User:Ravi Namboori Santaclara/sandbox

Santa Clara, California is located in the prestigious Bay Area in the Silicon Valley, the information technology (IT) hub of the world. It has been named so after the Spanish mission set up there as far back in 1777.

Although it is a ‘small’ city, with a population of just above 110,000, it is the headquarters for software giants, such as NVIDIA, Intel, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), McAfee, Agilent Technologies, National Semiconductor, Sun Microsystems, among others.

About 45 miles southeast of San Francisco, it is a cosmopolitan city, which has been made home by people from Asia, Europe, besides the natives. On its west are the cities of Mountain View and Sunnyvale, while San Jose is on its east. Mineta San Jose International Airport is the closest international airport to the city, which is much warmer and sunnier than San Francisco.

The best aspect of the town of the city are its restaurants, which offer Indian and East Asian cuisines. Ingredients native to various parts of the world are also available here.

There are other hidden treasures that are not obvious to the casual glancing eyes. Explore the Intel Museum, which is open six days of the week. You can brush up your knowledge of technology here.

Of course, the Mission Santa Clara, without which the city would not have existed, has now become the campus for the Santa Clara University. It definitely warrants a visit.

de Saisset Museum on El Camino Real has both rotating exhibitions and works of Ernest de Saisset, painter from 19th century Santa Clara student.

The Agnews Historic Park, originally founded in 1899, houses three buildings of the old California Hospital for the Chronic Insane. Following an earthquake in1906, its original buildings caved in, paving way for new buildings, whose architecture is inspired by the Mediterranean Revival kind of the early twentieth century. They are a superintendent's residence, still-standing auditorium, and clock tower.

The new buildings were constructed adopting a more inclusive attitude towards the mentally challenged. They have larger windows and were designed with an objective to provide succor to these people. The California state, however, moved them to a different location and the campus was bought by Sun Microsystems. The software company has preserved its old glory by not disturbing the grounds and buildings. Public events are allowed to be held at the auditorium and executive mansion.

Triton Museum of Arts, whose admission is free, has different types of rotating exhibits, while Harriss-Lass Historic Museum is a 19th century farmhouse, which has been made a museum of local history. KoreaTown houses an array of restaurants, stores and businesses owned by the Koreans.

Edward Peterman Museum of Railroad History and South Bay Historical Railroad Society is located in the historical depot building of Santa Clara railway. Close to the Santa Clara Caltrain station, it offers an amazing assortment of historical railroad articles. It also is home to San Francisco 49ers.

Santa Clara City Hall is surrounded by grounds that house a statue of Santa Clara, fountains, ‘Stroll Into the Past’ plaques, and flagpoles, which feature all the flags flown over Santa Clara till date.

Old Quad resembles a 19th century town, with old homes of that period still being preserved there. Agnews Historic Cemetery and Museum, which was thrown open to public in 2010, is a memorial for people, who worked at the Agnews State Hospital.

There are many activities for leisure in Santa Clara. You can enjoy the Santa Clara Art & Wine Festival with beer, wines and food. You could shop and also dine at Franklin Square. Do not forget to see the Universal Child, a 79ft statue depicting the space technology of 1960s.

For golf aficionados, Pruneridge Golf Club is there, while music buffs can go to the free ‘concerts in the park’, located at the Central Park Pavilion, and also visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace statue, a 32ft high structure. For a town of this size, it has does have an exhaustive list of attractions, and not all are mentioned here!