SafekipediaSanta Clara County, California
Adapted from Wikipedia · Adventurer experience
Santa Clara County is a busy and important place in California. It is one of the most crowded counties in the United States, with over 1.9 million people living there.
The biggest city in Santa Clara County is San Jose. San Jose is the main city in the county and the largest city in all of Northern California. It is also the third largest city in California.
Santa Clara County is a key part of Silicon Valley, a place known for technology and inventions. Because of this, it has become a very rich area. The county is near the southern coast of San Francisco Bay, making it a central spot for many people living in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Etymology
Santa Clara County is named after Mission Santa Clara. The mission was built a long time ago and was named to honor Saint Clare of Assisi.
History
Main article: History of Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County was one of the original counties of California. It was created in 1850 when California became a state. Native people called the Ohlone lived in places like Coyote Creek and Calaveras Creek before new people came. Later, part of the county became Alameda County.
In the early 1900s, the area was known for its lovely orchards and was named the "Valley of the Heart's Delight." The first big technology company, Hewlett-Packard, began in a garage in Palo Alto in 1939. Over time, many more technology companies grew there, creating Silicon Valley. Today, Santa Clara County has thousands of technology companies, including some of the world's largest.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Santa Clara County covers 1,291.08 square miles (3,343.9 km2). It shares borders with Alameda County, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, San Benito, Santa Cruz, and San Mateo County. The San Andreas Fault runs through the Santa Cruz Mountains in the southern and western parts of the county.
Santa Clara County was once home to animals like tule elk and pronghorn. Explorers saw large herds of these animals in the valley long ago. Today, people work to protect wildlife in the area, including the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
Demographics
2020 census
According to the 2020 census, Santa Clara County had 1,936,259 people. The median age was 37.5 years, with 21% of residents under 18 and 14% aged 65 or older. For every 100 females, there were 101.5 males.
There were 656,063 households, with 35% having children under 18. About 20% of households were made up of individuals, and 8% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. There were 688,035 housing units, with 54% being owner-occupied and 46% being renter-occupied.
Racial and ethnic composition
The racial makeup of the county as of the 2020 census was 32% White, 2% Black or African American, 1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 39% Asian, less than 1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 14% from some other race, and 11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents made up 25% of the population.
The most reported ancestries in 2020 were Mexican (20%), Chinese (12%), Indian (11%), Vietnamese (8%), English (8%), and German (8%).
2018
Census data show that Asian Americans have been the largest group in Santa Clara County since 2014.
2010 census
The 2010 United States census reported Santa Clara County's population as 1,781,642. The racial makeup was 47% White, 3% African American, 1% Native American, 32% Asian, and 12% from other races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 27% of the population.
The largest ancestry groups were Mexican (23%), Chinese (9%), German (8%), Vietnamese (7%), and Indian (7%).
