Palo Alto
Palo Alto prides itself on being a highly walkable community and its charming streets and leafy boulevards offer pedestrians a treat.
In a place where the median household income is more than twice the national figure, you’d expect some great shopping. You would be right. Stanford Shopping Center—home to Tiffany’s and Bloomingdales--is a big draw; more than one-quarter of its visitors are from foreign countries, here for business or pleasure. Downtown Palo Alto is a mecca for those looking for the boutique-and-gallery experience and is within easy walking distance of the Stanford campus. Another hot spot for shopping is California Avenue, where the tone is set by the funky public art lining the street. Town and Country Village and the Midtown area are favorites of local residents.
Upscale restaurants such as Il Fornaio are dining options, as are the charming bistros amidst the galleries and boutiques on University and California avenues.
The first thing you notice about Palo Alto is the variety of open spaces such as bayland marshes, rolling foothills, thriving creeks, multi-use parks and communty gardens; then you notice all the trees. The luxuriously leafy canopy is categorized as an "urban forest" and it lives up to that name. It’s only fitting, because the city is named for a Coast Redwood--El Palo Alto--under whose 1,000-year-old branches the Portola Expedition camped in 1769.
Trees are protected, almost revered, in Palo Alto, and so is another of nature’s treasures – open space. The city owns nearly 4,000 acres of open space and wildlife preserves; a full one-third of its 26-square-mile area is preserved as open space and the neighborhoods are dotted with 34 city parks.
Environmental stewardship is not just a catch phrase in Palo Alto, it’s a way of life. City government itself has been designated a "Green Business" and the City Council lists "Climate Protection" as one of its top priorities.
Important parts of this effort are the City of Palo Alto Utilities renewable energy program, the City’s Zero Waste initiative, and a local commitment to alternative transportation.
Palo Alto is a draw for start-ups and established businesses as well. Maybe it’s because Silicon Valley was born here, in a humble garage on Addison Ave, where Bill Hewlett and David Packard began their little business in 1938.
The city gets top marks from business for a number of reasons. For retailers such as Stanford Shopping Center and others, the area offers excellent demographics with cultural diversity and high household incomes. Palo Alto is a lively city, with a daytime population of 120,000 people who frequent local restaurants, coffee houses, and shops. At night, Palo Alto is a regional draw for its cultural events, top-rated restaurants and nightlife.
Palo Alto businesses enjoy the efficient and low cost utility services provided by the city. This is possible because Palo Alto had the foresight to invest in its own municipal utilities back in 1896. Modern services include a dark fiber infrastructure that provides ultra-fast Internet access.
With its international reputation as a leader in technological development, and its California-heritage tradition, Palo Alto is an extraordinary place to operate a business.
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