Sunnyvale

Sunnyvale is one of the major cities that make up California's high-tech area known as Silicon Valley. It is the birthplace of the video game industry, former location of Atari headquarters, and the location of a fictional computer game company in the 1983 film WarGames. Sunnyvale was also the home to Onizuka Air Force Station, often referred to as "the Blue Cube" due to the color and shape of its windowless main building. The city has a single unified Department of Public Safety, where all personnel are trained as firefighters, police officers, and EMTs, so that they can respond to an emergency in any of the three roles they are trained in. The population of the city was 155,805 at the 2020 census, making it the second most populous city in the county (after San Jose) and the seventh most populousCity is located in Santa Clara County, California, near the San Francisco Bay Area and the San Jose International Airport. The area was once heavily populated by the Ohlone Native Americans, but the arrival of smallpox, measles and other new diseases greatly reduced the population. In the 1800s, the area was known as the "Garden of the World" because of its large number of fruit orchards and canneries. In 1871, Dr. James M. Dawson and his wife Eloise (née Jones) established the first fruit cannery in the area. The invention of the refrigerated rail car further increased the viability of an economy based upon fruit agriculture.

History

Sunnyvale is a city in Santa Clara County, California. It is located in a sunny region adjacent to areas with significantly more fog. It was named Sunnyvale on March 24, 1901. The city was founded in 1843 by Francisco Estrada and his wife Inez Castro. In 1871, Dr. James M. Dawson established the first fruit cannery in the county. Edwina Benner was elected to her first term as mayor of Sunnyvale in 1923. In 1930, Congress decided to place the West Coast dirigible base in Sunnyvale after "buying" the 1,000-acre (4 km) Moffett Airfield from San Francisco for $1,000. The airfield was later renamed Moffett Field and is now the San Jose International Airport runway. Sunnyvale is home to the San Francisco 49ers football team and the Santa Clara Valley College football team. The San Jose Board of Trade called the county the "Garden of the World" in 1886. In the 1880s, Chinese workers made up roughly one third of the farm labor in Santa. Clara County. The area also became known as Encinal or Murphy for their post office. In 1897, Walter Everett Crossman bought 200 acres (809,000 m2) and began selling real estate. He advertised the area as "Beautiful Murphy" and later, in the 1900s, as "the City of Destiny". In 1912, the first marine steam engines were voted as the first products in the town.

Geography

Sunnyvale is located at 37°227.56N 122°213.4W. Its elevation is 130 feet above sea level. The city has a total area of 22.7 sq mi (58.8 km²), of which, 22.0 sq km² (56 km²) of it is land and 0.69sq mi (1.8km²) (3.09%) is water. Sunnyvale has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb), with cool, moist winters and warm, very dry summers. Average daytime summer temperatures are in the high 70s, and during the winter, average daytime high temperatures rarely stay below 50 °F (10 °C) Snowfall is rare, but on January 21, 1962, and February 5, 1976, measurable snowfall occurred in Sunnyvale and most of the San Francisco Bay Area. Tornadoes were briefly hit by tornadoes in 1998, but otherwise they are extremely rare. Sunnyvale was briefly hit with tornadoes in 1998 but otherwise it has been hit by very few tornadoes since then. It is located in the Bay Area's Silicon Valley region, which is home to many tech companies and other companies, including Google, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. It has a population of 2,816,000 (as of the 2010 U.S. Census). The city is located on the California Bay Area, which includes the cities of San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, and San Jose.

Demographics

The 2010 United States Census reported that Sunnyvale had a population of 140,081. Non-Hispanic Whites were 34.5% of the population in 2010, compared to 74.7% in 1980. The population was spread out, with 31,435 people under the age of 18, 9,350 people (6.7%) aged 18 to 24, 50,919 people (36.3%) aged 25 to 44, 32,721 people (23.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 15,656 people (11.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. There were 55,791 housing units at an average density of 2,458.9 per square mile (949.4/km²), of which 25,623 were owner-occupied, and 27,761 (52.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1%; the rental vacancy ratewas 4.4%. 68,895 people (49.2% of. the population) lived in owner- occupied housing units and 70,337 people (50.2%), while 4,356 (4.5%) lived in rental housing units. The average household size was 2.61; the average family size was 3.15. The median age was 35.6 years. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.9 males. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that 139,232 people (99.4%), lived in households, and 380 (0.3%), living in non-institutionalized groups.