2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,682,585 people living in the county. The ethnic makeup was 54% White, 3% African American, 1% Native American, 26% Asian, and 12% from other races. About 24% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
2020 religion census
Santa Clara County is among the most religiously diverse counties in the US. A 2020 census by the Public Religion Research Institute gave the county a religious diversity score of 0.876, where 1 represents complete diversity and 0 represents no diversity. Only four counties in the US have higher diversity scores than Santa Clara County.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 4,812 | — | |
| 1860 | 11,912 | 147.5% | |
| 1870 | 26,246 | 120.3% | |
| 1880 | 35,039 | 33.5% | |
| 1890 | 48,005 | 37.0% | |
| 1900 | 60,216 | 25.4% | |
| 1910 | 83,539 | 38.7% | |
| 1920 | 100,676 | 20.5% | |
| 1930 | 145,118 | 44.1% | |
| 1940 | 174,949 | 20.6% | |
| 1950 | 290,547 | 66.1% | |
| 1960 | 642,315 | 121.1% | |
| 1970 | 1,064,714 | 65.8% | |
| 1980 | 1,295,071 | 21.6% | |
| 1990 | 1,497,577 | 15.6% | |
| 2000 | 1,682,585 | 12.4% | |
| 2010 | 1,781,642 | 5.9% | |
| 2020 | 1,936,259 | 8.7% | |
| 2025 (est.) | 1,914,391 |  | −1.1% |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020 | |||
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980 | Pop 1990 | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 913,154 | 869,874 | 744,282 | 626,909 | 555,708 | 70.51% | 58.09% | 44.23% | 35.19% | 28.70% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 42,237 | 52,583 | 44,475 | 42,331 | 42,148 | 3.26% | 3.51% | 2.64% | 2.38% | 2.18% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 8,506 | 6,694 | 5,270 | 4,042 | 3,240 | 0.66% | 0.45% | 0.31% | 0.23% | 0.17% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 99,935 | 251,496 | 426,771 | 565,466 | 753,399 | 7.72% | 16.79% | 25.36% | 31.74% | 38.91% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | x | x | 5,040 | 6,252 | 5,945 | x | x | 0.30% | 0.35% | 0.31% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 4,628 | 2,366 | 3,522 | 3,877 | 10,195 | 0.36% | 0.16% | 0.21% | 0.22% | 0.53% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x | x | 49,824 | 53,555 | 78,267 | x | x | 2.96% | 3.01% | 4.04% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 226,611 | 314,564 | 403,401 | 479,210 | 487,357 | 17.50% | 21.00% | 23.98% | 26.90% | 25.17% |
| Total | 1,295,071 | 1,497,577 | 1,682,585 | 1,781,642 | 1,936,259 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Government
Santa Clara County has five elected supervisors from different areas. They pick the County Executive, who is James R. Williams, J.D. He manages the county and chooses most other leaders.
The county has its own Santa Clara County Health System with hospitals and clinics. In the United States House of Representatives, Santa Clara County has four districts, each with its own representative. The county is also split into several areas for the California State Senate and the California State Assembly, with representatives chosen by voters. County voters also elect important leaders like the District Attorney, Sheriff, and judges.
Politics
Santa Clara County used to support Republican leaders in elections. From 1872 through 1984, only a few Democratic leaders like Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, and Hubert Humphrey won the county. But starting in 1988, the county began to support Democratic leaders more. Michael Dukakis won closely, and Bill Clinton won by a large margin in 1992. Since then, Democratic leaders have consistently won in Santa Clara County.
As of October 2023, there are over one million registered voters in Santa Clara County. More than half are registered Democrats, while about one-sixth are registered Republicans. In 2012, every city and town in the county had more registered Democrats than Republicans.
| Year | Republican | Democratic |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 30.0% 162,518 | 70.0% 379,377 |
| 2018 | 28.6% 175,791 | 71.4% 438,758 |
| 2014 | 27.1% 107,113 | 72.9% 288,732 |
| 2010 | 34.9% 178,695 | 61.3% 314,022 |
| 2006 | 52.2% 225,132 | 42.9% 185,037 |
| 2002 | 32.4% 116,862 | 55.3% 199,399 |
| 1998 | 31.7% 133,015 | 64.3% 270,105 |
| 1994 | 47.5% 212,075 | 47.5% 211,904 |
| 1990 | 42.6% 178,310 | 52.2% 218,843 |
| 1986 | 59.9% 227,285 | 37.6% 142,907 |
| 1982 | 44.0% 180,232 | 52.9% 216,781 |
| 1978 | 29.8% 110,444 | 61.4% 227,493 |
| 1974 | 46.7% 153,761 | 50.6% 166,760 |
| 1970 | 51.5% 172,562 | 46.1% 154,570 |
| 1966 | 55.4% 164,970 | 44.6% 132,793 |
| 1962 | 47.6% 112,700 | 51.2% 121,149 |
Crime
Law enforcement in Santa Clara County is handled by the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office and local police departments. The table below shows the number of reported incidents in 2009 and the rate per 1,000 people for each type of offense.
