Santa Clara County, California

File:USA-San Jose-70 West Hedding Street-East Wing-2.jpg]]

Santa Clara County is named for Mission Santa Clara, which was established in 1777, and was in turn named for Saint Clare of Assisi.{{cite book |last1=Shortridge |first1=Charles Morris |title=Santa Clara County and Its Resources: Historical, Descriptive, Statistical : a Souvenir of the San Jose Mercury : 1895 |date=1895 |publisher=San Jose Mercury Pub. & Print. Company |page=16 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X7hCAQAAMAAJ&q=%22named+for+the+mission+of+santa+clara%22&pg=PA16}}

{{main|History of Santa Clara County, California}}

File:1849 Oil Painting of Mission Santa Clara de Asis.png in 1849]]

Santa Clara County was one of the original counties of California, formed in 1850 at the time of statehood. The original inhabitants included the Ohlone, residing on Coyote Creek and Calaveras Creek. Part of the county's territory was given to Alameda County in 1853.{{Cite web |title=About Us {{!}} Alameda County |url=http://www.acgov.org/about/#:~:text=Alameda%20County,%20California,%20was%20established,Contra%20Costa%20and%20Santa%20Clara. |access-date=June 13, 2023 |website=www.acgov.org}}

In 1882, Santa Clara County tried to levy taxes upon property of the Southern Pacific Railroad within county boundaries. The result was the U.S. Supreme Court case of Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad, 118 U.S. 394 (1886), in which the court extended due-process rights to artificial legal entities.

In the early 20th century, the area was promoted as the "Valley of the Heart's Delight" due to its natural beauty, including a significant number of orchards.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RyULAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA918 |page=918 |title=Automobiles: Good Roads |work=Sunset |volume=32 |year=1914}} The region was also memorably referred to as the "sun-kissed Santa Clara Valley" in Jack London's 1903 Call of the Wild.{{Cite web |title=Page:London - The Call of the Wild, 1903.djvu/165 - Wikisource, the free online library |url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:London_-_The_Call_of_the_Wild,_1903.djvu/165 |access-date=June 12, 2023 |website=en.wikisource.org |language=en}}

The first major technology company to be based in the area was Hewlett-Packard, founded in a garage in Palo Alto in 1939. IBM selected San Jose as its West Coast headquarters in 1943. Varian Associates, Fairchild Semiconductor, and other early innovators were in the county by the late 1940s and 1950s. The U.S. Navy had a large presence in the area and began giving large contracts to Silicon Valley electronics companies. The term "Silicon Valley" was coined in 1971. The trend accelerated in the 1980s and 1990s, and agriculture has since been nearly eliminated from the northern part of the county.

Santa Clara County is the headquarters for about 6500 high-technology companies, including many of the world's largest such companies, including AMD, Nvidia, Cisco Systems, and Intel, computer and consumer electronics companies Apple Inc. and Hewlett-Packard, and internet companies eBay, Google, and Yahoo!. Most of what is considered to be Silicon Valley is within the county, although some adjoining tech regions in San Mateo (e.g., Meta), Alameda, and Santa Cruz counties are also considered part of Silicon Valley.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of {{convert|1291.08|sqmi|km2}}.{{Cite web |title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Santa Clara County, California |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/santaclaracountycalifornia/LND110220#LND110220 |access-date=June 13, 2023 |website=www.census.gov |language=en}}

Counties which border with Santa Clara County are, clockwise, Alameda County, San Joaquin (within a few hundred feet at Mount Boardman), Stanislaus, Merced, San Benito, Santa Cruz, and San Mateo County. Santa Clara County formerly shared borders with Contra Costa, San Francisco, Mariposa, Monterey, and Tuolumne counties until 1853, 1856, 1874, and 1854 respectively (Monterey County currently comes within a few miles of Santa Clara).

The San Andreas Fault runs along the Santa Cruz Mountains in the south and west of the county.

• Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge (part)

File:Tule Elk - Merced National Wildlife Refuge Bill Leikam 12-03-2010.jpg roam the Diablo Range and are often seen on Coyote Ridge from U.S. Highway 101 - courtesy Bill Leikam.]]

File:Tule Elk Basking Ridge Park, Santa Clara County Edgerton 2009-12-24.png just north of U. S. Highway 101 in Basking Ridge Park. The freeway is a barrier to elk migration to the Coast Range. Courtesy Craige Edgerton]]

Both tule elk (Cervus canadensis nannodes) and pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) were historically native to Santa Clara County. In June 1776, Lieutenant Commander Don José Joaquín Moraga led a group of soldiers and colonists from the Presidio of Monterey to establish Mission San Francisco de Asis and encountered both tule elk and pronghorn, and clearly distinguished these two species from deer.{{cite journal |title= The Founding of the Presidio and Mission of Our Father Saint Francis |author1=George Ezra Dane |author2=Francisco Palóu |journal=California Historical Quarterly |date=June 1, 1935 |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=102–110 |doi=10.2307/25160571 |jstor=25160571 }} The deer in California being California mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus).

Regarding elk, Moraga wrote: "In the great plain called San Bernardino (the Santa Clara Valley which stretches from south San Jose to Gilroy), while the expedition was strung out at length, we descried in the distance a herd of large animals that looked like cattle, but we could not imagine where they belonged or from whence they had come...with horns similar in shape to those of the deer, but so large that they measured sixteen palms from tip to tip." Upon measurement, Morago reported the elk horns as four varas [{{convert|11|ft}}] across... "These animals [elk] are called ciervos in order to differentiate them from the ordinary Spanish variety of deer, here called venados, which also exist in abundance and of large size in the vicinity."

