inc. is also located here in a modern complex circled by the playfully named Infinite Loop
Infinite Loop (street)
Infinite Loop is a street encircling the six main buildings of Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California. Each building has a number which corresponds to its single-digit address on the Loop, and so Apple's official mailing address is "1 Infinite Loop". The numbers increment in the clockwise...
. Apple has also announced that it plans to build a new 150 acres (607,029 m²) second campus between Interstate 280, N Wolfe Rd, E Homestead Rd and along Tantau Ave one mile east of the old campus. The different (nine) properties (50 acre (0.202343 km²) south of Pruneridge Avenue were bought in 2006, the property (100 acre (0.404686 km²) north of it in 2010 (from Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
). On June 7,
2011, a few months before his October 5 death from pancreatic cancer, Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
gave a presentation to Cupertino City Council, detailing the architectural design of the new building and its environs. The new campus is planned to house up to 13,000 employees in one central four-storied circular building surrounded by extensive landscape (with parking mainly underground and the rest centralized in a parking structure).
Other companies headquartered in Cupertino include Trend Micro
Trend Micro
Trend Micro Inc. is a computer security company. It is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan and markets Trend Micro Internet Security, Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security, OfficeScan, and other related security products and services...
, Cloud.com
Cloud.com
Cloud.com is a venture-backed startup based out of Cupertino that develops an open source cloud orchestration software product for the implementation of public and private cloud computing environments. Their software, CloudStack, is designed to make it easier for Service Providers and Enterprises...
, Lab126
Lab126
Lab126, Inc is a small, Cupertino, California-based subsidiary of Amazon.com, best known for developing Amazon's Kindle device. Lab126 is led by Gregg Zehr. In addition to the Kindle, Lab126 is developing other "easy-to-use, highly integrated consumer products to serve Amazon customers"....
, Packeteer
Packeteer
Packeteer , founded in 1996 by Robert Packer and Brett Galloway, was an I.T. company based in Cupertino, California listed on the NASDAQ. Networking appliances focus on Application Traffic Management and optimization for wide area networks. They held at least 40 patents for various network...
, Chordiant
Chordiant
Chordiant was an American company. It offered enterprise software to help other companies improve the customer experience of their customers. Primarily their software is internet based / Java EE solutions, though some products run on Microsoft .NET Framework technologies...
, and Seagate Technology
Seagate Technology
Seagate Technology is one of the world's largest manufacturers of hard disk drives. Incorporated in 1978 as Shugart Technology, Seagate is currently incorporated in Dublin, Ireland and has its principal executive offices in Scotts Valley, California, United States.-1970s:On November 1, 1979...
. Over 60 high-tech companies have offices there, including IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, Olivetti
Olivetti
Olivetti S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of computers, printers and other business machines.- Founding :The company was founded as a typewriter manufacturer in 1908 in Ivrea, near Turin, by Camillo Olivetti. The firm was mainly developed by his son Adriano Olivetti...
and Oracle
Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...
. Most of these high-tech companies are located on De Anza Boulevard, Cali Mill Plaza, and Bubb Road.
Though Cupertino is home to the headquarters of many high-tech companies, very little manufacturing actually takes place in the city. The city's large office parks are primarily dedicated to management and design functions.
Westfield Valley Fair
Westfield Valley Fair, formerly known as Valley Fair and Westfield Shoppingtown Valley Fair is an upscale in-door shopping mall owned by the Westfield Group, located at the corner of Winchester and Stevens Creek Boulevards, straddling the border of San Jose and Santa Clara, California, United...
) in Santa Clara caters to the high end, expensive name brand boutique stores, while the Great Mall
Great Mall of the Bay Area
The Great Mall of the Bay Area is a large outlet shopping mall in Milpitas, California built by Ford Motor Land Development and Petrie Dierman Kughn in 1994, then acquired by Mills Corporation in 2003, and is now owned by the Simon Property Group since April 2007.-History:Formerly a Ford...
in Milpitas in the 1990s opened to the low-priced and bargain retailers. Vallco Fashion Park was hit hard by these developments, as well as the loss of one of its anchor stores, Emporium, and has had a hard time recovering ever since.
In 2002, Cupertino had a labor force of 25,780 with an unemployment rate of 4.5%. The unemployment rate for the Santa Clara County as a whole was 8.4%.
