Mission Peak is a mountain peak located east of Fremont, California . It is the northern summit on a ridge that includes Mount Allison and Monument Peak . Mission Peak has symbolic importance, and is depicted on the logo of the City of Fremont. It is located in Mission Peak Regional Preserve , a regional park operated by the East Bay Regional Park District .
111-442: Mission Peak is relatively close to Silicon Valley , so it is popular with local hikers, bicyclists, and sightseers as well as tourists from further away for its view of Silicon Valley and strenuous climb. The "Mission Peeker" marker pole at the summit is a frequently-photographed landmark. The Stanford Avenue entrance receives up to two thousand visitors per day during weekends. Visitor numbers increased significantly after 2010, and it
222-524: A synecdoche for the American high-technology economic sector . The name also became a global synonym for leading high-tech research and enterprises, and thus inspired similarly named locations , as well as research parks and technology centers with comparable structures all around the world. Many headquarters of tech companies in Silicon Valley have become hotspots for tourism . "Silicon" refers to
333-417: A 1,900 acres (770 ha) tract of land formerly known as Roddy Ranch in east Contra Costa County. The tract lies south of Antioch and west of Brentwood . The cost was reported as $ 14.24 million. Funding will also be provided by California Wildlife Conservation Board and an unidentified private foundation. The acquisition does not include Roddy Ranch Golf Club or about 240 acres of privately owned land inside
444-692: A 192-acre tract known as Mollar Ranch to EBRPD. The tract adjoins the Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve on Somerville Road in Antioch, California. EBRPD plans to use the property to create a northern entrance to the preserve. The price agreed upon is $ 305,000. Funding is expected to come from the California Wildlife Protection Act and East Bay Regional Parks Measure WW funds. EBRPD announced on February 17, 2014, that it had acquired 362 acres (146 ha) of woodland on
555-399: A 50 acres (20 ha) hillside in Antioch, between Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve and Contra Loma Regional Park, and bought 80 acres (32 ha)near Byron Vernon Pools Regional Preserve for $ 520,000. The 50-acre hillside, valued at $ 3.5 million, was donated to EBRPD by Suncrest Homes and Antioch Holdings LLC, a Suncrest land-holding subsidiary. The Byron tract is being purchased through
666-782: A city of only 50,000 people, "the densest concentration of lawyers" in the United States outside of Washington, D.C. By the year 2000, large law firms from all over the world were rushing to establish offices in the mid-Peninsula region on or near Sand Hill Road, and Silicon Valley law firms had become global trendsetters in that they were the first legal services employers to adopt business casual apparel (in imitation of their startup clients). During this era, lawyers evolved from their relatively narrow conventional role as protectors of intellectual property into business advisers, intermediaries, and dealmakers, and thereby acquired great prominence in Silicon Valley. For young entrepreneurs new to
777-441: A computer network, which he imagined as an electronic commons open to all, the main and essential medium of informational interaction for governments, institutions, corporations, and individuals. As head of IPTO from 1962 to 1964, "Licklider initiated three of the most important developments in information technology: the creation of computer science departments at several major universities, time-sharing, and networking." In 1969,
888-768: A dog fee to reduce visits by dog owners and demolition of the iconic summit pole. EBRPD proposed a larger parking lot at the Stanford entrance in 2012; and, as of 2015, completion was expected in 2018. The city temporarily restricted visitor parking on streets near the Stanford Avenue trail-head in late 2016. Residential permits are required on Saturdays, Sundays and federal holidays in front of houses, near open fields, and near empty lots. One hundred spaces on Weibel Dr are restricted, not fronting houses. The restrictions are temporary, slated to expire on July 7, 2020. The temporary restriction of park operating hours and street parking, and
999-526: A high density of nesting golden eagles , seen often, along with turkey vultures , red-tailed hawks , red-shouldered hawks , prairie falcons , and sharp-shinned hawks . They nest in on the slopes of steep valleys, where no trails enter. Light snow falls most winters, and melts quickly. Heavy snow falls once or twice a decade, such as in March 2006 (see picture in the Hiking and bicycling section). On December 7, 2009,
1110-482: A result of the high technology sector, the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area has the most millionaires and the most billionaires in the United States per capita, although the venture capital ecosystem has grown more geographically decentralized over time. The region is the biggest high-tech manufacturing center in the United States. The unemployment rate of the region
1221-570: A single-person household was $ 14,891. Thousands of high technology companies are headquartered in Silicon Valley. Among those, the following are in the Fortune 1000 : Additional notable companies headquartered in Silicon Valley (some of which are defunct, subsumed, or relocated) include: Silicon Valley has a population of 3.1 million as of 2020. A 1999 study by AnnaLee Saxenian for the Public Policy Institute of California reported that
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#17328758727921332-521: A special district that could obtain water from the Mokelumne River and pump it directly to customers. The East Bay Municipal District (EBMUD) was formed and approved by the electorate. In 1930, the Olmsted Brothers and Ansel F. Hall created a "Report on proposed park reservations for East Bay cities, California" The EBRPD was founded in 1934, and acquired its first land two years later, when
1443-582: A table while a deal was being discussed?" Silicon Valley firms' board of directors are composed of 15.7% women compared with 20.9% in the S&;P 100. The 2012 lawsuit Pao v. Kleiner Perkins was filed in San Francisco County Superior Court by executive Ellen Pao for gender discrimination against her employer, Kleiner Perkins . The case went to trial in February 2015. On March 27, 2015,