Economy
Santa Clara County's economy is mostly based on services, especially technology. This includes both hardware and software. The area also has retail and office support workers.
The San Jose/Sunnyvale/Santa Clara region, made up of Santa Clara County and San Benito County, was ranked the top-performing area in the U.S. in 2012. In 2011, the area's total economy was worth $176.7 billion, with growth of 7.7% that year. Home prices in the county have risen significantly over the years.
Education
Santa Clara County has many places for learning, including colleges and big universities. Well-known colleges are De Anza College in Cupertino and San Jose State University in San Jose. There are also many schools for children, organized into different districts to help manage them.
The county has its own public library system, Santa Clara County Library, which serves many cities and areas outside of cities. Some cities also have their own libraries.
Transportation
Air
Santa Clara County's main airport is Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport (SJC). It has special entry points for customs and several international routes. The busiest routes go to cities in the western United States. San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is also often used by people who live in Santa Clara County.
Moffett Federal Airfield (NUQ) is used by groups like the Air National Guard, NASA, Lockheed Martin, Google, and the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department. There are also smaller airports for private planes in Palo Alto (PAO), San Jose (Reid-Hillview) (RHV), and San Martin(E16).
Rail
The VTA light rail system helps many people travel around Silicon Valley every year.
Santa Clara County uses Caltrain trains that go from Gilroy through San Jose and Silicon Valley up to San Francisco Airport and San Francisco. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority runs the VTA light rail, which mostly serves San Jose and goes as far north as Mountain View. The Altamont Corridor Express also stops in Santa Clara and San Jose, heading to Stockton. Amtrak travels to Sacramento and Oakland, with a stop in San Jose. The Amtrak Coast Starlight train from Seattle to Los Angeles also stops in San Jose. BART serves Milpitas and North San Jose, with plans to reach downtown San Jose and Santa Clara.
Road
Buses
Santa Clara County uses the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority for its bus services.
Bicycle network
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is building a network of bike paths across the county. This network is part of the San Francisco Bay Area Regional Bikeway Network.
Major highways
County expressways and roads
Santa Clara County has its own system of expressways. These roads are kept up by the county instead of the state. They look like other roads in California and are patrolled by the California Highway Patrol.
- CR G2 (Lawrence Expressway)
- CR G3 (Page Mill Road/Oregon Expressway)
- CR G4 (San Tomas Expressway/Montague Expressway)
- CR G5 (Foothill Expressway)
- CR G6 (Central Expressway)
- CR G7 (Bloomfield Avenue)
- CR G8 (Almaden Expressway)
- CR G9 (Leavesley Road/Ferguson Road)
- CR G10 (Blossom Hill Road)
- CR G21 (Capitol Expressway)
The county also has many streets, some with wide medians in the newer parts.
Sea
Santa Clara County does not have large seaports, but small boats can reach San Francisco Bay from several spots. The county relies on the Port of Oakland for moving goods across the ocean.
Jails
Santa Clara County has several places where people stay while they wait for their court dates or serve short sentences. These places are overseen by the county's sheriff's office.
The main facilities include the Santa Clara County Main Jail, which has sections for men in the south and north parts. There is also Elmwood Correctional Facility for women and men, and the North County Jail used for court days in Palo Alto.
For younger people, there is the Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall and the William F. James Boys Ranch for teenage boys.
Parks
Main article: Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department
Santa Clara County has many parks and open spaces. Many of these parks were created in the late 1970s. Some of the parks include Almaden Quicksilver County Park, Grant Ranch Park, Henry W. Coe State Park, Sanborn Park, and Vasona Park.
The county also has open space preserves, such as El Sereno Open Space Preserve. There is a special area called Ulistac Natural Area where volunteers help keep the land natural. They remove plants that do not belong there and add native plants. This area is a good place for birds and butterflies to visit.
