Los Altos, California
Los Altos is a city at the southern end of the San Francisco Peninsula (part of the Silicon Valley). The city is located in Santa Clara County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 27,693.
Los Altos is a quiet "bedroom community" suburb serving both San Jose and San Francisco. Most of the city was developed between the 1950s and 1970s. As a formerly agricultural town, Los Altos has several unique features. Commercial zones are strictly limited to the downtown area (referred to by local merchants as Los Altos Village) and a few shopping centers and office parks lining Foothill Expressway and El Camino Real. The adjacent town of Los Altos Hills has no commercial zones, post office, or public library, and is dependent upon Los Altos for such services.
Education
Public education
Los Altos is served by a K-8 school district, the Los Altos School District, and a separate 9-12 high school district, the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District.
Both districts are highly regarded[1], and most graduates of Los Altos high schools continue their education at well-known universities throughout the United States.
Design and planning
Los Altos, by design, strives to maintain a semi-rural atmosphere. Los Altos has no sidewalks except around the commercial zones mentioned above and along the most important arterial roads like San Antonio Road. Most roads have broad dirt shoulders and little or no street lighting. The civic center sits in the middle of an orchard, a tiny remnant of the large farms which once covered the entire area. The downtown is a triangle with arterials on all sides that allow most through traffic to bypass Main Street. In contrast, several nearby cities have downtowns that lack adequate bypasses (notably, Palo Alto and Menlo Park). Due to the city's strict low-density zoning, many Los Altos homes are now valued at $1 million and higher.
From the mid-1990s onward, downtown Los Altos has experienced mild economic difficulties due to competition from shopping centers and big box retailers in nearby Mountain View and Palo Alto, as well as its lack of a hotel or movie theater. The problem of how to revitalize the downtown area continues to be a major issue in city politics[2].
Sister cities
Famous residents
Current well-known residents of Los Altos include:
- Charles Geschke (co-founder of Adobe Systems)
- John Warnock (co-founder of Adobe Systems)
- Paul Mockapetris (inventor or co-inventor of the Domain Name System)
Others who are from/have inhabited Los Altos and have achieved fame include:
- Alan Cranston(former U.S. senator)
- Juli Inkster (renowned LPGA golfer)
- George Seifert (former head coach of NFL team San Francisco 49ers)
- Steve Young (former quarterback for the 49ers and current Hall-of-Famer)
- Lee Woodall (former lineman for the 49ers)
- Colt Cannon (professional skateboarder)
Geography
Los Altos is located at 37°22'5" North, 122°5'51" West (37.36819, -122.097511)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.4 km² (6.3 mi²). 16.4 km² (6.3 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 27,693 people, 10,462 households, and 8,024 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,683.8/km² (4,360.7/mi²). There are 10,727 housing units at an average density of 652.2/km² (1,689.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 80.35% White, 0.47% African American, 0.17% Native American, 15.42% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 0.66% from other races, and 2.77% from two or more races. 2.97% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 10,462 households out of which 33.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.4% are married couples living together, 5.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 23.3% are non-families. 18.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.61 and the average family size is 2.98.
In the city the population is spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 29.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 44 years. For every 100 females there are 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $126,740, and the median income for a family is $148,201. Males have a median income of $100,000 versus $67,332 for females. The per capita income for the city is $66,776. 2.4% of the population and 1.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 2.2% of those under the age of 18 and 1.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
References
^ Blitzer, Carol. "Building on Success." San Jose Business Journal, 6 March 1995, sec. S, p. 3.
^ McPherson, Kimra. "Small Town, Hard Sell: Village leader trying to pump up downtown." San Jose Mercury News, 6 April 2005, sec. B, p. 1.
External links
Municipalities and communities of Santa Clara County, California, United States | ||
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