Regarding pronghorn, Moraga reported: "In the said plains of San Bernardino (Santa Clara Valley)…there is another species of deer about the size of three-year-old sheep. They are similar in appearance to the deer, except they have short horns and also short legs like the sheep. They live in the plains where they go in herds of 100, 200, or more. They run all together over the plains so fast that they seem to fly…These animals are called berrendos and there are many of them also in the southern Missions wherever the country is level."

Herbert Eugene Bolton also wrote of elk reports from another Spanish expedition, from the De Anza Expedition on March 23, 1776: " In Gilroy Valley (Santa Clara Valley) Moraga 's larder was replenished by three elks which the men killed without leaving the road."{{cite book |title=Anza's California Expeditions Volume I. An Outpost of Empire. |author=Herbert Eugene Bolton |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley, California |year=1930 |page=393}} General John Bidwell, of the 1841 Bartleson-Bidwell Party wrote: "In some of the fertile valleys, such as Napa and Santa Clara, there were elk literally by the thousand."{{cite book |title=John Bidwell, Prince of California Pioneers |author=Rockwell D. Hunt |page=75 |publisher=The Caxton Printers, Ltd. |location=Caldwell, Idaho |year=1942}}

In 1978, California Department of Fish and Game warden Henry Coletto urged the department to choose the Mount Hamilton area as one of California's relocation sites under a new statewide effort to restore tule elk. While other ranchers refused, tech pioneers Bill Hewlett and David Packard allowed Coletto and state biologists to translocate the initial 32 tule elk from the Owens Valley in the eastern Sierra onto the {{convert|28,000|acre|ha|adj=on}} San Felipe Ranch, which the families jointly own, in the hills east of Morgan Hill.{{cite news |title=Restoration of tule elk - California success story |publisher=Billings Gazette |date=December 6, 2006 |url=http://billingsgazette.com/news/features/article_7ffb810d-45cc-5305-9ee9-cf4f069fd9b4.html |access-date=January 27, 2013 }} From the three original 1978–1981 translocations (totaling 65 animals) to the Mount Hamilton region of the Diablo Range, there are multiple herds in different locations including the Isabel Valley, San Antonio Valley, Livermore area, San Felipe Ranch, Metcalf Canyon, Coyote Ridge, Anderson Lake, and surrounding areas such as the Sunol and Cottonwood Creek (near San Luis Reservoir in western Merced County, California) herds.{{cite news |title=The elk are coming back- even to San Jose | author=Lisa M. Krieger |date=November 27, 2017 |newspaper=San Jose Mercury News |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/11/27/with-elks-on-rebound-california-releases-new-management-plan/ |access-date=November 28, 2020 }} {{As of|2012}}, an estimated 400 tule elk roam {{convert|1875|km2|sqmi|sp=us|order=flip}} in northeastern Santa Clara County and southeastern Alameda County.{{cite report |title="Safe Passage for the Coyote Valley - A Wildlife Linkage for the Highway 101 Corridor" |author1=Julie Phillips |author2=Ryan Phillips |author3=Neela Srinivasan |author4=Deborah Aso |author5=Wendy Lao |author6=Pat Cornely |name-list-style=amp |publisher=De Anza College |year=2012 |url=http://www.deanza.edu/es/wildlifecorrproj/Safe%20Passagelowres.pdf |access-date=January 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927115425/http://www.deanza.edu/es/wildlifecorrproj/Safe%20Passagelowres.pdf |archive-date=September 27, 2013 |url-status=dead }} In March 2014 CDFW translocated nine bull elk from the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge to add genetic diversity to the San Antonio Valley Ecological Reserve herd in San Antonio Valley in extreme eastern Santa Clara County.{{cite report |title=Elk Conservation and Management Plan |date=December 1, 2018 |publisher=California Department of Fish and Wildlife |url=https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=162912&inline |access-date=February 3, 2020 }} As of 2017 there were four herds in the Coyote Ridge area, often visible from U. S. Highway 101, according to Craige Edgerton, recently retired executive director of the Silicon Valley Land Conservancy and local naturalist Michael Hundt.{{cite news |title=With elk on rebound, California releases new management plan |author=Lisa M. Krieger |date=November 27, 2017 |newspaper=The San Jose Mercury News |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/11/27/with-elks-on-rebound-california-releases-new-management-plan/ |access-date=February 18, 2018 }} In 2019, a fifth herd of tule elk was documented by local naturalist Roger Castillo, likely having split from the Coyote Ridge herd and established itself in Silver Creek Valley around the closed Ranch Golf Club.{{cite news |title=documented by local naturalist Roger Castillo on video |author=Matt Bigler |date=March 4, 2019 |newspaper=KCBS Radio |url=https://kcbsradio.radio.com/blogs/matt-bigler/tule-elk-return-santa-clara-county |access-date=February 2, 2020 }} The elk herds in eastern Santa Clara County are blocked from dispersal to the west by U.S. Highway 101, with environmentalists advocating re-purposing the Metcalf Road bridge at the Coyote Gap into a wildlife overcrossing. This would enable elk to recolonize rural southwestern Santa Clara County, as well as Santa Cruz and San Mateo Counties.