One of the major employers in the area is the aggregate rock quarry and cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
plant in the foothills to the west of Cupertino. Currently owned and operated by Lehigh Southwest Cement, it was originally founded by Henry J. Kaiser
Henry J. Kaiser
Henry John Kaiser was an American industrialist who became known as the father of modern American shipbuilding. He established the Kaiser Shipyard which built Liberty ships during World War II, after which he formed Kaiser Aluminum and Kaiser Steel. Kaiser organized Kaiser Permanente health care...
as the Kaiser Permanente Cement Plant in 1939. Its somewhat novel charter was to provide the majority of the cement used in the construction of the Shasta Dam
Shasta Dam
Shasta Dam is an arch dam across the Sacramento River in the northern part of the U.S. state of California, at the north end of the Sacramento Valley. The dam mainly serves long-term water storage and flood control in its reservoir, Shasta Lake, and also generates hydroelectric power...
. It achieved this goal to with impressive results, supplying the 6 Moilbbl of cement over a dedicated nine mile (14 km)-long conveyor system. The cement plant continues to be an important part of the local economy, and is the sole reason for the lone railroad line that runs through the city. Lehigh Permanente Cement was honored as the Large Business of the Year by the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce in 2001-2002. On October 5, 2011, the Lehigh Permanente Cement Plant was the site of a shooting
Cupertino quarry shooting
The Cupertino quarry shooting occurred on October 5, 2011, in a quarry in Cupertino, California. This shooting spree left three people dead and six others injured. Shortly thereafter, the shooter, Shareef Allman, shot a woman whose car he was attempting to carjack...
in which a disgruntled employee named Shareef Allman shot and killed three people and wounded seven, including one person who was injured during the course of a carjacking by Allman after the shooting. Allman was shot dead by three deputies, two men and one woman (each with less than five years' time at the department), after he would not surrender and displayed a firearm in a threatening manner toward the deputies.
Top employers
According to the City's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | 34,300 (in area) |
| 2 | Oracle Oracle Corporation Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems... |
8,000 (in area) |
| 3 | Foothill-De Anza Community College District Foothill-De Anza Community College District The Foothill De Anza Community College District is a community college district headquartered on the grounds of Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California. The district operates Foothill College and De Anza College in Cupertino.-External links:*... |
3,100 |
| 4 | Hewlett-Packard Hewlett-Packard Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including... |
3,000 |
| 5 | Cupertino Union School District Cupertino Union School District The Cupertino Union School District covers the city of Cupertino, California, and parts of San Jose, Sunnyvale, Saratoga, Santa Clara, and Los Altos, California. The CUSD operates twenty elementary schools and five middle schools... |
1,679 |
| 6 | ArcSight ArcSight ArcSight, an HP company, was founded in 2000 and is a technology company that provides security information and event management solutions. ArcSight headquarters are located in Cupertino, California, USA, with sales offices around the globe including the United States, the United Kingdom, France,... |
512 |
| 7 | Fremont Union High School District Fremont Union High School District The Fremont Union High School District is a school district in Northern California, serving Cupertino, most of Sunnyvale and parts of San Jose, Los Altos, Saratoga, and Santa Clara. As of 2004, it serves over 9,500 students... |
429 |
| 8 | Chordiant Chordiant Chordiant was an American company. It offered enterprise software to help other companies improve the customer experience of their customers. Primarily their software is internet based / Java EE solutions, though some products run on Microsoft .NET Framework technologies... |
285 |
| 9 | The Forum at Rancho San Antonio | 285 |
| 10 | Trend Micro Trend Micro Trend Micro Inc. is a computer security company. It is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan and markets Trend Micro Internet Security, Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security, OfficeScan, and other related security products and services... |
250 |
Local
Cupertino was incorporated in 1955. The highest body in the city government is the City Council, made up of five members who serve overlapping, four-year terms. The council itself elects the mayor and vice-mayor for a term of one year. The city does not have its own charter. Instead, it is a General Law city, which follows provisions and requirements for cities established by the state of California.Cupertino contracts with the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office and the Santa Clara County Fire Department for public safety services. The Cupertino Library is part of the Santa Clara County Library System.
The city's symbol is a conquistador's morion
Morion (helmet)
A morion is a type of open helmet used during the 16th and early 17th centuries, usually having a flat brim and a crest from front to back. The morion, though generally identified with Spanish conquistadors, was common among foot soldiers of European nationalities, including the English; the first...
