Palo Alto, California

Palo Alto is a city in Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, USA, named for a tree called El Palo Alto. The city is located at the northern end of Silicon Valley, and is home to Stanford University (which is technically located in an adjacent area, Stanford, California), and several successful high-technology companies, such as Hewlett-Packard. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 58,598.

History

The township of Mayfield was formed in 1855, in what is now South Palo Alto some 40 years before Palo Alto. Known for its rowdy saloons, it rejected Leland Stanford?s requests for reform which led him to drive the formation of Palo Alto. With Stanford?s support, saloon days faded and Palo Alto grew to the size of Mayfield. The two communities came together and eventually there was talk of annexation.

Related Topics:
1855 - Leland Stanford

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On July 2, 1925, Palo Alto voters approved the annexation of Mayfield and the two communities were officially consolidated on July 6, 1925. The Mayfield News wrote its own obituary four days later:

Related Topics:
July 2 - 1925 - July 6

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?It is with a feeling of deep regret that we see on our streets today those who would sell, or give, our beautiful little city to an outside community. We have watched Mayfield grow from a small hamlet, when Palo Alto was nothing more than a hayfield, to her present size ? and it is with a feeling of sorrow that we contemplate the fact that there are those who would sell or give the city away.?

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