1554-645: A temporary and interim basis to reduce public access to Mission Peak in Fremont, using a media strategy designed by political consultant George Manross. [1] [2] The parks in the East Bay Regional Park District were badly affected by the various lightning complex fires plaguing the Bay Area in August 2020. The fires enveloped the Bay Area in a layer of smoke and forced the closures of many national parks within
1665-462: A third of Silicon Valley scientists and engineers were immigrants and that nearly a quarter of Silicon Valley's high-technology firms since 1980 were run by Chinese (17 percent) or Indian descent CEOs (7 percent). There is a stratum of well-compensated technical employees and managers, including tens of thousands of "single-digit millionaires". This income and range of assets will support a middle-class lifestyle in Silicon Valley. In November 2006,
1776-580: A variety of visitor attractions, with opportunities for swimming , boating and camping . The trails are frequently used for non-motorized transportation such as biking , hiking , and horse riding . More than 200 miles (320 km) of paved trails (identified as Interpark Regional Trails) through urban areas link the parks together. A destructive grass fire that broke out in Wildcat Canyon blew west into Berkeley on September 17, 1923, and burned down 640 structures, mostly homes. The East Bay Water Company
1887-725: Is a special district operating in Alameda County and Contra Costa County, California , within the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay Area. It maintains and operates a system of regional parks which is the largest urban regional park district in the United States. The administrative office is located in Oakland. As of 2020, EBRPD spans 124,909 acres (50,549 ha) with 73 parks and over 1,330 miles (2,140 km) of trails. Some of these parks are wilderness areas; others include
1998-608: Is also represented in the number of new companies founded by women as well as the number of women-lead startups that receive venture capital funding. Wadhwa said he believes that a contributing factor is a lack of parental encouragement to study science and engineering. He also cited a lack of women role models and noted that most famous tech leaders—like Bill Gates , Steve Jobs , and Mark Zuckerberg —are men. As of October 2014, some high-profile Silicon Valley firms were working actively to prepare and recruit women. Bloomberg reported that Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft attended
2109-418: Is closed to the public. In 2013, EBRPD began acquiring Roddy Ranch a 1,900 acres (770 ha) additional tract in east Contra Costa County. The new acquisition will create a nearly continuous offer zone of undeveloped land in eastern Contra Costa County from Black Diamond Mines Regional Park to Marsh Creek. In 2013, EBRPD announced plans to acquire 1,000 acres (4.0 km ) of grazing land southwest of
2220-433: Is just east of the summit. Sculptor and park ranger Leonard Page along with a crew of six erected the iconic "Mission Peeker" on December 27, 1990. The pole is over six feet (1.8 m) in height, and the foundation is two feet (0.6 m) deep with 120 pounds (54 kg) of concrete. The sculptor's purpose was to promote environmental awareness. The sticks on the pole represent each pillar of environmental recycling. Sealed inside
2331-651: Is rare, because most stands have been logged. Bigleaf maples and gray pines are less common, though the old-growth oak forest in the Hidden Valley (see Hiking) known as A.A. Moore Memorial Grove contains all the tree species. Many oaks are 100 to 600 years old, with few younger than 50. Oak saplings have been eaten by cattle and choked by invasives for centuries. The steepest slopes are home to hard, evergreen chaparral, primarily California sagebrush , chamise , and scrub oak . The grasslands have native and nonnative plants brought by cows, though native wildflowers grow in
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#17328758727922442-529: Is the most popular attraction in Fremont. An ascent up Mission Peak is at least a six-mile-long round trip, and tends to take two to five hours for hikers and one to one-and-a-half hours for bicyclists and runners. Dehydration and heat exhaustion are common because of the lack of shade. Guidelines recommend carrying two liters of water per person, extra water for dogs, and sun protection. Signs and barbed wire prohibit off-trail shortcuts to slow down erosion. Food, water bottles, and supplies are kept from being sold at
2553-491: The Brookings Institution . As of June 2021, it also had the highest percentage of homes valued at $ 1 million or more in the United States. Silicon Valley is home to many of the world's largest high-tech corporations , including the headquarters of more than 30 businesses in the Fortune 1000 , and thousands of startup companies . Silicon Valley also accounts for one-third of all of the venture capital investment in
2664-511: The East Bay Municipal Utility District sold 2,166 acres (877 ha) of its surplus land. The founders of the district included Robert Sibley , a hiking enthusiast, Hollis Thompson, then Berkeley City Manager, and Charles Lee Tilden , among others. William Penn Mott Jr. served as director of the agency from 1962 to 1967, and oversaw a doubling of the system's acreage from 10,500 to 22,000. In June 2013, EBRPD purchased
2775-658: The Intel 8080 , the second 8-bit microprocessor designed and manufactured by Intel . On April 23, 1963, J. C. R. Licklider , the first director of the Information Processing Techniques Office (IPTO) at The Pentagon 's ARPA issued an office memorandum addressed to Members and Affiliates of the Intergalactic Computer Network . It rescheduled a meeting in Palo Alto regarding his vision of
2886-564: The MITS Altair microcomputer, the first unit sent to the area for review by People's Computer Company . Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs credit that first meeting with inspiring them to design the original Apple I and (successor) Apple II computers. As a result, the first preview of the Apple I was given at the Homebrew Computer Club. Subsequent meetings were held at an auditorium at
2997-823: The Point Pinole Regional Shoreline north of Richmond , the Coyote Hills Regional Park near Fremont , the Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline on San Leandro Bay , and the Oyster Bay Regional Shoreline south of the Oakland International Airport . The district also includes a former farm, a former coal mine , an extinct volcano, and one of the biggest dog-walking parks in the US. Redwood Regional Park contains