In 1990, the California Department of Fish and Game's Henry Coletto translocated excess pronghorn from Modoc County to six locations in California, including 51 animals to the San Felipe Ranch in Santa Clara County, where the swift-footed ungulates had not lived for generations.{{cite news |title=Works in Progress; 'Oh, Give Me a Home...' |author=Bruce Webber |date=April 18, 1990 |newspaper=New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/08/magazine/works-in-progress-oh-give-me-a-home.html |access-date=February 2, 2020 }} The animals left the San Felipe Ranch for the Isabel and San Antonio Valleys, as well as an area near Lake Del Valle in Alameda County may now be extirpated by poaching, highway vehicle collisions, and insufficient numbers to defend pronghorn fawns against coyote predation.{{cite news |title=A little bit of yesterday today |author=Gilroy Dispatch Staff |date=December 10, 1999 |newspaper=Gilroy Dispatch |url=https://gilroydispatch.com/a-little-bit-of-yesterday-today/ |access-date=February 2, 2020 }} As of 2012, the Isabel Valley Ranch herd had dwindled to 3 animals, and the Lake del Valle herd to 13.{{cite report |title=2012 California Pronghorn Antelope Status Report and Management Plan Update |author=California Department of Fish and Game}} Currently, iNaturalist.org has zero observer records of pronghorn in Santa Clara County.{{cite web |title=Pronghorn in Santa Clara County |date=February 2, 2020 |url=https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=1250&taxon_id=42429 }}

The Nature Conservancy "Mount Hamilton Project" has acquired or put under conservation easement {{convert|100000|acre|ha}} of land towards its {{convert|500000|acre|ha}} goal for habitat conservation within a {{convert|1200000|acre|ha}} area encompassing much of eastern Santa Clara County as well as portions of southern Alameda County, western Merced and Stanislaus Counties, and northern San Benito County. Acquisitions to date include the {{convert|1,756|acre|ha|adj=on}} Rancho Cañada de Pala, straddling the Alameda Creek and Coyote Creek watersheds for California tiger salamander habitat; a conservation easement on the 3,259-acre Blue Oak Ranch Reserve, which abuts the north side of Joseph D. Grant County Park; a conservation easement on the 28,359-acre San Felipe Ranch, connecting Joseph D. Grant County Park with Henry W. Coe State Park; the 2,899-acre South Valley Ranch which protects a tule elk herd in the San Antonio Valley, and other properties.{{cite web |title=California: Mount Hamilton |publisher=The Nature Conservancy |url=http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/california/placesweprotect/mount-hamilton-1.xml |access-date=January 27, 2013 }}{{cite report |title=Draft Environmental Impact Report and Environmental Impact Statement for the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan |publisher=County of Santa Clara, City of San José, City of Morgan Hill, City of Gilroy, Santa Clara Valley Water District, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority |date=December 2010|url=http://www.scv-habitatplan.org/www/Portals/_default/images/default/Public%20Draft/EIR%20EIS/SCV-HCP_EIR-EIS_Draft_Dec2010.pdf |access-date=January 27, 2013 }}

As of 1980, Santa Clara County had the highest number of Superfund Sites of any county in the United States, accounting for 25 polluted locations requiring a long-term response to clean up hazardous material contaminations.P.L. 96-510, {{USC|42|9601|9675}}, December 11, 1980.{{cite web |title=US Superfund Sites |publisher=Environmental Protection Agency |url=http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/query/queryhtm/nplfin.htm |access-date=August 7, 2013 }} {{As of|2019}}, Santa Clara County has 23 active Superfund Sites, still more than any other county in the United States.{{cite magazine |last=Schlossberg |first=Tatiana |date=September 22, 2019 |title=Silicon Valley Is One of the Most Polluted Places in the Country |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/09/silicon-valley-full-superfund-sites/598531/ |magazine= The Atlantic|access-date=August 3, 2022}} The vast majority of these Superfund sites were caused by firms associated with the high tech sector in Silicon Valley.{{cite web |title=EPA Region 9 Superfund Site Overview |publisher=Environmental Protection Agency |url=http://yosemite.epa.gov/r9/sfund/r9sfdocw.nsf/WSOState!OpenView&Start=1&Count=1000&Expand=2.30#2.30 |access-date=August 13, 2013 }}

{{US Census population

| 1860 = 11912

| 1870 = 26246

| 1880 = 35039

| 1890 = 48005

| 1900 = 60216

| 1910 = 83539

| 1920 = 100676

| 1930 = 145118

| 1940 = 174949

| 1950 = 290547

| 1960 = 642315

| 1970 = 1064714

| 1980 = 1295071

| 1990 = 1497577

| 2000 = 1682585

| 2010 = 1781642

| 2020 = 1936259

|estyear=2024

|estimate=1926325

|estref={{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2024|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 10, 2025}}

| align-fn = center

| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing from 1790-2000|publisher=US Census Bureau|access-date=January 24, 2022}}
1790–1960{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=October 4, 2015}} 1900–1990{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ca190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|editor-last=Forstall|editor-first=Richard L.|date=March 27, 1995|access-date=October 4, 2015}}
1990–2000{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|date=April 2, 2001|access-date=October 4, 2015}} 2010 2020

}}

Census demographics data released in 2019 show Asian Americans have had the plurality of Santa Clara's population since 2014.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/06/20/asians-are-now-largest-group-in-two-bay-area-counties-new-data-shows/|title=Asians are now largest group in these two Bay Area counties, new data shows|date=June 20, 2019|website=The Mercury News|language=en-US|access-date=July 3, 2019}}

File:Ethnic Origins in Santa Clara County, CA.png

File:Silicon Valley Income Map 20160315.png

As of 2013, Santa Clara County has the highest median household income of any county in California at $84,741.{{cite web|url=http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/california/2013/measure/additional/63/data?sort=desc-1|title=Median household income|work=County Health Rankings|access-date=March 15, 2016}}

The 2010 United States census reported that Santa Clara County had a population of 1,781,642. The racial makeup of Santa Clara County was 836,616 (47.0%) White, 46,428 (2.6%) African American, 12,960 (0.7%) Native American, 7,060 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 570,524 (32.0%) Asian, 220,806 (12.4%) from other races, and 87,248 (4.9%) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 479,210 persons (26.9% of the population).{{USCensus2010CA}}

|}

Demographic profile{{Cite web|url=http://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/|title=Bay Area Census|website=www.bayareacensus.ca.gov}}

