Relocating to Santa Clara County

Geography

Santa Clara County, located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area, encompasses 1,315 square miles. The fertile 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.

There are 15 cities within the County’s boundaries: Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Santa Clara, Saratoga, Sunnyvale and San Jose - the largest city in the County and the administrative site of County government. A significant portion of the County’s land area is unincorporated ranch and farmland. About 95% of the population lives in cities. Its location provides residents with a suburban lifestyle, while providing close access to nature and the outdoors. The region's Mediterranean climate remains temperate and remains warm and dry much of the year due to the area’s geography and proximity to the Pacific Ocean. 

Diversity

The County’s population is the sixth largest in the State and the largest of the nine Bay Area counties. Its population constitutes about one-fourth of the Bay Area’s total population. Our many communities are made up of people from diverse cultures, nationalities, and racial groups, with over 100 languages and dialects spoken, with a vast majority born outside of the United States.  Approximately 28.9% of the population is White, 41% Asian/Pacific Islander, 25% Latino/Hispanic, 2.9% African American, and about 4.3% are of some other race or two or more races. 

Growth and opportunities

The County, with its diverse population, high standard of living, and strong economic vitality, has attracted people worldwide. Today, the County is a major employment powerhouse for the region, providing more than a quarter of all jobs in the Bay Area. The County is home to numerous high-tech companies like Google, Apple, HP, Cisco Systems, Meta, and Yahoo. Thirty-five percent of all venture capital funds in the U.S. are invested in Silicon Valley companies.  The San Jose metropolitan area ranks second as a national leader in exports and has strong economic ties with countries throughout the world. San Jose residents produce more U.S. patents than any other city. 

The County is home to four universities – Stanford, Santa Clara University, San Jose State University, and the National Hispanic University – as well as excellent community colleges. Area schools produce thousands of engineering and computer science graduates into the local economy every year. 

Recreation

Santa Clara County, with its rich history and ethnic diversity, hosts a variety of artistic endeavors, cultural activities, and recreational activities. San Jose is home to professional sports teams such as San Jose Earthquakes (soccer), San Jose Giants (minor league baseball), the San Jose Sharks - the only professional ice hockey team in Northern California, and the San Francisco 49ers. Numerous public and private golf courses are located throughout the County.  In addition to these recreational outlets, the County operates 28 parks covering more than 50,000 acres, including scenic lakes, streams, and miles of hiking and biking trails.

A short hour’s drive can bring residents or visitors to the hills of San Francisco or any number of white sand beaches along the Pacific Ocean from Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay to Monterey and Carmel. San Jose is within easy driving distance to many destinations, including a 45-minute drive to Santa Cruz beaches, 50 minutes to San Francisco, and 4 hours to Lake Tahoe.

Local museums and art galleries include the Tech Museum of Innovation, Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, Children’s Discovery Museum, San Jose Museum of Art, Triton Museum, and many others. The University of California Santa Cruz, a part of the reputable UC System, operates the famous Lick Observatory located locally on Mount Hamilton.

There are also abundant performing arts venues, including opera, symphonies, musical theater, Repertory Theater, concerts, and children’s musical theater. Local theme parks and venues for children and adults include Paramount’s Great America, Gilroy Gardens, and Raging Waters.

Japantown is a popular tourist stop and a corner-stone neighborhood full of tradition. Biblioteca Latinoamericana, one of the city’s innovative library branches, boasts one of Northern California's largest collections of Spanish language materials.  

The city sponsors many cultural festivals, including the Vietnamese Tet Festival, Portuguese Heritage Fall Festival, Cinco de Mayo Festival, Chinese Summer Festival, San Jose International Mariachi Festival, Filipino Heritage Festival, Italian Family Festival, and Obon Festival, and numerous ethnic chambers of commerce are active in the community.

Other traditional events within the community

• Christmas in the Park 
• Festival of the Arts 
• Silicon Valley Pride
• Juneteenth Festival 
• Obon Festival 
• San José Children's Faire 
• Veterans Day Parade 

Related Links

Visit San Jose California Website

Relocation assistance

Limited relocation assistance is available for potential Executive Leadership positions. Please contact Executive Services​ for more information.