3108-539: The Shockley diode ), but the design was considerably more difficult to build than the "simple" transistor. In 1957, Shockley decided to end research on the silicon transistor. As a result of Shockley's abusive management style, eight engineers left the company to form Fairchild Semiconductor ; Shockley referred to them as the " traitorous eight ". Two of the original employees of Fairchild Semiconductor, Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore , would go on to found Intel . Following
3219-609: The Stanford Industrial Park (later Stanford Research Park ). Terman invited only high-technology companies. The first tenant was Varian Associates , founded by Stanford alumni in the 1930s to build military-radar components. Terman also found venture capital for civilian-technology start-ups. Hewlett-Packard became one of the major success-stories. Founded in 1939 in Packard's garage by Stanford graduates Bill Hewlett and David Packard , Hewlett-Packard moved its offices into
3330-545: The Stanford Linear Accelerator Center . Although semiconductors are still a major component of the area's economy, Silicon Valley has been most famous in recent years for innovations in software and Internet services. Silicon Valley has significantly influenced computer operating systems, software , and user interfaces. Using money from NASA , the US Air Force , and ARPA , Douglas Engelbart invented
3441-531: The Stanford Research Institute (now SRI International), operated one of the four original nodes that comprised ARPANET , predecessor to the Internet . By the early 1970s, there were many semiconductor companies in the area, computer firms using their devices, and programming and service companies serving both. Industrial space was plentiful and housing was still inexpensive. Growth during this era
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3552-744: The University of California, Davis released a report analyzing business leadership by women within the state. The report showed that although 103 of the 400 largest public companies headquartered in California were located in Santa Clara County (the most of all counties), only 8.8% of Silicon Valley companies had women CEOs. This was the lowest percentage in the state. (San Francisco County had 19.2% and Marin County had 18.5%.) Silicon Valley tech leadership positions are occupied almost exclusively by men. This
3663-470: The chemical element used in silicon -based transistors and integrated circuit chips, which is the focus of a large number of computer hardware and software innovators and manufacturers in the region. The popularization of the name is often credited to Don Hoefler , the first journalist to use the term in a news story. His article "Silicon Valley U.S.A." was published in the January 11, 1971, issue of
3774-601: The mouse and hypertext-based collaboration tools in the mid-1960s and 1970s while at Stanford Research Institute (now SRI International), first publicly demonstrated in 1968 in what is now known as The Mother of All Demos . Engelbart's Augmentation Research Center at SRI was also involved in launching the ARPANET (precursor to the Internet ) and starting the Network Information Center (now InterNIC ). Xerox hired some of Engelbart's best researchers beginning in
3885-415: The use of this artifact has evolved over a quarter century. Though designed in 1988 as an "interpretive post", with sight tubes pointing to other Bay Area landmarks and cities, the "peeker" function has since been rendered archaic and its environmental message is not widely known. The marker now functions as a standalone cultural monument , and draws thousands of weekly sightseers and tourists that make it
3996-591: The "preprofit" stage. Prior to 1970, most Northern California lawyers were based in San Francisco, especially the experienced patent attorneys whom the high-tech industry needed to protect its intellectual property. During the 1970s, lawyers began to follow venture capitalists down the Peninsula to serve the booming high-tech industry in Silicon Valley. As of 1999, there were 2,400 lawyers practicing law in Palo Alto,
4107-399: The 1959 inventions of the monolithic integrated circuit (IC) chip by Robert Noyce at Fairchild, the first commercial MOS IC was introduced by General Microelectronics in 1964. The first single-chip microprocessor was the Intel 4004 , designed and realized by Federico Faggin along with Ted Hoff , Masatoshi Shima and Stanley Mazor at Intel in 1971. In April 1974, Intel released
4218-503: The 20 most inventive towns in America were in California, and 10 of those were in Silicon Valley. San Jose led the list with 3,867 utility patents filed in 2005, and number two was Sunnyvale, at 1,881 utility patents. Silicon Valley is also home to a significant number of " Unicorn " ventures, referring to startup companies whose valuation has exceeded $ 1 billion dollars . A world-renowned technology hub, San Francisco Bay Area has
4329-671: The 20th annual Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing conference to actively recruit and potentially hire female engineers and technology experts. The same month, the second annual Platform Summit was held to discuss increasing racial and gender diversity in tech. As of April 2015 experienced women were engaged in creation of venture capital firms which leveraged women's perspectives in funding of startups. After UC Davis published its Study of California Women Business Leaders in November 2006, some San Jose Mercury News readers dismissed
4440-535: The Alameda Creek Alliance, announced the acquisition of a 79 acres (32 ha) land parcel known as "Eddie's Flat, adjacent to the western boundary of Brushy Peak Regional Preserve. The district maintains a police department and a fire department. A volunteer organization that supports the work of EBRPD, the Regional Parks Foundation raises funds for the improvement of the parks. The EBRPD
4551-476: The Bay Area Ridge Trail and 3 miles (4.8 km) of other trails. Subsequently, park use was pushed back. As of 2007, the opening was expected by 2010. In 2010, EBRPD directors were expecting it would open soon. In 2011, EBRPD put the start in 2012. As of January 2015, EBRPD pointed to late 2015; while as of May 2015, the district pointed to spring 2016. A 2012 settlement agreement between EBRPD and
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4662-669: The Bay Area including all parks in the East Bay Regional Parks District. The parks administered by the EBRPD vary greatly in size and character. Particularly notable are the string of parks along the Berkeley Hills above and east of both Berkeley and Oakland , including Wildcat Canyon Regional Park , Tilden Regional Park , Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve , Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve , and Redwood Regional Park . There are also bay shore parks such as
