When we describe where we are in California, we always talk about Silicon Valley in terms of San Francisco. However, Sunnyvale is actually a suburb of San Jose, the 10th-largest city in the country. Sunnyvale has a population of 131,000 as of 2000 (but less than half are registered to vote!), so it's not exactly small in that respect. However, it's only 22 square miles (Port St. Lucie is 77 square miles for comparison). It has a Mediterranean climate, and natural disasters are few. Tornadoes are incredibly rare, there's no blizzards or hurricanes, and while there are earthquakes, many are not measurable (tho we did feel one when we lived out there last time). Sadly, there has only been measurable snowfall twice on record, and most recently was in 1976.



Lockheed is the largest employer in the city, and there's a bunch of other big-name corporations in the top 10 as well, including Yahoo, Northrop Grumman, and Palm. More than a quarter of the population has a degree higher than a Bachelor's, and 67% went to college. Something really cool is their Public Safety system. Sunnyvale is one of the few cities in the United States that cross-trains policemen, firemen, and EMT workers so that everyone can perform all three jobs. Isn't that neat? I mean, I bet it's a heck of a lot more work, but I like the concept. Another unique thing is that the library isn't through Santa Clara county. Instead, the City of Sunnyvale has its own library (Mountain View had this too, but we just never realized it).
Crime is actually rare in Sunnyvale. It consistently ranks on the Top 10 Safest Cities for its size, on the list put out by the FBI. For its population class, it was in the Top 5 from 1966-2004! Burglary and robbery are at one-third of the national risk.
Okay, I think that covers the basics, LoL.
Great post! There's a new iPad app that points out a lot of the historic locations in Sunnyvale and other parts of the Silicon Valley. I found it because Rooster T Feathers (where I work) was mentioned in it! Here's the link for more info http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/silicon-valley-roots-shoots/id396249431?mt=8#
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