Los Altos, California
Encyclopedia
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.
Most of the city's growth occurred between 1950 and 1980. Originally an agricultural town with many summer cottages, Los Altos is now an affluent bedroom community
. Los Altos has several distinctive features. Commercial zones are strictly limited to the downtown area and small shopping and office parks lining Foothill Expressway and El Camino Real
.
Los Altos means "the heights" or "foothill" in Spanish.
, the city has a total area of 6.487 square miles (16.8 km²). All of it is land.
in the middle. Hale Creek
is tributary to Permanente Creek, and Permanente Creek is now largely diverted to Stevens Creek by a diversion channel. All three creeks originate on the flanks of Black Mountain
.
was people per square mile (/km2). The racial makeup of Los Altos was 20,459 (70.6%) White, 148 (0.5%) African American, 48 (0.2%) Native American, 6,815 (23.5%) Asian, 59 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 195 (0.7%) from other races
, and 1,252 (4.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,132 persons (3.9%).
The Census reported that 28,749 people (99.2% of the population) lived in households, 34 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 193 (0.7%) were institutionalized.
There were 10,745 households, out of which 4,067 (37.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 7,476 (69.6%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 599 (5.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 228 (2.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 199 (1.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 55 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 2,086 households (19.4%) were made up of individuals and 1,228 (11.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68. There were 8,303 families
(77.3% of all households); the average family size was 3.08.
The population was spread out with 7,560 people (26.1%) under the age of 18, 1,006 people (3.5%) aged 18 to 24, 5,273 people (18.2%) aged 25 to 44, 9,353 people (32.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 5,784 people (20.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.2 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.
There were 11,204 housing units at an average density of per square mile (/km2), of which 9,002 (83.8%) were owner-occupied, and 1,743 (16.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.0%. 24,669 people (85.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 4,080 people (14.1%) lived in rental housing units.
, and 2.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race constituted 3.76% of the population.
Of 10,462 households, 33.6% had minor children living with them, 69.4% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female head with no husband present, and 23.3% were non-families. 18.7% were singles including 9.8% 65 or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 2.98.
The median age was 44 years, much higher than the 35.3 national figure. 23.7% were under 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 29.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.
According to a 2007 estimate, the median household income was $158,745, and the median income for a family was $185,848. This puts it third on the list of the most affluent neighborhoods in 2007. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $67,332 for females. The per capita income for the city was $66,776. About 1.1% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 1.5% of those age 65 or over.
Forbes
places Los Altos (area code 94022) as the 15th Most Expensive ZIP Code in California, behind such cities as Alpine, NJ, Atherton, CA, and Beverly Hills. This lists median home price as over $3,000,000.
Los Altos is located in the 11th Senate
District, represented by Democrat
Joe Simitian
, and in the 21st Assembly
District, represented by Democrat Rich Gordon
. Nationally, Los Altos is located in California's 14th congressional district
, which has a Cook PVI
of D +18 and is represented by Democrat Anna Eshoo
.
, the Cupertino Union School District
, or Bullis Charter School
(K-8). The Los Altos School District has one of the highest average API
scores in California.
Local residents generally attend high school in one of two public school districts: Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District
, or Fremont Union High School District
.
All of the public schools are highly regarded, and most graduates of Los Altos area high schools continue their education at well-known universities.
(Mountain View), Mountain View Academy, and The King's Academy (Sunnyvale). Other schools farther away with students from Los Altos include Mitty High School, Woodside Priory School
, Castilleja School
, and Bellarmine College Preparatory
, among others.
operates the Los Altos Library and the Woodland Branch Library in Los Altos.
, an executive of the Southern Pacific Railroad, and his colleagues formed the Altos Land company in 1906 and started the development of Los Altos. Shoup wanted to link Palo Alto and Los Gatos by making Los Altos a commuter town. Southern Pacific Railroad began running steam train service through Los Altos in 1908. It continued a train a day operation to and from San Francisco, but stopped its operation in January, 1964.
By 1949, many residents were dissatisfied with the zoning policy of Santa Clara county. Also, there was a constant threat of being annexed by neighboring Palo Alto and Mountain View
.
Los Altos became 11th city in Santa Clara county on December 1, 1952.
to remove non-native plants and revitalize the redwood, oak woodland, riparian and grassland ecosystems by installing native plants, improving soil conditions, and creating habitat for wildlife such as bird houses and native bee boxes. The Coast Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) were transplanted by the Halsey family from a location on Summit Road in the Santa Cruz Mountains
and replaced the native willows. The historic Halsey House, built in the late 1920s by Theodore and Emma Halsey, is a good example of Spanish Revival architecture. The city designated Halsey House a local landmark in 1981 and until recently it housed the Florence Fava collection of Coastanoan or Ohlone Indian
artifacts from a nearby archeological excavation in Los Altos Hills (now moved to the Los Altos History House). On June 16, 2010 the Los Altos City Council finalized the purchase of 10000 square feet (929 m²) of creekside property from Delbert and Marlene Beumer, who wanted to provide a safe pathway connecting Shoup Park and Redwood Grove.