4773-464: The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) to administer hang gliding and paragliding at Mission Peak since 1983. Hikers can observe takeoffs from the launch point 1,950 ft (590 m) above sea level, marked by a large wind sock. Landings occur adjacent to the main hiking trail about one quarter mile (400 m) from the Stanford Avenue entrance, near the proposed site of a parking lot expected in late 2018. On September 6, 1971, Dave Kilbourne, one of
4884-598: The East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservancy, a joint-powers authority created by the county, Brentwood. Oakley, Pittsburg and Next Era Energy. EBRPD announced in September 2016 that it had finalized the purchase of 76 acres (31 ha) of ranch land east of Mount Diablo, near Antioch and Brentwood. The tract was identified only as the Hanson Hills property, which had previously been bought by
4995-457: The Roddy Ranch tract for $ 5 million. It will provide hiking and recreation services, and protect habitat for rare species such as the California red-legged frog. The combined Dainty and Roddy tracts will form the future Deer Valley Regional Park near Antioch and Brentwood. James Ball Dainty, a rancher and coal miner, acquired Dainty Ranch in 1872. Antioch Unified School District agreed to sell
5106-461: The Santa Clara Valley, and then north towards the Bay Area's two other major cities, San Francisco and Oakland , the term "Silicon Valley" came to have two definitions: a narrower geographic one, referring to Santa Clara County and southeastern San Mateo County , and a metonymical definition referring to high-tech businesses in the entire Bay Area. The term Silicon Valley is often used as
5217-588: The Save Mount Diablo conservation group. EBRPD reported that it had paid $ 730,000 for this property, which it intends to include in the Deer Valley Regional Park. The East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservancy contributed $ 547,000 to the purchase, and the remainder was supplied from the regional park Measure WW bonds approved by East Bay voters. Deer Valley Regional Park remains in Land Bank status and
5328-414: The Stanford Avenue entrance. The Stanford opening was delayed to 6:30 am instead of the former 5:00 am, generating a crowd of sunrise viewers who assemble at the gate before it opens on weekends. In 2015 they discussed further restrictions including a per person daily use (entry) fee, parking permits to restrict public street parking while favoring local residents, parking fees to reduce parking congestion,
5439-566: The Stanford Research Park shortly after 1953. In 1954 Stanford originated the Honors Cooperative Program to allow full-time employees of the companies to pursue graduate degrees from the university on a part-time basis. The initial companies signed five-year agreements in which they would pay double the tuition for each student in order to cover the costs. Hewlett-Packard has become the largest personal-computer manufacturer in
5550-642: The U.S. patents for Poulsen arc radio transmission technology and founded the Federal Telegraph Corporation (FTC) in Palo Alto . Over the next decade, the FTC created the world's first global radio communication system, and signed a contract with the Navy in 1912. In 1933, Air Base Sunnyvale , California, was commissioned by the United States Government for use as a Naval Air Station (NAS) to house
5661-508: The United States, which has helped it to become a leading hub and startup ecosystem for high-tech innovation, although the tech ecosystem has recently become more geographically dispersed. It was in Silicon Valley that the silicon-based integrated circuit , the microprocessor , and the microcomputer , among other technologies, were developed. As of 2021 , the region employed about a half million information technology workers. As more high-tech companies were established across San Jose and
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#17328758727925772-507: The United States. A 2023 report found that the aggregate household wealth of Silicon Valley (including ultra-high net worth individuals ) was nearly $ 1.1 trillion, and less than 1% of the Valley's population held 36% of the wealth. Conversely, as of 2021, 23% of Silicon Valley residents were living below the poverty line . However, the meaning of the term "poverty" is dependent upon context; in Silicon Valley, it means something different because of
5883-548: The Valley's mysterious ways, their lawyer often served as their first coach, mentor, teacher, friend, and cheerleader who helped connect them to the Valley's startup ecosystem. As of 2022, the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metropolitan area had the highest average wage for lawyers in the United States, at $ 267,840. The Homebrew Computer Club was an informal group of electronic enthusiasts and technically minded hobbyists who gathered to trade parts, circuits , and information pertaining to DIY construction of computing devices. It
5994-623: The airship USS Macon in Hangar One . The station was renamed NAS Moffett Field , and between 1933 and 1947, U.S. Navy blimps were based there. A number of technology firms had set up shop in the area around Moffett Field to serve the Navy. When the Navy gave up its airship ambitions and moved most of its west coast operations to San Diego , the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA, forerunner of NASA ) took over portions of Moffett Field for aeronautics research. Many of
6105-424: The area's high-tech firms. Frederick Terman , as Stanford University's dean of the school of engineering from 1946, encouraged faculty and graduates to start their own companies. In 1951 Terman spearheaded the formation of Stanford Industrial Park (now Stanford Research Park , an area surrounding Page Mill Road , south west of El Camino Real and extending beyond Foothill Expressway to Arastradero Road), where
6216-414: The basis for many electronic developments for decades. Both Frederick Terman and William Shockley are often called "the father of Silicon Valley". Unlike many other researchers who used germanium as the semiconductor material, Shockley believed that silicon was the better material for making transistors. Shockley intended to replace the current transistor with a new three-element design (today known as
