ABOUT SANTA CLARA

Located 45 miles southeast of San Francisco, the city of Santa Clara was founded in 1777. The city currently covers 19.3 square miles and sits in the heart of what is known worldwide as Silicon Valley. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the grounds of Santa Clara University, the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of California.

The city's population was recorded as 116,468 at the 2010 United States Census, making it the ninth-most populous city in the San Francisco Bay Area. The day time population of Santa Clara is estimated at 175,000 people as it is located in the center of Silicon Valley and is home to several high-tech companies such as Intel, National Semiconductor, Applied Materials, Oracle, and Apple. Santa Clara is also home to Valley Fair Mall and Great America Theme Park which receives approximately 500,000 visitors annually. Additionally, Mission College and Kaiser Hospital are also located within the city limits. 

Levi's Stadium, the home of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers, the site of Super Bowl 50, is located in the city, as well as the International Swim Center which hosts national and international events annually. Santa Clara is bordered by San Jose and the San Jose International Airport, Sunnyvale, and Cupertino. Santa Clara features thirty-seven parks, three libraries, ten museums, a senior center, community center, a youth activity center, four community pools, and was rated as an ‘All America City’ in 2005.