. A sculpture of this helmet stands next to Cupertino City Hall, and several versions of the helmet have also been used as the city logo. The original sculpture was made in 1971 by John Augsburger of San Luis Obispo. A full-sized replica of the sculpture, made by Fred Subega was given to the city of Toyokawa, Japan as a gift to commemorate their tenth anniversary as sister cities. A smaller sculpture in the shape of the helmet in the 1999-2007 Cupertino city seal was also given to the city of Toyokawa as a twenty-fifth anniversary present.
State and federal
In the state legislatureCalifornia State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
Cupertino is located in the 11th Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
District, represented by Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Joe Simitian
Joe Simitian
Saren Joseph Simitian is a Democratic California State Senator elected in 2004. Simitian represents the 11th Senate District, which encompasses all or part of 13 cities in San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties....
, and in the 22nd Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
District, represented by Democrat Paul Fong. Federally, Cupertino is located in California's 15th congressional district
California's 15th congressional district
California's 15th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California that covers part of Santa Clara County west of San Jose and includes the cities of Los Gatos and Cupertino in Silicon Valley...
, which has a Cook PVI
Cook Partisan Voting Index
The Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...
of D+14 and is represented by Democrat Mike Honda
Mike Honda
Michael Makoto "Mike" Honda is an American Democratic Party politician. He currently serves as the U.S. Representative for , encompassing western San Jose and Silicon Valley...
.
Transportation
The city is served by an interconnected road system. Two freeways, State Route 85California State Route 85
State Route 85 is a freeway which connects Mountain View and southern San Jose. The entire freeway is named the West Valley Freeway. The majority of the route is also named the Norman Y. Mineta Highway, with the exception of the portion of Highway 85 passing through Saratoga which is named the CHP...
and Interstate 280
Interstate 280 (California)
Interstate 280 is a 57-mile long north–south Interstate Highway in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It connects San Jose and San Francisco, running along just to the west of the cities of San Francisco Peninsula for most of its route.I-280 from its northern end at King...
, intersect in Cupertino, and like any typical middle-class California suburb, it also has multi-lane boulevards with landscaped medians and traffic lights at all major intersections. Streets are in good condition and nearly all have sidewalks. The few exceptions are in unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
pockets at the city's edges, which are maintained directly by Santa Clara County.
Gridlock traffic occurs at some main intersections during evening rush hour (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.), particularly at De Anza Boulevard and Interstate 280 because of freeway metering lights.
Cupertino has bike lanes
Segregated cycle facilities
Segregated cycle facilities are marked lanes, tracks, shoulders and paths designated for use by cyclists from which motorised traffic is generally excluded...
on many of its boulevards, though due to the high volume of traffic bicyclists
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
must exercise caution. Bicycle traffic is heavy usually around morning and noon times around DeAnza college, helmets are compulsory for cyclists below the age of eighteen, but are always recommended. Patrol cars will not stop juvenile riders not wearing a helmet, but patrol cars will not hesitate to stop and warn bicyclists not following the Cupertino Bicycle laws. The VTA has several buses running through Cupertino at major arteries, and all buses have bike racks that can support up to two bikes. If there are already two bikes on the rack, it is up to the bus driver to decided whether the passenger can bring the bike aboard or not - usually the passenger is not allowed to if the bus is already full. Blinkers and safety reflectors are mandatory and recommended for night time riding, Cupertino's main streets are well lit, while a few older roads towards the Monta Vista High School area are a little dim requiring a higher level of awareness for bicyclists during night times.
Dedicated on April 30, 2009, Cupertino opened the Mary Avenue Bicycle Footbridge
Mary Avenue Bridge
The Mary Avenue Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge over Interstate 280 in Cupertino, California carrying bicycle and pedestrian traffic. North of I-280, Mary Avenue ends as a parking lot and drop-off area for Homestead High School...
, the first cable-stay bicycle pedestrian bridge over a California freeway. This bridge connects the north and the south sections of the Stevens Creek Trail. The total cost of the bridge project was $14,800,000.
The Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
operates a branch line track up to the Lehigh Permanente Cement Plant from the mainline at San Jose Diridon Station. It is however strictly for the quarry and very little to no non-quarry traffic runs there.
There is no commuter rail or light rail service in the city. Caltrain
Caltrain
Caltrain is a California commuter rail line on the San Francisco Peninsula and in the Santa Clara Valley in the United States. The northern terminus of the rail line is in San Francisco, at 4th and King streets; its southern terminus is in Gilroy...
commuter rail runs through the cities to the north and east, and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is a special-purpose district responsible for public transit services, congestion management, specific highway improvement projects, and countywide transportation planning for Santa Clara County, California, United States...
