Woodside, California
Encyclopedia
Woodside is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County
, California
, United States
, on the San Francisco Peninsula
. It uses a council-manager system of government
. The U.S. Census estimated the population of the town to be 5,287 in 2010.
Woodside is among the wealthiest communities in the United States.
tribe. In 1769, led by Gaspar de Portolà
, Spanish explorers searching for San Francisco Bay
camped at a site near Woodside.
Woodside is located on the Rancho Cañada de Raymundo
Mexican Land grant. Woodside is said to be the oldest English-speaking settlement in the southern part of the San Francisco Peninsula. The first English-speaking settlers arrived in the early 19th century to log the rich stands of redwoods. Charles Brown constructed the first sawmill in Woodside on his Mountain Home Ranch around 1838. His adobe house, built in 1839, still stands today. By mid-century, the Woodside area had a dozen mills producing building materials for a booming San Francisco
.
In 1849, during the California Gold Rush
, 20-year-old Mathias Alfred Parkhurst purchased 127 acre (0.51395122 km²) of timberland and named it “Woodside"; of course, this name was kept. By the late 19th century, Woodside was home to country estates. The Sequoia Redwood trees in Woodside are currently 3 generation growth. The first generation of the Redwood trees were used to build San Francisco original homes. After the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, the lumberjacks returned to Woodside to cut the second growth of redwood so they could be used for the rebuilding of San Francisco again.
In 1909, the Family
, a private club, set up camp facilities and rustic buildings in Woodside at the Family Farm, a rural retreat used by club members for recreation. Gatherings at the Family Farm include an annual Farm Play, written and performed by members. In 1912, the Family pooled funds to build Our Lady of the Wayside Church
in Portola Valley, designed by 19-year-old Timothy L. Pflueger
, his first commission. The historic building was repaired at a cost of US$600,000 after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
Woodside was incorporated in 1956 to prevent urbanization, and it still retains a rural residential character, though it is a short commute to Silicon Valley
.
Today, Woodside is among the wealthiest small towns in the United States. Vacant lots, were any to be found, would sell for over a million dollars. Several well-known people live here, including Larry Ellison
, CEO of Oracle Corporation
, who spent nine years building an architecturally authentic, $200+ million Japanese feudal castle and man-made lake in Woodside; Gordon E. Moore, co-founder of Intel and originator of Moore's Law
; John Thompson
, CEO of Symantec
; Neil Young
, rock musician and songwriter, who owns a 1500 acres (6.1 km²) ranch and recording studio there; the late Steve Jobs
, CEO of Apple, Inc. and formerly of Pixar
, owned the Jackling House
in Woodside, but had it demolished and was in the process of replacing it with a modern home on the same parcel before his death; Michelle Pfeiffer
, actress, and her husband David E. Kelley
, producer; Thomas Siebel
, founder of Siebel Systems
; Scott Cook
, co-founder of Intuit, Inc.; John Doerr
, venture capitalist; Dr. Carl Djerassi
, novelist and member of team that developed the birth control pill; Kenneth Fisher
, founder of Fisher Investments, Forbes
columnist, author, and local historian; Susan Dawson, philanthropist; and Joan Baez
, folk singer. Koko
, the gorilla who was taught in American Sign Language
also calls Woodside home.
The intentionally small business district includes a few restaurants (Buck's, Woodside Bakery & Cafe, and The Village Pub), a grocery store (Roberts Market), a saloon (the historic Pioneer Saloon), a hardware and horse tack
store (Roberts Hardware and Tack), an art gallery and picture framing store (Woodside Gallery), a home and garden store (Emily Joubert), realtors (Carey Realty, Coldwell Banker, Alain Pinel, Remax), a few venture capital funds (including Crosspoint Ventures, Tenaya Capital
, and The Photonics Fund), a cleaner, a post office, and an educational consulting and tutoring company (Cardinal Education). Outside of the business district are the Stillheart Institute educational event center, Skywood Trading Post, the Mountain Terrace event center, and the following restaurants: Bella Vista, The Little Store, The Mountain House and Alice's. The Village Pub recently was awarded the highest honor for restaurants: a Michelin star. The town is home to the famous Buck's of Woodside restaurant, which is well known among Silicon Valley entrepreneurs as the location where many VC investment deals have been signed. The inside of the restaurant is decorated with historic Silicon Valley artifacts. The corporate headquarters for Fisher Investments sits atop Kings Mountain
in Woodside.
