subject: Los Gatos Houses Will Keep You Here [print this page] Down in the Santa Clara Valley, you'll find a town. When you find this town, nestled in the bosom of the Silicon Valley, you'll want to stay. When you find it, you'll be aiming for the latest Los Gatos houses on the market. Hemmed in by the cities of San Jose and Campbell, Los Gatos has inherited the overflow of handsomely paid Silicon Valley executives and programmers. While Cupertino has Jobs, it's the company with the red envelops that's put this posh suburb on the map.
Rimmed by the aptly-named Sierra Azule Mountains, the town enjoys the lion's share of beautiful terrain in the valley. This gives residents access to a series of lush parks, dense tree lines and generally more moist conditions, unlike its baked neighbors to the north. Comparisons with the lush areas of Marin County are not in short supply -- and for good reason.
Initially settled in 1868, Los Gatos is one of the oldest towns in the area. Curiously, it was named after the concentration of mountain lions in the Sierra Azules. The Spanish called it La Rinconada de Los Gatos -- translated it means "The Cat's Corner." Sorry was any Spaniard or settler who traveled the region without a rifle or pistol.
Nearly 30 years later, the town could only boast about 1,500 residents. Today, the town has a population of approximately 35,000 residents. In fact, it's experiencing a phenomenal growth rate thanks to the success off tech, gaming, and entertainment companies, like Netflix and Cryptic Studios. As a result, it's kind of absorbing, if you will, the overflow of well-paid professionals from Silicon Valley.
Once the regional hub for wheat, milling, logging, and canning, Los Gatos has come full circle and then some. Today, it is an emerging high tech hub. Furthermore, it is swiftly becoming one of the more popular tourist destinations in the area. It boasts one of the best-preserved, most picturesque downtown areas in all of California. The intersection of cafe culture and rural attractions has lured its fair share of tourists from San Francisco and San Jose.