(VTA)'s Mountain View - Winchester
Mountain View - Winchester (VTA)
Mountain View–Winchester is a light rail route operated by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority . The Mountain View–Winchester route is one of three existing VTA light rail routes. The other two light rail routes are the Alum Rock–Santa Teresa line and Ohlone/Chynoweth–Almaden line...
light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
line runs to Campbell
Campbell, California
Campbell is a city in Santa Clara County, California, a suburb of San Jose, and part of Silicon Valley, in the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Campbell's population is 39,349...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to the south. Bus service is also provided by VTA, and the prospect of twenty-four hour bus service on Stevens Creek Boulevard is being studied. Though this corridor (line 23) is one of VTA's most heavily used routes, there is no express or limited-stop service that takes commuters into San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, and the quality of service is therefore considered to be relatively poor. Better service would most likely not be economical because the population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of the area is relatively low due to the trend of the area toward independent houses and very small apartment blocks.
Cupertino is landlocked and, like most Bay Area cities, relies on the Port of Oakland
Port of Oakland
The Port of Oakland was the first major port on the Pacific Coast of the United States to build terminals for container ships. It is now the fifth busiest container port in the United States, behind Long Beach, Los Angeles, Newark, and Savannah...
for most oceangoing freight.
Passenger and cargo air transportation is available at San Jose International Airport
San Jose International Airport
Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport is a city-owned public-use airport serving the city of San Jose in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is named for San Jose native Norman Yoshio Mineta, who was Transportation Secretary in the Cabinet of George W...
in San Jose. The closest general aviation airport is in Palo Alto
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
; it is known as Palo Alto Airport of Santa Clara County
Palo Alto Airport of Santa Clara County
Palo Alto Airport of Santa Clara County is a general aviation airport in the city of Palo Alto in Santa Clara County, California, USA, near the south end of San Francisco Bay on the western shore.- Facilities :...
.
In addition, China Airlines
China Airlines
China Airlines is both the flag carrier and the largest airline of Republic of China . Although not directly state-owned, the airline is owned by China Airlines Group, which is owned by the China Aviation Development Foundation...
operates bus services from Marina Food at 10122 Bandley Drive in Cupertino to San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport is a major international airport located south of downtown San Francisco, California, United States, near the cities of Millbrae and San Bruno in unincorporated San Mateo County. It is often referred to as SFO...
to feed its flight to Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
Primary and secondary
Cupertino Schools*- Not all schools are in Cupertino
- CUSD = Cupertino Union School District
- FUHSD = Fremont Union High School District
- LS = Lottery School
- Bold = Primary Path
- -Italic- = Secondary Path
- -Bold Italic- = Both Primary and Secondary
Cupertino School Map
| Elementary School (CUSD Cupertino Union School District The Cupertino Union School District covers the city of Cupertino, California, and parts of San Jose, Sunnyvale, Saratoga, Santa Clara, and Los Altos, California. The CUSD operates twenty elementary schools and five middle schools... ) |
2011 API Score |
|---|---|
| Murdock-Portal | 998 |
| William Faria | 998 |
| Nelson S. Dilworth | 991 |
| L. P. Collins | 983 |
| Abraham Lincoln | 981 |
| William Regnart | 976 |
| Blue Hills | 975 |
| R. I. Meyerholz | 969 |
| Louis E. Stocklmeir | 966 |
| Stevens Creek | 960 |
| C. B. Eaton | 959 |
| Montclaire | 958 |
| West Valley | 957 |
| John Muir | 944 |
| D. J. Sedgwick | 936 |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower | 931 |
| Manuel De Vargas | 883 |
| Chester W. Nimitz | 866 |
| Middle School (CUSD Cupertino Union School District The Cupertino Union School District covers the city of Cupertino, California, and parts of San Jose, Sunnyvale, Saratoga, Santa Clara, and Los Altos, California. The CUSD operates twenty elementary schools and five middle schools... ) |
2011 API Score |
|---|---|
| John F. Kennedy | 983 |
| Sam H. Lawson | 983 |
| Joaquin Miller | 981 |
| Cupertino | 935 |
| Warren E. Hyde | 858 |
| High School (FUHSD) | 2011 API Score |
|---|---|
| Monta Vista | 949 |
| Lynbrook | 943 |
| Cupertino | 893 |
| Homestead | 866 |
| Fremont | 767 |
Cupertino is very well known for its high achieving primary and secondary schools. For example, Murdock-Portal Elementary
Murdock-Portal Elementary School
Murdock-Portal Elementary School is a public elementary school and magnet school in San Jose, California serving students from Kindergarten through Fifth grade...
