Santa Clara Valley: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

The Santa Clara Valley is a valley just south of the San Francisco Bay in northern California in the United States. Much of Santa Clara County, California is in the Santa Clara Valley. The valley was originally known as Valley of Heart's Delight for the miles and miles of fruit trees blossoming in the spring. Once primarily agricultural because of its highly fertile soil, it is now almost thoroughly urbanized. Silicon Valley is roughly synonymous with the Santa Clara Valley, although since the former is as much a state of mind as an actual location, people often refer to parts of the San Francisco Peninsula as being part of Silicon Valley as well.

The northern end of the Santa Clara Valley is at the southern tip of the San Francisco Bay, and the southern end is in the vicinity of Gilroy and Morgan Hill. The valley is bounded by the Santa Cruz Mountains on the southwest and by the Diablo Range on the northeast. It is about 30 miles long and about 15 miles wide. The valley's largest city, by far, is San Jose.

Cities in the Santa Clara Valley include (in alphabetical order):

• Campbell
• Cupertino
• Gilroy
• Los Gatos
• Milpitas
• Morgan Hill
• Mountain View
• Palo Alto
• San Jose
• Santa Clara
• Sunnyvale

Because so much high-tech industry has spread out from the valley, Fremont is often included in discussions about Silicon Valley or is referred to as the Gateway to Silicon Valley (a title also claimed occasionally by San Jose).