Palo Alto is a California city located in Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is named after a tree called El Palo Alto (Tall Stick). The city includes portions of Stanford University and is headquarters to a number of Silicon Valley high-technology companies, including Hewlett-Packard and Facebook. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 58,598 residents.
| Median family income
(per year) |
$147,232 |
| Family purchasing power
(annual, cost-of-living adjusted) |
$62,812 |
| Sales tax |
8.25% |
| State income tax rate
(highest bracket) |
9.30%I |
| State income tax rate
(lowest bracket) |
1.00%I |
| Auto insurance premiums
(Average price quotes, for the state) |
$1,793 |
| Median home price |
$1,062,500 |
| Average property taxes |
$7,573 |
|
| Colleges, universities and
professional schools (within 30 miles) |
57 |
| Junior colleges and
technical institutes (within 30 miles) |
31 |
| Test scores reading
(% above/below state average) |
76.6% |
| Test scores math
(% above/below average) |
8.9% |
% students attending public/private
schools (located within town limits) |
78.2/21.8 |
| Air quality index*
(% of days AQI ranked as good) |
77.5% |
| Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) |
1 |
| Property crime incidents (per 1,000) |
32 |
| Median commute time
(in minutes) |
18.6 |
| % population with commute
45 mins. or longer |
7.6% |
| % population walk or bike to work |
9.1% |
| Movie theaters
(within 15 miles) |
35 |
| Restaurants
(within 15 miles) |
4,763 |
| Bars
(within 15 miles) |
296 |
| Public golf courses
(within 30 miles) |
180 |
| Libraries
(within 15 miles) |
94 |
| Museums (accredited by AAM;
within 30 miles) |
16 |
| Annual rainfall
(inches) |
17.91 |
| % clear days in the area |
44 |
| High temp in July ° F |
83.2°/ 28.3° C |
| Low temp in Jan ° F |
40.4°/ 4.5° C |
| Has health plan
(% of residents) |
88.2% |
| Body mass index (avg. for residents) |
26 |
| Diabetes rates
(% of residents diagnosed) |
11.3% |
| Hypertension rates
(% of residents diagnosed) |
22.9% |
| Median age |
43.7 |
| Completed at least some college
(% of residents) |
90.4% |
| Married |
52.9% |
| Divorced |
9.6% |
Racial diversity index
(100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity) |
134.0 |
Amount spent on vacations
(domestic and foreign, household avg. per year) |
$8,333 |
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 58,598 people, 25,216 households, and 14,600 families residing in the city. The population density was 955.8/km² (2,475.3/mi²). There were 26,048 housing units at an average density of 424.9/km² (1,100.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.76% white, 2.02% African American, 0.21% Native American, 17.22% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 1.41% from other races, and 3.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.65% of the population.
There were 25,216 households, of which 27.2% had resident children under the age of 18, 48.5% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.1% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.
According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $119,046, and the median income for a family was $153,197.[8] Males had a median income of $91,051 versus $60,202 for females. The per capita income for the city was $56,257. About 3.2% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over. The reason for the difference between the household income and the family income can be explained by the fact that some areas of Palo Alto are populated by graduate students, who do not necessarily have to live on the Stanford campus.
Housing
Palo Alto, north of Oregon Expressway, is filled with older homes, including Craftsman and California Colonials, some of which date back to the 1890s but most of which were built in the first four decades of the 20th century. South of Oregon Expressway, the homes, including many Joseph Eichler-designed or Eichler-style houses, were primarily built in the first 20 years after World War II.
While the city contains homes that now cost anywhere from $800,000 to well in excess of $40 million, much of Palo Alto's housing stock is in the style of California mid-century middle-class suburbia. It has highly rated public schools (see: Paly and Gunn), a high quality of life, and a vibrant downtown. The median home sale price for all of Palo Alto was more than $1.3 Million in 2006. According to DataQuick, the median home sale price of Palo Alto for Feb. 2009 fell to $582,500. According to the Coldwell Banker Home Price Comparison Index, Palo Alto ranks in as the 5th most expensive city in the United States, with an average home sales price of $3,677,000 as of 2007. The Coldwell Banker College Home Price Comparison Index ranks Palo Alto as the most expensive college town in the United States. As a result, unlike most other college towns of similar size, most Stanford University students live on campus.
Economy
Palo Alto serves as a central economic focal point of the Silicon Valley, and is home to more than 6,000 businesses employing more than 98,000 people. Many innovative tech firms reside in the Stanford Research Park on Page Mill Road while Sand Hill Road, in the adjacent city of Menlo Park, is a notable haunt for venture capitalists. The city’s economy generally follows the economic trends of the rest of the Silicon Valley. Well-known companies and research facilities headquartered in Palo Alto.
In addition, Palo Alto has a lively retail and restaurant trade, and the Stanford Shopping Center and downtown Palo Alto (centered around University Avenue) are popular destinations.
Utilities
Unlike surrounding communities, electric and gas service within city limits are provided by the city of Palo Alto. A minor exception is a rural portion of the city limits in hills area — west of Interstate 280 and along Page Mill Road — which gets gas and electric service from Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).
Water and Gas Services (WGS) operates gas and water distribution networks within the city limits. Natural gas is purchased from PG&E or third parties and delivered to Palo Alto via PG&E's gas transmission pipeline network. The city operates gas meters and the distribution pipelines. Water comes from city-operated watershed and wells, the Santa Clara Valley Water District, and the City and County of San Francisco Hetch Hetchy system. The city is located in Santa Clara Valley Water District, North Zone. Hetch Hetchy pipeline #3 and #4 pass through the city.
Education
http://www.greatschools.net/city/Palo_Alto/CA
Source: Wikipedia |