Steelhead trout
(Oncorhynchus mykiss) occurred historically in Adobe Creek. However, tidal gates at the mouth of Adobe Creek as well as culverts at the El Camino Real and Interstate 280 overpasses probably preclude the passage of migrating salmonids, even though the reaches upstream from Hidden Villa have been judged excellent trout habitat.
The Mountain View Los Altos Soccer Club (MVLASC) has been providing competitive soccer for the MVLA community since 1972. It is a member of the California Youth Soccer Association (CYSA)and plays in the Foothill Youth Soccer League. Its goal is to provide an environment in which players and teams can improve in ability, increase their love of the game and develop good sportsmanship. MVLASC participates in the community, working with and providing funds to the local school districts for school field development. They also provide an avenue for after-school sports for over 600 community children. MVLASC has over 40 great boys and girls teams and is the #1 ranked girls program on the SF Peninsula. The club has won 14 State Championships and two National Championships.
Los Altos-Mountain View Pony Baseball is for boys and girls aged 5 to 19. LA-MVPB is the largest youth baseball program in the San Francisco Bay Area
, and a chartered league of PONY Baseball, Inc. The PONY program provides flexible rules and incremental levels of competitive play, which are specifically designed for the physical development and safety requirements of each age group. The league is committed to balanced teams and fair play and to provide a clean, supportive, and competitive atmosphere.
West Valley Pop Warner
is in its 31st year of offering cheerleading and football programs to local youth. Their continued objective is to introduce boys and girls to the fundamentals of football and cheerleading in a safe, supervised setting.
Players in the El Camino YMCA
Youth Basketball League know the score and a lot more thanks to 200 coaches and referees who volunteer their time each season to teach children in kindergarten through eighth grade. The program serves more than 1,200 children. Participants learn basic basketball skills, as well as the YMCA's core values. All children play at least two quarters per game. "It's a great opportunity for children to learn a sport in a non-competitive setting," said El Camino YMCA Program Director Heidi Lisbona. "Everyone is a star whether they are scoring a basket or just learning how to dribble. We strive to make everyone feel special." Volunteers coach the teams, referee the games, register the players and help schedule the games.
, a remnant of those that once covered the area. The downtown is a triangle with arterials on all sides that enable most through traffic to bypass Main Street
. Many Los Altos homes fetch $2 million and higher, putting the city (along with neighboring Los Altos Hills, with which it shares ZIP codes) at numbers 24 and 28 on Forbes' "Most Expensive ZIP Codes in America" list in 2007.
Since the mid-1990s, downtown Los Altos has experienced mild economic difficulties due to competition from nearby shopping centers and chain stores, as well as its lack of a hotel or movie theater
. Revitalizing downtown is a major issue in city politics.
Los Altos may have a legitimate claim to having the first scientifically designed sound baffle
in the year 1970. Santa Clara County undertook a seminal study to calculate the effects of alternate soundwall
designs along Foothill Expressway. The resulting wall brought about the predicted reduction of seven to ten decibels in noise pollution
levels experienced by adjacent homes.
explores the rich history of local people and how the use of the land over time has transformed the agricultural paradise once known as the "Valley of Heart's Delight" into the technology hub that is today's Silicon Valley.
Opened in spring of 2001 adjacent to the Los Altos Library, the Los Altos History Museum occupies an 8200 square feet (761.8 m²) building – built entirely with private donations; ownership went to the town in 2002. The Museum features a changing exhibits gallery as well as the permanent exhibit, "Crown of the Peninsula".
With the mission to "collect, preserve and interpret the history of the Los Altos area," the Museum includes interactive exhibits and hands-on activities to encourage children and adults to learn about the community. Other programs include third and fourth grade tours and curricula for local school children, oral history collections, a traveling Ohlone kit, and much more.
There's more history just across the lushly landscaped courtyard in the landmark J. Gilbert Smith House. Built in 1905 and refurbished, the home nestles under majestic heritage oaks and replicates a 1930s farmhouse. Visitors are welcome to enjoy the gardens and picnic tables even when the House and Museum are closed.
and subject to earthquakes.
:
San Francisco Peninsula
The San Francisco Peninsula is a peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area that separates the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. On its northern tip is the City and County of San Francisco. Its southern base is in Santa Clara County, including the cities of Palo Alto, Los Altos, and Mountain...
, in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. The city is 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, United States. The population was 28,976 according to the 2010 census.
