Redwood City, California

Prepare to be transported to a world of Jazz Age elegance! You're approaching the Green Gables Estate, a place that whispers tales of lavish parties and a family's enduring legacy. Constructed between 1911 and 1935, the…

Imagine a gilded age estate that survived earthquakes and became a movie star! That's Filoli. Built between 1917 and 1919 for William Bowers Bourn II, a wealthy owner of a gold mine and president of a water company,…

Imagine buying supplies here in the 1850s, a time before cars or even reliable roads! That's exactly what folks did at the Woodside Store, also known as Tripp Store. This building is a preserved piece of California's…

Imagine saying goodbye to your loved one, not knowing if you'll ever see them again. That's the somber scene this site witnessed during World War I. Built in 1918 by the YWCA, the Hostess House offered soldiers…

Pull over here for a minute – this unassuming red barn played a huge role in the founding of Stanford University! Leland Stanford, the railroad magnate and former governor, established the Palo Alto Stock Farm here in…

Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard started Hewlett-Packard in this Palo Alto garage in 1938.

Pull over here – you're looking at the unassuming spot where Silicon Valley as we know it was born. In 1938, fresh Stanford graduates Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard started their company, Hewlett-Packard, right here in…

Foster City's placid surface belies a history of deliberate engineering. Before the 1960s, much of what is now this planned community was tidal marshland, part of the vast San Francisco Bay ecosystem. Then came T. Jack…

The name "Palo Alto" rolls easily off the tongue, a gentle Spanish phrase that belies the intense energy of the place. It means "tall stick" or "tall tree," a reference to a majestic redwood that still stands near the…

Imagine living in a house designed by a First Lady! This is the Lou Henry Hoover House, completed in 1920. It was home to Herbert Hoover, the 31st President of the United States, and his wife Lou Henry Hoover. But Lou…

Stanford, California, is more than just home to a famous university. It's also been a launching pad for some notable figures. Think about Sam Bankman-Fried, a name that became widely known as a co-founder of the…

Step back in time at one of Palo Alto's oldest houses, a survivor from the bygone era of Mayfield village. The Kee House, located on Yale Street, dates all the way back to 1889. It's a tangible reminder of a time before…

Junipero Serra High School (451 W. 20th Ave., San Mateo, CA) launched Tom Brady — and it's the same all-boys school that produced Barry Bonds and Lynn Swann. Brady, class of 1995, didn't start out a star: he opened as…

This modest church stands as a testament to an unusual alliance. Our Lady of the Wayside Church was built in 1912 through the combined efforts of Jewish, Protestant, and Catholic members of a local group called The…

San Mateo, California, a city nestled on the peninsula south of San Francisco, claims a surprising number of notable figures. While it might not be as widely known as a celebrity hotspot like Los Angeles, its history…

Pull over! You're driving past a piece of California history that's still pouring drinks today. This is the Alpine Inn, also known as Zott's, or Rossotti's, but originally called Casa de Tableta. It was built around…

Portola Valley, nestled in the folds of the Santa Cruz Mountains, owes its name to a pivotal moment in California history. In 1769, Gaspar de Portolá, a Spanish explorer and soldier, led an expedition north from…

Imagine living in a 98-room mansion with 4.5 floors – this American Renaissance chateau is a sight to behold. Carolands Chateau was commissioned by Harriet Pullman Carolan, heiress to the Pullman railroad fortune.…

Imagine waiting for a train in a building that’s seen over a century of California history. That's Burlingame Station. Built in 1894, this station wasn't just a place to catch a ride; it was a statement. The Southern…

Burlingame, California, a town south of San Francisco, carries a certain understated prestige. Its manicured eucalyptus groves and quiet, residential streets belie the notable figures who once called it home.

Los Santos, a sprawling metropolis hugging the Pacific coast, is more than just sun-drenched beaches and palm-lined boulevards. It's a crucible, a place where dreams are both forged and shattered, and where countless…

Los Altos feels different than some other Peninsula towns. It’s quieter, almost reserved, nestled against the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Its downtown, clustered around Main Street and San Antonio Road,…

This city earned its name from the stunning vistas it offers of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Imagine looking out and seeing those majestic peaks always in view – that's the essence of its identity. The name perfectly…

Prepare to be transported back to the Gilded Age as you approach the magnificent Kohl Mansion. Built in 1914, this stunning estate was commissioned by Bessie and Charles Frederick Kohl. Charles was a prominent…

Long before it was incorporated in 1956, this area was home to the Ohlone people. Later, the land was divided into two large Spanish-Mexican land grants. Rancho San Antonio de Padua was granted in 1839, and Rancho La…

Get ready to see the 'White House of Half Moon Bay'! It's a beautiful piece of California history, right here on the coast. James Johnston, a Scottish immigrant, built this impressive home between 1853 and 1855. He…

Ever wonder about those enormous, almost otherworldly hangars dominating the landscape near Moffett Field? You're looking at Shenandoah Plaza National Historic District, a monument to early aviation and the age of the…

Mountain View is a place built on innovation, literally and figuratively. The city’s name itself is a promise, a vista of the Santa Cruz Mountains rising to the west. But the view that truly defines Mountain View isn't…

Look to your left! That massive structure isn't just any hangar; it's a monument to naval aviation history, built for giants of the sky. In the 1930s, Moffett Field, then a Naval Air Station, became the home of the USS…