{{Div col|colwidth=15em}} The largest ancestry groups were:

• 22.5% Mexican
• 8.6% Chinese
• 8.2% German
• 7.1% Vietnamese
• 6.6% Indian
• 6.0% English
• 6.0% Irish
• 4.9% Filipino
• 4.6% Italian
• 2.0% French
• 1.6% Portuguese
• 1.6% Korean
• 1.4% American
• 1.4% Japanese
• 1.4% Scottish
• 1.2% Polish
• 1.2% Swedish
• 1.1% Russian
• 1.1% Norwegian
• 1.0% Dutch

{{Div col end}}

As of the census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 14, 2011|title=U.S. Census website}} of 2000, 1,682,585 people, 565,863 households, and 395,538 families were residing in the county. The population density was {{convert|503|/km2|/mi2|abbr=on}}. The 579,329 housing units had an average density of {{convert|173|/km2|/mi2|abbr=on}}. The ethnic makeup of the county was 53.8% White, 2.8% African American, 0.7% Native American, 25.6% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 12.1% from other races, and 4.7% from two or more races. About 24.0% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 565,863 households, 34.9% had children under 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were not families. About 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.92, and the average family size was 3.41.

In the county, the age distribution was 24.7% under 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.80 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 101.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $74,335, and for a family was $81,717. Males had a median income of $56,240 versus $40,574 for females. The per capita income for the county was $32,795. About 4.9% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.

Santa Clara County is among the most religiously diverse counties in the US. A 2020 census by the Public Religion Research Institute (unconnected to the official US census) calculates a religious diversity score of 0.876 for Santa Clara County, where 1 represents complete diversity (each religious group of equal size) and 0 a total lack of diversity. Only four counties in the US have higher diversity scores than Santa Clara County.{{cite report |author=Public Religion Research Institute |author-link=Public Religion Research Institute |title=The 2020 Census of American Religion |url=https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20985213-prri-census-of-american-religion |page=21 |access-date=September 21, 2021}}

Santa Clara County has five elected supervisors, elected within their districts. The board appoints the County Executive, who is James R. Williams, J.D.[https://countyexec.sccgov.org/home County Executive] The County Executive is responsible for the administration of the county and appoints almost all other officers and department heads.[https://boardclerk.sccgov.org/sites/g/files/exjcpb656/files/county-charter.pdf Charter of the County of Santa Clara, State of California, Revised August 30 2017]

The county is one among three counties in California (with Napa and Madera) to establish a separate department, the Santa Clara County Department of Corrections, to deal with corrections pursuant to California Government Code §23013.

The county operates the Santa Clara County Health System of medical centers and clinics.

In the United States House of Representatives, Santa Clara County is split among four congressional districts:{{Cite web

|url = http://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/downloads/meeting_handouts_072011/handouts_20110729_q2_cd_finaldraft_splits.zip

|title = Counties by County and by District

|publisher = California Citizens Redistricting Commission

|access-date = September 24, 2014

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130930184128/http://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/downloads/meeting_handouts_072011/handouts_20110729_q2_cd_finaldraft_splits.zip

|archive-date = September 30, 2013

|url-status = dead

|df = mdy-all

}}

• {{Representative|cacd|16|fmt=district}},
• {{Representative|cacd|17|fmt=district}},
• {{Representative|cacd|18|fmt=district}}, and
• {{Representative|cacd|19|fmt=district}}.

In the California State Senate, the county is split among four legislative districts:{{Cite web

|url = http://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/downloads/meeting_handouts_072011/handouts_20110729_q2_sd_finaldraft_splits.zip

|title = Communities of Interest - Counties

|publisher = California Citizens Redistricting Commission

|access-date = September 24, 2014

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151023054153/http://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/downloads/meeting_handouts_072011/handouts_20110729_q2_sd_finaldraft_splits.zip

|archive-date = October 23, 2015

|url-status = dead

|df = mdy-all

}}

• {{Representative|casd|10|fmt=sdistrict}},
• {{Representative|casd|13|fmt=sdistrict}},
• {{Representative|casd|15|fmt=sdistrict}}, and
• {{Representative|casd|17|fmt=sdistrict}}.

In the California State Assembly, the county is split among six legislative districts:{{Cite web

|url = http://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/downloads/meeting_handouts_072011/handouts_20110729_q2_ad_finaldraft_splits.zip

|title = Communities of Interest - Counties

|publisher = California Citizens Redistricting Commission

|access-date = September 24, 2014

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151023054757/http://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/downloads/meeting_handouts_072011/handouts_20110729_q2_ad_finaldraft_splits.zip

|archive-date = October 23, 2015

|url-status = dead

|df = mdy-all

}}

• {{Representative|caad|23|fmt=adistrict}},
• {{Representative|caad|24|fmt=adistrict}},
• {{Representative|caad|25|fmt=adistrict}},
• {{Representative|caad|26|fmt=adistrict}},
• {{Representative|caad|28|fmt=adistrict}}, and
• {{Representative|caad|29|fmt=adistrict}}.

Voters in the county also elect a number of other officials to county-wide positions, including the Santa Clara County District Attorney, the Santa Clara County Sheriff, and a large number of criminal and civil judges that serve in courts throughout the county.

Historically, Santa Clara County was a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. From 1872 through 1984, the only Democrats to carry Santa Clara County were Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, and Hubert Humphrey. However, 1988 would begin to mark a significant shift in the county's political leanings, starting with Michael Dukakis' narrow win and culminating in Bill Clinton's substantial 20-point victory in 1992. Since then, the Democratic presidential candidate has won Santa Clara County by large margins, and it also strongly supports Democratic candidates in congressional elections: all politicians representing the county at the state and federal level are members of the party. The last Republican to win a majority in the county was Ronald Reagan in 1984. While Republicans remained competitive at the state and local level throughout the 1990s, there are currently no elected Republicans representing the county above the local level.