Most of the city's growth occurred between 1950 and 1980. Originally an agricultural town with many summer cottages, Los Altos is now an affluent bedroom community
Commuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
. Los Altos has several distinctive features. Commercial zones are strictly limited to the downtown area and small shopping and office parks lining Foothill Expressway and El Camino Real
El Camino Real (California)
El Camino Real and sometimes associated with Calle Real usually refers to the 600-mile California Mission Trail, connecting the former Alta California's 21 missions , 4 presidios, and several pueblos, stretching from Mission San Diego de Alcalá in San Diego...
.
Los Altos means "the heights" or "foothill" in Spanish.
Geography
Los Altos is located at 37°22′5"N 122°5′51"W (37.36819, −122.097511). According to the United States Census BureauUnited 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 6.487 square miles (16.8 km²). All of it is land.
Topography
Los Altos is crossed by three creeks that flow north to San Francisco Bay, Adobe Creek on its western boundary, Stevens Creek on its eastern boundary and Permanente CreekPermanente Creek
Permanente Creek is a stream originating on Black Mountain in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is the namesake for the Kaiser Permanente health maintenance organization...
in the middle. Hale Creek
Hale Creek
Hale Creek is a short stream originating in the foothills of Los Altos Hills, California in Santa Clara County, California, United States. Its source is in the Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve upstream and east of Neary Quarry...
is tributary to Permanente Creek, and Permanente Creek is now largely diverted to Stevens Creek by a diversion channel. All three creeks originate on the flanks of Black Mountain
Black Mountain (near Los Altos, California)
Black Mountain is a summit on Monte Bello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains of west Santa Clara County, California, south of Los Altos and west of Cupertino. It is located on the border between Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve and Monte Bello Open Space Preserve, with the summit located in...
.
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Los Altos had a population of 28,976. 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 people per square mile (/km2). The racial makeup of Los Altos was 20,459 (70.6%) White, 148 (0.5%) African American, 48 (0.2%) Native American, 6,815 (23.5%) Asian, 59 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 195 (0.7%) 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 1,252 (4.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,132 persons (3.9%).
The Census reported that 28,749 people (99.2% of the population) lived in households, 34 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 193 (0.7%) were institutionalized.
There were 10,745 households, out of which 4,067 (37.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 7,476 (69.6%) 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, 599 (5.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 228 (2.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 199 (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 55 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 2,086 households (19.4%) were made up of individuals and 1,228 (11.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68. There were 8,303 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...
(77.3% of all households); the average family size was 3.08.
The population was spread out with 7,560 people (26.1%) under the age of 18, 1,006 people (3.5%) aged 18 to 24, 5,273 people (18.2%) aged 25 to 44, 9,353 people (32.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 5,784 people (20.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.2 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.
There were 11,204 housing units at an average density of per square mile (/km2), of which 9,002 (83.8%) were owner-occupied, and 1,743 (16.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.0%. 24,669 people (85.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 4,080 people (14.1%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 27,693 people, 10,462 households, and 8,024 families residing in the city. The population density was people per square mile (/km2). There were 10,727 housing units at an average density of per square mile (/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 80.35% White, 15.42% Asian, 0.47% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 0.66% from other racesRace (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 2.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race constituted 3.76% of the population.
Of 10,462 households, 33.6% had minor children living with them, 69.4% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female head with no husband present, and 23.3% were non-families. 18.7% were singles including 9.8% 65 or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 2.98.
The median age was 44 years, much higher than the 35.3 national figure. 23.7% were under 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 29.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.
According to a 2007 estimate, the median household income was $158,745, and the median income for a family was $185,848. This puts it third on the list of the most affluent neighborhoods in 2007. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $67,332 for females. The per capita income for the city was $66,776. About 1.1% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 1.5% of those age 65 or over.
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...
places Los Altos (area code 94022) as the 15th Most Expensive ZIP Code in California, behind such cities as Alpine, NJ, Atherton, CA, and Beverly Hills. This lists median home price as over $3,000,000.
Politics
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...
Los Altos 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 21st 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 Rich Gordon
Rich Gordon
Richard S. Gordon is an American politician from Menlo Park, California who currently serves in the California State Assembly representing the 21st district...
. Nationally, Los Altos is located in California's 14th congressional district
California's 14th congressional district
California's 14th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. It is located between San Francisco and San Jose. The district includes portions of San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties and most notably contains part of Silicon Valley. Major cities in...
, 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 +18 and is represented by Democrat Anna Eshoo
Anna Eshoo
Anna Georges Eshoo is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, which includes part of Silicon Valley, includes the cities of Redwood City, Sunnyvale, Mountain View and Palo Alto...
.
Public education
Primary and middle school students attend schools in the Los Altos School DistrictLos Altos School District
Los Altos School District serves the elementary and intermediate educational needs of Los Altos, California, United States, led by Superintendent Jeffrey C...
, the 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...
