The Valley hosts nearly 4,000 high-tech companies. Eighteen of the Fortune 500 Industrial companies including Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Apple Computer, and Sun Microsystems have their headquarters there. Several colleges and universities including Stanford University, University of California Berkeley, the University of Santa Clara, and San Jose State University are nearby or call the Silicon Valley home. T he Valley's high-tech industries have attracted a highly educated, culturally diverse, and relatively young workforce. Since World War II, the influx of workers has transformed San Jose from a sleepy, agricultural center into the nation's 11th largest and California's third largest city.
Skies are clear and sunny four out of five days, inviting a broad range of outdoor activities.
Residents enjoy 125 local parks and miles of bike and jogging paths. T here are plenty of indoor activities too, including San Jose's own opera, civic light opera, ballet, and symphony, as well as an active theater community. I f ever one runs out of activities in the Silicon Valley itself, residents have easy access to all the major points and attractions of the Bay Area. San Francisco, Oakland, the beaches of Santa Cruz, and the Monterey Peninsula are all less than an hour away.