Santa Clara (California)

Santa Clara is a town in the South Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area, in California.

Understand


Santa Clara is a small city of big contrasts. If any city can claim to be "the center of Silicon Valley," it is this town of just over 100,000. Intel, AMD, WebEx, NVIDIA, and National Semiconductor all have headquarters here. At the same time, Santa Clara is one of the oldest settlements (by Europeans) in Northern California. The Mission Santa Clara de Asís was established in 1777, and the Jesuit-run Santa Clara University, founded in 1851, is the oldest university in California. Dozens of 19th-century homes are well-maintained by their 21st-century owners in the "old quad," the earliest residential area, adjacent to the university.

Yet another contrast is the diversity of the local population, driven by the tech boom of the 1970s-1990s. Visitors from Asia and Europe frequently overhear strangers speaking their native languages. Specialty markets offer native ingredients from around the world, and the Indian and East Asian restaurants are some of the best in the Bay Area. But many of the best places in Santa Clara are not visible at first glance. You could drive right through this town and see nothing of any interest, or you could take the time to learn where to look, explore, and enjoy.

By plane

 * Just west of San Jose, Santa Clara is adjacent to San Jose Mineta Airport . To reach the airport take the free shuttle from the Santa Clara Caltrain station, route 10.
 * To the San Francisco International Airport, take Caltrain north (toward San Francisco) to Millbrae. From there, transfer to BART and take BART to San Bruno and then to SFO. Allow about an hour and a half.
 * The Oakland International airport is accessible by via the Coliseum/Oakland Airport BART station and the AirBART shuttle. From Amtrak, transfer to BART at Jack London Square.

By train
Caltrain stops at Santa Clara Station, on the east side of Santa Clara University (1001 Railroad Avenue). Though Caltrain doesn't really stop at San Jose Mineta Airport, the free Airporter bus (VTA line 10) shuttles passengers between the airport and the Santa Clara Caltrain station.

The Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) is an express train running from the central valley towns of Stockton, Tracy, Livermore and Pleasanton to San Jose. The train shares the Santa Clara station with Caltrain and also stops at the Great America station at Lafayette and Tasman, near the Santa Clara Convention Center, Levi's Stadium, and California's Great America. Only a few trains run per day. The Great America stop doesn't include a station building, just a platform under an overpass, so plan connecting transportation before you arrive.
 * When you get off the southbound ACE train at Great America in the morning, there are free shuttle buses waiting to take you to destinations throughout Silicon Valley (as far away as the offices of Google in the west, Cisco in the east, and Nvidia in the south). Similar shuttles run in the reverse direction in the afternoon/evening.

Amtrak California's Capitol Corridor train runs between Sacramento and San Jose via East Bay cities such as Berkeley and Emeryville. The Capitol Corridor shares the same stations as the ACE above, stopping at the University and Great America. The nearby Diridon Station in San Jose includes a building with a ticket counter and may even be closer to parts of Santa Clara. Read schedules carefully, since some trains include a bus connection.

Get around
Light rail and bus. The Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) offers light rail in Santa Clara on the Mountain View-Alum Rock and Old Ironsides-Winchester lines. VTA also offers bus service within and around Santa Clara. Consult the VTA website for schedules, fares, and trip planning.

Rental car. Numerous national car rental chains serve Santa Clara and surrounding cities. Most people living in the area prefer automobiles as their primary means of transportation, and it is likely to be the fastest, although area freeways do get congested during commute hours. Rental cars are available both at the San Jose Airport and at various locations in the city. Throughout most of Santa Clara, public parking is ample and free.

Bicycle. Many city streets are wide and bicycle-friendly with painted bicycle lanes; expressways permit bicycles but have high-speed, heavy traffic that may be uncomfortable, especially for inexperienced riders. Stop by City Hall for a copy of the Santa Clara bicycle map showing recommended bicycle routes. Bicycles should ride on the right side of the road, going the same direction as traffic. Take care when crossing expressway exits and right turn lanes in traffic. Caltrain, Amtrak Capital Corridor, and VTA (both light rail and buses) are all equipped with bicycle racks. If you plan to take a bicycle on area public transit, consult the website of the system(s) you will use for information on locating and using the bicycle racks.

Learn

 * Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university offering a variety of undergraduate and graduate curricula in the schools of Arts and Sciences, Education and Counseling Psychology, Business, Engineering, Theology, and Law. Summer school classes are open to visitors and students.
 * Mission College, phone +1 408 988-2200, 3000 Mission College Boulevard. This community college offers academic, vocational, and other classes, including associate degrees and certificates.
 * UCSC offers accredited curricula and courses through their Silicon Valley Extension, with a Santa Clara location.
 * Santa Clara Adult Education, a division of the Santa Clara Unified School District, offers selected technical, academic, and recreational classes. Students must be at least 18 years of age.
 * The Santa Clara Parks and Recreation Department offers a variety of classes, largely recreational, listed in their Recreation Activities guide. Classes are open to non-residents, but city residents pay lower fees.
 * The Santa Clara City Library offers numerous programs, lectures, presentations, and classes. Visit their program schedule on their website for current details.

Eat
Area restaurants feature foods from cultures all over the world, reflecting the area's diversity. There is no need to eat in the same restaurant, or even the same kind of restaurant, twice.

Cope

 * The Santa Clara City Library, 2635 Homestead Road, was rebuilt completely in 2004. The library has a number of Internet terminals and a cafe. If you want to use one of the terminals, arrive when the library opens, or try a weekday when the kids are in school. The library has free Wi-Fi access if you have a library card. Out of town visitors may inquire at the information desk on the first floor near the main entrance for a temporary library card allowing Internet access without checkout privileges. While there, walk around the library to see the artwork in the building, and continue out into Central Park. The smaller Mission branch of the public library (not open weekends) is located at 1098 Lexington Street, near Santa Clara University. It also offers wifi and a limited number of Internet terminals.
 * Santa Clara Convention Center, 5001 Great America Pkwy. Parking is free and usually ample, depending on the conventions in town.