{{PresHead|place=Santa Clara County, California|source={{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/index.html|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=September 2, 2018}}}}

{{PresRow|2024|Democratic|210,924|510,744|28,938|California}}

{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|214,612|617,967|18,162|California}}

{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|144,826|511,684|47,199|California}}

{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|174,843|450,818|18,616|California}}

{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|190,039|462,241|13,309|California}}

{{PresRow|2004|Democratic|209,094|386,100|8,622|California}}

{{PresRow|2000|Democratic|188,750|332,490|26,889|California}}

{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|168,291|297,639|57,361|California}}

{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|170,870|296,265|134,920|California}}

{{PresRow|1988|Democratic|254,442|277,810|9,276|California}}

{{PresRow|1984|Republican|288,638|229,865|8,136|California}}

{{PresRow|1980|Republican|229,048|166,995|80,960|California}}

{{PresRow|1976|Republican|219,188|208,023|15,927|California}}

{{PresRow|1972|Republican|237,334|208,506|11,453|California}}

{{PresRow|1968|Democratic|163,446|173,511|21,410|California}}

{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|117,420|202,249|858|California}}

{{PresRow|1960|Republican|131,735|117,667|690|California}}

{{PresRow|1956|Republican|105,657|72,528|633|California}}

{{PresRow|1952|Republican|91,940|61,035|932|California}}

{{PresRow|1948|Republican|52,982|41,905|4,615|California}}

{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|39,409|43,869|499|California}}

{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|40,100|40,449|947|California}}

{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|26,498|38,346|732|California}}

{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|27,353|28,272|1,906|California}}

{{PresRow|1928|Republican|31,710|17,589|395|California}}

{{PresRow|1924|Republican|20,056|2,560|11,952|California}}

{{PresRow|1920|Republican|19,565|6,485|2,682|California}}

{{PresRow|1916|Republican|16,592|14,185|1,904|California}}

{{PresRow|1912|Progressive|173|9,173|13,793|California}}

{{PresRow|1908|Republican|7,950|3,836|1,716|California}}

{{PresRow|1904|Republican|8,274|3,100|1,143|California}}

{{PresRow|1900|Republican|7,107|4,607|486|California}}

{{PresRow|1896|Republican|6,315|5,191|295|California}}

{{PresRow|1892|Republican|4,620|4,167|1,600|California}}

{{PresRow|1888|Republican|4,457|3,972|495|California}}

{{PresRow|1884|Republican|3,840|3,172|246|California}}

{{PresFoot|1880|Republican|3,113|2,821|111|California}}

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According to the California Secretary of State, as of October 2023, Santa Clara County has 1,021,457 registered voters. Of those, 525,176 (51.41%) are registered Democrats, and 167,840 (16.43%) are registered Republicans. {{Cite web |date=3 October 2023 |title=Report of Registration as of October 3, 2023 |url=https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/ror/154day-presprim-2024/county.pdf |access-date=18 March 2025 |website=Secretary of State of California}}

In November 2012, all of the cities, towns, and unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County had more registered Democrats than Republicans.{{cite web |url=http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ror/ror-pages/15day-general-12/politicalsub1.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=November 21, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107211425/http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ror/ror-pages/15day-general-12/politicalsub1.pdf |archive-date=November 7, 2012 }} In 2008, Barack Obama carried every city and town in the county, as well as the unincorporated areas.[http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/sov/2008_general/ssov/5-pres-by-political-districts.pdf] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612063423/http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/sov/2008_general/ssov/5-pres-by-political-districts.pdf|date=June 12, 2009}}

Following the passage of Proposition 8, Santa Clara County joined San Francisco and Los Angeles in a lawsuit, becoming, along with San Francisco and Los Angeles, the first governmental entities in the world to sue for same-sex marriage.{{cite web|url=http://news.lp.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/election2008/20081105-sf-la-prop8-petition.pdf|title=Herrera Joined by Los Angeles, Santa Clara Counterparts in Suing to Invalidate Prop 8|publisher=Office of the City Attorney of San Francisco|date=November 5, 2008|access-date=December 20, 2008}}

The following table includes the number of incidents reported in 2009 and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense. Law Enforcement in Santa Clara County is handled by the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office and local police departments.

The county's economy is heavily services-based. Technology, both hardware and software, dominates the service sector by value, but like any other county, Santa Clara has its share of retail and office support workers.