6327-454: The birthplace of Silicon Valley. San Jose is Silicon Valley's largest city, the third-largest in California , and the 13th-most populous in the United States . Other major Silicon Valley cities include Santa Clara , Redwood City and Cupertino . The San Jose Metropolitan Area has the third-highest GDP per capita in the world (after Zürich , Switzerland and Oslo , Norway ), according to
6438-467: The chemicals used in the manufacture of integrated circuits . Technical, engineering, design, and administrative staffs were in large part well compensated. Silicon Valley has a severe housing shortage , caused by the market imbalance between jobs created and housing units built: from 2010 to 2015, many more jobs have been created than housing units built. (400,000 jobs, 60,000 housing units) This shortage has driven home prices extremely high, far out of
6549-516: The city collected over $ 100,000 in fines. In 2016, the park district approved plans to construct 300 new parking spaces near the main entrance. However, residents filed suit against the parking expansion on environmental grounds, after petitioning to restrict parking on public streets. The same law firm filed the 2016 action which closed the Regional Park at Vargas Plateau for nearly a year. The lawsuit, principally aimed at keeping park visitors out of
6660-667: The diversity hire. He described being isolated from his team, and constantly having to prove he could do the job he was hired for. In 2014, tech companies Google , Yahoo! , Facebook , Apple , and others, released corporate transparency reports that offered detailed employee breakdowns. In May, Google said 17% of its tech employees worldwide were women, and, in the U.S., 1% of its tech workers were black and 2% were Hispanic/Latino . June 2014 brought reports from Yahoo! and Facebook. Yahoo! said that 15% of its tech jobs were held by women, 2% of its tech employees were black and 4% Hispanic. Facebook reported that 15% of its tech workforce
6771-510: The early 1970s. In turn, in the 1970s and 1980s, Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) played a pivotal role in object-oriented programming, graphical user interfaces (GUIs), Ethernet , PostScript , and laser printers . While Xerox marketed equipment using its technologies, for the most part its technologies flourished elsewhere. The diaspora of Xerox inventions led directly to 3Com and Adobe Systems , and indirectly to Cisco , Apple Computer , and Microsoft . Apple's Macintosh GUI
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#17328758727926882-581: The early 1980s, at the time of the introduction of the IBM PC and numerous related hardware and software products to the consumer market. The urbanized area is built upon an alluvial plain within a longitudinal valley formed by roughly parallel earthquake faults. The area between the faults subsided into a graben or dropped valley. Hoefler defined Silicon Valley as the urbanized parts of "the San Francisco Peninsula and Santa Clara Valley". Before
6993-436: The east side of Wildcat Canyon Regional Park, which will be added to the existing park. The property is hilly with a mixture of laurels, oaks and native grasses. Fauna include mountain lions, coyotes, deer and hawks. The property had been owned by a developer who had intended to build 36 houses on it, before the recent collapse of real estate prices. On April 3, 2014, two conservation groups, Center for Biological Diversity and
7104-566: The expansive growth of the tech industry, the region had been the largest fruit-producing and packing region in the world up through the 1960s, with 39 fruit canneries. The nickname it had been known as during that period was "the Valley of Heart’s Delight". Silicon Valley was born through the intersection of several contributing factors, including a skilled science research base housed in area universities, plentiful venture capital , permissive government regulation, and steady U.S. Department of Defense spending. Stanford University ’s leadership
7215-459: The first quarter of 2023. More traditional industries also recognize the potential of high-tech development, and several car manufacturers have opened offices in Silicon Valley to capitalize on its entrepreneurial ecosystem . Manufacture of transistors was for a long time the core industry in Silicon Valley. The workforce was for the most part composed of Asian and Latino immigrants who were paid low wages and worked in hazardous conditions due to
7326-482: The founders of the Wings of Rogallo, hiked atop Mission Ridge and launched a flex wing hang glider unaided. The flight lasted more than an hour, and he became the first person in the world to do so. Mission Peak is home to California oak woodland and chaparral . Typical of the interior coast ranges, the woodland contains coast live oak , California bay , California buckeye , blue oak , and western sycamores . Black oak
7437-480: The high cost of living to the success of the industries in this region. Although, this rift between high and low salaries is driving many residents out who can no longer afford to live there. In the Bay Area , the number of residents planning to leave within the next several years has had an increase of 35% since 2016, from 34% to 46%. The wealth inequality in Silicon Valley is more pronounced than in any other region of
7548-426: The improvements required by the settlement agreement prior to opening," which had "very specific road widening requirements." The order applied to access by motor vehicles, as well as to access by non-motorized users for hiking, bicycling and horse riding, with immediate effect. "The park could remain closed for months or years," until the improvements are completed. On May 2, 2017, EBRPD announced that it had settled
7659-641: The jury found in favor of Kleiner Perkins on all counts. Nevertheless, the case, which had wide press coverage, resulted in major advances in consciousness of gender discrimination on the part of venture capital and technology firms and their women employees. Two other cases have been filed against Facebook and Twitter. A 2017 study showed that white males made up the majority of higher positions, with 58.7% holding executive positions and 46.5% being managers. The second highest position holders were Asian men, with 16.3% having executive positions and 17.9% being managers. African/Black and Hispanic/Latino people had
7770-543: The knowledge they gained from their previous employer. This gave Silicon Valley an advantage over other American tech hubs such as Massachusetts Route 128 curving around Boston . The San Francisco Bay Area had long been a major site of United States Navy research and technology. In 1909, Charles Herrold started the first radio station in the United States with regularly scheduled programming in San Jose . Later that year, Stanford University graduate Cyril Elwell purchased
