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Santa Clara County “Silicon Valley”

Whether you prefer relaxation or excitement, Santa Clara County has just the ideal mix of amenities to satisfy your every whim and mood. If your idea of the perfect day is shopping, take your time exploring the elegant retail centers, colorful markets, bakeries, bookstores, one-of-a-kind boutiques and antique dealers scattered throughout the cities and small towns.

The County of Santa Clara is known as "Silicon Valley," the birthplace of the high technology revolution. Santa Clara County is unique because of its combination of physical attractiveness and economic diversity. Santa Clara County has long been considered one of the best areas in the United States to live and work. Santa Clara County has one of the highest standards of living in the country. The County of Santa Clara is located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay and encompasses 1,312 square miles. Santa Clara Valley runs the entire length of the county from north to south, ringed by the rolling hills of the Diablo Range on the east, and the Santa Cruz Mountains on the west. Salt marshes and wetlands lie in the northwestern part of the county, adjacent to the waters of San Francisco Bay.

Santa Clara County is warm and dry much of the year. The temperature seldom drops below freezing and the humidity is rarely uncomfortable. Rain is generally confined to the winter and snow will sometimes fall at the tops of local mountains, the Mt. Hamilton Range lining the eastern border of the County and the Santa Cruz Mountains to the west.

Santa Clara County is a major employment center for the region. It provides more than one-quarter of all jobs in the Bay Area. It also has one of the highest median family incomes in the country. County of Santa Clara attracts people from all over the world. The local industry of the County of Santa Clara is dominated by the technology sector. Computer software and hardware manufacturing, wholesale and services in particular are some of the largest industry segments in terms of both annual receipts and employees. According to the California Employment Development Department, twelve of the top fifteen major employers are high technology companies.

Santa Clara County is one of the largest counties in the State of California, following Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange Counties. It is the largest of the nine Bay Area counties. Santa Clara County’s population is nearly 1.7 million. Its population constitutes about one-fourth of the Bay Area’s total population. As of 2000, there were 565,863 households in the County of Santa Clara.

Santa Clara County is comprised of 15 cities including Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga, and Sunnyvale, ranging from Palo Alto to the north, to Gilroy in the south. San Jose is the largest city in the County, with a population of nearly 900,000. San Jose is the administrative site of County Government. A significant portion of the county’s land area is unincorporated ranch and farmland. Nearly 92% of the Santa Clara County population lives in cities.

Santa Clara County is home to many public and private golf courses. The County of Santa Clara also operates 27 parks covering more than 50,000 acres including scenic lakes, streams, and miles of hiking and biking trails.

The Santa Clara Valley is the oldest continuing producing wine region in California. Local wineries include: J. Lohr Winery, Mirassou Vineyards, Sarah's Vineyard, Solis Winery, Sycamore Creek Vineyards, Thomas Kruse Winery and Troquato Vineyards. The region produces excellent Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, among others. Many of the wineries offer tours, picnic grounds, tasting and on-site purchases.

The Tech Museum of Innovation, the Rosicrucian Museum, the Children’s Discovery Museum, the San Jose Museum of Art, and the Triton Museum are a only a few of the local museums and art galleries.

There are also many performing arts venues including concerts, symphonies, opera, musical theatre, children’s musical theatre, and repertory theatre.

The Mountain Winery, Compaq Center, and Villa Montalvo are among the venues for local concerts.

Bonfante Gardens, Raging Waters, Paramount’s Great America, and the Santa Clara County Fair are among the local theme parks.

Famous Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton, the hills of San Francisco, or any number of beautiful beaches along the Pacific Ocean from Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay to Monterey and Carmel are only a short drive (between one and two hours) away.

Buying a home is both a matter of the heart, largely driven by emotions, and finances. One really does not outweigh the other. As your real estate agent, I'll help you find a balance between finding a house you will fall in love with and finding a house that you can afford.

You'll benefit from the wealth of experience I bring successfully negotiating and closing deals in the Santa Clara County real estate market. I'll help you find the house and the neighborhood that will meet your emotional and financial needs for today and tomorrow.

I'll do everything I can to take the stress out of your home buying and selling experience. There are hundreds of details that go into each real estate transaction. Let me handle those for you. I will help you find a lender, inspector, appraiser and all the other service providers that make for a smooth and worry-free transaction.

Whether you are a first-time buyer or a "real estate veteran", I'm ready to answer all your questions about Santa Clara County and Saratoga Real Estate.