, or Bullis Charter School
Bullis Charter School
Bullis Charter School is a public charter school located in Los Altos, California, USA, for grades kindergarten through eighth. As the Santa Clara County Office of Education charters the school, BCS operates independently of the Los Altos School District...
(K-8). The Los Altos School District has one of the highest average API
Academic Performance Index
The Academic Performance Index is a measurement of academic performance and progress of individual schools in California, United States. It is one of the main components of the Public Schools Accountability Act passed by the California legislature in 1999...
scores in California.
Local residents generally attend high school in one of two public school districts: Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District
Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District
The Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District is a school district serving Mountain View, Los Altos, and Los Altos Hills, California...
, or 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...
.
All of the public schools are highly regarded, and most graduates of Los Altos area high schools continue their education at well-known universities.
Private education
Los Altos is also served by highly regarded private and religious schools. St. Nicholas School, St. Simon School, Miramonte Elementary School (JrK-8th), Canterbury Christian School (K-6th), and the Lower and Middle Campuses (K-6th) of Pinewood School, are located within city limits. Others nearby include St. Francis High SchoolSaint Francis High School (Mountain View)
Saint Francis High School, founded in 1954 by the Brothers of Holy Cross, is a Roman Catholic, co-educational, college preparatory secondary school located in Mountain View, CA. The Brothers of Holy Cross serve both on the faculty and on the Board of Directors...
(Mountain View), Mountain View Academy, and The King's Academy (Sunnyvale). Other schools farther away with students from Los Altos include Mitty High School, Woodside Priory School
Woodside Priory School
The Woodside Priory School, sometimes known as The Priory, is an independent, coeducational, Roman Catholic, college preparatory, day and boarding school in the Benedictine tradition located in Portola Valley, California in the United States...
, Castilleja School
Castilleja School
Castilleja School is an independent school for 415 girls in grades six through twelve, located in Palo Alto, California. Castilleja is the only non-sectarian all-girls middle and high school in the San Francisco Bay Area...
, and Bellarmine College Preparatory
Bellarmine College Preparatory
Bellarmine College Preparatory is an all-male, private secondary school located in San Jose, California, USA. Founded in 1851, it is the oldest secondary school in California....
, among others.
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 Los Altos Library and the Woodland Branch Library in Los Altos.
History
Paul ShoupPaul Shoup
Paul Shoup was an American businessman, president and later vice-chairman of the Southern Pacific Railroad in the 1920s and 1930s, a founding board member of the Stanford University School of Business, and founder of the community of Los Altos, California.-Family:He was the third of five children...
, an executive of the Southern Pacific Railroad, and his colleagues formed the Altos Land company in 1906 and started the development of Los Altos. Shoup wanted to link Palo Alto and Los Gatos by making Los Altos a commuter town. Southern Pacific Railroad began running steam train service through Los Altos in 1908. It continued a train a day operation to and from San Francisco, but stopped its operation in January, 1964.
By 1949, many residents were dissatisfied with the zoning policy of Santa Clara county. Also, there was a constant threat of being annexed by neighboring Palo Alto and Mountain View
Mountain View, California
-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...
.
Los Altos became 11th city in Santa Clara county on December 1, 1952.
Top employers
According to the City's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Altos School District Los Altos School District Los Altos School District serves the elementary and intermediate educational needs of Los Altos, California, United States, led by Superintendent Jeffrey C... |
568 |
| 2 | Los Altos High School Los Altos High School (Los Altos, California) Los Altos High School, established in 1954, is a public school located in the affluent Silicon Valley suburb of Los Altos, California. It has generally demonstrated a high level of academic achievement... |
217 |
| 3 | Whole Foods Market Whole Foods Market Whole Foods Market is a foods supermarket chain based in Austin, Texas which emphasizes "natural and organic products." The company has been ranked among the most socially responsible businesses and placed third on the U.S... |
198 |
| 4 | Coldwell Banker Coldwell Banker Coldwell Banker is a large real estate franchise founded in 1906 in San Francisco.Coldwell Banker has an international presence, with offices on six continents, 46 countries and territories... |
190 |
| 5 | Covenant Care | 163 |
| 6 | Alain Pinel Realtors | 150 |
| 7 | City of Los Altos | 130 |
| 8 | Adobe Animal Hospital | 125 |
| 9 | The Terraces at Los Altos American Baptist Churches USA The American Baptist Churches USA is a Baptist Christian denomination within the United States. The denomination maintains headquarters in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The organization is usually considered mainline, although varying theological and mission emphases may be found among its... |
120 |
| 10 | David and Lucile Packard Foundation David and Lucile Packard Foundation The David and Lucile Packard Foundation is a private foundation that provides grants to not-for-profit organizations. It was created in 1964 by David Packard and his wife Lucile Salter Packard. Following David Packard's death in 1996, the Foundation became the beneficiary of part of his estate... |
100 |
| 11 | Guardsman Inc | 100 |
| 12 | United States Postal Service United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States... |
100 |
| 13 | Palo Alto Medical Foundation Palo Alto Medical Foundation The Palo Alto Medical Foundation for Health Care, Research and Education is a not-for-profit health care organization with medical offices in more than 15 cities throughout the Bay Area. PAMF’s roots can be traced back to 1930 when Dr. Russel Van Arsdale Lee founded the Palo Alto Medical Clinic... |
85 |
Los Altos Parks and Conservation
Adobe Creek flows through Redwood Grove, a 5.9 acres (23,876.5 m²) nature preserve off University Avenue in Los Altos purchased by the city in 1974. In October 2009 Los Altos contracted with ActerraActerra
Acterra: Action for a Sustainable Earth is a nonprofit environmental education and action organization based in Palo Alto, California.Acterra's annual budget for FY 2007-08 was $918,604. The organization has approximately 1,000 paid members and donors....