Economy

Companies based in Sunnyvale include Infinera, Fortinet, Intuitive Surgical, Juniper Networks, LinkedIn, Proofpoint, Inc., and Trimble Inc. According to the city's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: infinera and Fortinet. The city's largest employer is LinkedIn, followed by Trimble, according to the report. Sunnyvale's unemployment rate is 3.9%. The city is home to more than 3,000 jobs. The unemployment rate for Sunnyvale is 2.8 percent. The economy is 2,856 jobs, the report says. The U.S. economy is 1.9 percent. Sunnydale's unemployment is 1,854 jobs. It's the highest rate in the state. It is the lowest rate in San Jose, California. It has the highest unemployment rate in Silicon Valley, at 1.7 percent. It also has the lowest unemployment rate among San Jose-area cities. The highest rate is in San Francisco, at 0.8%. The U-S. unemployment rate was 1.4 percent in the summer of 2013. It was the lowest in the San Jose area in the spring of 2013, the city report said. It had the lowest employment rate among Silicon Valley cities in the past 10 years. The lowest rate was in the mid-1990s. The rate was 2.7 per cent in the late 1990s. It rose to 2.9 per cent by the end of the 2000s.

Government and politics

The City of Sunnyvale uses the councilmanager form of government. The mayor is directly elected to a four-year term in a city-wide election. The city council hires a city manager to run the day-to-day operations of the city government. Sunnyvale is the largest city in the United States that uses a consolidated department of public safety, with sworn officers who are fully cross-trained to perform police, firefighting, and emergency medical services. The vice-mayor is selected from the six city council members by the mayor and city council, serving a one-yearterm. As of August 16, 2016, Sunnyvale had 56,030 registered voters. In the California State Legislature, Sunny Vale is in the 13th Senate District, represented by Democrat Josh Becker, and in the 24th Assembly District,represented by Democrat Marc Berman. The U.S. House of Representatives is in California's 17th congressional district, represented in part by Democrat Ro Khanna, a former state assemblyman. The City has had a consolidated DPS since 1950, with officer assignments rotated annually, with some specialist assignments lasting up to five years. It is the only city in California that has a full-time police force of more than 1,000 officers. It has a population of 56,000, making it one of the largest cities in the state with more than 50,000 residents. It also has the largest number of registered voters in California, with 56,300 people in August 2016.

Education

Most of the city is in the Sunnyvale School District, while some parts are in the Cupertino Union School District. For high schools, Sunnyvale is divided between Fremont High School and Homestead High School. French American School of Silicon Valley (FASSV) is a private elementary school in Sunnyvale, which opened in 1992. It is recognized as a French international school by the AEFE. The city is also part of the Santa Clara Unified School District and the Mountain View Whisman Elementary School District for elementary and middle schools. The Sunnyvale High School is located in the Fremont Union High School District in the city's north. The school is one of the largest high schools in the state, with more than 1,000 students. The high school is located on the edge of the town. The town is home to the San Jose Earthquakes, who are based in the nearby San Jose Bay Area. The San Jose Mercury News is a weekly newspaper that covers the city and its surrounding area. The newspaper is published by San Jose City Hall, which is owned by the San Francisco Bay Area Redevelopment Agency. It was founded in 1903 and is based in San Jose, California. The Redeployment Agency was established by the city in the 1950s to help people find jobs in the tech industry. It has since expanded to cover the rest of the Bay Area as well as the East Bay and San Francisco. The district has been in operation since the 1960s.

