Mountain View

Mountain View is a city in Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. It is named for its views of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The city shares its borders with the cities of Palo Alto, Los Altos, and Sunnyvale, as well as Moffett Federal Airfield and the San Francisco Bay. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 74,066.

Situated in Silicon Valley, Mountain View is home to many high technology companies. In 1956, Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory, the first company to develop silicon semiconductor devices in what came to be known as Silicon Valley, was established in the city by William Shockley. Today, many of the largest technology companies in the world are headquartered in the city, including Google, Mozilla Foundation, Symantec, and Intuit.

History


The Mexican land grant of Rancho Pastoria de las Borregas was given in 1842 by Alta California Governor Juan Alvarado to Francisco Estrada. This grant was later passed on to Mariano Castro, who sold half of the land to Martin Murphy, Jr. Eventually, the former land grant became the cities of Mountain View and Sunnyvale.

Mountain View had its beginnings in the late 19th century as a stagecoach stop on the route between San Francisco and San Jose, including the Butterfield Overland Mail. Incorporated on November 7, 1902, the town's early growth was due to agriculture, which remained the primary industry into the middle of the 20th century. After World War II, the population grew significantly with the development of the aerospace and electronics industries. Between 1950 and 1960, the population grew from 6,563 to 30,889, an increase of 370.7%.

Today, high technology is the foundation of the local economy, and there exist few remnants of the city's agricultural past.

Geography
Mountain View is located at 37.42194°N, -122.08444°W (37.42223, −122.08429).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 31.8 km2. 31.1 km2 of it is land and 0.7 km2 of it (2.26%) is water.

Mountain View is located on the San Francisco Peninsula, at the north end of State Route 85, where it meets U.S. Route 101. The historic route El Camino Real also runs through Mountain View. It is bounded to the northwest by Palo Alto, to the southwest by Los Altos, to the southeast by Sunnyvale, to the northeast by Moffett Federal Airfield, and to the north by the San Francisco Bay.

Most of Mountain View consists of residential neighborhoods. Business parks are located mostly in the North Shoreline neighborhood, north of Highway 101, and east of Highway 85.

Climate
Mountain View has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csb: dry-summer subtropical). Summers are warm and dry, while winters are mild and wet.

Downtown


Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south. The transit center links the Caltrain commuter rail and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) light rail and bus systems.

Four blocks with a concentration of restaurants, cafes, and shops extend south from the downtown station. Chez TJ, one of the few restaurants rated by the Michelin Guide in the Bay Area, is located a block from Castro Street on Villa Street. Tied House, located next door, was one of the first brewpubs in the Bay Area, and is a popular stop in downtown.



The core of downtown is the plaza shared by City Hall, the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts (MVCPA) and the Mountain View Public Library. Behind those buildings is Pioneer Park, which enjoys a quiet environment resulting from the City Hall building blocking out the noise from Castro Street. The Plaza between City Hall and the Performing Arts Center is a well-used spot for community gatherings and events, and features a collection of public art. Highly acclaimed local theatre companies Peninsula Youth Theatre and TheatreWorks are among the Home Companies of the MVCPA.

The Mountain View Police Department is located two blocks away from Castro Street on Villa Street.

Since 1971, the city has held the annual Mountain View Art & Wine Festival on Castro Street by closing down the street to traffic for two days. There is a farmer's market in the Caltrain parking lot every Sunday morning. Every summer, once a month, the city celebrates Thursday Night Live (TNL) by closing off Castro street to cars and providing live music events and car shows on Castro Street.

The entire length of El Camino in Mountain View is a low-density commercial area.

Parks
The largest park in the city is Shoreline Park, which was built on a landfill and runs along the Bay north of U.S. Route 101. It includes Shoreline Amphitheatre, Shoreline Golf Course, as well as Rengstorff House, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. On the north side, facing the Bay, the park includes tidal ponds and mudflats, accessible via pedestrian and bicycle paths.

Stevens Creek runs through Mountain View from the south and empties into the Bay in Shoreline Park. A paved pedestrian and bicycle path, the Stevens Creek Trail, runs alongside the creek for nearly its entire distance in Mountain View.

Other

 * The Computer History Museum is home to the largest and most significant collection of computing artifacts in the world.
 * Moffett Field is a joint civil-military federal airfield located between northern Mountain View and northern Sunnyvale, California. It is home to NASA Ames Research Center and the Air National Guard. Its hangars for blimps and rigid airships (now mostly vacant) make unique landmarks for motorists on Highway 101.
 * The Historic Adobe Building, a small events center on Moffett Boulevard, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
 * St. Joseph Parish was founded in 1905, and survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, only to burn down in 1928.  St. Joseph's Seminary operated here between 1924 and 1991.  The current St. Joseph church building was built in 1929.

Economy
Mountain View is one of the major cities that make up Silicon Valley, and has many notable Silicon Valley companies either headquartered there or with a large presence.