Horses are part of the local culture. Numerous residents keep horses, and the town government maintains a network of horse trails.Some resident's homes are even considered farms. The town is also quite popular among local cyclists and draws them in large numbers on weekends. The most popular road cycling routes include Old La Honda Road, King's Mountain Road, Cañada Road, Southgate Drive, Skyline Boulevard and Highway 84
. The Tour of California bicycle race includes several roads along and adjacent to CA-84 and Skyline Boulevard.
Woodside is home to a number of open space preserves, including the Purisima Open Space (which is part of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space
), where both horseback riding and bicycling is allowed. For mountain biking, the famous Skeggs Point
is located in Woodside along Skyline Boulevard. There is also an extensive archery course maintained by volunteers in the adjacent Huddart County Park.
The Woodside Fire District is a special district serving Woodside, Portola Valley
and unincorporated areas including Ladera
, Los Trancos Woods
, Vista Verde, Emerald Lake, Menlo Park (Unincorporated) and Skyline/State Route 35
area.
Dr. Carl Djerassi
founded an artists' colony in the community in memory of his late daughter. The Djerassi Resident Artists Program is one of several Bay Area programs housing artists in an environment where they can be creative without worrying about how to pay the rent. Others include Villa Montalvo in Saratoga
and Marin Headlands Center for the Arts north of San Francisco.
It is adjacent to the campus of Stanford University
, east of the town.
It was also the home of NFL Hall of Fame and former San Francisco 49ers
head coach Bill Walsh, who died on July 30, 2007.
Woodside is located on the San Francisco Peninsula
, midway between San Jose
and San Francisco, just north of Silicon Valley
, in San Mateo County. The infamous San Andreas fault
runs through town. This fault is a major source of earthquake activity in California, including the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
Much of Woodside is wooded, with redwoods dominating in the western hills and more oaks and eucalyptus in the lower areas. San Francisco Bay lies to the east, while Pacific Ocean beaches lie to the west. The Santa Cruz mountains separate Woodside from the ocean and extend down to Monterey Bay about forty miles south.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 11.7 square miles (30.3 km²), all land.
The nearest cities and towns are Redwood City
, Menlo Park
, Portola Valley
, Atherton
, San Carlos
, Belmont
, and Palo Alto
.
, where several inches falls every several years. Annual precipitation averages 30.9 inches (785.4 milimeters) and falls on an average of 61 days annually.
The record maximum temperature was 114 °F (45.6 °C) on July 22, 2006, and the record minimum temperature was 17 °F (-8.3 °C) on February 6, 1989. Temperatures reach 90 °F (32 °C) or higher on an average of 48.4 days annually. Temperatures drop to freezing on an average of 10.0 days annually. The maximum rainfall in one year was 59.86 inches (1,520.4 mm) in 1983. The maximum rainfall in one month was 20.5 inches (520.7 mm) in December 2002 and the maximum in 24 hours was 4.64 inches (117.9 mm) on December 1, 2002. On February 5, 1976, 3.0 inches of snow fell at the fire station.
Hills and mountains between Woodside and the Pacific coast make fog much less prevalent than in nearby San Francisco.
and riparian zone
s. There is considerable biodiversity
present, Woodside being within the California Floristic Province
. Notable species present include the rare
and endangered species
Acanthomintha duttonii
, the San Mateo Thornmint. It is also home to Huddart County Park, which is accessible by authorized motor vehicles, pedestrians, and horses on Kings Mountain Road. The other vehicle accessible entrance is off of Kings Mountain Road, approximately half way up the road from the point at which it starts to climb a narrow hill in the Coastal Range of California. This is accessible to the public, which can drive down Toyon road until further driving of unauthorized vehicles is unlawful, which is just after Sequoia Campground. Also, other than the main entrance, several entrances are accessible to pedestrians and horses only and are located along Kings Mountain Road.
was 450.6 people per square mile (174.0/km²). The racial makeup of Woodside was 4,717 (89.2%) White, 23 (0.4%) African American, 4 (0.1%) Native American, 332 (6.3%) Asian, 4 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 63 (1.2%) from other races
, and 144 (2.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 243 persons (4.6%).
