Los Gatos is a charming town snuggled into the base of the coastal range between San Jose/Silicon Valley and Santa Cruz, which is on the other side of "the hill" as locals call it. It's an upscale community with great schools, shopping, restaurants, and community involvement. Diversity abounds in things to do, from sailing, rollerblading and picnicking at Vasona Lake park to wine tasting at the Testarossa Vineyards to strolling down the main streets in search of dining or shopping. Every season offers something in this smallish community of 30,000 or so.
The hills help to define Los Gatos. Facing the coastal range and the pass that leads to Santa Cruz, you see El Sombroso rising on the left and El Sereno on the right. Other well known peaks are Loma Prieta (the epicenter of the 1989 earthquake) and Mt.Umunhum, which rises over Almaden Valley (Ununhum was the Ohlone word for Hummingbird). Closer in, Blossom Hill is a small hill in front of El Sombroso over which you drive on Blossom Hill Road. Behind it is the Kennedy-Shannon Road area, which is delightfully remote feeling while really being close in.
A sub-tropical climate makes it easy to enjoy events year-round. While palm trees are not native to northern California, they do thrive here! Our annual rainfall is only about 20" a year. If we get cold temperatures, it's because the wind happens to be blowing south from Alaska. On those rare cold snaps, it might even snow - to everyone's delight since it only happens about once in every decade, and at most will stick to the ground for an hour or two! Los Gatos does have its micro-climates. The pass through which highway 17 runs to Santa Cruz is a low spot that allows the cooler coastal weather to come through can make downtown a little colder, windier and wetter than parts of town to the south of Blossom Hill or toward the Saratoga limit. In summer this can make downtown more comfortable and in winter it can make the outlying areas more so.
The town got its name because the two gentlemen who originally got their land grant here from Mexico heard big cats fighting - so knew that water must be near. So they dubbed it "La Rinconada De Los Gatos", "The Corner of the Cats".
You will find two large cat statues gracing the entrance to Poet's Canyon, just outside of town. The image of those cats can be found on all kinds of Los Gatos items, including the town seal.
My family and I live here, in Los Gatos. Our neighborhood is Belwood of Los Gatos, located about 3.5 miles from downtown Los Gatos on the eastern side, close to Cambrian Park on one side and Almaden Valley on the other. I invite you to learn more about Los Gatos and all its neighborhoods by visiting my blog, Live In Los Gatos!. There you'll find current events, snippets of history, information on specific neighborhoods, photo tours of the town, and much more!
Hands down, it's The Los Gatos Cafe at 340 N. Santa Cruz Avenue, tel 408 354-4647. No reservations. If you go on a weekend morning, prepare to wait unless you go early. But it's worth it. Fabulous food. Brunch
The Toll House Hotel, Lounge & Restaurant 140 S. Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos (408) 395-7070
Coffee
Los Gatos Cafe, 340 N. Santa Cruz Avenue Tel (408)354-4647
Great Bear Coffee & Los Osos Cafe, 19 N. Santa Cruz Avenue Tel (408) 395-8607
Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company, 101 W. Main Street Tel (408) 354-3263
Links to town government, schools, chamber of commerce, and general interest
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Schools Info - Great Schools site with links to info on each elementary school in the town (all districts). Great Schools: Los Gatos Schools
Saratoga is nestled into the Santa Cruz Mountains just a few miles to the north of Los Gatos. It's an upscale town noted for great schools, fabulous shops and restaurants, and beautiful estates. Like most of the valley, this area was largely orchards 50 or 70 years ago. In fact, the largest prune orchard in the world was once Hume Ranch, which had 680 acres of prune trees! My parents lived in Saratoga (3 homes, all with at least an acre of land) from 1973 until the mid 1990's - so I spent my teen years there, with a wonderfully rural ambiance. Some of my fondest memories are of walking through the orchards, which were expansive, quiet, and beautiful, or walking along a secluded creek, just chatting with friends from Saratoga High School. Horses and roosters were neighbors too and it was simply idylic. We enjoyed concerts at the mountain winery (the called Paul Masson Mountain Winery) and Montalvo, shopping in the village, and just hanging out. Saratoga is a little more built up today. There aren't as many orchards or horses. But it remains a highly desireable place in which to live, a great retreat from the hustle and bustle of Silicon Valley.
The city is comprised of many great neighborhoods, from "the village" (downtown) to residential areas such as Prides Crossing, The Golden Triangle, The Plantinum Triangle, Montalvo, Glen Una, and so many more. Like most of the cities and towns nearby, the school district lines do not follow the city boundaries (the school boundaries were set first, when most of the area was unincorporated), so there are several districts within the city of Saratoga, and this can be confusing when people relocate here!
Below please find links to some of the best that the City of Saratoga has to offer.