and Faria Elementary School are tied for highest score for elementary public school in the state of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, per California 2011 API test scores. Kennedy Middle School is the third best in the state. Furthermore, Monta Vista High School is ranked number 23 out of all the public schools in the nation.
Primary (K-8) public schools are organized into the Cupertino Union School District, while the Fremont Union High School District is responsible for high school students. Cupertino High School
Cupertino High School
Cupertino High School, colloquially referred to as "Tino", is a four-year comprehensive public high school located near the Rancho Rinconada and Fairgrove neighborhoods of Cupertino, California, USA. It is part of the Fremont Union High School District. The school serves mostly suburban...
and its feeder school, Hyde Middle School, are located in the Rancho Rinconada section of Cupertino, while Monta Vista High School
Monta Vista High School
Monta Vista High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in the Silicon Valley city of Cupertino, California, USA. Part of the Fremont Union High School District, the school serves most of the suburban residential and industrial technology enriched area of western Cupertino...
and its feeder, Kennedy Middle School, are in the Monta Vista
Monta Vista, Cupertino, California
Monta Vista is an upper-income residential neighborhood in western Cupertino, California. "Monta Vista" does not mean anything in any language but is very similar to "Monte Vista," which means "mountain view" in Spanish. However, it is not affiliated with the nearby city of Mountain View.Orchards...
neighborhood in the western half of Cupertino. There is also a new school called Lawson Middle School
Lawson Middle School
Lawson middle school is a public three year middle school located in Cupertino, California, USA. Lawson opened in August 2001 for the 2001-2002 school year. The school was named after Sam H. Lawson, founder of many events and groups in the city of Cupertino, including the Tournament of Bands, the...
that feeds mostly Cupertino and Monta Vista High. In addition, Homestead High School
Homestead High School (Cupertino, California)
Homestead High School is a four-year high school serving north western Cupertino, western Sunnyvale, and portions of southern Los Altos, in Santa Clara County, California. Established in 1962, the school serves 2,270 students in grades 9 to 12 as part of the Fremont Union High School District...
is located in the northwestern portion of Cupertino, along the city border with neighboring Sunnyvale
Sunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is one of the major cities that make up the Silicon Valley located in the San Francisco Bay Area...
. The school system covers Cupertino plus some southern areas of Sunnyvale and Los Altos
Los Altos, California
Los Altos is a city at the southern end of the San Francisco Peninsula, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The city is in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 28,976 according to the 2010 census....
and some western areas of San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
.
Colleges and universities
Cupertino is home to De Anza CollegeDe Anza College
De Anza College is a community college located in Cupertino, California. It was founded in 1967 on the site of the Beaulieu Winery and is named after the Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza...
, one of the two community college
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
s in the Foothill-De Anza Community College District
Foothill-De Anza Community College District
The Foothill De Anza Community College District is a community college district headquartered on the grounds of Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California. The district operates Foothill College and De Anza College in Cupertino.-External links:*...
. De Anza runs a facility called Flint Center, a large enclosed theater which is the primary venue for performing arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
in the West Valley, which is widely used as a music hall by various symphonies, such as the California Youth Symphony
California Youth Symphony
California Youth Symphony is a San Francisco Bay Area symphony orchestra for young musicians of high school age and younger. It was founded in 1952 by Aaron Sten and in 1963 became the first United States youth orchestra to tour abroad, performing twelve concerts in Japan. Since then, the...
and the San Francisco Symphony
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony is an orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980, the orchestra has performed at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus are part of the organization...
.
The University of California, Santa Cruz
University of California, Santa Cruz
The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...
(Extension) and the University of San Francisco
University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...
(a private Catholic university) have satellite campuses in Cupertino.
San Jose State University
San José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
, Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
, and Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, are also close by. The main UC Santa Cruz campus is about 45 minutes away via Highway 17.
