Los Altos

Los Altos is a suburb of San Jose with a population of 30,504. Located in Santa Clara County, Los Altos is one of the best places to live in California. Living in Los Altos provides residents with a dense suburb and most residents own their homes. In Los Altos are many restaurants, coffee shops and parks. Many retirees live in Los Altos and residents generally hold moderate political views. The public schools in Los Altos are highly rated.

History

The history of modern Los Altos dates back to 1906, when Paul Shoup, a director of the Southern Pacific Railroad, and friends founded the Altos Land Co. founded. The group purchased 140 acres of land between Palo Alto and Mountain View, owned by Sarah Winchester, the widow of the inventor of the Winchester rifle. The company planned a new town to serve the new Southern Pacific Railroad closure between Mayfield and Los Gatos and called it “Los Altos” (Spanish for “the heights”) because the land on that border was the highest.

In March 1907, potential buyers attended an outdoor promotional barbecue at an Altos Land Company sponsored land sale and purchased the first town lots. The site of the sale, near the current intersection of Foothill Expressway and Main Street, was the focal point of the new town. The town’s name gradually spread informally to identify a much larger unincorporated area served by the Los Altos School District, formed in 1910, including what is now Los Altos Hills and parts of other neighboring towns.

Population

Los Altos is a city in Santa Clara County, California. With a population of 28,988 in 2020, it is the 251st largest city in California and the 1343rd largest city in the United States. Los Altos is currently declining at a rate of -1.25% per year, but its population has increased by 0.04% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 28,976 in 2010. Los Altos spans over 6 miles and has a population density of 4,473 people per square mile.

Income

The median household income in Los Altos is $326,456 with a poverty rate of 2.83%. The median rental cost in recent years is $3,188 per month and the median home value is $2.00 Mn. The median age in Los Altos is 46.1 years, 46.4 years for men and 45.7 years for women.

Climate

In Los Altos summers are long, comfortable, dry and mostly clear and winters are short, cold, wet and partly cloudy. During the year, the temperature usually ranges from 44°F to 76°F and is rarely below 37°F or above 86°F.

Based on the tourist rating, the best time of year to visit Los Altos for warm weather activities is from late June to late September.

Economy

Los Altos has an unemployment rate of 3.9%. The US average is 6.0%.

Los Altos saw the labor market increase by 2.5% last year. Future job growth over the next ten years is projected at 38.9%, which is higher than the US average of 33.5%.

Tax Rates for Los Altos

– The sales tax rate for Los Altos is 9.0%. The US average is 7.3%.

– The income tax rate for Los Altos is 9.3%. The US average is 4.6%.

– Tax rates can have a big impact when comparing the cost of living.

Notable People or Companies

• Allan Bakke , student challenging the practice of affirmative action in the landmark 1978 Supreme Court ruling  Regents of the University of California v. Bakke

• Sergey Brin , co-founder of  Google

• Alan Cranston , former United States Senator from California, Senate Majority Whip, Senate Minority Whip, Controller of California, and member of the  Keating Five

• Jon M. Chu , director, producer and screenwriter. Director of  Crazy Rich Asians from 2018

• Dennis “Thresh” Fong , businessman and professional gamer of the  Quake  series

• Charles Geschke , co-founder of  Adobe Systems

• Jesse Grant , son of the 18th President of the United States,  Ulysses S. Grant [44]

• Andrew Grove , co-founder and former CEO of  Intel

• John Lee Hooker , world famous blues guitarist, died on June 21, 2001 at his home in Los Altos. [45] [46]

• July Inkster, LPGA golfer

• Steve Jobs , co-founder of  Apple Inc.

• Andrew L. Lewis , Vice Admiral and Commander of the  United States Navy, Second United States Fleet

• Janet Lewis , writer and poet, died on December 1, 1998 at her home in Los Altos at the age of 99.

• William E. Moerner, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2014 

• Robert Noyce , co-founder of  Fairchild Semiconductor  and  Intel Corporation

• Sundar Pichai , Chief Executive Officer of  Google .

• Michele Raffin , writer and founder of Pandemonium Aviaries

• Mary G. Ross , the first  Native American  female engineer

• General Oliver P. Smith , served as Assistant Commander of the Marine Corps and Commanding General of the 1st Marine Division during the Inchon Landings and Chosin Reservoir Campaign of the Korean War.

• Shirley Temple , famous actress and child actress

• Alejandro Toledo , 63rd President of Peru

• John Edward Walker , California impressionist painter, lived in Los Altos in the 1920s.

• John Warnock , co-founder of  Adobe Systems

• Ed Zschau , former congressman for California’s  12th  district

• Yvor Winters , California poet, 34-year resident from 1934.