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The City of Saratoga has a great, comprehensive website that is a "must see" for residents and folks considering being residents there. Included are information on current events, volunteer opportunities, government (on permits, city council, city government, municipal code, city commissions - info on parks & rec, library, youth, etc.), businesses, employment, publications, resouce links, the current weather, "About Saratoga" (city parks, city maps, budget, heritage resources), senior center, and more. TOO MUCH TO LIST. This is a very fine website, easy to navigate and fast-loading. City of Saratoga's Official Website
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Villa Montalvo: what's not to love? Whether you like live music performances, art shows, or just walking the serene trails and grounds of this old estate, you'll find it here - pristine, inviting, and accessible without having to drive a country mile. Oh, and it's a historical landmark, too, with exceptional architecture. It's a perennial favorite for weddings and fancy occasions, private and corporate. Villa Montalvo website
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I found this neat site, which is part of a collection of websites on historical buildings in Santa Clara County. It features pictures and history of Villa Montalvo (the Phelan Mansion). Enjoy! Great info on Montalvo (an unofficial but very good site)
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The Mountain Winery is another great venue for music in Saratoga. It was formerly known as the Paul Masson Mountain Winery and when I was a teen we could see Shakespearean plays there as well as the music which is offered today. (I miss those!) The place is so unique: hillside vineyards, a natural amphitheater, a view of the hills and the valley below. I don't think musicians get it much better than this! It's a fabulous place to enjoy a picnic, wine tasting and a show - go if you get the chance! The Mountain Winery
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West Valley College gives adults of all ages the opportunity to study a wide variety of things at a reasonable cost (foreign languages, real estate, art, computers, you name it). The campus is lovely. As a high school senior, I took a course in psychology here to get a jump on college. Loved it! Visit West Valley Community College
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Horseback riding & wine tasting at Garrod's. Where else could you do both in one place? When I was a kid, we took riding lessons at Garrods. Now they've added a winery, Cooper-Garrod's. My disclaimer: the wine is great, but if you want a nice place to picnic afterwards, be prepared to battle either flies or yellowjackets (yellowjackets are a problem all over in September here). The horses just seem to attract the flies - last time we did the picnic part, we wished we hadn't. Maybe horses and picnics don't miss. But DO go up for the winetasting, the views, and to pet the horses, if you didn't already ride them! (I do not suggest riding after wine tasting....) Take a ride!
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Enjoy a quiet stroll through 18 acres of an authentic 17th century Japanese Garden, right at 21000 Big Basin Way (Highway 9) in Saratoga! Hakone Gardens is also a great place to take photos of your family & friends (personal use is encouraged but permission is required for commercial). There's a cost to park and/or enter - check the website below for the latest. It's a rare treat to visit such a place and I encourage you to do so. Hakone Gardens
San Jose is a fascinating city comprised of many different districts and areas, each with its own personality and history. The following links are helpful regarding the entire city of nearly one million inhabitants:
Sponsored by the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association, this site has info on "what's happening" in Willow Glen, merchant info, the history of Willow Glen, and much more. Thanks to Broderick Perkins of Deadline News for telling me about this site! Downtown Willow Glen (district of San Jose)
Monte Sereno is a residential community that was incorporated in 1957 (largely to avoid being made a part of Los Gatos or any other town/city). The population is tiny - about 3800 folks at any given time and is composed of about one and a half square miles. John Steinbeck once called this area home - but later decided the rural hamlet was too crowded, so moved into the Santa Cruz Mountains to regain his serenity!
The city of Campbell was founded by Benjamin Campbell with his first land purchase there being in 1851, which he planted with grain and hay. Campbell was a busy place during the orchard and fruit canning eras of the valley; it boasted three canneries. Being along the railroad line, Campbell became a shipping center for "The Valley of Heart's Delight" prized products.
While the city's origins go back to the orchard era, Campbell was not incorporated as a city until 1952.
Today Campbell has a small town feel while offering a quaint downtown area, good schools, and reasonably priced (for our valley, anyway) homes. Crime is low and parks are many.
For more information about Campbell, visit the city's official website at http://www.ci.campbell.ca.us .
Cupertino was incorporated as a city only in 1955, long, long after the community had sprung up and had its own, distinct identity.
As a village, Cupertino began at the intersection of Stevens Creek Road and Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road (now DeAnza Blvd) and was originally known simply as "West Side". Since that name was so generic and would be confused with other places bearing similar names, the post office opted to give it a more distinguishable name in 1898. Because there was a nearby Cupertino winery and Cupertino Creek (full name was Arroyo San Giuseppe da Cupertino - named after St. Joseph of Cupertino - by the explorer De Anza's cartologist and diarist, a Spanish padre by the name of Fr. Font), that name was applied to the post office and nearby stores. (Cupertino Creek is now known as Stevens Creek, by the way.)
Like the rest of California, Sunnyvale's history goes back to the days of Land Grants (first Spanish, then Mexican, then US Patents). The first non-native beginnings of this city were in 1842 with the Rancho Pastoria de las Borregas land grant, held by Estrada and Inez Castro and later becoming Mountain View and Sunnyvale. (The arrangement with land grants was that the land was free, but the owner had to occupy it. Such a deal!) I will place a link to more of the history of Sunnyvale below. It's interesting, so take a look!
Los Altos is a lovely town with everything to offer but affordable housing. It recently made a list of the best places to live in the US (low crime, great schools, quality of life). There's a vibrant downtown to boot.
