Saratoga, California

Saratoga is a city located in Santa Clara County, California, USA. It is located on the west side of the Santa Clara Valley, in the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 29,843.

History

The first European settlement of what is now Saratoga occurred in 1848, when William Campbell (father of Benjamin Campbell, the founder of nearby Campbell, California) constructed a sawmill about 2.5 miles SE of the present downtown area. An early map noted the area as Campbell's Gap. In 1851, Martin McCarty, who had leased the mill, built a toll road down to the Santa Clara Valley. The toll gate was located at the present day intersection of Big Basin Way and 3rd St., giving the town its first widely used name: Toll Gate. In 1855 the town received a post office under the name of McCartysville.

Related Topics:
European - 1848 - Campbell, California - Sawmill - 1851 - Toll road - Santa Clara Valley - 1855 - Post office

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Industry soon sprung up: at its height the town had a furniture factory, grist mill, tannery, and a paper factory. To commemorate this newfound productivity, the town was renamed yet again in 1863, this time as Bank Mills. Shortly after this, however, a spring was discovered which had a mineral content similar to the springs at Saratoga Springs, New York. In 1865, the town received its final name, Saratoga. At the same time, a resort hotel was constructed at the springs, and it attracted tourists to the area until it burned down in 1903.

Related Topics:
Industry - Furniture - Grist mill - Tannery - Paper - 1863 - Spring - Mineral - Saratoga Springs - New York - 1865 - Hotel - Tourists - 1903

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Saratoga then became quietly agricultural, along with much of the rest of the valley. A few vineyards and orchards from this period remain today. After World War II, the town quickly became urbanized, and it incorporated in 1956, partially to avoid being annexed to San Jose. Today it serves as a bedroom community for upper-middle class Silicon Valley tech workers.

Related Topics:
Agricultural - Vineyard - Orchard - World War II - Urban - 1956 - Annexed - San Jose - Bedroom community - Upper-middle class - Silicon Valley

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