Mountain View

Nestled between the Santa Cruz Mountains and San Francisco Bay, Mountain View is a diverse community, ideally located in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Mountain View prides itself on providing excellent public services and facilities that meet the needs of a caring and diverse community in a financially responsible manner. While leading the region in innovation and ideas, the City remains committed to the traditional values of strong neighborhoods and citizen involvement. Mountain View boasts strong safety and public education records and is considered one of the best places to live in the Bay Area.

 

Mountain View is located in Santa Clara County, California, and was named for its views of the Santa Cruz Mountains. From its origins as a stagecoach stop, it has grown to a large suburb with a pedestrian-friendly downtown, and free wi-fi. At just over 12 square miles, the City is home to approximately 75,000 residents, many nationally and internationally known corporations, and a thriving small business base. Today, many of the largest technology companies in the world are headquartered in the city, including Google, LinkedIn, Intuit and many more.

 

Mission Priests were the first European Americans to build settlements among the Ohlone Indians here on the San Francisco Peninsula. At that time, the gentle, rolling valley floor covered with grasses, dotted with giant California live oaks and surrounded by mountains resembled a large, magnificent park. When Mission Santa Clara de Asís was founded in 1777, Mission Indians used the land that is now Mountain View as pasture for sheep and cattle. Following the secularization of the missions by the Mexican government in the 1830s, the land was subdivided by Mexican land grants. In 1854, the land grant Rancho Pastoria de las Borregas (sheep pasture ranch) was awarded to Mariano Castro, after whom the main street of Mountain View would later be named.