Santa Clara County 



J. T. BKOOKS 

 Se«retary San Joae Chamber of Commerce 



SANTA CLARA COUNTY is located thirty miles south from San Fran- 

 cisco, and is twenty miles in width and sixty miles in length. Its 

 area is 125 square miles. Santa Clara Valley is within Santa Clara 

 County, and was settled by Franciscan friars, under Father Junipero 

 Serra, in 1 777. Two of the missions — Santa Clara and San Jose- 

 are within its limits. 



Santa Clara Valley is fortunate, especially in its climatic conditions, 

 which give an agreeable temperature the year around, and is conducive 

 to comfort in summer as well as winter. The climate is semitropical. In 

 the foothills the frost has never been known to venture, and here the citrus 

 fruit may grow as well as the deciduous. 



Santa Clara Valley for its area raises more fruit than any other, this 

 being the staple article of commerce. This year (1906) the estimated 

 report of the prune crop is 95,000,000 pounds, while all outside within 

 the State of California will raise but 65,000,000 pounds. We also produce 

 in equal comparison peaches, apricots, apples, and pears. 



Within the past few years the poultry industry has sprung into prom- 

 inence in this valley, and it is increasing to enormous proportions. 



The land is fertile and its productiveness is inexhaustible. It is com- 

 posed of the waste from mountains, carried by rain and stream, until in 

 some localities a depth of thirty feet of loam has been found. 



There are raised within the limits of Santa Clara Valley cereals of all 

 classes, all varieties of fruits, and both table and wine grapes of many 

 varieties. Here you find the champagne grape grown, and the wine has 

 received first premiums not only at the World's Exposition at St. Louis, 

 but in Paris as well. 



Almonds and walnuts grow here with marked success, and in the foot- 

 hills near Los Catos some chestnuts are grown. Olives are very successful, 

 and at the old mission we find the old olive trees planted a hundred 

 years ago. 



The seed industry promises to rival the fruit industry, and is rapidly 

 acquiring notice. We have the largest seed-producing farms in the State. 



We manufacture leather, bricks of all classes, cement, and concrete 

 building blocks, pottery of all classes, and secure the clay within the county; 

 have the largest planing-mills and manufacturing plants in California; and 

 produce oil from olives. The best California champagne is made in this 

 county. A large plant for manufacturing denaturized alcohol from refuse 

 molasses is located at Lick Mills. We manufacture farming implements, 

 carriages, wagons, acetylene burners, and supplies. The woolen mills man- 

 ufacture blankets and woolen goods, which are sold throughout the East. 



The educational advantages are excellent; our schools are the best, 

 and here you find the famous Leiand Stanford, Jr., University, the most 

 richly endowed in the world. Our mineral springs are a source of health- 

 giving properties— at Gilroy Hot Springs, Alum Rock Park Springs, and 

 Congress Springs. The famous Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton, 4,209 

 feet elevation, is reached over one of the finest mountain roads, made 

 at a cost of $75,000. 



The largest city is San Jose, with a population of 40,000 people. 

 Others are Los Catos, 3,000; Palo Alto, 5,000; Santa Clara, 5,000; Gilroy, 

 3,000; Mountain View, 2,500; Mayfield, 1,000; and Campbell, 1,000,— 

 all within Santa Clara County and valley. 



The railroad facilities are ideal. San Jose is a terminal point and a 

 distributing center for this section. 