The Census reported that 5,287 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 1,977 households, out of which 643 (32.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,313 (66.4%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 124 (6.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 50 (2.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 54 (2.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 19 (1.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 383 households (19.4%) were made up of individuals and 171 (8.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67. There were 1,487 families
(75.2% of all households); the average family size was 3.01.
The population was spread out with 1,243 people (23.5%) under the age of 18, 244 people (4.6%) aged 18 to 24, 823 people (15.6%) aged 25 to 44, 1,909 people (36.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,068 people (20.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.8 years. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males.
There were 2,157 housing units at an average density of 183.9 per square mile (71.0/km²), of which 1,721 (87.1%) were owner-occupied, and 256 (12.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.7%. 4,749 people (89.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 538 people (10.2%) lived in rental housing units.
of 2000, there were 5,352 people, 1,949 households, and 1,516 families residing in the town. The population density
was 455.1 people per square mile (175.7/km²). There were 2,030 housing units at an average density of 172.6 per square mile (66.6/km²).
There are 1,949 households, of which 31.6% have children under the age of 18. 68.8% were married couples
living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.2% were non-families. 15.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 32.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.1 males.
The median household income in the town is $171,126, and the median family income is $196,505. The per capita income
for the town was $104,667. About 1.6% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
Woodside is located in the 8th Senate
District, represented by Democrat
Leland Yee
, and in the 21st Assembly
District, represented by Democrat Rich Gordon
. Federally, Woodside is located in California's 14th congressional district
, which has a Cook PVI
of D +18 and is represented by Democrat Anna Eshoo
.
movie Bicentennial Man is in Woodside. Dynasty
was filmed at the Filoli Estate (not the interior of the mansion, but the exterior), as were the films The Wedding Planner
, The Game
, Lolita
, George of the Jungle
, Heaven Can Wait
, and Harold and Maude
. The musical Rent
also has a scene filmed inside the Filoli Estate.
San Mateo County, California
San Mateo County is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. It covers most of the San Francisco Peninsula just south of San Francisco, and north of Santa Clara County. San Francisco International Airport is located at the northern end of the county, and...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, on the San Francisco Peninsula
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...
. It uses a council-manager system of government
Council-manager government
The council–manager government form is one of two predominant forms of municipal government in the United States; the other common form of local government is the mayor-council government form, which characteristically occurs in large cities...
. The U.S. Census estimated the population of the town to be 5,287 in 2010.
Woodside is among the wealthiest communities in the United States.
History and culture
The Woodside area was originally home to natives belonging to the OhloneOhlone
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...
tribe. In 1769, led by Gaspar de Portolà
Gaspar de Portolà
Gaspar de Portolà i Rovira was a soldier, governor of Baja and Alta California , explorer and founder of San Diego and Monterey. He was born in Os de Balaguer, province of Lleida, in Catalonia, Spain, of Catalan nobility. Don Gaspar served as a soldier in the Spanish army in Italy and Portugal...
, Spanish explorers searching for San Francisco Bay
San 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...
camped at a site near Woodside.
Woodside is located on the Rancho Cañada de Raymundo
Rancho Cañada de Raymundo
Rancho Cañada de Raymundo was a Mexican land grant in present day San Mateo County, California given in 1840 by Governor Juan Alvarado to John Coppinger. The two and one half league long by three quarter league wide grant consisted the eastern slopes and valleys in the present day Woodside area...