Notable companies
Notable companies headquartered in Mountain View include:


 * 23andMe
 * Actel
 * Antibody Solutions
 * Anybots
 * Appcelerator
 * Audience
 * Bump
 * Caspio
 * Cavium Networks
 * CEVA, Inc.
 * Complete Genomics
 * Coupons.com
 * Coursera
 * Conceptus Inc.
 * Covia Labs
 * CyberSource
 * drchrono.com
 * Egnyte
 * eHealthInsurance
 * Eye-Fi


 * Fenwick & West
 * Financial Navigator
 * FonGenie
 * Frost & Sullivan
 * Geeknet
 * Google
 * Guardian Analytics
 * Hall.com
 * IMVU
 * Intuit
 * Jajah
 * Jasper
 * Dell KACE
 * Kleenspeed Technologies
 * Kosmix
 * Lark Technologies
 * LinkedIn
 * Loopt
 * Meebo


 * Mozilla Foundation
 * Mozilla Corporation
 * NetBase Solutions, Inc.
 * Outright
 * Ooyala
 * Peninsula Micro-Tool
 * Plastic Logic
 * Playdom
 * Quora
 * SENS Foundation
 * SETI Institute
 * SmugMug
 * Speck Products
 * Symantec
 * Synopsys
 * Talenthouse
 * Violin Memory
 * Vivus
 * WhatsApp.inc
 * Y Combinator



Other notable companies with significant presences in Mountain View include:
 * American Century Investments
 * AOL
 * Areva Solar (AREVA)
 * Avid Technology (Pinnacle Systems)
 * Microsoft
 * NCsoft (Paragon Studios)
 * Nokia
 * Opera Software
 * Red Hat
 * Webroot Software
 * Wipro Technologies

Economic past
The now defunct Arrow Development Company, Inc., a rollercoaster and amusement park ride design and manufacturing company, was founded and based in Mountain View with locations at 243 Moffett and 1555 Plymouth. Arrow was contracted to build many of the original rides at Disneyland.

Other companies formerly headquartered in Mountain View include:


 * Acuson
 * Adobe Systems
 * Alza
 * Award Software
 * Daisy Systems
 * Eazel
 * Friendster
 * Intel
 * Netscape
 * Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory
 * Silicon Graphics (SGI)
 * VeriSign

Due to its history as a center for semiconductor manufacturing, Mountain View has seven sites on the Environmental Protection Agency's Final National Priorities List (NPL), a list of hazardous waste sites in the United States eligible for long-term remedial action financed under the federal Superfund program. The sites were formerly used by companies including Fairchild Semiconductor, Intel, Raytheon, and Teledyne. These seven sites make up a portion of the 22 NPL sites in Santa Clara County, which are included in the total of 94 sites in California.

Top employers
According to the City's 2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the "principal" employers in the city are:

2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Mountain View had a population of 74,066. The population density was 6,034.8 people per square mile (2,330.0/km²). The racial makeup of Mountain View was 56.0% (41,468) White, 26.0% (19,232) Asian, 21.7% (16,071) Hispanic or Latino (of any race), 2.2% (1,629) African American, 0.5% (391) Pacific Islander, 0.5% (344) Native American, 9.8% (7,241) from other races, and 5.1% (3,761) from two or more races.

The Census reported that 73,801 people (99.6% of the population) lived in households, 145 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 120 (0.2%) were institutionalized.

There were 31,957 households, out of which 8,731 (27.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 13,806 (43.2%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,456 (7.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,253 (3.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,928 (6.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 280 (0.9%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 10,961 households (34.3%) were made up of individuals and 2,471 (7.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31. There were 17,515 families (54.8% of all households); the average family size was 3.01.

The population was spread out with 14,595 people (19.7%) under the age of 18, 5,401 people (7.3%) aged 18 to 24, 28,577 people (38.6%) aged 25 to 44, 17,647 people (23.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 7,846 people (10.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.9 years. For every 100 females there were 103.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.5 males.

There were 33,881 housing units at an average density of 2,760.6 per square mile (1,065.9/km²), of which 13,332 (41.7%) were owner-occupied, and 18,625 (58.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.4%. 32,002 people (43.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 41,799 people (56.4%) lived in rental housing units.

2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 70,708 people, 31,242 households, and 15,902 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,263.7/km² (5,861.4/mi²). There were 32,432 housing units at an average density of 1,038.3/km² (2,688.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 63.77% White, 20.67% Asian, 18.26% Hispanic or Latino (of any race), 2.53% African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.26% Pacific Islander, 8.32% from other races, and 4.07% from two or more races.

There were 31,242 households out of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.1% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city the population was spread out with 18.0% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 43.4% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 106.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.9 males.

According to a 2007 estimate the median income for a household in the city was $82,648, and the median income for a family was $105,079. Males had a median income of $64,585 versus $44,358 for females. The per capita income for the city was $39,693. About 3.6% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government


Mountain View has a council-manager government system. An executive city manager is in charge of several departments, while the city council, supported by several boards, commissions, and committees, is the legislature responsible for the ordinances of the city code. The executive in turn enforces the code and promulgates administrative regulations to execute it. The city clerk and attorney perform supporting roles. The Community Development Department is the agency responsible for planning and zoning.