The San Jose/Sunnyvale/Santa Clara metropolitan region, comprising Santa Clara County and San Benito County, was ranked as the highest performing metropolitan area in the US in 2012, ahead of Austin, Texas and Raleigh, North Carolina, according to the Milken Institute.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2013/01/16/santa-clara-county-economy-ranked-best-performing/ |first1=George |last1=Avalos |website=The Mercury News |title=Santa Clara County economy ranked best performing|date=January 16, 2013}} The GDP of the metro area reached $176.7 billion in 2011, or $94,587 per capita,{{Cite web |url=http://bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/gdp_metro/2013/pdf/gdp_metro0213.pdf |title=Economic growth continues across metropolitan areas in 2011 |website=U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis |access-date=July 31, 2013 |archive-date=July 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724045721/http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/gdp_metro/2013/pdf/gdp_metro0213.pdf |url-status=dead }} roughly on par with Qatar in both total GDP and per capita (nominal).{{Cite web|url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/snaama/dnltransfer.asp?fID=2|title = National Accounts - Analysis of Main Aggregates (AMA) |website=National Accounts Section |publisher=United Nations Statistics Division}} GDP grew a strong 7.7% in 2011, and in contrast with most of California, GDP and per capita GDP (nominal) is well above 2007 (financial crisis) levels. Despite relative wealth vis a vis other regions nationally, a large underclass exists whose income is roughly equivalent to that elsewhere in the country, despite extreme land prices. The surge in metro GDP is highly correlated with home prices, which for average single-family homes passed $1 million ($1,017,528) in August 2013.{{Cite web |url=http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/09/09/5191927/home-prices-in-santa-clara-county.html |date=September 9, 2013 |title=Home Prices in Santa Clara County Continued to Rise in August |agency=PRNewswire |website=Rock Hill Herald Online |access-date=September 11, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130911115954/http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/09/09/5191927/home-prices-in-santa-clara-county.html |archive-date=September 11, 2013 |url-status=dead }} As of the fourth quarter of 2021, the median value of homes in Santa Clara County was $1,253,400, an increase of 11.9% from the prior year, and ranking fourth in the US for highest median home value.{{Cite web |title=County Median Home Price |url=https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics/housing-statistics/county-median-home-prices-and-monthly-mortgage-payment |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220415015215/https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics/housing-statistics/county-median-home-prices-and-monthly-mortgage-payment |archive-date=April 15, 2022 |access-date=April 14, 2022 |website=National Association of Realtors|date=January 4, 2019 }}

School districts include:{{cite map|author=Geography Division|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st06_ca/schooldistrict_maps/c06085_santa_clara/DC20SD_C06085.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Santa Clara County, CA|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|date=January 6, 2021|accessdate=July 20, 2022}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st06_ca/schooldistrict_maps/c06085_santa_clara/DC20SD_C06085_SD2MS.txt Text list]

; Unified

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• Gilroy Unified School District
• Milpitas Unified School District
• Morgan Hill Unified School District
• Palo Alto Unified School District
• Patterson Joint Unified School District
• San Jose Unified School District
• Santa Clara Unified School District

{{div col end}}

; Secondary

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• Campbell Union High School District
• East Side Union High School District
• Fremont Union High School District
• Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District
• Mountain View–Los Altos Union High School District

{{div col end}}

; Elementary

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• Alum Rock Union Elementary School District
• Berryessa Union Elementary School District
• Cambrian Elementary School District
• Campbell Union Elementary School District
• Cupertino Union Elementary School District
• Evergreen Elementary School District
• Franklin-McKinley Elementary School District
• Lakeside Joint Elementary School District
• Loma Prieta Joint Union Elementary School District
• Los Altos Elementary School District
• Los Gatos Union Elementary School District
• Luther Burbank Elementary School District
• Moreland School District
• Mountain View Whisman Elementary School District
• Mount Pleasant Elementary School District
• Oak Grove Elementary School District
• Orchard Elementary School District
• Saratoga Union Elementary School District
• Sunnyvale Elementary School District
• Union School District

{{div col end}}

; Defunct

• Montebello Elementary School District

Santa Clara County Library is a public library system serving the communities and cities of Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Saratoga, and all unincorporated areas of the county.{{cite web |title=Fast Facts |url=https://sccld.org/fast-facts/ |website=Santa Clara County Library District|access-date=September 13, 2021}} - at "Service Areas" section Other cities run their own library systems.

File:Airbus A-300 UPS takes off (5863558111) (2).jpg is ranked as the best-run airport in the United States by the ACBJ.{{cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2017/03/16/san-jose-sjc-airport-ranking-flights-sfo.html|title=San Jose's SJC flies past SFO to the top of rankings as America's best-run airport|website=Silicon Valley Business Journal|access-date=November 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517230218/http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2017/03/16/san-jose-sjc-airport-ranking-flights-sfo.html|archive-date=May 17, 2017|url-status=live}}]]

The county's main airport is Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport (SJC). It is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection port of entry[http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/contacts/ports/ca/2834.xml Port Of Entry - San Jose International Airport] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030150859/http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/contacts/ports/ca/2834.xml |date=October 30, 2012 }}. Cbp.gov (September 28, 2005). Retrieved on July 21, 2013. and as of 2019 has five international routes (two to Canada, one to England, one to Japan, seven to Mexico, and one to China) but the airport's busiest routes are all to cities in the western United States. San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is also often used for commercial services by residents of Santa Clara County.

Moffett Federal Airfield (NUQ), a former U.S. Naval Air Station, is used by the Air National Guard, NASA, Lockheed Martin, Google, and by the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department as an air operations base.{{cite news | url=http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/13/BUPRS4MHA.DTL&tsp=1 | title=Google founders pay NASA $1.3 million to land at Moffett Airfield | author=Verne Kopytoff | work=San Francisco Chronicle | date=September 13, 2007 | access-date=September 23, 2007 }} There are also smaller general aviation airports in Palo Alto (PAO), San Jose (Reid-Hillview) (RHV), and San Martin(E16)

{{multiple image

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| footer = The VTA light rail system serves 11 million people annually in Silicon Valley.

| image1 = VTA train at Baypointe station, March 2005.jpg

| image2 = VTA LRT at Diridon Station (12541465765).jpg

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Santa Clara County is served by Caltrain commuter rail from Gilroy through San Jose and Silicon Valley north to San Francisco Airport and San Francisco. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority operates the VTA light rail system, which primarily serves San Jose, with one line continuing as far north as Mountain View. Santa Clara and San Jose are also served by the Altamont Corridor Express commuter rail line which provides services to Stockton, and Amtrak which provides service to Sacramento and Oakland. The Amtrak Coast Starlight train between Seattle and Los Angeles also stops in San Jose. BART currently services Milpitas and North San Jose, with plans to extend to downtown San Jose and Santa Clara.