to remove non-native plants and revitalize the redwood, oak woodland, riparian and grassland ecosystems by installing native plants, improving soil conditions, and creating habitat for wildlife such as bird houses and native bee boxes. The Coast Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) were transplanted by the Halsey family from a location on Summit Road in 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,...
and replaced the native willows. The historic Halsey House, built in the late 1920s by Theodore and Emma Halsey, is a good example of Spanish Revival architecture. The city designated Halsey House a local landmark in 1981 and until recently it housed the Florence Fava collection of Coastanoan or Ohlone Indian
Ohlone
The Ohlone people, also known as the Costanoan, are a Native American people of the central California coast. When Spanish explorers and missionaries arrived in the late 18th century, the Ohlone inhabited the area along the coast from San Francisco Bay through Monterey Bay to the lower Salinas Valley...
artifacts from a nearby archeological excavation in Los Altos Hills (now moved to the Los Altos History House). On June 16, 2010 the Los Altos City Council finalized the purchase of 10000 square feet (929 m²) of creekside property from Delbert and Marlene Beumer, who wanted to provide a safe pathway connecting Shoup Park and Redwood Grove.
Steelhead trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
(Oncorhynchus mykiss) occurred historically in Adobe Creek. However, tidal gates at the mouth of Adobe Creek as well as culverts at the El Camino Real and Interstate 280 overpasses probably preclude the passage of migrating salmonids, even though the reaches upstream from Hidden Villa have been judged excellent trout habitat.
Sports
Los Altos prides itself on a variety of youth-oriented sports organizations, programs, and after-school activities.The Mountain View Los Altos Soccer Club (MVLASC) has been providing competitive soccer for the MVLA community since 1972. It is a member of the California Youth Soccer Association (CYSA)and plays in the Foothill Youth Soccer League. Its goal is to provide an environment in which players and teams can improve in ability, increase their love of the game and develop good sportsmanship. MVLASC participates in the community, working with and providing funds to the local school districts for school field development. They also provide an avenue for after-school sports for over 600 community children. MVLASC has over 40 great boys and girls teams and is the #1 ranked girls program on the SF Peninsula. The club has won 14 State Championships and two National Championships.
Los Altos-Mountain View Pony Baseball is for boys and girls aged 5 to 19. LA-MVPB is the largest youth baseball program in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, and a chartered league of PONY Baseball, Inc. The PONY program provides flexible rules and incremental levels of competitive play, which are specifically designed for the physical development and safety requirements of each age group. The league is committed to balanced teams and fair play and to provide a clean, supportive, and competitive atmosphere.
West Valley Pop Warner
Pop Warner Little Scholars
Pop Warner Little Scholars is a non-profit organization that provides youth football, cheerleading, and dance programs for participants in 43 U.S. states and several countries around the world. It is headquartered in Langhorne, Pennsylvania...
is in its 31st year of offering cheerleading and football programs to local youth. Their continued objective is to introduce boys and girls to the fundamentals of football and cheerleading in a safe, supervised setting.
Players in the El Camino YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
Youth Basketball League know the score and a lot more thanks to 200 coaches and referees who volunteer their time each season to teach children in kindergarten through eighth grade. The program serves more than 1,200 children. Participants learn basic basketball skills, as well as the YMCA's core values. All children play at least two quarters per game. "It's a great opportunity for children to learn a sport in a non-competitive setting," said El Camino YMCA Program Director Heidi Lisbona. "Everyone is a star whether they are scoring a basket or just learning how to dribble. We strive to make everyone feel special." Volunteers coach the teams, referee the games, register the players and help schedule the games.