Half Moon Bay offers a quiet beauty, a kind of charming simplicity that belies its place in the wider world. The crescent-shaped bay itself gave the town its name, finalized when it incorporated in 1959. But even before…

Newark, California, might seem like just another quiet suburb nestled in the East Bay, a place defined by its proximity to the tech giants and manufacturing hubs that fuel the region's economy. The marshlands bordering…

Millbrae, a city nestled on the San Francisco Peninsula, owes its name to a legacy of land and family. Darius Ogden Mills, a prominent banker and philanthropist in 19th-century California, acquired a large estate south…

Before Silicon Valley, before the Warriors dynasty, Union City was defined by the soil under its feet. Imagine fields stretching as far as the eye could see, a patchwork of green and gold nourished by the bay's…

Sunnyvale, California, a city now synonymous with tech, has roots that reach far beyond binary code. While the sleek campuses of Google and Apple loom large in the collective imagination, the city has also quietly…

Fremont, California, owes much of its modern identity to the auto industry, specifically the New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc., or NUMMI plant. This wasn't just any factory; it was a joint venture between General…

San Bruno, California, reflects a layered history of settlement. Originally inhabited by the Ohlone people, the area transitioned to Spanish control in the late 18th century, becoming part of Rancho Buri Buri. This…

Pull over for a moment and pay your respects. Golden Gate National Cemetery is the final resting place for over 160,000 veterans and their families. Around 1937, San Francisco residents voted to prohibit new cemeteries…

South San Francisco smells faintly of yeast. Not because of a brewery, though there are plenty of those nearby, but because of what South City became: Biotech Bay. The city’s early identity was forged in steel and…

Hayward rises gently from the edge of the San Francisco Bay, a subtle incline that belies the dramatic forces simmering beneath the surface. This land owes its existence to the very fault line that threatens it: the…

This unassuming valley holds a story of clashing cultures and a changing California. In 1786, Franciscan missionaries established the San Pedro y San Pablo Asistencia here, essentially a sub-mission to Mission Dolores…

Santa Clara, resting on the relatively flat landscape of the Central California Foothills and Coastal Mountains ecoregion, pulses with a unique energy. Technology drives much of the local economy, but echoes of its past…

Cupertino, California, nestled in the heart of Silicon Valley, is known globally as the home of Apple, Inc. But the city’s history stretches back further than the tech boom, and its influence extends beyond the digital…

Brisbane, California, a quiet spot tucked away with breathtaking views of the bay, might seem unassuming at first glance. But look closer, and you'll find a place touched by seismic shifts, both literal and cultural.…

Pacifica, California, offers a peculiar mix. It's close enough to San Francisco that many residents make the daily commute for jobs in tech and elsewhere, yet it feels worlds away. The cool, salty air is a welcome…

Imagine this land, once part of a vast Mexican land grant, becoming the heart of a self-made millionaire's empire. That millionaire was James Lick. He acquired this property, part of Rancho Ulistac, in the mid-1800s and…

Don Guillermo Castro's name is etched on the map for a reason. Back in the 1840s, before California even dreamed of statehood, he settled this land, setting the stage for what would become Castro Valley. It's easy to…

Pull over for a second and imagine life here over two centuries ago, because this spot was once the heart of a bustling Spanish mission. It wasn't just a church; it was a whole community. Founded in 1797 by Franciscan…

The scent of ripening fruit is long gone from Santa Clara, replaced by the sterile hum of server farms. Yet, beneath the veneer of Silicon Valley, whispers of its past linger. Founded by Franciscan missionaries and…

Imagine grand parties echoing through these hills – that's the legacy of Paul Masson and his Mountain Winery. Masson, a French immigrant, arrived in California during the Gold Rush era and recognized the potential for…

Ever wonder where your garden seeds come from? You're near the historic home of the man who helped bring them to your backyard. This is the Charles Copeland Morse House. Morse founded the Ferry-Morse Seed Company, one…

Imagine a place where Gilded Age dreams came to life! That's Dunsmuir House, a stunning estate right here in Oakland. In 1899, Alexander Dunsmuir, son of a wealthy coal baron, began building this neoclassical mansion as…

Milpitas sits low, almost level with the bay, a place where the land barely rises above the water. Its name, a nod to "little cornfields," hints at an agricultural past, a time before the tech boom reshaped the…

Daly City's story is one of resilience and reinvention, etched into its beige-painted hills. The 1906 earthquake, a devastating blow to San Francisco, inadvertently seeded Daly City's early growth. Refugees, displaced…

Pull over for a second and check out this building – the Bayview Opera House! It's been a cornerstone of this neighborhood for over a century. Back in 1888, they built this place as the South San Francisco Opera House.…

The creek whispers secrets as it cuts through the redwood groves, a cool, constant reminder of the earth’s patient work. Saratoga is cradled in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, a landscape sculpted by tectonic…

At 525 South Winchester Boulevard in San Jose stands the Winchester Mystery House, the sprawling former home of Sarah Winchester, widow of the rifle magnate William Wirt Winchester. She bought an eight-room farmhouse in…

Alameda’s story is one of transformation, shaped by big dreams and hard realities. Once a peninsula jutting from Oakland, it became an island thanks to the dredging of a shipping channel, forever altering its geography.…