Mexican Land grant. Woodside is said to be the oldest English-speaking settlement in the southern part of the San Francisco Peninsula. The first English-speaking settlers arrived in the early 19th century to log the rich stands of redwoods. Charles Brown constructed the first sawmill in Woodside on his Mountain Home Ranch around 1838. His adobe house, built in 1839, still stands today. By mid-century, the Woodside area had a dozen mills producing building materials for a booming San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
In 1849, during the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
, 20-year-old Mathias Alfred Parkhurst purchased 127 acre (0.51395122 km²) of timberland and named it “Woodside"; of course, this name was kept. By the late 19th century, Woodside was home to country estates. The Sequoia Redwood trees in Woodside are currently 3 generation growth. The first generation of the Redwood trees were used to build San Francisco original homes. After the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, the lumberjacks returned to Woodside to cut the second growth of redwood so they could be used for the rebuilding of San Francisco again.
In 1909, the Family
The Family (club)
The Family is a private club in San Francisco, California, formed in 1901 by newspapermen who left the Bohemian Club. The club maintains a clubhouse in the city as well as rural property 35 miles to the south in Woodside....
, a private club, set up camp facilities and rustic buildings in Woodside at the Family Farm, a rural retreat used by club members for recreation. Gatherings at the Family Farm include an annual Farm Play, written and performed by members. In 1912, the Family pooled funds to build Our Lady of the Wayside Church
Our Lady of the Wayside Church
Our Lady of the Wayside Church is a modest church built in 1912 for the then-growing Catholic parish of Portola Valley by a combined effort of Jewish, Protestant and Catholic members of The Family, a San Francisco men's club that owns a nearby rural retreat....
in Portola Valley, designed by 19-year-old Timothy L. Pflueger
Timothy L. Pflueger
Timothy Ludwig Pflueger was a prominent architect, interior designer and architectural lighting designer in the San Francisco Bay Area in the first half of the 20th century. Together with James R...
, his first commission. The historic building was repaired at a cost of US$600,000 after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
Woodside was incorporated in 1956 to prevent urbanization, and it still retains a rural residential character, though it is a short commute to 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...
.
Today, Woodside is among the wealthiest small towns in the United States. Vacant lots, were any to be found, would sell for over a million dollars. Several well-known people live here, including Larry Ellison
Larry Ellison
Lawrence Joseph "Larry" Ellison is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Oracle Corporation, one of the world's leading enterprise software companies. As of 2011, he is the third wealthiest American citizen, with an estimated worth of $33 billion.- Early life :Larry Ellison was born in the...
, CEO of Oracle Corporation
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...
, who spent nine years building an architecturally authentic, $200+ million Japanese feudal castle and man-made lake in Woodside; Gordon E. Moore, co-founder of Intel and originator of Moore's Law
Moore's Law
Moore's law describes a long-term trend in the history of computing hardware: the number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years....
; John Thompson
John W. Thompson
John W. Thompson is a former vice-president at IBM and the former Chief Executive Officer of Symantec Corporation. He is presently the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Symantec Corporation and CEO of Virtual Instruments...
, CEO of Symantec
Symantec
Symantec Corporation is the largest maker of security software for computers. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and is a Fortune 500 company and a member of the S&P 500 stock market index.-History:...
; Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
, rock musician and songwriter, who owns a 1500 acres (6.1 km²) ranch and recording studio there; the late 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...
, CEO of Apple, Inc. and formerly of Pixar
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
, owned the Jackling House
Jackling House
The Jackling House was a mansion in Woodside, California, designed and built for copper mining magnate Daniel Cowan Jackling and his family by the noted California architect George Washington Smith in 1925...
in Woodside, but had it demolished and was in the process of replacing it with a modern home on the same parcel before his death; Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress. She made her film debut in 1980 in The Hollywood Knights, but first garnered mainstream attention with her performance in Brian De Palma's Scarface . Pfeiffer has won numerous awards for her work...
, actress, and her husband David E. Kelley
David E. Kelley
David Edward Kelley is an American television writer and producer, known as the creator of Picket Fences, Chicago Hope, The Practice, Ally McBeal, Boston Public, Boston Legal and Harry's Law, as well as several films. Kelley is one of the only screenwriters to have had a show created by him run on...
, producer; Thomas Siebel
Thomas Siebel
Thomas Siebel is a business executive. He is the chairman of First Virtual Group, a diversified holding company with interests in commercial real estate, agribusiness, global investment management, and philanthropy.-Education and Work:...