Media
The Los Altos Town Crier, a weekly, is the primary newspaper for the town, "serving the Hometown of Silicon Valley since 1947." The San Jose Mercury News is the primary daily newspaper serving the town, delivering a Peninsula Section to Los Altans and locations north in lieu of the Local section delivered to those in San Jose and other communities closer to San Jose.Design and planning
Los Altos strives to maintain a semi-rural atmosphere. Los Altos has few sidewalks except in commercial zones and along arterial roads. Minimum lot size for most residential housing is one-quarter of an acre. Most roads have broad dirt shoulders and little or no street lighting. The civic center sits in the middle of an orchardOrchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
, a remnant of those that once covered the area. The downtown is a triangle with arterials on all sides that enable most through traffic to bypass Main Street
Main Street
Main Street is the metonym for a generic street name of the primary retail street of a village, town, or small city in many parts of the world...
. Many Los Altos homes fetch $2 million and higher, putting the city (along with neighboring Los Altos Hills, with which it shares ZIP codes) at numbers 24 and 28 on Forbes' "Most Expensive ZIP Codes in America" list in 2007.
Since the mid-1990s, downtown Los Altos has experienced mild economic difficulties due to competition from nearby shopping centers and chain stores, as well as its lack of a hotel or movie theater
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
. Revitalizing downtown is a major issue in city politics.
Los Altos may have a legitimate claim to having the first scientifically designed sound baffle
Sound baffle
A sound baffle is a construction or device which reduces the strength of airborne sound. Sound baffles are a fundamental tool of noise mitigation, the practice of minimizing noise pollution or reverberation. An important type of sound baffle is the noise barrier constructed along highways to...
in the year 1970. Santa Clara County undertook a seminal study to calculate the effects of alternate soundwall
Noise barrier
A noise barrier is an exterior structure designed to protect sensitive land uses from noise pollution...
designs along Foothill Expressway. The resulting wall brought about the predicted reduction of seven to ten decibels in noise pollution
Noise pollution
Noise pollution is excessive, displeasing human, animal or machine-created environmental noise that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life...
levels experienced by adjacent homes.
Los Altos History Museum
Located in one of Santa Clara Valley's few remaining apricot orchards, the Los Altos History MuseumLos Altos History Museum
The Los Altos History Museum is a museum in Los Altos, California. It showcases the rich history of Los Altos and surrounding areas, including the transformation of the agricultural paradise once known as the "Valley of Heart's Delight" into the high-tech Silicon Valley...
explores the rich history of local people and how the use of the land over time has transformed the agricultural paradise once known as the "Valley of Heart's Delight" into the technology hub that is today's Silicon Valley.
Opened in spring of 2001 adjacent to the Los Altos Library, the Los Altos History Museum occupies an 8200 square feet (761.8 m²) building – built entirely with private donations; ownership went to the town in 2002. The Museum features a changing exhibits gallery as well as the permanent exhibit, "Crown of the Peninsula".
With the mission to "collect, preserve and interpret the history of the Los Altos area," the Museum includes interactive exhibits and hands-on activities to encourage children and adults to learn about the community. Other programs include third and fourth grade tours and curricula for local school children, oral history collections, a traveling Ohlone kit, and much more.
There's more history just across the lushly landscaped courtyard in the landmark J. Gilbert Smith House. Built in 1905 and refurbished, the home nestles under majestic heritage oaks and replicates a 1930s farmhouse. Visitors are welcome to enjoy the gardens and picnic tables even when the House and Museum are closed.
Natural Disasters
Earthquakes
Los Altos is near the San Andreas FaultSan Andreas Fault
The San Andreas Fault is a continental strike-slip fault that runs a length of roughly through California in the United States. The fault's motion is right-lateral strike-slip...
and subject to earthquakes.
- 1906 San Francisco Earthquake1906 San Francisco earthquakeThe San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
– Although Los Altos was hit extremely hard (VIII on the intensity level), the main local effort was to help rebuild nearby Santa CruzSanta Cruz, CaliforniaSanta Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
, which was nearly destroyed.
- 1989 – On October 17, Los Altos experienced the Loma Prieta earthquakeLoma Prieta earthquakeThe Loma Prieta earthquake, also known as the Quake of '89 and the World Series Earthquake, was a major earthquake that struck the San Francisco Bay Area of California on October 17, 1989, at 5:04 p.m. local time...
, but avoided major damage. Los Altos and its churches combined efforts to clean up hard-hit areas such as Watsonville and Santa Cruz.
Parades/Activities
- Los Altos Kiwanis Club
- Pet Parade (A Los Altos family favorite, the Pet Parade is held the first weekend in May and is full of dogs, cats, birds, horses and even some hamsters!)
- Halloween Festival
- Main Street Parade
- Los Altos Rotary Club Fine Art Show
- Downtown Los Altos Arts & Wine Festival, Los Altos Village Association
- Downtown Los Altos Farmers' Market, Thursdays 4–8 p.m., May through September, Los Altos Village Association
- Los Altos Fall Festival, Los Altos Chamber of Commerce
- California Country Annual Fall Antique Americana Show & Sale, June & October, Los Altos History Museum
- Festival of Lights Parade (held the Sunday night of Thanksgiving weekend)
- Los Altos High SchoolLos Altos High School (Los Altos, California)Los Altos High School, established in 1954, is a public school located in the affluent Silicon Valley suburb of Los Altos, California. It has generally demonstrated a high level of academic achievement...