Neighborhoods

The southern half of Sunnyvale is predominantly residential, while most of the portion north of Highway 237 is zoned for industrial use. The far eastern section of El Camino Real in Sunnyvale has a significant concentration of businesses owned by Indian immigrants. There are 476 acres of parks in the Sunnyvale area, including Las Palmas Park, Ortega Park, Seven Seas Park, Washington Park near downtown, two public golf courses, and Baylands Park, site of the annual Linux Picnic. In 2017 the Santa Clara Unified School District took over operation of Full Circle Farm Sunnyvale, which leased the land from the district, and plan to focus the farm on education. Charles Street Gardens, Sunnyvale's oldest and largest community garden, is located adjacent to Sunnyvale’s Public Library. The Santa Clara Valley Medical Center is located in the southern part of the city, near the San Jose International Airport and the San Francisco Bay Area Airport. There is a large number of Eichler homes throughout residential Sunnyvale. More specifically, there are 16 housing tracts containing over 1100 Eichlers homes. The city has a large concentration of Indian immigrants, who own a number of businesses in the area. The area is also home to a large amount of public parks, such as Las Palma Park and OrteGA Park, which are located near downtown. The San Jose Airport is located near the city's downtown area, and is the site of two public courses, including Washington Park and Bayland Park.

Transportation

Sunnyvale has been listed by the League of American Bicyclists as a bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community. Public transportation in Sunnyvale is served by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (light rail and buses) and by Caltrain commuter rail. Three nearby international airports are accessible by car: San Jose International Airport (SJC), Oakland Airport (OAK), and San Francisco International (SFO) The city is also accessible by public transit via Caltrain, VTA light rail, and VTA bus, as well as a free shuttle bus to the SFO and OAK terminals. The Sunnyvale station is located in the Heritage District downtown, and the Lawrence station is in eastern Sunnyvale, north of the Ponderosa neighborhood. The city has several major roads and freeways, including Interstate 280, U.S. Route 101, State Route 82, and State Route 85. The City of Sunnyvale was named a bronze level Bicycle Friendly community by the American Bicycle Association in 2007. The League of Bicycling has a Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, which advises the city council on the continued development of the bicycle plan for the city.

Crime

Sunnyvale has consistently ranked as one of the safest ten cities (for cities of similar size) in the United States according to the FBI's crime reports. From 1966 to at least 2004, Sunnyvale never placed below fifth in safety rankings among U.S. cities in its population class. Gang members make up less than one percent of the population, although 95% of the crime is gang on gang violence. Sunnyvale's Gang Task-force agency as well as the FBI note three main gangs that exist in Sunnyvale, thrice allying to either Sureño or Norteño families, one existing since the 1960s. 1988 ESL Shooting: On February 16, 1988, Richard Farley shot 11 people, killing 7, at his former employer ESL Incorporated in north Sunnyvale. The 1993 made-for-television film I Can Make You Love Me starring Brooke Shields and Richard Thomas was based on the event. 2018: Sunnyvale was named the safest city by SmartAsset.com for the third year in a row. In 2009, Sunnydale was ranked 7th in U.S. by Forbes Magazine in an analysis of America's safest cities. In 2005, Sunny Vale ranked as the 18th-safest city overall in the U.N.'s "World's Safest Cities" list. In 2013, Sunnyvalle was named America's "safest town" by CNN.com. In 2014, the city was named "America's safest city" by Forbes magazine.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Sunnyvale, Santa Clara County, California = 11.8. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 40. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Sunnyvale = 5.1 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 155,805 individuals with a median age of 37.8 age the population grows by 1.54% in Sunnyvale, Santa Clara County, California population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 6,800 residents per square mile of area (2,600/km²). There are average 2.53 people per household in the 52,585 households with an average household income of $89,413 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 10.20% of the available work force and has dropped -6.14% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 17.52%. The number of physicians in Sunnyvale per 100,000 population = 263.9.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Sunnyvale = 14 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 54. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 260. 82 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 38.7 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 53, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Sunnyvale, Santa Clara County, California which are owned by the occupant = 45.34%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 37 years with median home cost = $544,700 and home appreciation of -13.80%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $5.62 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,224 per student. There are 22 students for each teacher in the school, 2705 students for each Librarian and 1476 students for each Counselor. 7.57% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 28.51% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 21.72% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).