File:Santa Clara VTA bus.jpg in Los Altos Hills]]

Santa Clara County has consolidated its transportation services into the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, which operates a bus system.

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is establishing a bicycle network throughout the county. Santa Clara County Bicycle network is part of the San Francisco Bay Area Regional Bikeway Network.

• [http://www.vta.org/projects-and-programs/planning/bikes-bikeways-map-effective-april-2011 Bikeways Map (Effective April 2011)]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20101114014404/http://www.mtc.ca.gov/planning/bicyclespedestrians/MTC_Regional_Bicycle_Plan_Update_FINAL.pdf Regional Bicycle Plan for the San Francisco Bay Area 2009 Update]

The county has an extensive freeway system and a separate expressway system (though it's not as extensive as those in Southern California). Expressways in California are distinct from freeways; although access to adjoining properties is eliminated, at-grade intersections are allowed. However, unlike expressways virtually everywhere else in California, the Santa Clara County expressways were built, signed, and maintained as county roads; they are not maintained by Caltrans, although they are patrolled by the California Highway Patrol.

There is also a large street network dominated by four- and six-lane arterials. Some of the newer boulevards (primarily in the West Valley) are divided with landscaped medians.

{{Main|State highways in California}}

{{Div col|colwidth=22em}}

• 25px Interstate 280
• 25px Interstate 680
• 25px Interstate 880
• 25px U.S. Route 101
• 20px State Route 9
• 20px State Route 17
• 20px State Route 25
• 20px State Route 35
• 20px State Route 82
• 20px State Route 85
• 20px State Route 87
• 25px State Route 130
• 25px State Route 152
• 25px State Route 156
• 25px State Route 237

{{div col end}}

{{See also|List of county routes in Santa Clara County, California}}

{{div col}}

• Santa Clara County expressway system
• 25px County Route G2—Lawrence Expressway
• 25px County Route G3—Page Mill Road/Oregon Expressway
• 25px County Route G4—San Tomas Expressway/Montague Expressway
• 25px County Route G5—Foothill Expressway
• 25px County Route G6—Central Expressway
• 25px County Route G7—Bloomfield Avenue
• 25px County Route G8—Almaden Expressway
• 25px County Route G9—Leavesley Road/Ferguson Road
• 25px County Route G10—Blossom Hill Road
• 25px County Route G21—Capitol Expressway

{{div col end}}

• The Alameda

The county has no commercial seaports, although small boats can access San Francisco Bay from several points. Like many other Bay Area counties, it is dependent upon the Port of Oakland for transport of ocean cargo.

Santa Clara County Department of Correction is administered by the county's sheriff's office and supervises the following facilities:

• Santa Clara County Main Jail{{Cite web|url=https://www.sccgov.org/sites/sheriff/pages/main-jail.aspx|title=Main Jail Complex - Sheriff - County of Santa Clara|website=www.sccgov.org|language=en-us|access-date=May 4, 2018}}
• Main Jail South (up to 674 men)
• Main Jail North (up to 919 men)
• Elmwood Correctional Facility (up to 600 women, 2,500 men){{Cite web|url=https://www.sccgov.org/sites/sheriff/Pages/elmwood-men.aspx|title=Elmwood Men's Facility - Sheriff - County of Santa Clara|website=www.sccgov.org|language=en-us|access-date=May 4, 2018}}
• North County Jail (day use only for Palo Alto courthouse)
• Juvenile Detention{{Cite web|url=http://www.scscourt.org/self_help/juvenile/jjustice/detention_facilities.shtml|title=Juvenile Justice Detention Facilities - The Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara|website=www.scscourt.org|language=en|access-date=May 4, 2018}}
• Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall (up to 390 boys and girls)
• William F. James Boys Ranch (up to 96 teenage boys)

{{main|Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department}}

Santa Clara County has an extensive park system, much of it founded in the major park expansion of the late 1970s. Parks within the county include:

• Almaden Quicksilver County Park
• Grant Ranch Park
• Henry W. Coe State Park
• Sanborn Park
• Vasona Park

Open space preserves include:

• El Sereno Open Space Preserve

Santa Clara County also contains Ulistac Natural Area, a volunteer maintained natural open space. Foreign and invasive species are removed when possible as native plants are introduced. Migratory birds and butterflies often use this area.

To promote friendship and understanding and to build bridges with countries of origin for various ethnic populations in the county, the County of Santa Clara has created a Sister County Commission to coordinate the program. As of 2023, there are two sister counties:{{cite web | url=http://www.sccgov.org/portal/site/sistercountycomm/ | title=Sister County Commissions (PRG) | publisher=The County of Santa Clara | access-date=January 7, 2010 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120909182930/http://www.sccgov.org/portal/site/sistercountycomm/ | archive-date=September 9, 2012 | df=mdy-all }}

• {{flagdeco|Italy}} Metropolitan City of Florence, Italy
• {{flagdeco|ROC}} Hsinchu County, Taiwan (Republic of China)

A previously established relationship with Moscow was terminated in 2022.{{cite web | url=https://abc7news.com/santa-clara-county-ends-sister-relationship-russia-ukraine-war-support-bay-area/11675898/ | title=War in Ukraine: Santa Clara Co. terminates nearly 30 year 'Sister County' relationship with Russia | date=March 24, 2022 | publisher=ABC7 News| access-date=April 29, 2023 | df=mdy-all }}