, founder of Siebel Systems
Siebel Systems
Siebel CRM Systems, Inc. was a software company principally engaged in the design, development, marketing, and support of customer relationship management applications. The company was founded by Thomas Siebel in 1993. At first known mainly for its sales force automation products, the company...
; Scott Cook
Scott Cook
Scott David Cook is a founder of Intuit, has been a director of Intuit since March 1983 and is currently Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board. Cook also serves on the boards of directors of eBay Inc., and The Procter & Gamble Company....
, co-founder of Intuit, Inc.; John Doerr
John Doerr
L. John Doerr is an American venture capitalist at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in Menlo Park, California, in Silicon Valley. In February 2009, Doerr was appointed as a member of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board to provide the president and his administration with advice and...
, venture capitalist; Dr. Carl Djerassi
Carl Djerassi
Carl Djerassi is an Austrian-American chemist, novelist, and playwright best known for his contribution to the development of the first oral contraceptive pill . Djerassi is emeritus professor of chemistry at Stanford University.He participated in the invention in 1951, together with Mexican Luis E...
, novelist and member of team that developed the birth control pill; Kenneth Fisher
Kenneth Fisher
Kenneth Lawrence Fisher is a widely published American investment analyst, and the founder, chairman, and CEO of Fisher Investments, a money management firm headquartered in Woodside, California...
, founder of Fisher Investments, 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...
columnist, author, and local historian; Susan Dawson, philanthropist; and Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
, folk singer. Koko
Koko (gorilla)
Koko is a female western lowland gorilla who, according to Francine "Penny" Patterson, is able to understand more than 1,000 signs based on American Sign Language, and understand approximately 2,000 words of spoken English....
, the gorilla who was taught in American Sign Language
American Sign Language
American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...
also calls Woodside home.
The intentionally small business district includes a few restaurants (Buck's, Woodside Bakery & Cafe, and The Village Pub), a grocery store (Roberts Market), a saloon (the historic Pioneer Saloon), a hardware and horse tack
Horse tack
Tack is a term used to describe any of the various equipment and accessories worn by horses in the course of their use as domesticated animals. Saddles, stirrups, bridles, halters, reins, bits, harnesses, martingales, and breastplates are all forms of horse tack...
store (Roberts Hardware and Tack), an art gallery and picture framing store (Woodside Gallery), a home and garden store (Emily Joubert), realtors (Carey Realty, Coldwell Banker, Alain Pinel, Remax), a few venture capital funds (including Crosspoint Ventures, Tenaya Capital
Tenaya Capital
Tenaya Capital is a venture capital firm with offices in Menlo Park, California, and Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1995 as Lehman Brothers Venture Partners, Tenaya spun out to become an independent firm in 2009 following Lehman's bankruptcy. To date, Tenaya has raised five funds representing...
, and The Photonics Fund), a cleaner, a post office, and an educational consulting and tutoring company (Cardinal Education). Outside of the business district are the Stillheart Institute educational event center, Skywood Trading Post, the Mountain Terrace event center, and the following restaurants: Bella Vista, The Little Store, The Mountain House and Alice's. The Village Pub recently was awarded the highest honor for restaurants: a Michelin star. The town is home to the famous Buck's of Woodside restaurant, which is well known among Silicon Valley entrepreneurs as the location where many VC investment deals have been signed. The inside of the restaurant is decorated with historic Silicon Valley artifacts. The corporate headquarters for Fisher Investments sits atop Kings Mountain
Kings Mountain, California
Kings Mountain is an unincorporated community in San Mateo County, California, located along State Route 35 between Skeggs Point and Pise Mountain. This is about seven miles north of Woodside Road . In the U.S...
in Woodside.
Horses are part of the local culture. Numerous residents keep horses, and the town government maintains a network of horse trails.Some resident's homes are even considered farms. The town is also quite popular among local cyclists and draws them in large numbers on weekends. The most popular road cycling routes include Old La Honda Road, King's Mountain Road, Cañada Road, Southgate Drive, Skyline Boulevard and Highway 84
California State Route 84
State Route 84 is a split-section California State Highway consisting of two sections. The first section is an east–west arterial road running from San Gregorio to Menlo Park, across the Dumbarton Bridge through Fremont and Newark and ending at I-580 in Livermore. The route overlaps the...