Public libraries
Santa Clara County LibrarySanta Clara County Library
The Santa Clara County Library is a public library system headquartered in Los Gatos, California. The library serves the communities and cities of Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Milpitas, Morgan Hill, Saratoga, and all unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County...
operates the Cupertino Library. The library is the busiest branch in the Santa Clara County Library system, with about 3 million items circulated annually.
Places of interest
Vallco Mall, at the center of Cupertino, includes department stores (Macy's, JCPenney, Sears, etc.), an ice center, bowling, and an AMC theater complex. It hosts a farmer's market on Fridays. The scenic Blackberry Farm golf course and ranch is located near Monta Vista High School. The Cupertino Historical Society has an elaborate museum at the Cupertino Community Center, located next to Memorial Park, which houses the Cupertino Veterans Memorial as well as an amphitheater that hosts events such as summer movies and Free Shakespeare in the Park.Notable residents (or former residents)
- AdyashantiAdyashantiAdyashanti , is an American spiritual teacher from the Bay Area who gives regular satsangs in the United States and also teaches abroad...
- spiritual teacher - Matthew AxelsonMatthew AxelsonSonar Technician 2nd Class Matthew Gene Axelson was a United States Navy SEAL and Navy Cross recipient for his actions during Operation Red Wings.-Early life:...
- Navy SEAL who died in battle in AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and awarded the Navy CrossNavy CrossThe Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all... - Aaron EckhartAaron EckhartAaron Edward Eckhart is an American film and stage actor. Born in California, he moved to England at the age of 13, when his father relocated the family. Several years later, he began his acting career by performing in school plays, before moving to Sydney, Australia, for his high school senior year...
- actor - Kurt RambisKurt RambisDarrell Kurt Rambis is a retired American professional basketball player and former head coach for the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves.-Biography:...
- Former NBA player and head coach - Steve JobsSteve JobsSteven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
- co-founder of Apple Inc. - David KramerDavid Kramer (soccer)David Kramer is a retired American soccer goalkeeper who played professionally in the USISL and Major League Soccer. He is currently the goalkeeper coach for the Colorado Rapids...
- Professional soccer player - Ronnie LottRonnie LottRonald Mandel "Ronnie" Lott is a former American football player who starred as a cornerback, free safety, and strong safety in college football and the NFL. He is most well known for his crushing hits on opposing players...
- Former defensive player for the San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
and Oakland RaidersOakland RaidersThe Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - Bryan MantiaBryan MantiaBryan "Brain" Mantia is a contemporary rock drummer. He has played with bands like Primus, Guns N' Roses, Praxis and Godflesh, and with other popular performers such as Tom Waits, Bill Laswell, Bootsy Collins and Buckethead...
- drummer for PrimusPrimus (band)Primus is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, currently composed of bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde and drummer Jay Lane. Primus originally formed in 1984 with Claypool and guitarist Todd Huth, later joined by Lane, though the latter two departed...
and Guns N' RosesGuns N' RosesGuns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album... - Daniel PuderDaniel PuderDaniel Puder is an American professional mixed martial artist, who is currently undefeated in MMA competition, holding a a record of eight wins and zero losses...
- Mixed Martial Arts fighter/former WWE wrestler - Steve WozniakSteve WozniakStephen Gary "Woz" Wozniak is an American computer engineer and programmer who founded Apple Computer, Co. with Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne...
- co-founder of Apple Inc.
Sister cities
CopertinoCopertino
Copertino is a town and comune in the province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy.-History:Following Charles of Anjou's successful campaign in 1266, the Hohenstaufen tower of Copertino was held first by the de Pratis family and then by Walter VI of Brienne, Duke of Athens, Duke of...
, Apulia
Apulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Hsinchu
Hsinchu
Hsinchu City is a city in northern Taiwan. Hsinchu is popularly nicknamed "The Windy City" for its windy climate.Hsinchu City is administered as a special municipality within Taiwan . The city is bordered by Hsinchu County to the north and east, Miaoli County to the south, and the Taiwan Strait...
, Republic of China (Taiwan) Toyokawa
Toyokawa, Aichi
is a medium-sized city of about 180,000 people located in the eastern part of Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The city, founded on June 1, 1943, originally comprised the three formerly independent Hoi-gun towns of Toyokawa , Ko , Ushikubo , and the village of Yawata...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar is the capital of the Indian state of Orissa, officially Odisha. The city has a long history of over 2000 years starting with Chedi dynasty who had Sisupalgarh near present-day Bhubaneswar as their capital...
, Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...