San Jose, California

Campbell, California, owes its existence to the agricultural boom that once swept through the Santa Clara Valley. Named after Benjamin Campbell, who arrived in the late 19th century, the area wasn't a planned…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Los Gatos, nestled against the low-slung Santa Cruz Mountains, feels a world away from the frenetic energy of Silicon Valley, even though many residents drive north each day to work in tech. It’s a place of manicured…

Pull over here for a second. From 1936 to 1938, John Steinbeck, the voice of the working class, lived and wrote right here in the Santa Cruz Mountains. He and his wife, Carol, had this house built in 1936. Can you…

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…

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…

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…

Get ready to learn about California's secret ingredient to the Gold Rush: mercury! This area, New Almaden, was home to the state's oldest and most productive mercury mine. Before the Spanish or Americans arrived, the…

The metal pulled from these hills has a property that sets it apart from every other metal on Earth: mercury is the only one that stays liquid at ordinary room temperature. Pour it out and it does not sit in a lump. It…

The Mad Hatter is usually written off as a nonsense character, but the phrase mad as a hatter grew out of real workshops and a real metal, the same quicksilver mined here. For centuries, hatmakers turned animal fur into…

New Almaden, the historic district south of San Jose, borrows its name from Almaden in Spain, the world's greatest mercury mine. In 1845 a Mexican cavalry officer, Andres Castillero, recognized that the red rock local…

Quicksilver is heavy in a way that defies common sense. A jug of it the size of a milk carton would weigh as much as a couple of bowling balls, because mercury is about thirteen and a half times denser than water. That…

Before anyone here wanted the mercury, people wanted the rock it hides in. Cinnabar, the ore mercury comes from, is a brilliant scarlet, and that's no accident of New Almaden alone. Ground into fine powder, cinnabar…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

World's first permanently occupied mountaintop observatory; its benefactor is buried under the telescope.

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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

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…

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! 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…

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…

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…

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…

Menlo Park, California, began as a stop on the burgeoning railway line connecting San Francisco to the south. Its name, derived from two Irish immigrants who built adjacent estates, hinted at aspirations of genteel…

Sip history at the oldest remaining winery structure in Santa Clara County, a relic of California's wine-making heritage. The Malaguerra Winery, built in 1869, stands as a testament to the region's rich agricultural…

Atherton's story is one of intentional cultivation, a deliberate turning away from the denser development that characterizes much of the Peninsula. The town's early connection to the Southern Pacific Railroad certainly…

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…

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…

Ever wonder how a mountain valley nestled in the redwoods preserves its past? It's thanks to places like the San Lorenzo Valley Museum. Founded in 1976, the San Lorenzo Valley Historical Society created the museum to…