Homecoming Parade (Happens every year on the Friday of LAHS's homecoming week, usually in October. The parade features the Homecoming Court couples, LAHS Marching Band, Dance Team, Cheer Team, school board members and LAHS administration)
Famous residents
Well-known residents of Los Altos have included:- Alan CranstonAlan CranstonAlan MacGregor Cranston was an American journalist and Democratic Senator from California.-Education:Cranston earned his high school diploma from the old Mountain View High School, where among other things, he was a track star...
(former U.S. senator) - Gaurav DhillonGaurav DhillonGaurav Dhillon is the Chairman and CEO of SnapLogic, an enterprise application and data integration software development company that helps organizations connect business applications and Web services. An early investor in SnapLogic, Gaurav joined as CEO in 2009.Gaurav is also the chairman and...
(founder of JamanJamanJaman is a company that offers view on demand of media on the internet. It allows viewing on a variety of platforms via a downloadable P2P client. It specializes in foreign films...
and co-founder of InformaticaInformaticaInformatica Corporation is a NASDAQ listed company with ticker INFA. Founded in 1993, its headquarters is in Redwood City, California. Founded by Diaz Nesamoney and Gaurav Dhillon...
) - Lorrie FairLorrie FairLorraine Ming "Lorrie" Fair was a member of the World Cup Champion United States national soccer team. Over the span of ten years, she was a part of one World Cup Team and three Olympic teams, and retired from international play in 2005.Her twin sister, Veronica Ching Fair, was also a member of...
(member of 1999 Women's World Cup Champion US National Soccer Team) - Robert FrascinoRobert FrascinoRobert James Frascino was an American physician, immunologist, and advocate for HIV-positive people. He was one of the first physicians to specialize in HIV during the outbreak of the AIDS virus in the early 1980s...
(physician, immunologistImmunologyImmunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and diseases; malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders ; the...
, and AIDS advocate) - Charles GeschkeCharles GeschkeCharles Geschke, is best known as the 1982 co-founder with John Warnock of Adobe Systems Inc., the graphics and publishing software company.-Education:...
(co-founder of Adobe SystemsAdobe SystemsAdobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...
) - Jen-Hsun HuangJen-Hsun HuangJen-Hsun "Jensen" Huang is a Taiwanese American entrepreneur and businessman. A native of Taiwan, he grew up in Oregon, graduating from Oregon State University before moving to California where he graduated from Stanford University. He co-founded the graphics-processor company Nvidia and serves...
(co-founder, president, and CEO of NvidiaNVIDIANvidia is an American global technology company based in Santa Clara, California. Nvidia is best known for its graphics processors . Nvidia and chief rival AMD Graphics Techonologies have dominated the high performance GPU market, pushing other manufacturers to smaller, niche roles...
) - Juli InksterJuli InksterJuli Inkster is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. With a professional career spanning 27 years to date, Inkster's 31 wins rank her second in wins among all active players on the LPGA Tour; she has over $11 million in career earnings...
(renowned LPGA golfer) - 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...
(former CEO of Apple ComputerApple ComputerApple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
) - Kevin KennedyKevin KennedyKevin Kennedy may refer to:*Kevin Kennedy *Kevin Kennedy *Kevin Kennedy , screenwriter of The Assassination of Richard Nixon*Kevin J. Kennedy, former CEO of JDSU, current CEO of Avaya* Kevin Kennedy, Ed.D.,...
(CEO of Avaya) - Michael Koch (noted Swiss actor)
- Janet LewisJanet LewisJanet Loxley Lewis was an American novelist and poet.-Biography:Lewis was born in Chicago, Illinois, and was a graduate of the University of Chicago, where she was a member of a literary circle that included Glenway Wescott, Elizabeth Madox Roberts, and her future husband Yvor Winters...
(novelist and poet) - Ed LoggEd LoggGeorge Edward Logg born in Seattle in 1948 is a retired arcade video game designer, employed first at Atari and after at Atari Games. He co-developed the video game Asteroids with Lyle Rains...
(video game designer) - Lauren McFallLauren McFallLauren McFall is an American competitor in synchronized swimming.She won an Olympic bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics, in the team competition.-References:...
(member of bronze-winning 2004 Olympic synchronized swimming team) - Terence McKennaTerence McKennaTerence Kemp McKenna was an Irish-American philosopher, psychonaut, researcher, teacher, lecturer and writer on many subjects, such as human consciousness, language, psychedelic drugs, the evolution of civilizations, the origin and end of the universe, alchemy, and extraterrestrial beings.-Early...
