Cupertino

Located at the southern end of the San Francisco peninsula, Cupertino is a sophisticated, upper middle-class California suburb. In fact, Forbes magazine ranked the city as one of the most educated small towns in California. Geographically speaking, it is part of the greater Santa Clara County, and made up of numerous neighborhoods (most of which have been developed before the 1960’s). The city itself spans about 11 square miles of densely packed, suburban terrain and extends to the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. According to the 2010 US Census, the population is an astounding 58,000, most of whom take pride in its proximity to California’s biggest job hub San Jose. They dub it the “heart of Silicon Valley.”

Cupertino’s commercial quarters vary in upper middle-class aesthetics. In most cases, you’ll see beautiful house fronts and yards that always seem to be clean cut and manicured. Driving through the community you’ll notice its quiet, residential streets and safe living quarters. Nicer, larger homes dominate the western side of State Route 85. Cupertino’s recent suburban development is Oak Valley. It is the city’s northern most neighborhood and was developed around the year 2000. For numbers sake, median household incomes average about $120,000/year, while median house prices circle around $900,000 (and can escalate as high as $3 million). If you’re looking to rent, you’ll likely pay upwards of $2,000/month. Those that live within the area are predominately asian (56%), with a rather large white minority (35%).

Although Cupertino does not have a traditional downtown hub or common shopping area, many computer software and tech companies call home here. In fact, Cupertino is mostly known for its headquartering of Apple Inc. It also is the city’s largest employer (34,000), while Oracle is the city’s second most employing company, creating jobs for over 8,000 residents. There are plenty of other large office parks that dedicate themselves to other professions, most of which are consultant management firms and design functions. For commuters, two freeways serve the city: State Route 85 and Interstate 280. At the freeways’ junction, you’ll come across Vallco Mall, which includes a couple department stores (Macy’s, JCPenney and Sears), a bowling alley and movie theatre complex. Every Friday afternoon, it hosts a farmer’s market.

For young families, the city offers a high-class education. It’s main high school, Monta Vista High School, has garnered a 10 out of 10 on greatschools.org with exceedingly high test scores and a great student-teacher ratio. Elsewhere, you can find De Anza College, one of only two community colleges in the Foothill-De Anza Community College District.