. The Tour of California bicycle race includes several roads along and adjacent to CA-84 and Skyline Boulevard.
Woodside is home to a number of open space preserves, including the Purisima Open Space (which is part of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District is a special-purpose district that manages over of open space in 25 preserves in the San Francisco Bay Area. It includes parts of Santa Clara, San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties. The District was created by voter initiative in 1972...
), where both horseback riding and bicycling is allowed. For mountain biking, the famous Skeggs Point
Skeggs Point, California
Skeggs Point is a scenic turnout in San Mateo County along State Route 35 between Kings Mountain and State Route 84. The feature is marked with a guide sign along the road and is listed on the USGS 7.5 minute quadrangle, "Woodside, California" as well as in the National Geographic Names Database...
is located in Woodside along Skyline Boulevard. There is also an extensive archery course maintained by volunteers in the adjacent Huddart County Park.
The Woodside Fire District is a special district serving Woodside, Portola Valley
Portola Valley, California
Portola Valley is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. The population was 4,353 at the 2010 census. It was named for Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola, who led the first party of Europeans to explore the San Francisco Peninsula, in 1769.Portola Valley is one of the...
and unincorporated areas including Ladera
Ladera, California
Ladera is a census-designated place located in southern San Mateo County, California adjacent to Portola Valley. Primarily a residential community, it comprises approximately 520 homes. The ZIP Code is 94028 and the community is inside area code 650...
, Los Trancos Woods
Los Trancos Woods, California
Los Trancos Woods is an unincorporated community in San Mateo County, California near the border of Santa Clara County. The US Geological Survey, National Geographic Names Database, show it as a feature type populated place. The area does not have its own unique ZIP code; it is in ZIP code 94028...
, Vista Verde, Emerald Lake, Menlo Park (Unincorporated) and Skyline/State Route 35
California State Route 35
State Route 35 in the U.S. state of California, generally known as Skyline Boulevard, is a two-lane road running along the western ridge of Silicon Valley in California. It runs from Highway 17 to San Francisco at State Route 1. It provides scenic views of both the Santa Cruz Mountains, the...
area.
Dr. Carl Djerassi
Carl Djerassi
Carl Djerassi is an Austrian-American chemist, novelist, and playwright best known for his contribution to the development of the first oral contraceptive pill . Djerassi is emeritus professor of chemistry at Stanford University.He participated in the invention in 1951, together with Mexican Luis E...
founded an artists' colony in the community in memory of his late daughter. The Djerassi Resident Artists Program is one of several Bay Area programs housing artists in an environment where they can be creative without worrying about how to pay the rent. Others include Villa Montalvo in Saratoga
Saratoga, California
Saratoga is a city in Santa Clara County, California, USA. It is located on the west side of the Santa Clara Valley, directly west of San Jose, in the San Francisco Bay area. The population was 29,926 at the 2010 census....
and Marin Headlands Center for the Arts north of San Francisco.
It is adjacent to the campus of 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...
, east of the town.
It was also the home of NFL Hall of Fame and former San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The 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...
head coach Bill Walsh, who died on July 30, 2007.
Geography and climate
Woodside is located at 37°25′15"N 122°15′35"W (37.420704, -122.259777).Woodside is located on the San Francisco Peninsula
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...
, midway between 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 San Francisco, just north of 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 San Mateo County. The infamous San Andreas fault
San 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...
runs through town. This fault is a major source of earthquake activity in California, including the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
Much of Woodside is wooded, with redwoods dominating in the western hills and more oaks and eucalyptus in the lower areas. San Francisco Bay lies to the east, while Pacific Ocean beaches lie to the west. The Santa Cruz mountains separate Woodside from the ocean and extend down to Monterey Bay about forty miles south.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 11.7 square miles (30.3 km²), all land.
The nearest cities and towns are Redwood City
Redwood City, California
Redwood City is a California charter city located on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California, approximately 27 miles south of San Francisco, and 24 miles north of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans from its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people, to its tradition as a port for...
