The Best Palo Alto Service Providers | Palo Alto, California

About Palo Alto

Located in Santa Clara County, the town of Palo Alto was established by Leland Stanford in 1894. Stanford and his wife Jane had founded Stanford University in 1891, and the university dominated the life of Palo Alto from the beginning. In the 1950s, engineering and technology research at Stanford led to the formation of technology companies like Hewlett-Packard in the area. Today Palo Alto is a hub for the economic activity of Silicon Valley and is home to more than 7,000 businesses. The city is also notable for its shopping districts and many restaurants, as well as its historic buildings and almost 4,000 acres of open space. Stanford University is a natural magnet for visitors who also enjoy the city's other attractions. The Palo Alto Caltrain station is conveniently located for access to Stanford as well as downtown Palo Alto. This is a photograph of Stanford University.

City Facts

Interesting Facts

• Palo Alto is notable for its large number of trees—so many that the city has been named a "Tree City-USA" by the National Arbor Day Foundation and the state of California.²
• The city is named after a redwood tree on the San Francisquito Creek that is more than 1,000 years old and is listed as a California Historic Landmark. The literal meaning of "El palo alto" is "the tall stick."³
• Palo Alto was originally a Temperance town. Unlike its neighbor Mayfield, known as a saloon town, alcohol was banned in the city. Palo Alto annexed Mayfield in 1925, during Prohibition. ⁴
• The Palo Alto International Film Festival is an event that aims to celebrate the convergence of technology and art with a festival of movies, workshops and lectures. The sharp-eyed may also spot celebrities taking in some of the films.
• The Hewlett-Packard company was founded in the garage of a house at 367 Addison Avenue in Palo Alto.
• Companies that are currently located in Palo Alto include Stanford University Press, Hewlett-Packard, Genencor International, and CTERA Networks. Facebook and E Trade are headquartered in nearby Menlo Park.⁵

Shopping

Downtown Palo Alto
The Palo Alto downtown area is a pleasant neighborhood where the pedestrian-friendly streets are lined with trees as well as many stores and restaurants. Art galleries, furniture stores, bookstores, jewelers, sporting goods stores, clothing boutiques, and (appropriately for the Silicon Valley) an Apple Store can be found in this area. It's easy to get to the shopping district via Caltrain; the Palo Alto station on University Avenue is conveniently located for access to the downtown area as well as Stanford University.

Additional Shopping Options
Stanford Shopping Center is an open-air mall on Sand Hill Road, distinguished by the inclusion of gardens, fountains and sculpture among the stores. California Avenue is a district notable for independently-owned stores, restaurants and public art. Town and Country Village is a mall of some 60 stores and restaurants on El Camino Real. San Antonio Center in nearby Mountain View is an outdoor mall that attracts shoppers from Palo Alto.

What's Happening

Restaurants
Popular restaurants to try include Baume, a two-star Michelin restaurant with inspired French cuisine; Evvia, featuring delicious Greek food; St. Michael's Alley, a favorite spot for romantic dining out as well as weekend brunches; Tamarine, an elegant destination with a tasty Vietnamese and fusion menu; Thaiphoon, a neighborhood gem for those who like Thai cooking; and the Wine Bar, renowned for its intimate ambience and great selection of wines.

Nightlife
If you're looking for a hotspot to check out in Palo Alto, Nola is a New Orleans-inspired restaurant and bar where the party starts in the daytime and continues into the night. Gordon Biersch is a brewery and bar wth a cozy feel that makes it a neighborhood favorite. The wildly popular Old Pro is a sports bar with two locations; both are crowded but friendly. Rudy's Pub is a favorite place for those who like to get on the dance-floor as well as sample the beers.

Landmarks

Stanford University
Stanford University was founded in 1891 by former California governor Leland Stanford and his wife Jane. The planning of the university was the work of Frederick Law Olmsted, the celebrated landscape architect who created New York City's Central Park. Despite the destruction of some buildings in the 1906 earthquake, the university prospered, attracting engineering and high-tech industry to the area from the 1950s onwards. Google and Yahoo are two of the Silicon Valley companies with ties to the University. More than 150,000 people visit the campus of Stanford University every year.

Cantor Arts Center
The Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University originated with the Leland Stanford Jr. Museum, which closed in 1945. The Cantor Arts Center has one of the world's largest collection of bronzes by French sculptor Auguste Rodin; the Center's entire Rodin collection contains some 200 pieces. The Rodin Sculpture Garden displays many of these works.

Hanna House
Designed by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1936 for Professor Paul Hanna of Stanford University and his wife Jean, this building is also known as the Hanna-Honeycomb House. It was the first example of Wright's hexagonal designs; hence the name. In 1975 the Hannas donated the house to Stanford University. After being extensively damaged in the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, the Hanna House was restored and reopened to the public in 1999.

The Stanford Theater
Opened in 1925, the Stanford Theatre was Palo Alto's main movie theater for many years. In 1987, the Stanford Theatre was purchased by the David and Lucille Packard Foundation and was lovingly restored. The Stanford Theatre Foundation now owns and operates the theater, which presents classic Hollywood movies.

Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden
The Elizabeth Gamble Garden is a horticultural foundation housed on a two-and-a-half acre property. In addition to formal and demonstration gardens, the site is notable for the house built for the Gamble family in 1902.

Baylands Nature Preserve
The Baylands Nature Preserve is thought by many to be one of the best bird-watching locations on the West Coast. In addition to native species, the preserve is a migratory stop on the Pacific Flyway. The 1,940 acres of the preserve are accessible via fifteen miles of trails through undisturbed marshland.