7881-408: The largest concentration of high-tech companies in the United States, at 387,000 high-tech jobs, of which Silicon Valley accounts for 225,300 high-tech jobs. Silicon Valley has the highest concentration of high-tech workers of any metropolitan area, with 285.9 out of every 1,000 private-sector workers. Silicon Valley has the highest average high-tech salary in the United States at $ 144,800. Largely
7992-562: The largest remaining natural stand of coast redwood in the East Bay. Interpark Regional Trails connect various Regional Parks. Their routes may take them through other parks, along creeks and channels, or even down streets and sidewalks in urbanized areas. The list below does not include trails that exist inside single parks. Around 1995, EBRPD acquired 1,200 acres (490 ha) of the Vargas Plateau in Fremont, with 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of
8103-694: The lawsuit, and that the park would reopen on May 15, 2017. EBRPD said that it agreed to construct a paved shoulder along Vargas Road, and a vehicle turnaround on the upper part of Morrison Canyon Road. It also announced that the City of Fremont had agreed to contribute part of the necessary funds. One quarter of the District is designated as "land banks," with no public access. The conversion of that open space to public use as regional parks has no fixed time line, and may span decades. Some parcels may never be converted. Early in March 2019, EBRPD announced that it had finalized
8214-468: The local residential neighborhood, was settled in late 2018. The settlement removed legal obstacles that had stood in the way of the expansion, which was originally estimated to cost $ 6.5 million in 2016. The park district had raised about $ 1.5 million for the parking lot as of 2018. Mission Peak Regional Preserve is a popular location for hang gliding and paragliding. The Wings of Rogallo Northern California Hang Gliding Association Inc. has been licensed by
8325-530: The lowest percentages in all categories. Harvard Business Review published an article in 2018 discussing diversity and inclusion and gave statistics on black employees along with advice to future black technicians. LeRon L. Barton, a black man who spent over two decades in Tech, gave an insight on his work experiences. He said he saw no one who looked like him in his profession and said he received many comments that he believed disregarded his skill such as being called
8436-606: The morning of Saturday, September 2, 2023, the pole was sawed off by vandals and tossed down the mountainside. The East Bay Regional Park District retrieved the pole and park district crews repaired and welded the pole back in place on October 4, 2023. Controversy surrounds access to Mission Peak. Parking is congested near the free 40-space Stanford Avenue lot. Most visitors enter there, and the congestion spills over to nearby public streets on weekends. The East Bay Regional Park District cut park service hours (formerly 5 am to 10 pm) by 30% in late 2014, in part to divert visitors away from
8547-587: The most photographed artifact in southern Alameda County and the top tourist attraction in Fremont . Snapchat has a geofilter image of the pole representing Fremont . The pole has become a contested cultural symbol . In 2014, iconoclastic local residents, the Recreation Department of the City of Fremont and the Stewardship Division of EBRPD discussed razing the landmark to dissuade sightseers. On
8658-406: The original companies stayed, while new ones moved in. The immediate area was soon filled with aerospace firms, such as Lockheed , which was the area's largest employer from the 1950s into 1980s. Stanford University , its affiliates, and graduates have played a major role in the development of the culture of collaboration among high-tech companies. A powerful sense of regional solidarity shaped
8769-467: The origins of Silicon Valley firms, including via investments from Fairchild 's eight co-founders. The key investors in Kleiner Perkins and Sequoia Capital were from the same group, directly leading to Tech Crunch 2014 estimate of 92 public firms of 130 related listed firms then worth over US$ 2.1 trillion with over 2,000 firms traced back to them. Another important pillar of the Valley's success
8880-646: The outlook of inventors and engineers in California; contrasting markedly from the insular and competitive environment of engineering firms on the East Coast of the United States . From the 1890s, Stanford University's leaders saw its mission as service to the (American) West and shaped the school accordingly. At the same time, the perceived exploitation of the West at the hands of eastern interests fueled booster-like attempts to build self-sufficient local industry. Thus regionalism helped align Stanford's interests with those of
8991-417: The owners of two large nearby ranches required the construction of improvements to park access roads. EBRPD and the city of Fremont agreed in 2013 to undertake them jointly, using $ 260,000 of funding by EBRPD and performed by the city. The park opened on May 5, 2016. However, the park was closed by a court-issued preliminary injunction on July 13, 2016. The court found that the park district "did not complete
9102-643: The park. Mission Peak is located directly on the Peak Trail, a trail which approaches Mission Peak from the northwest and the southeast . Each ascent of Mission Peak eventually travels over a stretch of the Peak Trail before reaching the summit. Trails reach Mission Peak from four staging areas: Stanford Avenue, Ohlone College , Sunol Regional Wilderness , and Ed R. Levin County Park . Depending on weather conditions, Bay Area peaks including Mount Diablo , Mount Hamilton , and Mount Tamalpais can be seen. Furthermore,
9213-454: The parking expansion have generated controversy. The number of visitors dropped significantly prior to 2017, and park activists linked the drop to the parking restrictions and to the cutback of park hours. Standard operating hours were 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and the temporary operating hours are slated to expire in July 2020. More than 1,500 parking tickets were issued in the first year, and
9324-533: The peak provides good views of Oakland , San Jose , San Francisco , Fremont , Union City , and Newark . On very clear days, the Sierra Nevada range are visible 100 miles (160 km) to the east. Mission Peak connects to a network of regional trails and contains part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail , which is under construction and has gaps to the north of Mission Peak. The Eagle Spring Backpack campsite