Climate
Santa Clara County has a mild climate. It is mostly warm and dry in the summer and cool and wet in the winter. The area gets plenty of sunshine throughout the year.
The county lies in a region where the coast and mountains meet. This mix creates different weather in different parts of the county. Areas near the coast are cooler, while places farther inland can get warmer.
Some parts of Santa Clara County have strong winds, especially during certain times of the year. These winds can affect daily life, but they are a normal part of the local weather.
Sister counties
Santa Clara County has a Sister County Commission to help build friendships with other places. As of 2023, the county has two sister counties:
A past relationship with Moscow ended in 2022.
Communities
Santa Clara County has many places to live. Some cities cost a lot or have many educated people. For example, Los Altos is one of the most expensive places to live in the United States. Palo Alto has many educated people and also costs a lot. Morgan Hill and Los Gatos are also well-known places in the county.
Cities
The county has 15 cities, including:
- Campbell
- Cupertino
- Gilroy
- Los Altos
- Milpitas
- Monte Sereno
- Morgan Hill
- Mountain View
- Palo Alto
- San Jose (county seat)
- Santa Clara
- Saratoga
- Sunnyvale
Towns
Census-designated places
- Alum Rock
- Burbank
- Cambrian Park
- East Foothills
- Fruitdale
- Lexington Hills
- Loyola also known as Loyola Corners
- San Martin
- Stanford
Unincorporated communities
- Bell Station, also known as Bell's Station and Hollenbeck's Station
- Casa Loma
- Chemeketa Park
- Coyote, also known as Burnett c. 1860–1882
- East San Jose
- Llagas-Uvas
- Madrone, now part of Morgan Hill
- Redwood Estates
- Rucker
- San Antonio, also known as Deforest c. 1892–1924
- Sveadal
Census county divisions
Former townships
- Almaden Township: Present-day Almaden Valley, Cambrian Park and portions of Campbell and Los Gatos.
- Alviso Township: Present-day Alviso.
- Burnett Township: Present-day Coyote, Santa Teresa and Morgan Hill.
- Fremont Township: Present-day Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and part of Cupertino.
- Gilroy Township: Present-day Gilroy and San Martin.
- Milpitas Township: Present-day Milpitas.
- Redwood Township: Present-day Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Saratoga, Redwood Estates and portions of Cupertino and Campbell.
- San Jose Township: Most of present-day San Jose.
- Santa Clara Township: Present-day Santa Clara and portions of San Jose, Cupertino and Campbell.
Population ranking
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Santa Clara County.
† county seat
| Rank | City/Town/etc. | Municipal type | Population (2020 Census) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | † San Jose | City | 1,013,240 |
| 2 | Sunnyvale | City | 155,805 |
| 3 | Santa Clara | City | 127,647 |
| 4 | Mountain View | City | 82,376 |
| 5 | Milpitas | City | 80,273 |
| 6 | Palo Alto | City | 68,572 |
| 7 | Cupertino | City | 60,381 |
| 8 | Gilroy | City | 59,520 |
| 9 | Morgan Hill | City | 44,686 |
| 10 | Campbell | City | 43,959 |
| 11 | Los Gatos | Town | 33,529 |
| 12 | Los Altos | City | 31,625 |
| 13 | Saratoga | City | 31,051 |
| 14 | Stanford | CDP | 21,150 |
| 15 | Alum Rock | CDP | 12,042 |
| 16 | Los Altos Hills | Town | 8,489 |
| 17 | San Martin | CDP | 7,008 |
| 18 | East Foothills | CDP | 6,803 |
| 19 | Burbank | CDP | 4,940 |
| 20 | Cambrian Park | CDP | 3,719 |
| 21 | Loyola | CDP | 3,491 |
| 22 | Monte Sereno | City | 3,479 |
| 23 | Lexington Hills | CDP | 2,492 |
| 24 | Fruitdale | CDP | 989 |
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