Timeline of Mountain View, California facts for kids

Mountain View, California, is a city with a rich history in the San Francisco Bay Area. It's known for its beautiful views of the Santa Cruz Mountains. This timeline will take you through the important events that shaped Mountain View, from its early days to becoming a hub for technology.

Early History (Before 1900)

• Native American Roots: Long ago, the Ohlone tribe lived in this area. Specifically, the Tamyen people were connected to the land where Mountain View now stands.
• Mission Days (1777): Mission Santa Clara de Asís was founded. The land that is now Mountain View was used by the Mission Indians to graze sheep and cattle.
• Land Grants (1840s): Mexico gave large pieces of land to early settlers. For example, Francisco Estrada and his wife, Inez Castro, received 8,800 acres. Another grant of 1,700 acres, called Rancho Posolmi (where Moffett Federal Airfield is today), was given to a local Native American named Lupe Ynigo.
• Stagecoach Stop (1852): A stagecoach service started between San Francisco and San Jose. A stop was created near what is now Grant Road and El Camino Real. A small community began to grow around this stop.
• Naming the Town (1858): The settlement was officially named "Mountain View." Jacob Shumway, a local store owner and the first postmaster, is credited with giving it this name.
• First School (1858): The very first public school opened on El Camino Real. It taught students from kindergarten to 8th grade. A public school district was also started.
• Important Buildings (1867): The Rengstorff House, a beautiful home, was built in Shoreline Park, Mountain View. The first Catholic mission, Saint Joseph, was also built around this time.
• Local Newspaper (1888): The Mountain View Register newspaper began publishing, sharing local news.
• Studying History (1893): Professors from Stanford University studied the Castro Indian Mound (also called Indian Hill) to learn more about the customs of the local Native Americans.

The 20th Century: Growth and Technology

Early 1900s: A New City Forms

• Bank Opens (1900): The Bank of Mountain View started doing business.
• City Incorporated (1902): On November 7, Mountain View officially became a city!
• High School Opens (1902): Mountain View High School opened its doors on El Camino Real.
• Modern Services (1902): Around this time, the city got electric streetlights, telephone service, and a system for clean water.
• Publishing House (1904): The Seventh-day Adventist Pacific Press Publishing Association moved to Mountain View.
• Public Library (1905): The Mountain View Public Library was established, giving residents access to books and knowledge.
• New Church (1905): The Mariano Castro family donated land for Saint Joseph Parish.
• The Great Earthquake (1906): Mountain View felt the effects of the big 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
• Town Hall (1909): A new Town Hall was built for city government.

Mid-1900s: Aerospace and Innovation Begin

• High School Moves (1924): The local high school was renamed Mountain View Union High School and moved to a bigger campus on Castro Street. It also served students from nearby Los Altos and Whisman.
• Olive Oil Company (1926): The Ambra Olive Oil Company opened, founded by Mario and Rosaria Ambra from Italy.
• Church Rebuilt (1929): After a fire, Saint Joseph Catholic Church was rebuilt. It even received a special pipe organ from a church in San Francisco.
• Movie Theater (1930): The Mountain View Theater opened, offering entertainment to the community.
• Moffett Field (1933): The US Naval Air Station, Moffet Field, was established. This would become a very important site for aerospace.
• Historic Adobe (1934): The Historic Adobe Building was constructed.
• NASA's Influence (1940): The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (which later became the NASA Ames Research Center) made Mountain View its home. This helped the city grow its aerospace and electronics industries.
• Population Growth (1950): The city's population reached 6,563 people.
• Historical Association (1954): The Mountain View Historical Association was formed to preserve the city's past.
• Steve Jobs' Birth (1955): Steve Jobs, who would later co-found Apple, was born. His family later moved to Mountain View in 1959.
• Early Tech (1956): Beckman Instruments' Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory became active. This was an early step in the tech revolution.
• Shopping Center (1957): Construction began on the San Antonio Shopping Center.
• Population Boom (1960): The population grew significantly to 30,889.
• Mayfield Mall (1966): The Mayfield Mall opened, providing a new shopping experience.
• Intel Founded (1968): Intel Corporation, a major technology company, started its business in Mountain View.

Late 1900s: The Digital Age and Community Changes

• First Female Councilmember (1972): Judith Moss became the first woman to serve on Mountain View's city council.
• Shopping Centers Change (1975): The Old Mill Shopping Mall opened.
• Zen Center (1979): The Kannon Do Zen Meditation Center was founded.
• Laptop Introduced (1982): The Grid Compass laptop computer was introduced, a big step in personal computing.
• Wetlands Restored (1983): A garbage facility called The Meadowlands was closed to help restore the natural wetlands.
• Mayfield Mall Closes (1983): The Mayfield Mall closed its doors.
• Hewlett Packard (1986): The former Mayfield Mall location was converted into offices for Hewlett Packard.
• Train Station (1987): The Downtown Mountain View Station opened, improving transportation.
• Native American Remains Returned (1989): Stanford University returned artifacts and remains from the Castro Shell Mound to the descendants of the Ohlone people.
• Rengstorff House Restored (1991): The historic Rengstorff House was fully restored.
• Newspaper Changes (1993): The The Peninsula Times-Tribune newspaper closed, but a new one, Voice of Mountain View, began publishing.
• Computer History Museum (1996): The Computer Museum started moving its collection to Mountain View, eventually becoming the Computer History Museum.
• City Website (1997): The city launched its website, making information more accessible.
• Google Founded (1999): Google Inc., one of the world's most famous technology companies, started its business in Mountain View.

The 21st Century: A Tech Hub Continues to Evolve

• New Mayors (2000s): Rosemary Stasek became mayor in 2000, followed by Mario Ambra in 2001, and Sally Lieber in 2002.
• Computer History Museum Opens (2002): The Computer History Museum officially opened its doors at its new location.
• Rengstorff House Windmill (2005): An old pump windmill was moved to the Rengstorff House, adding to its historic charm.
• Lock Museum (2006): The Jehning Lock Museum opened, showcasing a large collection of locks and keys.
• First Asian-American Female Mayor (2009): Margaret Abe-Koga became Mountain View's first female Asian-American mayor.
• Population Grows (2010): The city's population reached 74,066.
• Museum Remodel (2011): The Computer History Museum reopened after a big two-year renovation.
• Google Leases Land (2013): Google leased the former Mayfield Mall location, showing its continued growth in the city.
• Rent Control (2016): Rent control was approved in the city, aiming to help residents with housing costs.
• High School Discussion (2016): Mountain View High School received national attention for a discussion involving a history teacher.
• Rental Housing Committee (2017): A Rental Housing Committee was appointed to oversee rental housing rules.
• Recent Mayors (2018-Present): Lenny Siegel became mayor in 2018, followed by Lisa Matichak (2019), Margaret Abe-Koga (2020), Ellen Kamei (2021), Lucas Ramirez (2022), and Alison Hicks (2023).

Mountain View continues to be a dynamic city, blending its rich past with its role as a leader in technology and innovation.