(writer, philosopher, and ethnobotanist) - Scott McNealyScott McNealyScott McNealy is an American business executive. He co-founded computer technology company Sun Microsystems in 1982 along with Vinod Khosla, Bill Joy, and Andy Bechtolsheim.-Biography:...
(co-founder of Sun Microsystems) - Paul MockapetrisPaul MockapetrisDr. Paul V. Mockapetris is the inventor of the Domain Name System.In 1983, he proposed a Domain Name System architecture in RFCs 882 and 883 while at the Information Sciences Institute of the University of Southern California....
(inventor or co-inventor of the Domain Name SystemDomain name systemThe Domain Name System is a hierarchical distributed naming system for computers, services, or any resource connected to the Internet or a private network. It associates various information with domain names assigned to each of the participating entities...
) - Dave RighettiDave RighettiDavid Allan Righetti is a former left-handed pitcher for various Major League Baseball teams, primarily the New York Yankees. He is currently the pitching coach for the San Francisco Giants and was the first player in history to both pitch a no-hitter and also lead the league in saves in his career...
(pitching coach for the San Francisco GiantsSan Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
) - George SeifertGeorge SeifertGeorge Seifert is a former NFL head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and the Carolina Panthers. Seifert joined the 49ers' coaching staff under Bill Walsh in 1980 as defensive backs coach and served as the team's defensive coordinator from 1983–1988.As a 49er assistant, his defenses finished...
(former head coach of NFL team 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...
) - Paul ShoupPaul ShoupPaul Shoup was an American businessman, president and later vice-chairman of the Southern Pacific Railroad in the 1920s and 1930s, a founding board member of the Stanford University School of Business, and founder of the community of Los Altos, California.-Family:He was the third of five children...
(former vice chairman of Southern Pacific Railroad, founder of Los Altos) - Mark Andrew SmithMark Andrew SmithMark Andrew Smith is an award-winning American comic book author and graphic novelist.-Biography:In 2004 Smith caught the attention of Image Comics Publisher Erik Larsen and then Executive Director Eric Stephenson who picked up his and Dan Hipp's first comic book series titled the Amazing Joy...
(editor and graphic novelist) - William F. Sharpe (Nobel prize winner in Economics, 1990)
- Alison Waite (model, PlayboyPlayboyPlayboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
Playmate) - John WarnockJohn WarnockJohn Edward Warnock is an American computer scientist best known as the co-founder with Charles Geschke of Adobe Systems Inc., the graphics and publishing software company. Dr. Warnock was President of Adobe for his first two years and Chairman and CEO for his remaining sixteen years at the company...
(co-founder of Adobe SystemsAdobe SystemsAdobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...
) - Yvor WintersYvor WintersArthur Yvor Winters was an American poet and literary critic.-As modernist:Winters's early poetry, which appeared in small avant-garde magazines alongside work by writers like James Joyce and Gertrude Stein, was written in the modernist idiom, and was heavily influenced both by Native American...
(poet and literary critic) - Lee WoodallLee WoodallLee Artis Woodall is a former professional American football player who was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 1994 NFL Draft. A 6'1", 230-lb. linebacker from West Chester University, Woodall played in 8 NFL seasons from 1994 to 2001...
(former NFL linebacker) - Jerry Yang (co-founder of Yahoo!Yahoo!Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
) - Steve Young (former quarterback 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 current Hall-of-Famer) - Josh ZuckermanJosh ZuckermanJosh Zuckerman may refer to:*Josh Zuckerman , American singer/songwriter*Josh Zuckerman , American actor...
(actor)
Sister cities
Los Altos has four sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities InternationalSister Cities International
Sister Cities International is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between United States and international communities. More than 2,000 cities, states and counties are partnered in 136 countries around the world...
:
- Bendigo
Bendigo, VictoriaBendigo is a major regional city in the state of Victoria, Australia, located very close to the geographical centre of the state and approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne. It is the second largest inland city and fourth most populous city in the state. The estimated urban...
, Australia - Syktyvkar
Syktyvkar-Twin towns/sister cities:Syktyvkar is twinned with the following sister cities: Cullera, Spain Debrecen, Hungary Los Altos, United States Lovech, Bulgaria Taiyuan, China-External links:* * * *...
, Russia - Shilin, Taiwan Rustington
RustingtonRustington is a seaside resort and civil parish near Littlehampton in West Sussex. Rustington is centrally situated on the West Sussex coast almost midway between the cathedral city of Chichester and Brighton. For local government purposes, it forms part of the Arun district of the administrative...
, UK
Neighboring cities
- Cupertino, CA
- Sunnyvale, CA
- Los Altos Hills, CA
- Palo Alto, CA
- Mountain View, CA
External links
- Los Altos History Museum
- Los Altos Town Crier – city newspaper