Saratoga, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Saratoga, California
City
Clockwise from top left: Memorial Arch; Mountain Winery; Downtown Saratoga; Villa Montalvo
Seal
Location in Santa Clara County and the state of California
Country	United States
State	California
County	Santa Clara
Incorporated	October 22, 1956
Named for	Saratoga Springs, New York
Area
• Total	12.78 sq mi (33.10 km2)
• Land	12.78 sq mi (33.10 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0%
Elevation	423 ft (129 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	31,051
• Density	2,429.7/sq mi (938.10/km2)
Time zone	UTC−8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−7 (PDT)
ZIP codes	95070–95071
Area codes	408/669
FIPS code	06-70280
GNIS feature IDs	1656315, 2411832

Saratoga is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is located in Silicon Valley, which is part of the southern Bay Area. In 2020, its population was 31,051 people. Saratoga is well-known for its beautiful wineries and tasty restaurants.

History of Saratoga

The area where Saratoga is now was first settled by Europeans in 1847. A man named William Campbell built a sawmill about 2.5 miles (4 km) southeast of the current downtown. Early maps called this area Campbell's Gap.

In 1851, Martin McCarthy took over the mill. He built a toll road that went down to the Santa Clara Valley. He also founded the town, calling it McCarthysville. The toll gate was at the intersection of Big Basin Way and 3rd Street today. This gave the town its first common name: Toll Gate. In 1867, the town got its own post office and was officially called McCarthysville.

• Saratoga in 1906
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Soon, many businesses started in the town. At its busiest, Saratoga had a furniture factory, a grist mill (for grinding grain), a tannery (for making leather), and a paper factory. To celebrate this growth, the town was renamed Bank Mills in 1863.

In the 1850s, Jud Caldwell found natural springs in the area. These springs were called Pacific Congress Springs. This was because their water had similar minerals to the famous Congress Springs in Saratoga Springs, New York. In 1865, the town was given its final name, Saratoga, after the city in New York. At the same time, a resort hotel called Congress Hall was built at the springs. It was also named after the famous resort in New York. California's Congress Hall brought many tourists to the area until it burned down in 1903. Because of its history, Saratoga was named a California Historical Landmark in 1950.

Downtown Saratoga, looking southwest at the intersection of Saratoga-Los Gatos Blvd. and Saratoga Ave. and Big Basin Way/State Route 9.

Saratoga became a farming area, like much of the valley. Some vineyards (grape farms) and orchards (fruit farms) from that time are still here today. After World War II, the town quickly grew into a city. It officially became a city in 1956. This was mainly to avoid being taken over by San Jose. A popular saying during the campaign to make Saratoga a city was "Keep it rural." Today, Saratoga is a bedroom community. This means many people who work in Silicon Valley live here and travel to work.

Geography and Neighborhoods

Saratoga is surrounded by other cities. Cupertino and San Jose are to the north. A small part of Campbell and Los Gatos are to the east. Monte Sereno is to the southeast.

The city covers about 12.4 square miles (32.1 km²) of land. Saratoga has beautiful redwood forests and foothills. These hills are good for growing wine grapes. The sunny valley floor used to have prune and apricot orchards. Now, it has suburban homes, schools, and churches.

The main street in Saratoga.

Saratoga has several neighborhoods:

• Brookview and Pride's Crossing are in the northern part of the city.
• Blue Hills and Greenbrier are in the northwest.
• Congress Springs is in the southwest corner.
• The Golden Triangle is an area named by real estate agents. It is between Saratoga Avenue, Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road, and Cox Avenue. This area mostly has four-bedroom ranch homes.
• Saratoga Woods is a small community northeast of the Golden Triangle. It is located behind Prospect High School.
• Bellgrove Circle is a popular neighborhood next to Highway 85. This land used to be a vineyard owned by Paul Masson Winery.
• Kentfield is south of Highway 85.
• Parker Ranch is a very wealthy neighborhood with large lots. It is west of Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road and goes up into the hills.
• The downtown area along Big Basin Way is known as the Village.

Population Information

Saratoga in 2010

The Federated Church of Saratoga.

In 2010, Saratoga had a population of 29,926 people. The city had about 2,417 people per square mile (933 per km²). Most people were White (53.9%) or Asian (41.4%). About 3.5% of residents were Hispanic or Latino.

Most people (99.3%) lived in homes. There were 10,734 households. About 37.5% of these households had children under 18. Most households (73.5%) were married couples. The average household had 2.77 people. The average family had 3.11 people.

In 2010, 24% of Saratoga's population was under 18 years old. About 20.3% were 65 years or older. The average age was 47.8 years. For every 100 females, there were about 95.7 males.

Most homes (86.2%) were owned by the people living in them. About 13.8% were rented.

Economy and Wealth

A shop in Saratoga Village.