, Menlo Park
Menlo Park, California
Menlo Park, California is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, in the United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, and Stanford to the south; Atherton, North Fair Oaks, and Redwood City...
, Portola Valley
Portola Valley, California
Portola Valley is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. The population was 4,353 at the 2010 census. It was named for Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola, who led the first party of Europeans to explore the San Francisco Peninsula, in 1769.Portola Valley is one of the...
, Atherton
Atherton, California
Atherton is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. Its population was 6,914 at the 2010 census. In September 2010, Forbes magazine placed Atherton's zip code of 94027 at #2 on its annual list of America's most expensive zip codes, with a median home price of $4,010,200...
, San Carlos
San Carlos, California
San Carlos is a city in San Mateo County, California, USA on the San Francisco Peninsula, about halfway between San Francisco and San Jose. It is an affluent small residential suburb located between Belmont to the north and Redwood City to the south. San Carlos' ZIP code is 94070, and it is within...
, Belmont
Belmont, California
Belmont is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States. It is in the San Francisco Bay Area, located half-way down the San Francisco Peninsula between San Mateo and San Carlos. It was originally part of the Rancho de las Pulgas, for which one of its main roads, the Alameda de las Pulgas,...
, and 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...
.
Climate
As is true of most of the California coastal areas, weather in Woodside is usually mild during most of the year. Summers are dry and can be hot; winter temperatures rarely dip much below freezing. Average January temperatures are a maximum of 60 °F (15.6 °C) and a minimum of 36 °F (2.2 °C). Average July temperatures are a maximum of 88 °F (31.1 °C) and a minimum of 51 °F (10.6 °C). Snowfall is extremely rare except in the nearby Santa Cruz MountainsSanta 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,...
, where several inches falls every several years. Annual precipitation averages 30.9 inches (785.4 milimeters) and falls on an average of 61 days annually.
The record maximum temperature was 114 °F (45.6 °C) on July 22, 2006, and the record minimum temperature was 17 °F (-8.3 °C) on February 6, 1989. Temperatures reach 90 °F (32 °C) or higher on an average of 48.4 days annually. Temperatures drop to freezing on an average of 10.0 days annually. The maximum rainfall in one year was 59.86 inches (1,520.4 mm) in 1983. The maximum rainfall in one month was 20.5 inches (520.7 mm) in December 2002 and the maximum in 24 hours was 4.64 inches (117.9 mm) on December 1, 2002. On February 5, 1976, 3.0 inches of snow fell at the fire station.
Hills and mountains between Woodside and the Pacific coast make fog much less prevalent than in nearby San Francisco.
Parks and environmental features
Woodside has a variety of habitat types including California oak woodlandCalifornia oak woodland
California oak woodland is a plant community found throughout the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of California in the United States and northwestern Baja California in Mexico...
and riparian zone
Riparian zone
A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the fifteen terrestrial biomes of the earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks are called riparian vegetation, characterized by...
s. There is considerable biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
present, Woodside being within the California Floristic Province
California Floristic Province
The California Floristic Province is a floristic province with a Mediterranean climate located on the Pacific Coast of North America with a distinctive flora that bears similarities to floras found in other regions experiencing a winter rainfall, summer drought climate like the Mediterranean...
. Notable species present include the rare
Rare species
A rare species is a group of organisms that are very uncommon or scarce. This designation may be applied to either a plant or animal taxon, and may be distinct from the term "endangered" or "threatened species" but not "extinct"....
and endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
Acanthomintha duttonii
Acanthomintha duttonii
Acanthomintha duttonii is a species of annual plant endemic to San Mateo County, California in the Lamiaceae family. It is commonly called San Mateo Thornmint or Dutton's acanthomintha and is found growing on Serpentine soils near the Crystal Springs Reservoir in a six mile long strip on the east...
, the San Mateo Thornmint. It is also home to Huddart County Park, which is accessible by authorized motor vehicles, pedestrians, and horses on Kings Mountain Road. The other vehicle accessible entrance is off of Kings Mountain Road, approximately half way up the road from the point at which it starts to climb a narrow hill in the Coastal Range of California. This is accessible to the public, which can drive down Toyon road until further driving of unauthorized vehicles is unlawful, which is just after Sequoia Campground. Also, other than the main entrance, several entrances are accessible to pedestrians and horses only and are located along Kings Mountain Road.
