ZIP Code 95030

Los Gatos is located in the San Francisco Bay Area just southwest of San Jose in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The town's founding dates to the mid-1850s with the building of a flour-milling operation, Forbes Mill, by James Alexander Forbes along Los Gatos Creek, then called Jones's Creek. The name derives from the 1839 Alta California land-grant that encompassed the area. The violinist Yehudi Menuhin lived there as a boy; the actresses Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland (sisters) were graduates of LA High School. John Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath there (the location is now located in Monte Sereno); Justin Goodsell, a renowned quantum mechanics spectroscopy scientist, was born in this town, and a prominent Beat hero Neal Cassady lived there in the 1950s. The population is 33,529 according to the 2020 census, and it is part of Silicon Valley, with several high technology companies maintaining a presence there. Netflix, the streaming service and content creator, is headquartered in Los GatOS and has developed a large presence in the area, as well as other tech companies such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Yahoo! The town was incorporated in 1887 and remained an important town for the logging industry until the end of the 19th century. In the early 20th century, the town became a thriving agricultural town with apricots, grapes and prunes being grown in the areas. By the 1920s, the Los Gato area had a local reputation as an arts colony, attracting painters, musicians, writers, actors and their bohemian associates as residents.

Etymology

Los Gatos is the primary city name, but also Monte Sereno are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is Town of Los Gatos. Los Gatos is Spanish for "The Cats". The name derives from the 1839 Alta California land-grant that encompassed the area. The cats refers to the cougars (mountain lions) and bobcats that are indigenous to the foothills in which the town is located. The pronunciation is often anglicized to lawss-GAT-s, although one also hears pronunciations truer to the original Spanish, lohss-GAH-tohss. The town is named after the town of Los Gatos, California, which was founded in 1839. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area, on the California-Nevada border. The city's name is derived from La Rinconada de Los Gato, which means "The Corner of the Cats" and means "the corner of the lions" or "the cats" in Spanish. It was named after a land grant that was granted to the Alta Californian government in the late 1800s. The name is now used to refer to the town's historic center, which is located at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains, near the city of Lompoc. It has a population of about 2,000. It also has a small airport, which serves as a gateway to the rest of the state. The community is known for its wild animals, including cougars, bobcats, and mountain lions, which are native to the area and are known as the "Cougars of California".

History

The first inhabitants of the area that is now Los Gatos were the Ohlone Native Americans. The first settlers to enter the Valley proper were two soldiers that had strayed off from their Missionary group on November 2 1769. The town was incorporated in 1887 and remained an important town for the logging industry in the Santa Cruz Mountains until the end of the 19th century. By the early 20th century, the town became a thriving agricultural town with apricots, grapes and prunes being grown in the area. The violinist Yehudi Menuhin lived there as a boy; the actresses Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland (sisters) were graduates ofLos Gatos High School. John Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath there (the location is now located in Monte Sereno); Justin Goodsell, a renowned quantum mechanics spectroscopy scientist, was born in this town, and a prominent Beat hero Neal Cassady lived there in the 1950s. The city, as of 2020, has no regular passenger train service of any sort. The last Southern Pacific passenger train to Santa Cruz left the town in March 1940. The South Pacific Coast Railroad, a popular narrow-gauge line from Alameda (and San Francisco via ferry) toSanta Cruz in the late 19th. century, took over this line near the rail line in 18th century and continued until about 1933. There was also a string of parking lots between Santa Cruz Ave and University Ave and what is now the present-day location of the Post Office.

Geography and environment

Los Gatos is located at 37°1410N 121°5742W (37.236044, 121.961768). The town is bisected by State Route 17, which runs through the town from south to north. The town has a total area of 11.2 square miles (29 km²), 11.1 square miles of it is land, and 0.1 sq mi (0.26 km²) of it (0.71%) is water. Los Gatos experiences nearly the same temperatures as San Jose, just slightly warmer and with more rain. Daytime high temperatures very rarely stay below 50 °F (10 °C) and the town rarely gets a hard frost. The wettest year was 1909 with 5177 inches and the driest was 2007 with 947 inches (241 mm). The most rainfall in one month was 26.56 inches in December 1955. The most snow falls in Los Cruz, sometimes in the Santa Cruz Mountains, which are sometimes covered in snow. There are average of 27 days annually with highs of 90 °C or higher and an average of 5.0 °C lows of 32 °F or lower. Types of bananas that ripen within three months grow well during the summer. The city has a Zone 10 hardiness zone, which means it is very likely to grow grapes and have vineyards in the winter. It has a Mediterranean climate like much of California, with an average high of 63 °F and a low of 43 °F.

Economy

The following companies are headquartered in Los Gatos. The city's 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report says the top employers in the city are: Netflix, Par Avion Tea, and Smashwords. The economy of the city is estimated to be worth $1.2 billion. The unemployment rate is estimated at 2.7%. The city has a population of 1.2 million. The average household income is $75,000. It is estimated that the city's economy will grow by 1.7 percent in the next five years. The population is expected to reach 1.3 million by the end of the year. The growth rate is predicted to be 1.8 percent in 2015 and 1.9 percent in 2016. The top employers are Netflix, par Avion tea, and smashwords. In 2013, the city had 1.1 million people living in the area. The number of jobs is projected to rise to 1.4 million by 2015. It will reach 2.6 million in 2016 and 2.8 million in 2017. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the city will have 1.5 million residents by the year's end, up from 1.0 million in 2013. The United States Census Bureau has estimated the population will reach 1 million in 2015. The figure is up from 0.7 million in 2012. The current population is 1.6 million. It has a growth rate of 2.1 percent in 2013 and 2 1/2 percent in 2014. The rate of unemployment is 0.9%.

