Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto (/ˌpæloʊ ˈæltoʊ/; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto.
Palo Alto, California | |
|---|---|
| City of Palo Alto | |
Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve, Ramona Street Architectural District, Palo Alto Art Center, Palo Alto High School, U.S. Post Office | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location in Santa Clara County and the state of California | |
  Palo Alto, California Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 37°25′45″N 122°8′17″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Santa Clara |
| Incorporated | April 23, 1894[1] |
| Named for | El Palo Alto |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| • Body | City council members:[2]
|
| • Mayor | Patrick Burt |
| Area | |
| • Total | 26.00 sq mi (67.35 km2) |
| • Land | 24.10 sq mi (62.41 km2) |
| • Water | 1.91 sq mi (4.94 km2) 7.38% |
| Elevation | 30 ft (9 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 68,572 |
| • Density | 2,871.52/sq mi (1,047.35/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 94301, 94303, 94304, 94306 |
| Area code | 650 |
| FIPS code | 06-55282 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 277572, 2411362 |
| Website | www |
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The city was established by Leland Stanford when he founded Stanford University, following the death of his son, Leland Stanford Jr. Palo Alto includes portions of Stanford University and borders East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. At the 2020 census, the population was 68,572.[5] Palo Alto is one of the most expensive cities in the United States in which to live,[6][7] and its residents are among the most educated in the country. However, it also has a youth suicide rate four times higher than the national average, often attributed to academic pressure.[8]
As one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto is headquarters to a number of high-tech companies, including HP, Space Systems/Loral, VMware, Ford Research and Innovation Center, PARC, IDEO, Skype, Houzz, SAP Labs, and Lockheed Martin.[9] Palo Alto has also served as headquarters to several other high-tech companies, including Apple,[10] Google,[11] Facebook, Logitech,[12] Tesla,[13] Intuit, Pinterest, and PayPal.