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Woodside had a population of 5,287. 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 450.6 people per square mile (174.0/km²). The racial makeup of Woodside was 4,717 (89.2%) White, 23 (0.4%) African American, 4 (0.1%) Native American, 332 (6.3%) Asian, 4 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 63 (1.2%) 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 144 (2.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 243 persons (4.6%).
The Census reported that 5,287 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 1,977 households, out of which 643 (32.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,313 (66.4%) 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, 124 (6.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 50 (2.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 54 (2.7%) 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 19 (1.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 383 households (19.4%) were made up of individuals and 171 (8.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67. There were 1,487 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...
(75.2% of all households); the average family size was 3.01.
The population was spread out with 1,243 people (23.5%) under the age of 18, 244 people (4.6%) aged 18 to 24, 823 people (15.6%) aged 25 to 44, 1,909 people (36.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,068 people (20.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.8 years. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males.
There were 2,157 housing units at an average density of 183.9 per square mile (71.0/km²), of which 1,721 (87.1%) were owner-occupied, and 256 (12.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.7%. 4,749 people (89.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 538 people (10.2%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 5,352 people, 1,949 households, and 1,516 families residing in the town. 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...
was 455.1 people per square mile (175.7/km²). There were 2,030 housing units at an average density of 172.6 per square mile (66.6/km²).
There are 1,949 households, of which 31.6% have children under the age of 18. 68.8% were 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, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.2% were non-families. 15.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 32.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.1 males.
The median household income in the town is $171,126, and the median family income is $196,505. 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 town was $104,667. About 1.6% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
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...
Woodside is located in the 8th 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...
Leland Yee
Leland Yee
Leland Yee is a California State Senator in District 8 which represents the western half of San Francisco and most of San Mateo County. Prior to becoming state senator, Yee was a California State Assemblyman, Supervisor of San Francisco's Sunset District, and was a member and President of the San...
, 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...
. Federally, Woodside 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...
.
Film and television
The house in the Robin WilliamsRobin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
movie Bicentennial Man is in Woodside. Dynasty
Dynasty (TV series)
Dynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. It was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, and revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado...
was filmed at the Filoli Estate (not the interior of the mansion, but the exterior), as were the films The Wedding Planner
The Wedding Planner
The Wedding Planner is a 2001 romantic comedy film directed by Adam Shankman, written by Michael Ellis and Pamela Falk, and starring Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey.-Plot:...
, The Game
The Game (film)
The Game is a 1997 neo-noir psychological thriller film directed by David Fincher, starring Michael Douglas and Sean Penn, and produced by Polygram. It tells the story of an investment banker who is given a mysterious gift: participation in a game that integrates in strange ways with his life...
, Lolita
Lolita (1997 film)
Lolita is a 1997 French-American drama film directed by Adrian Lyne. It is the second screen adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's novel of the same name and stars Jeremy Irons as Humbert Humbert and Dominique Swain as Dolores "Lolita" Haze, with supporting roles by Melanie Griffith as Charlotte Haze,...
, George of the Jungle
George of the Jungle
George of the Jungle was an American animated series produced by Jay Ward and Bill Scott, who created The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. The character George was inspired by the legend of Tarzan. It ran for 17 episodes on Saturday mornings from September 9 to December 30, 1967, on the American TV...
, Heaven Can Wait
Heaven Can Wait (1978 film)
Heaven Can Wait is a 1978 American comedy film directed by Warren Beatty and Buck Henry. It is the second film adaptation of Harry Segall's stageplay of the same name, preceded by Here Comes Mr. Jordan and followed by Down to Earth...
, and Harold and Maude
Harold and Maude
Harold and Maude is a 1971 American dark comedy film directed by Hal Ashby and released by Paramount Pictures. It incorporates elements of dark humor and existentialist drama, with a plot that revolves around the exploits of a young man intrigued with death, Harold...
. The musical Rent
Rent (musical)
Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
also has a scene filmed inside the Filoli Estate.