Saratoga is known for having a very expensive housing market. In 2016, a report listed Saratoga as the most expensive place to buy a home in the United States. In 2010, Bloomberg Businessweek called Saratoga the most expensive suburb in California. Many households in Saratoga have high incomes.

In 2009, Forbes magazine named Saratoga one of America's top 20 most-educated small towns. In 2011, Bloomberg Businessweek said Saratoga's zip code (95070) was the 18th richest zip code in America. By 2018, data showed that Saratoga was the 8th wealthiest city in the United States.

Education in Saratoga

The Saratoga Memorial Arch.

Several public school districts serve Saratoga. For younger students (kindergarten to 8th grade), these include the Saratoga Union School District, Campbell Union School District, Cupertino Union School District, and Moreland School District.

For high school students, districts like the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District, Fremont Union High School District, and Campbell Union High School District serve the area. High schools that students from Saratoga attend include:

• Saratoga High School
• Monta Vista High School (in Cupertino, but serves parts of Saratoga)
• Lynbrook High School (in San Jose, also serves parts of Saratoga)
• Prospect High School
• Westmont High School (in Campbell, serves parts of Saratoga)

Private schools in Saratoga include Challenger School, Saint Andrew's School, and Sacred Heart School.

For college-level education, West Valley Community College is in the district. The Santa Clara County Library District also runs the Saratoga Library.

Transportation

A former bike shop in Saratoga Village.

Highway 85 (also called the West Valley Freeway) passes through northeast Saratoga. It was completed in 1994. Highway 85 has one exit in the city, at Saratoga Avenue. Older plans included more exits, but residents objected. Street signs in Saratoga are brown.

The Union Pacific Railroad operates freight trains through the town. These trains serve the nearby Permanente Quarry. The train tracks run next to Route 85. In the past, passenger trains, like the Peninsular Railway, started operating in 1908. They took people to San Francisco in 90 minutes. Today, Saratoga does not have passenger train service. It has very limited bus service.

Saratoga also has rules to keep its semi-rural look. For example, most residential streets do not have street lights or sidewalks. This helps keep the city's unique appearance but also contributes to the high cost of homes here.

Sister Cities

• Muko, Japan (since 1983)

Notable People from Saratoga

Many interesting people have lived in or are connected to Saratoga:

• Jeremy Atherton Lin (born 1974), author
• Alex Brightman (born 1987), actor (known for Beetlejuice and School of Rock)
• Mary Brown (1816–1884), the wife of John Brown, an important figure in American history. She and her daughters are buried in Madronia Cemetery.
• Michael Burry (born 1971), a doctor and money manager.
• Stephanie Elam (born 1974), a news anchor for CNN and NBC.
• Joan Fontaine (1917–2013), an actress who won an Oscar.
• Devon Graye (born 1987), actor (known for Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh)
• Zaza Harvey (1879–1954), a professional baseball player.
• Steve Harwell (1967–2023), the lead singer of the band Smash Mouth.
• Olivia de Havilland (1916–2020), an actress who won an Oscar.
• Dan Janjigian (born 1972), actor and bobsledder.
• Eesha Khare (born 1995), an inventor.
• Ernest Konnyu (born 1937), a former Republican Congressman.
• Anil Kumar (born 1958), a business consultant.
• Sam Liccardo (born 1970), a politician who was mayor of San Jose.
• Beth Lisick (born 1968), an artist and author.
• Patrick Marleau (born 1979), a former player for the San Jose Sharks hockey team.
• Abijah McCall, an orchardist and inventor.
• Mekenna Melvin (born 1985), an actress.
• Pranav Mistry, (born 1981), a computer scientist and inventor from India.
• Joe Murray (born 1961), an Emmy-winning animator. He created Rocko's Modern Life and Camp Lazlo.
• Anil Raj (1984–2019), a humanitarian activist who worked for the U.N.
• James Rumbaugh (born 1947), a computer scientist.
• Dan Rusanowsky (born 1960), a radio broadcaster.
• Vincent Sheu (born 1990), a Rubik's Cube speedsolver.
• Ed Solomon (born 1960), a screenwriter (wrote Men in Black).
• Steven Spielberg (born 1946), a famous filmmaker. He attended Saratoga High for his senior year.
• Mark Suciu (born 1992), a professional skateboarder.
• Vienna Teng (born 1978), a singer.
• Joe Thornton (born 1979), a former captain of the San Jose Sharks.
• Lance Guest (born 1960), an actor.
• Kerri Walsh (born 1978), an Olympic Gold Medal-winning beach volleyball player.
• Andy Weir (2021–2023), a science fiction author and programmer.
• James Williamson (born 1949), an electronics engineer and guitarist for the Stooges.
• Andrew Hong (born 2004), an American chess grandmaster.

See also

In Spanish: Saratoga (California) para niños