SafekipediaMountain View, California
Adapted from Wikipedia · Adventurer experience
Mountain View is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is part of the San Francisco Bay Area. The city is named for its nice views of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Many big technology companies have offices in Mountain View. In 1956, William Shockley started Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory there. Today, the city has offices for famous companies such as Google, Alphabet Inc., Intuit, NASA Ames Research Center, Symantec, 23andMe, LinkedIn, Samsung, Quora, and Synopsys.
History
For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Mountain View, California.
The land between the Santa Cruz Mountains and the San Francisco Bay was home to many villages of the Ohlone people. Spanish missionaries used the land for raising sheep.
In 1842, the Mexican land grant of Rancho Pastoria de las Borregas was given by Alta California governor Juan Alvarado to Francisco Estrada. This land was later passed to Mariano Castro, who sold half of it to Martin Murphy Jr. This land eventually became the cities of Mountain View and Sunnyvale.
In 1852, European-Americans settled the southwest shore of San Francisco Bay as a stagecoach station. By the early 1900s, it became a place to ship fruit and grain and a center for publishing religious books.
The U.S. Navy built Moffett Field Complex after 1931, bringing many workers and jobs. After World War II, the population grew quickly with the development of aerospace and electronics industries.
Today, technology is the main part of the local economy. In 2016, the city's voters approved a rent control ordinance.
Geography
Mountain View is a city in California, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It covers about 12 square miles, mostly land with a little water.
The city has several neighborhoods. Blossom Valley includes areas like Springer Meadows and Varsity Park, with homes built in the 1960s. The Cuernavaca neighborhood has Spanish-style houses with red roofs. Monta Loma is known for its California-style mid-century modern homes.
Economy
Mountain View is an important city in Silicon Valley. Many big tech companies have their main offices there, like Google and Intuit.
In 2015, the city decided to raise the minimum wage little by little. By 2018, it reached $15 per hour. Each year after that, it went up a bit. By January 2026, the minimum wage was $19.70 per hour.
Top employers
According to the city's 2025 annual comprehensive financial report, the largest employers in the city are:
| # | Employer | # of Employees | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Google LLC | 23,100 | 19.1% |
| 2 | El Camino Hospital | 3,400 | 2.8% |
| 3 | Intuit | 3,400 | 2.8% |
| 4 | Microsoft | 3,000 | 2.5% |
| 5 | 2,500 | 2.1% | |
| 6 | Waymo | 1,700 | 1.4% |
| 7 | Palo Alto/Sutter Health | 1,000 | 0.8% |
| 8 | Mountain View Whisman School District | 600 | 0.5% |
| 9 | Bytedance | 560 | 0.5% |
| 10 | Nuro | 500 | 0.4% |
| — | Total employers | 39,760 | 32.9% |
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
2020 census
In the 2020 census, Mountain View had 82,376 people. The middle age was 35.3 years. About 19.3% were younger than 18, and 11.8% were older than 65. For every 100 girls and women, there were 107.7 boys and men. The population density was 6,888.8 people per square mile.
All people lived in urban areas.
In the city, 28.2% of homes had children younger than 18. About 45.7% were married couples. 24.7% had a man living alone, and 22.6% had a woman living alone. Around 30.1% of homes had just one person, and 8.2% had someone 65 or older living alone. There were 37,295 places to live, and 7.7% were empty.
Labor force and poverty
In August 2013, Mountain View had a jobless rate of 5.0%. In 2022, 5.4 percent of people did not have enough money for their needs. Of people 16 or older, 72.9 percent had jobs.
2010 census
In the 2010 census, there were 74,066 people in Mountain View. The population density was 6,174.6 people per square mile. There were 31,957 places to live.
Out of all homes, 27.3% had children younger than 18. 43.2% were married couples. 7.7% had a woman living alone, and 3.9% had a man living alone. About 34.3% of homes had just one person, and 7.7% had someone 65 or older living alone. The middle age was 35.9 years. For every 100 girls and women, there were 103.6 boys and men.
In December 2017, Google was allowed to build nearly 10,000 new homes near its future campus.
2000 census
In the 2000 census, there were 70,708 people in Mountain View. The population density was 5,863/mi2. There were 32,432 places to live.
The people were 63.77% White, 20.67% Asian, 18.26% Hispanic or Latino, 2.53% African American, and other groups.
In the city, 23.3% of homes had children younger than 18. 40.0% were married couples. 7.3% had a woman living alone. The middle age was 35 years. For every 100 girls and women, there were 106.8 boys and men.
The average money a home made was $69,362. About 3.6% of families and 6.8% of all people did not have enough money for their needs.
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 39,029 | 34,052 | 33,008 | 55.20% | 45.98% | 40.07% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 1,674 | 1,468 | 1,155 | 2.37% | 1.98% | 1.40% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 164 | 116 | 101 | 0.23% | 0.16% | 0.12% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 14,513 | 19,064 | 28,760 | 20.53% | 25.74% | 34.91% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 160 | 372 | 215 | 0.23% | 0.50% | 0.26% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 221 | 241 | 557 | 0.31% | 0.33% | 0.68% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 2,036 | 2,682 | 4,374 | 2.88% | 3.62% | 5.31% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 12,911 | 16,071 | 14,206 | 18.26% | 21.70% | 17.25% |
| Total | 70,708 | 74,066 | 82,376 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Arts and culture
Points of interest
Downtown
Mountain View has a friendly downtown area on Castro Street. You can find shops, restaurants, and cafes there. Trains and buses stop at the Downtown Mountain View Station, north of downtown.
