Mountain View

Images of America: California

by Nicholas Perry

Mountain View earned its name for its scenic vantage point between the Santa Cruz and Diablo ranges. Founded as a stagecoach stop along the El Camino Real in 1852, Mountain View became a diverse and bountiful agricultural community in the "Valley of Heart's Delight." During the depths of the Depression, Bay Area citizens raised almost half a million dollars to purchase land north of town that was offered to the navy. The gamble paid off with the opening of Moffett Naval Air Station in 1933, inaugurating Mountain View's turn toward commercial and residential development. It was in an old apricot storage barn on San Antonio Road that William Shockley founded the first silicon manufacturing company in 1956, making it the true birthplace of the "Silicon Valley."

Genres: History

128 pages, Paperback

First published July 10, 2006

Reviews

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best factoid from this book: the infamous Chowchilla bus kidnapping was somehow related to a desire to restore and preserve the Rengstorff House. Next time someone tells me I like local history too much I can point to those guys.

[Sylvia Seymour · Rating 5 out of 5]

From Mayfield Mall to old MVHS, a trip down Memory Lane!