Demographics

The 2010 United States Census reported that Los Gatos had a population of 29,413. There were 13,050 housing units at an average density of 1,169.4 per square mile (451.5/km²), of which 7,778 were owner-occupied, and 4,577 (37.0%) were occupied by renters. In the town the median income for a household in the town was $126,568, and the median family income was $152,940. The population was spread out, with 6,567 people (22.3%) under the age of 18, 1,442 people (4.9%) aged 18 to 24, 6,722 people (22.9) aged 25 to 44, 9,417 people (32.0) aged 45 to 64, and 5,265 people (17.9!) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. ForEvery 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.0 Males. The average household size was 2.35. There are 12,367 housing units in the city, with 7,801 families (63.1% of all households) and the average family size is 2.96. The ethnic makeup of the town is 86.68% Caucasian, 0.79% African American, 0.30% Native American, 7.60% Asian, 0,07% Pacific Islander, 1.28% from other races, and 3.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.21% of the population.

Government

The town is governed by five elected council members with the position of mayor rotating between council members each year. Half the council is elected to a four-year term every two years. There are no term limits for the Town Council. In the California State Legislature, Los Gatos is in the 15th Senate District, represented by Democrat Dave Cortese, and in the 28th Assembly District,represented by Democrat Evan Low. The town is in California's 18th congressional district, Represented by Democrat Anna Eshoo. The U.S. House of Representatives is represented by Republican Tom McClintock. The Town Council is made up of five elected members, half of whom are elected to two-year terms, and the other half of which are elected for four years. The position of Mayor is rotating between the mayor and the council members every year. The mayor is elected for a four year term every 2 years, with a maximum of two terms. The Council has a total of 15 members, with half of them elected to three-yearterms. The City Council is composed of five members, including the Mayor and the Council members of the City Council. The Mayor is the only member of the Council who is not a resident of the Town of L Gatos. The council has a maximum term of five years, but there are no terms limits for council members. It has a population of 3,000. The city is located in the Central Coast region of California, and is in San Francisco Bay Area.

Infrastructure

The town of Los Gatos is served by the VTA, (Valley Transportation Authority) which also serves the majority of the county of Santa Clara, including San Jose. The closest international airports are San Jose International Airport, San Francisco International Airport (SFO), and Oakland International Airport. For railroad transportation, Santa Clara has the closest train station served by Caltrain, and nearby in the city of Campbell provides access to VTA light-rail via the Winchester, Downtown Campbell, and Hamilton stations. For air travel, the closest airports are used for air travel by people across the Bay Area. The town is located in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is home to many businesses, restaurants, and other industries. The city is also home to the Santa Clara County Fair, which runs through the end of the year. The fair is held in the town's downtown area on the last Saturday of each month. It is also the largest fair in the county, with more than 100,000 people attending each year. It also hosts the California State Fair, the largest of its kind in the United States. The county fair runs from September to December, with the last Sunday of the month being the busiest day for the county. The Santa Clara Valley Fair runs from August to December. It runs through September, and the last day of the quarter is the last Monday of the third week of the fourth quarter. The Fair is the largest county fair in California, with a total attendance of more than 1.5 million people.

Education

The Los Gatos Public Library is operated by the Town of Los Gato and is not part of the Santa Clara County Library system. Any California resident with proper identification and verification of their mailing address may have borrowing privileges. The library is located at 100 Villa Ave, Los GatOS, CA in the town Civic Center. The public school district is Loma Prieta Joint Union Elementary School District. The high school district, L Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District is L. Gatos Union School District and the middle and elementary school district are L.Gatos Joint Joint Joint Union. The private school district has a number of private schools and a private day school. The school district's primary and secondary schools are Lakeside Joint Joint School District (Lakeside J.J.S. District) and L. G Gatos Joint Union (L Gatos J.K.D. District). The public schools district has several different school districts, including L.A. J.P. Joint Joint, L.K., L.L.C. Joint, and the L.N. Joint. The district's high school and high school districts have separate school districts. The schools district's private schools include L.B. St. Mary's School, St. Patrick's School and St. Paul's School. The town's public schools have several private schools, including St. Peter's Catholic School, Saint Mary's Episcopal School, and Saint Paul's Lutheran School.

Museums

The New Museum (NUMU) offers exhibitions and programs on Los Gatos and San Francisco Bay Area art and history. NUMU was formerly called Museums of Los GatOS. The museum is located in the heart of the city. It is open to the public on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on the weekends from 9am to 5pm.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Los Gatos, 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 Los Gatos = 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 33,529 individuals with a median age of 45.2 age the population grows by 3.98% in Los Gatos, Santa Clara County, California population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 3,026.08 residents per square mile of area (1,026.95/km²). There are average 2.34 people per household in the 12,414 households with an average household income of $111,602 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.90% 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 19.82%. The number of physicians in Los Gatos per 100,000 population = 263.9.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Los Gatos = 24.7 inches and the annual snowfall = 0.1 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 58. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 256. 86 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 38.3 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 52, 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 Los Gatos, Santa Clara County, California which are owned by the occupant = 62.32%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 40 years with median home cost = $1,070,290 and home appreciation of -20.09%. 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 $6,198 per student. There are 19.2 students for each teacher in the school, 2094 students for each Librarian and 6281 students for each Counselor. 7.81% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 33.55% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 25.32% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).