Welcome to Our City!!

Santa Clara's history starts long before it was incorporated as a city. Archaeological discoveries date Ohlone Indian settlements in the Valley as early as 4000 BC. While people in the East Coast colonies were defining democracy and fighting for American independence, the area that was to become Santa Clara was explored by Spanish expeditions and Franciscan padres who established Mission Santa Clara.

Wide open spaces and the waterways of the Guadalupe River and San Francisco Bay drew ranchers and orchardists from Europe, fledgling American states, and Mexico. The discovery of gold sent thousands into the foothills in search of quick fortunes. Most were not successful and many returned to the area known as Santa Clara to farm and open small mercantile stores. By 1900, the population in Santa Clara reached 3,650.

The early 1900s were as tumultuous in Santa Clara as in the rest of the world. The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 damaged Santa Clara as well, including the collapse of several buildings at Agnews State Hospital where 112 patients died. Men and women from Santa Clara served in both World War I and World War II, and many distinguished themselves and their community with their brave, selfless actions.

Veterans and their families flocked to Santa Clara after the war to settle into new jobs in fast-growing manufacturing industries such as Owens-Corning Fiberglass Corporation that made insulation. Acres of apricot, pear, peach, cherry and plum orchards and flower seed fields were converted into new suburban neighborhoods built to provide them with the opportunity for living "the American dream." Between 1952 and 1960, Santa Clara's population soared from 15,178 to 58,880.

Just as explorers found their way to the Valley 100 years ago, so have people from all corners of the world made a beeline to Santa Clara during the past few decades. From its world-class Olympic athletes to its position as the geographic center of the high tech revolution, Santa Clara shines in an international spotlight. Many major corporations have located their global headquarters in Santa Clara.

But for all of its success in technological innovation and invention, Santa Clara residents are proud to have kept the human touch that has always made this community an inviting, special place to live, work and play. Parks, museums, cultural arts groups, special interest clubs, neighborhood organizations, and annual community-wide events add to the small town feel of a municipality that - with population now past 100,000 - is a big city by the numbers.

The Sister City program, its International Swim Center, the corporate headquarters of several major global companies, and its multicultural history and appreciation are just some of the ways in which the City of Santa Clara continues celebrates its diversity in the 21st century.