In the middle of downtown is a plaza where people meet for events. Important buildings like City Hall and the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts are nearby. The area has public art and is a nice place for everyone.
Seminary
St. Joseph Parish started in 1905 and built a church in 1929 after the first one burned down.
Library
Mountain View has a main public library with books, music, videos, and Internet access. The library has a special room with city history, including a picture of Crisanto Castro, the person Castro Street is named after. Outside the library, there is a piece of the Berlin Wall on display.
Parks and recreation
Mountain View has many beautiful parks for fun and nature. The biggest park is Shoreline Park. It runs along the Bay north of U.S. Route 101 and has space for shows, a golf course, and Rengstorff House, which is very old and important.
Other parks in the city include:
- Eagle Park, which has a public swimming pool, a place for dogs, and a memorial
- Cuesta Park, a large park with tennis courts, places to cook outdoors, and playgrounds
- Rengstorff Park, which has a public swimming pool, a place for the community to gather, a skate park, a fenced area for dogs, and many playgrounds and picnic spots
- Charleston Park, a park near the Googleplex
Government
Mountain View uses a council-manager government system. A city manager takes care of many city departments. The city council makes laws and rules. The council also works with groups to help guide the city.
The city has seven council members who are elected by everyone in the city. Each year, one of these members is chosen to be the mayor. The council also has groups that give advice on topics like building and land use.
Education
Mountain View has many public schools. Some elementary schools are Bubb, Castro, and Imai. Middle schools are Crittenden and Graham. High schools include Mountain View High School and Los Altos High School.
The city also has several private schools. These include Khan Lab School, which is linked to Khan Academy, Saint Francis High School, a Roman Catholic school, and international schools like the German International School of Silicon Valley and Yew Chung International School of Silicon Valley.
Media
The Mountain View Voice is a local newspaper. It started in 1993.
Infrastructure
Major roads in Mountain View include SR-237, SR-85, US-101, County Route G6, and El Camino Real (SR 82).
The Downtown Mountain View Station is a busy place where different kinds of public transport meet. The city has Caltrain trains running from San Francisco to Gilroy, with two stops in Mountain View. There is also a light rail system run by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority that connects Mountain View to other places in Santa Clara County.
The city has free shuttle services and many bus routes to help people travel around. Big companies like Google and Microsoft also run shuttles for their workers.
Power in Mountain View comes from Pacific Gas and Electric Company. The city uses a lot of recycled water, especially for parks and company grounds. Google also provided free wireless internet for the city for many years.
The city has a fire department with five stations and a police department that helps with patrols, traffic, and other safety services.
Sister cities
Mountain View has special friendships with cities in other countries. These friendships began in 1974. The cities Mountain View is friends with are:
- Iwata, Shizuoka, Japan
- Hasselt, Belgium
A beautiful rock garden in Pioneer Park was a gift from Iwata when Mountain View's City Hall was finished. You can find this garden near the Mountain View Public Library.
Notable people
See also: Category:People from Mountain View, California
Business
- Steve Jobs, a technology leader who helped start Apple, grew up in Mountain View.
- Salman Khan, who runs an online school, lives in Mountain View.
- Jan Koum, who started WhatsApp, grew up in Mountain View.
Entertainment
- Tony Sly, a singer and songwriter.
- Alex Brightman, an actor and singer.
- Carroll Clark, an artist who was nominated for important awards.
- Laura Chavez, a musician who plays blues, soul, and rhythm and blues.
- Assaf Cohen, an actor known for TV shows like Heroes and Entourage.
- Kurt Kuenne, a filmmaker and composer famous for a movie called Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father.
- Sarah Kinsley, a singer-songwriter born in Mountain View.
Media
- Dave Finocchio, who helped start Bleacher Report.
- Doris Gates, an author and librarian.
- Edward Michael Keating (1925–2003), a publisher, journalist, and lawyer who started a magazine called Ramparts and was part of the New Left movement.
- Jose Antonio Vargas, a journalist and filmmaker who works on immigration rights; a school in Mountain View is named after him.
- Andy Weir, a writer who created the book The Martian while living in Mountain View.
Politicians
- Hugh Fate, a dentist and a representative in Alaska.
Sports
- Jabri Abdur-Rahim, a college basketball player.
- Mark Baena, a soccer player.
- Tully Banta-Cain, who won two big football championships called the Super Bowl.
- Josh Cohen, a soccer player.
- Brandon Crawford, a baseball player who played for the San Francisco Giants.
- Paula Creamer, a professional golfer who was once ranked very high in the world.
- Dan Green, a strongman who set world records in lifting heavy weights.
- Mark Keil, a tennis player who won several doubles championships.
- Mark Leonard, a baseball player who played for the San Francisco Giants and the Baltimore Orioles.
- Adam Peters, a football scout and executive.
- Kenny Roberts Jr., who won the 2000 world championship in motorcycle racing.
- Bianca Sierra, a player for the Mexico women's national football team.
Images
Related articles
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