State and federal legislators
In the state legislature, Mountain View is in the 13th Senate District, represented by Democrat Elaine Alquist, and in the 22nd Assembly District, represented by Democrat Paul Fong.

Federally, Mountain View is in.

Education
Mountain View is home to both public and private schools.

Public
The public elementary (Bubb, Castro, Huff, Landels, Monta Loma, Stevenson, and Theuerkauf) and middle schools (Crittenden and Graham) are governed by the Mountain View-Whisman School District. Springer Elementary, although located within the borders of Mountain View, is governed by the Los Altos School District. The public high schools are governed by the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District and consist of Alta Vista High School, Mountain View High School, and Los Altos High School. Mountain View High and Los Altos High each contain approximately 50% Los Altos residents and 50% Mountain View residents. Some Mountain View residents attend Almond Elementary and Egan Junior High in the Los Altos School District.

Mountain View taxed a large portion of its most valuable commercial and industrial properties in the Shoreline Regional Park Community at very low relative levels, and until the creation of a joint-powers agreement (JPA) in 2006, none of those property taxes reached the local schools. After the creation of the JPA, the Shoreline Regional Park Community shared less than $1 million per year with the elementary and high school districts.

A citizen-supported parcel tax, largely aimed at reducing class size, was recently renewed with an overwhelming positive vote. The current ratio of students to full-time-equivalent teachers in the Mountain View public elementary schools is 20.4 to one.

Private
Notable private schools in Mountain View include: Saint Francis High School, a Roman Catholic secondary school; German International School of Silicon Valley(GISSV), a PK-12 German-English bilingual international school; and Yew Chung International School of Silicon Valley, a PK-12 Chinese-English bilingual international school.

Library
Mountain View has one central public library, the Mountain View Public Library, offering video, music, books, self-check out, and access to the Internet. During fiscal year 2006-7: 810,589 customers visited the Library. Circulation was more than 1.4 million, 105,870 reference and information questions were answered, 36,693 children listened to stories and participated in children's programs and 27,342 new books and media items were added to the collection which includes holdings of 300,000, including 210,000 books and 423 periodical subscriptions. The library also provides valuable outreach services through the bookmobile and S.O.S. volunteer program to those in Mountain View, who are unable to come to the main branch. The building was built in 1997. The second floor of the library has a special collection in a room devoted to the history of Mountain View, next to a portrait of Don Mariano Castro, for whom the downtown main street is named. The library hosts the innovative Mountain View Reads Together program.

Transportation
The Downtown Mountain View Station is the transit center for the city, connecting the public commuter rail, light rail, bus, and private shuttle systems. Mountain View is served by the Caltrain commuter rail system, which runs from San Francisco to Gilroy. The two Caltrain stations in the city are Downtown Mountain View Station and San Antonio Station. The city is also served by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), which operates various bus lines and the light rail system. There are a total of five stations in the city on the Mountain View – Winchester VTA light rail line, with Downtown Mountain View Station serving as the northern terminus, while the other four stations are Evelyn, Whisman, Middlefield, and Bayshore/NASA. Many large local employers (including Google, Microsoft, Apple Inc., and NASA Ames Research Center) operate employee shuttles that stop at the Downtown Mountain View Station.

The nearest major airports are San Jose International Airport (SJC), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), and Oakland International Airport (OAK), in that order. Moffett Federal Airfield is located just north of Mountain View, but it is restricted to government, military, and private use. The nearest general aviation airport is the Palo Alto Airport of Santa Clara County.

Utilities
On August 16, 2006, after over a year of test deployments, Google declared, as planned, that its implementation for free IEEE 802.11g wireless service for all of the City was fully operational. Mountain View is the first city in the United States entirely covered by a free wireless Internet access network provided by Google.

Sister cities
The Mountain View Sister City Affiliation was incorporated in 1974 as an independent non-profit governed by a Board of Directors. Mountain View is affiliated with the cities of


 * 🇯🇵 Iwata, Shizuoka, Japan
 * 🇧🇪 Hasselt, Belgium

Notable people

 * Tully Banta-Cain, two-time Super Bowl champion
 * Carroll Clark, seven-time Academy Award for Best Art Direction nominee
 * Assaf Cohen, supporting actor, Heroes and Entourage
 * Brandon Crawford, professional baseball player in MLB, plays for the San Francisco Giants
 * Paula Creamer, professional golfer and formerly Women's World Golf Rankings number two
 * Salman Khan, online educator, resides in Mountain View
 * Kenny Roberts, Jr., 2000 500cc Road Racing World Champion
 * Steve Jobs, American entrepreneur, late co-founder and CEO of Apple

Other points of interest

 * Monta Loma Neighborhood Neighborhood Web Site
 * Old Mountain View Neighborhood Neighborhood Web Site
 * Shoreline West Neighborhood Neighborhood Web Site