{{multiple image

| direction = vertical

| width =

| align = right

| image2 = Los Altos Main Street 2.jpg

| caption2 = Los Altos is the 3rd most expensive zip code in the United States.{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/samanthasharf/2017/11/28/full-list-americas-most-expensive-zip-codes-2017/#5ff5abd85d19|title=Full List: America's Most Expensive ZIP Codes 2017|last=Sharf|first=Samantha|work=Forbes|access-date=December 5, 2017|language=en}}

| image3 = Ramona Street Architectural District, Palo Alto, CA 5-27-2012 2-48-37 PM.JPG

| caption3 = Palo Alto is the 5th most educated city{{Cite web|url=http://www.kron4.com/news/palo-alto-ranks-no-5-as-most-educated-in-u-s/1032931721|title=Kron4 - Palo Alto Ranks No. 5 as Most Educated in the U.S.}} and the 5th most expensive zip code in the United States.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2016/03/29/palo-alto-atherton-crack-top-10-priciest-zip-codes-in-u-s/|title=Palo Alto, Atherton crack top 10 priciest ZIP codes in U.S.|date=March 29, 2016}}

| image6 = Memorial Arch Saratoga California.jpg

| caption6 = Saratoga is the 16th most educated and the 8th wealthiest city in the United States.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2009/01/15/saratoga-among-most-educated-small-towns/|title=Saratoga among most educated small towns|date=January 15, 2009}}{{Cite web|url=https://madison.com/news/data/the-top-10-wealthiest-cities-in-america/collection_e18a584d-3258-56ca-8a34-797a7b089b49.html|title=The top 10 wealthiest cities in America|date=January 12, 2018|website=Wisconsin State Journal}}

| image5 = Main Street Los Gatos.jpg

| caption5 = Los Gatos is the 33rd wealthiest city in the United States.{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/bw/slideshows/20111206/america-s-richest-zip-codes-2011#slide20|title=America's Richest Zip Codes 2011|website=Bloomberg News|date=December 7, 2011 |access-date=June 21, 2012}}

| image4 = Votaw Building (1).jpg

| caption4 = Morgan Hill is the 17th most expensive place to live in the United States.{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/most-expensive-housing-markets-2014-11|title=The 20 Most Expensive Housing Markets In America|first=Julie|last=Zeveloff|website=Business Insider}}

}}

There are 15 incorporated places in Santa Clara County:

{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}

• Campbell
• Cupertino
• Gilroy
• Los Altos
• Milpitas
• Monte Sereno
• Morgan Hill
• Mountain View
• Palo Alto
• San Jose (county seat)
• Santa Clara
• Saratoga
• Sunnyvale

{{div col end}}

• Los Altos Hills
• Los Gatos

{{Div col}}

• Alum Rock
• Burbank
• Cambrian Park
• East Foothills
• Fruitdale
• Lexington Hills
• Loyola also known as Loyola Corners
• San Martin
• Stanford

{{div col end}}

{{div col}}

• Bell Station, also known as Bell's Station and Hollenbeck's Station
• Casa Loma
• Chemeketa Park
• Coyote, also known as Burnett {{circa|1860}}–1882
• East San Jose
• Llagas-Uvas
• Madrone, now part of Morgan Hill
• Redwood Estates
• Rucker
• San Antonio, also known as Deforest {{Circa|1892}}–1924
• Sveadal

{{div col end}}

• Diablo Range
• Llagas–Uvas
• South Santa Clara Valley
• West Santa Clara

• Almaden Township: Present-day Almaden Valley, Cambrian Park and portions of Campbell and Los Gatos.
• Alviso Township: Present-day Alviso.
• Burnett Township: Present-day Coyote, Santa Teresa and Morgan Hill.
• Fremont Township: Present-day Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and part of Cupertino.
• Gilroy Township: Present-day Gilroy and San Martin.
• Milpitas Township: Present-day Milpitas.
• Redwood Township: Present-day Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Saratoga, Redwood Estates and portions of Cupertino and Campbell.
• San Jose Township: Most of present-day San Jose.
• Santa Clara Township: Present-day Santa Clara and portions of San Jose, Cupertino and Campbell.

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Santa Clara County.{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/2020census/|title = By Decade}}

† county seat

{{Portal|San Francisco Bay Area|California|United States}}

• List of attractions in Silicon Valley
• List of school districts in Santa Clara County, California
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Santa Clara County, California
• Santa Clara County expressway system
• Santa Clara County Health System
• Santa Clara County Federal Credit Union
• Santa Clara Valley
• Second Harvest of Silicon Valley

{{reflist|group=note}}

{{reflist|30em}}

• {{official website|http://www.sccgov.org/}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100726165913/http://www.sccgov.org/portal/site/scc/bosagendalist/?agendaType=Committee%20Agenda Santa Clara County governmental committee agendas]
• [http://www.sccgov.org/portal/site/planning Santa Clara County Planning Office]
• [http://www.valleywater.org/tapvbottle Santa Clara Valley Water District - Drinking Water]
• [http://www.santaclara.lafco.ca.gov/specialdistricts.html List of special districts in Santa Clara County (LAFCo)]
• [http://www.santaclaracountylib.org/ Santa Clara County Library ]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070715142800/http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/santaclara/ Santa Clara County: California's Historic Silicon Valley, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary]

{{Geographic location

| Centre = Santa Clara County, California

| North = Alameda County

| Northeast = San Joaquin County

| East = Stanislaus County

| Southeast = Merced County

| South = San Benito County and Santa Cruz County

| Southwest = Santa Cruz County

| West =

| Northwest = San Mateo County

}}

{{Santa Clara County}}

{{San Jose and Silicon Valley attractions|nocat=1}}

{{SF Bay Area}}

{{California}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:California counties

Category:Counties in the San Francisco Bay Area

Category:Silicon Valley

Category:1850 establishments in California

Category:Populated places established in 1850

Category:Majority-minority counties in California