9435-440: The possibility that sexism contributed in making Silicon Valley's leadership gender gap the highest in the state. A January 2015 issue of Newsweek magazine featured an article detailing reports of sexism and misogyny in Silicon Valley. The article's author, Nina Burleigh , asked, "Where were all these offended people when women like Heidi Roizen published accounts of having a venture capitalist stick her hand in his pants under
9546-520: The predecessor to Craigslist began operations. Silicon Valley is generally considered to have been the center of the dot-com bubble , which started in the mid-1990s and collapsed after the NASDAQ stock market began to decline dramatically in April 2000. During the bubble era, real estate prices reached unprecedented levels. For a brief time, Sand Hill Road was home to the most expensive commercial real estate in
9657-446: The project boundary. The East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservancy will install gates, fencing and signs around the tract in the coming year, while the sale is in escrow. The new area will likely be named Deer Valley Regional Park. In 2016, Vargas Plateau Regional Park in Fremont was the first park ever to have been shut down as the result of legal action in the more than 80-year history of EBRPD. During 2014, EBRPD cut park hours on
9768-466: The purchase of 160 acres (65 ha) in unincorporated Contra Costa County, from the Grove family. Funding of $ 1.24 million was provided by Measure WW. The parcel is about 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Livermore , and is bounded on the south by the proposed Doolan Canyon Regional Preserve . The other sides are bounded by private ranches and farmland. A park spokesman said that the parcel, "... will protect
9879-549: The range of production workers. As of 2016 a two-bedroom apartment rented for about $ 2,500 while the median home price was about $ 1 million. The Financial Post called Silicon Valley the most expensive U.S. housing region. Homelessness is a problem with housing beyond the reach of middle-income residents; there is little shelter space other than in San Jose which, as of 2015, was making an effort to develop shelters by renovating old hotels. The Economist also attributes
9990-490: The region's severe housing shortage and high housing prices. As of 2023, the low-income poverty threshold set by the California Department of Housing and Community Development for single-person households in the counties of San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin was $ 104,400, followed by $ 96,000 for the county of Santa Clara. In contrast, the 2023 national low-income poverty threshold set by the U.S. Census Bureau for
10101-590: The sharp point of the peak. However, the mountain is a product of natural uplift and erosion, not of volcanic origin. This range is being compressed and uplifted due to the proximity of the Hayward Fault to the west and the Calaveras Fault to the east. Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that is a global center for high technology and innovation . Located in
10212-511: The snow level dropped to 1,000 ft (300 m) and snow remained for three days. Mission Peak has a large (300 m wide by 1200 m long) landslide that started in 1998 due to the El Niño rains. Landslides had recurred here in the geological past. The landslide threatened new housing, and local development regulations were changed to address the geotechnical hazards. Some sources have incorrectly labeled Mission Peak as an extinct volcano, because of
10323-662: The southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area , it corresponds roughly to the geographical area of the Santa Clara Valley . The term "Silicon Valley" refers to the area in which high-tech business has proliferated in Northern California, and it also serves as a general metonym for California's high-tech business sector. The cities of Sunnyvale , Mountain View , Palo Alto and Menlo Park are frequently cited as
10434-546: The spring. The cattle have a feisty reputation. Black-tailed deer are abundant. Pronghorn and tule elk were extirpated in the late 19th century. Tule elk were reintroduced to Alameda County, and now visit occasionally. Predators include bobcats , coyotes , gray foxes , and very rarely seen mountain lions . Small mammals include the black-tailed jackrabbit , the western gray squirrel , and California ground squirrels . Visitors should beware that northern Pacific rattlesnakes are very common. Southern Alameda County has
10545-562: The steel tube are a crystal with traditional cultural uses, an Ohlone charmstone replica, a bottle of 1990 zinfandel wine whose yeast overshoot represents world population trends, and five time capsules with articles and photographs. The time capsules were intended to be opened in a century or more, after 2090, and focus on rainforest preservation, AIDS, and homelessness. They offer images from popular culture of Bart Simpson, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Gary Larson's Far Side cartoons. The cultural meaning of monuments often change, and
10656-848: The tech industry, "This is the next step in the civil rights movement" while T. J. Rodgers has argued against Jackson's assertions. According to a 2019 Lincoln Network survey, 48% of high-tech workers in Silicon Valley identify as Christians , with Roman Catholicism (27%) being its largest branch, followed by Protestantism (19%). The same study found that 16% of high-tech workers identify as nothing in particular, 11% as something else, 8% as Agnostics , and 7% as Atheists . Around 4% of high-tech workers in Silicon Valley identify as Jews or Buddhists , 3% as Hindus , 2% as Muslims and 1% as Satanists . The following Santa Clara County cities are traditionally considered to be in Silicon Valley (in alphabetical order): East Bay Regional Park District The East Bay Regional Park District ( EBRPD )
10767-607: The university leased portions of its land to high-tech firms. Terman nurtured companies like Hewlett-Packard , Varian Associates , Eastman Kodak , General Electric , Lockheed Corporation , and other high-tech firms, until what would become Silicon Valley grew up around the Stanford University campus. In 1951, to address the financial demands of Stanford's growth requirements, and to provide local employment-opportunities for graduating students, Frederick Terman proposed leasing Stanford's lands for use as an office park named
