Page 92 - 2014 Travel Guide to California

SANTA CLARA COUNTY
Fertile land for ideas, creativity and fun
B Y L A U R A D E L R O S S O
ARTIST’S RENDERING of Levi’s
Stadium, the new home of the San
Francisco 49ers beginning in 2014,
above; kids marvel at the displays in
the Intel Museum, below.
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, also known as
Silicon Valley, has long drawn people for
its abundance. The acres and acres of fer-
tile agricultural land that attracted the first
settlers have today largely been replaced
by dynamic industry that creates much
of the world’s state-of-the-art software
and technology: Intel, Apple, Google,
Facebook, Cisco and Yahoo all have
headquarters here and smart, young pro-
grammers and engineers flock to the
valley from around the world, fueling a
high energy atmosphere.
European explorers saw the valley’s
potential almost immediately, taken in by
the temperate climate, good soil, plentiful
water and bay access. The Spanish Francis-
cans were so enchanted that they decided
to build a mission here, Mission Santa
Clara de Asis. Today the mission sits on the
campus of historic Santa Clara University,
established in 1851 and the oldest college
in California. Visitors can tour the church,
the eighth of the state’s 21 missions, where
Father Junipero Serra laid a cornerstone in
1781. The actual cornerstone and its con-
tents—a crucifix, images and Spanish
coins—are showcased at the university’s
de Saisset Museum.
Museums Capture Local History
For a sense of the county’s famous and
more modern history, several museums
offer a close look at Silicon Valley’s contri-
bution to the digital revolution. At the Intel
Museum in the corporation’s headquarters
in Santa Clara, glimpse inside a silicon chip
factory, tour exhibits of semiconductor
technology and learn about Robert Noyce,
Intel co-founder and co-inventor in 1959 of
the integrated circuit, a move that spawned
dozens of Silicon Valley companies.
SANTA CLARA CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU. OPPOSITE: COURTESY OF CALIFORNIA'S GREAT AMERICA
90 2014 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A