South Bay is the home of Silicon Valley, the birthplace of the country’s technology boom. San Jose is the largest city in South Bay and is the tenth-largest in the nation. Some of the notable attractions and landmarks in the area include California’s Great America, the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph, the Google Campus, Hayes Mansion, San Jose International Airport, Santana Row, Stanford University and the Tech Museum of Innovation.
Santa Clara County
If there’s one word that can sum up of the county of Santa Clara, it’s technology. As one of the oldest counties in California, Santa Clara was predominantly an agricultural-based community. But since 1950s, the area has been at the forefront of innovative technology. Nowadays, the Silicon Valley region is the headquarters location of some of the biggest names in hi-tech operations, including Apple, Hewlett Packard and e-Bay.
— Sunnyvale
Just as its name suggests, Sunnyvale is a tranquil and peaceful suburban environment with a nationally-acclaimed record of safety. The city is also noted for its commitment to community, its beautifully maintained public parks, an rich annual calendar of cultural events, a fully functional public library system and several key performing arts venues. It is also centrally located to several major vacation spots such as Lake Tahoe and the state’s Redwood Forests. Sunnyvale has a Mediterranean climate.
Sunnyvale has several residential areas that, while not clearly defined as neighborhoods, are thought of as such by residents and the local media. They include Birdland, Cherry Chase, the Heritage District, Lakewood Village and San Miguel. Annual festivities include the Art & Wine Festival, the Summer Music Series, Hands On the Arts, the Downtown Association Holiday Tree Lighting and the State of the City Address.
The quality of life in Sunnyvale is heavily influenced by the broader economy of Silicon Valley. Major employers in the area include several major technology companies such as Ariba, Juniper Networks, Maxim Integrated Products, Palm, Inc. and Yahoo!
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority provides the city with light rail and bus transportation. Sunnyvale is a bicycle friendly city and has been cited as such by the League of American Bicyclists.
Residents of Sunnyvale can reach three nearby airports without the use of personal transportation. Norma Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) can be reached via Caltrain, VTA light rail or VTA bus. Oakland International Airport (OAK) can be reached by using multiple light rail and bus transfers. San Francisco International Airport (SFO) can be reached via Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) or Caltrain.
— Silicon Valley
Extending south from San Francisco, on the western side of the San Francisco Bay is a group of 15 suburban communities collectively known as 'the Silicon Valley', Cradle to the computer industry. Silicon Valley is the name used to identify the heavy concentration of technology firms in the South Bay area. In addition to the above described Sunnyvale, the Silicon Valley area comprises several cities, including Campbell, Cupertino, Los Altos, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Morgan Hill, San Jose and Saratoga.
Air travel to the area is facilitated by the Norma Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC). In 2009, SJC averaged a daily total of 259 commercial and 87 general aviation departures and landings. Airlines that operate out of SJC include Alaska Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines/United Express.
Silicon Valley takes its name from the silicon chips that are used in computers. In addition to being the center of the technology boom of the 1950s, the region was also the site of the dot-com explosion of the mid-90s. The number of technology companies that can currently be found in Silicon Valley is almost too high to count, but some of the major headquarters of Fortune 500 companies include Adobe Systems, Apple Inc., e-Bay, Google, Hewlett Packard, Intel, National Semiconductor, Oracle Corporation, Symantec and Yahoo!
Other companies with Silicon Valley headquarters include Actel, Aeria Games and Entertainment, Broadcom, Cypress Semiconductor, Electronic Arts, Facebook, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, Netflix, Netscape, Youtube and the Zoran Corporation.
There is also a significant presence of law firms in the area in order to provide legal services to the Fortune 500 companies that are headquartered in Silicon Valley, as well as the growing number of new technology and Internet businesses.
Silicon Valley is also known for its exceptional catalogue of colleges and universities that offer students a wide range of career opportunities. The area’s institutions of higher learning include San Jose State University, the National Hispanic University, Lincoln Law School of San Jose, Golden Gate University, California University of Management and Technology, Santa Clara University, Silicon Valley University and Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley. De Anza College, Evergreen Valley College, Menlo College and San Jose City College and are all area community colleges that offer associate’s degrees in a variety of fields.
In particular, San Jose State University is responsible for fueling the area’s large percentage of working engineers and technology professionals. The institution is ranked 38th among Master’s-level universities in the Western United States. Computerworld has cited the school’s engineering program as “one to watch,” and The Princeton Review has named the Lucas Graduate School of Business as one of the best programs of its kind in the nation.
As the largest city in Silicon Valley, San Jose is home to several professional sports team. The HP Pavilion at San Jose is home to the San Jose Sharks (National Hockey League). The San Jose Giants baseball team (California League) play their home games at the San Jose Municipal Stadium. The San Jose Earthquakes (Major League Soccer) play at Buck Shaw Stadium while the city’s newest soccer team, Real San Jose (National Premier Soccer League), can be found at Yerba Buena High School.
Silicon Valley residents also enjoy an extensive roster of cultural attractions and events. Some of the area’s major cultural institutions include the Ballet San Jose, the De Saisset Museum, the Opera San Jose, the San Jose Museum of Art and the San Jose Symphony. Major events include Bay Con, the Bay Area’s major science fiction and fantasy convention; the Ciniquest Film Festival, a major film festival that celebrates independent filmmaking; and the San Jose Jazz Festival, a musical event that attracts some of the biggest names in the genre.
