Santa Clara is a family oriented and business friendly city in the center of Silicon Valley, located in Santa Clara County at the southern tip of San Francisco Bay, about 45 miles south of San Francisco. The City of Santa Clara is in a strategic regional location convenient to freeways, airports, railroads, expressways, light rail and other public transportation. "The Mission City," as Santa Clara is known, was founded in 1852. It is now a community of more than 110,000 residents with employment base of about 135,000. With 19.3 square miles of tree-lined neighborhoods, thriving commercial and industrial centers, and 300 days of sunshine each year, it is an ideal location for individuals, families, and businesses.

Explore California's early Spanish history at Mission Santa Clara de Asis, founded in 1777, on the beautiful campus of Santa Clara University, the State's oldest institution of higher learning. Other points of interest and attractions include Mission College, the 100-acre Paramount's Great America theme park, an award-winning Santa Clara Convention Center, Triton Museum of Art, the de Saisset Museum, Intel Museum, the headquarters and practice fields of the world champion 49ers football team, and numerous shopping opportunities such as Westfield Shoppingtown - Valley Fair.

The City of Santa Clara is not your typical Bay Area city. It's better. Voted one of ten All-America Cities in the New Millennium by the National Civic League, Santa Clara has a "High Tech, Human Touch, H2" approach to serving the community's needs.

It offers the region's lowest combined utility costs in the nine Bay Area counties, with savings of 30 to 40% on electricity alone, and it is consistently rated one of the most affordable cities in the nation for business.

Santa Clara is a Charter City with a Council/Manager form of government. The City's financial stability ensures the highest levels of citizen and business service, low business taxes and solid real estate value, and it is also one of the safest U.S. cities with a population of 75,000+. Our outstanding public safety record includes the highest fire rating in Santa Clara County and some of the fastest emergency response times in the state.

With a focus on high quality customer services and its reputation, it is no wonder more than 4,500 companies, including many of the world's top technology firms, and thousands of long-time residents have made the City of Santa Clara their home.

From historic homes to high tech industry and theme park thrill rides, the City of Santa Clara has it all.