10878-403: The upper reaches of Doolan Canyon for 'habitat protection, open space preservation, and potential recreational opportunities.'" According to Sciacca's article, EBRPD had already purchased 640 acres (260 ha) adjacent to the Grove tract with funding from Altamont County (Altamont Landfill Open Space Landfill Fund, the City of Livermore, East Bay Community Foundation and Measure WW The price
10989-493: The weekly trade newspaper Electronic News . In preparation for this report, during a lunch meeting with marketing people who were visiting the area, he heard them use the term. Earlier uses outside journalism exist; for example, a May 1970 advertisement in the Peninsula Times Tribune described a Palo Alto company that "helps production people in Silicon Valley." However, the term did not gain widespread use until
11100-420: The world, and the booming economy resulted in severe traffic congestion . The PayPal Mafia is sometimes credited with inspiring the re-emergence of consumer-focused Internet companies after the dot-com bust of 2001. After the dot-com crash, Silicon Valley continues to maintain its status as one of the top research and development centers in the world. A 2006 The Wall Street Journal story found that 12 of
11211-524: The world, and transformed the home-printing market when it released the first thermal drop-on-demand ink-jet printer in 1984. Other early tenants included Eastman Kodak , General Electric , and Lockheed . In 1956, William Shockley , the co-inventor of the first working transistor (with John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain ), moved from New Jersey to Mountain View, California , to start Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory to live closer to his ailing mother in Palo Alto . Shockley's work served as
11322-539: Was Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), founded in 1983 by a group of former Bank of America executives. Before its 2023 collapse , SVB specialized in providing banking services to Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and their startup firms. SVB's original primary commercial lending product was a working capital line of credit , secured by a startup's accounts receivable . In contrast to traditional banks, who focused their commercial lending on already-established businesses, SVB specialized in lending money to small startup companies in
11433-595: Was $ 6.4 million. EBRPD says that the Doolan Canyon area is habitat for the endangered species Alameda whip snake and red-legged frog . It also supports other "special status" species and some rare alkali soil plants. The parcel will remain in land bank status until a land-use plan is written and approved. Making it into a park will require environmental assessments and community input, which could take many years, according to EBRPD. Meanwhile, EBRPD's holdings are known as Doolan Canyon Regional Preserve EBRPD acquired
11544-434: Was 9.4% in January 2009 and has decreased to a record low of 2.7% as of August 2019. But in April 2020, when unemployment was at its peak, it stood at 13.7% and has since fallen to 5.7% in July 2021. Silicon Valley received 41% of all U.S. venture investment in 2011, and 46% in 2012. During the period from 2019 to 2021, Silicon Valley's share of U.S. venture capital investment dropped to 35.9%, but had surged back to 41% as of
11655-488: Was created to foster startups , giving a boost to entrepreneurs. Northern California was even more welcoming, with a group of venture capitalists actively seeking high-tech business ideas, clustered on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park and Palo Alto . California 's civil code undermined the usual non-compete clauses that effectively tied employees to their companies in other states, allowing California workers to freely apply
11766-533: Was especially important in the valley's early development. Together these elements formed the basis of its growth and success. The United States was more friendly than other countries to business investment, charging much lower taxes on capital gains since the Revenue Act of 1921 , and featuring particularly loose free market controls over new business. In 1953, the Small Business Administration
11877-679: Was female, and 3% was Hispanic and 1% was black. In August 2014, Apple reported that 80% of its global tech staff was male and that, in the U.S., 54% of its tech jobs were staffed by Caucasians and 23% by Asians. Soon after, USA Today published an article about Silicon Valley's lack of tech-industry diversity, pointing out that it is largely white or Asian, and male. "Blacks and Hispanics are largely absent," it reported, "and women are underrepresented in Silicon Valley—from giant companies to start-ups to venture capital firms." Civil rights activist Jesse Jackson said of improving diversity in
11988-459: Was fueled by the emergence of venture capital on Sand Hill Road , beginning with Kleiner Perkins and Sequoia Capital in 1972; the availability of venture capital exploded after the successful $ 1.3 billion IPO of Apple Computer in December 1980. Since the 1980s, Silicon Valley has been home to the largest concentration of venture capital firms in the world. In 1971, Don Hoefler traced
12099-403: Was harshly criticized for its failure to deliver enough water to successfully fight the fire. Much of the problem arose from having a system of small private water companies who obtained water either from their own wells or from runoff, then pumped the water to the water companies' wells, Chabot and Temescal. A state law was passed that enabled citizens of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties to create
12210-499: Was largely a result of Steve Jobs ' visit to PARC and the subsequent hiring of key personnel. Cisco's impetus stemmed from the need to route a variety of protocols over Stanford University 's Ethernet campus network . Commercial use of the Internet became practical and grew slowly throughout the early 1990s. In 1995, commercial use of the Internet grew substantially and the initial wave of internet startups, Amazon.com , eBay , and
12321-475: Was started by Gordon French and Fred Moore who met at the Community Computer Center in Menlo Park . They both were interested in maintaining a regular, open forum for people to get together to work on making computers more accessible to everyone. The first meeting was held as of March 1975 at French's garage in Menlo Park , San Mateo County, California ; which was on occasion of the arrival of
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