Woodside, California

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Woodside, California
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settlement_type = Town
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map_caption = Location in San Mateo County and the state of California


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = California
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = San Mateo
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area_total_km2 = 30.5
area_land_km2 = 30.5
area_water_km2 = 0
area_total_sq_mi = 11.8
area_land_sq_mi = 11.8
area_water_sq_mi = 0
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population_as_of = 2000
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population_total = 5352
population_density_km2 = 175.5
population_density_sq_mi = 453.6
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timezone = PST
utc_offset = -8
timezone_DST = PDT
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latd = 37 |latm = 25 |lats = 15 |latNS = N
longd = 122 |longm = 15 |longs = 35 |longEW = W
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elevation_m = 117
elevation_ft = 384
postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 94062
area_code = 650
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 06-86440
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1660202
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Woodside (pop. 5,352) is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula. It uses a council-manager system of government.

Woodside is among the wealthiest communities in the world.

History and culture

The Woodside area was originally home to natives belonging to the Ohlone tribe. In 1769, led by Gaspar de Portolà, Spanish explorers searching for San Francisco Bay camped at a site near Woodside.

Woodside is said to be the oldest English-speaking settlement in the southern part of the San Francisco Peninsula. The first English-speaking settlers arrived in the early 19th century to log the rich stands of redwoods. Charles Brown constructed the first sawmill in Woodside on his Mountain Home Ranch around 1838. His adobe house, built in 1839, still stands today. By mid-century, the Woodside area had a dozen mills producing building materials for a booming San Francisco.

In 1849, during the California Gold Rush, 20-year-old Mathias Alfred Parkhurst purchased convert|127|acre|km2|1 of timberland and named it “Woodside"; of course, this name kept. By the late 19th century, Woodside was home to country estates.

In 1909, the Family, a private club, set up camp facilities and rustic buildings in Woodside at the Family Farm, a rural retreat used by club members for recreation. Gatherings at the Family Farm include an annual Farm Play, written and performed by members. In 1912, the Family pooled funds to build Our Lady of the Wayside Church in Portola Valley, designed by 19-year-old Timothy Pflueger, his first commission. [cite book |title=Art Deco San Francisco: The Architecture of Timothy Pflueger |last=Poletti |first=Therese |year=2008 |publisher=Princeton Architectural Press |isbn=1568987560 |url=http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=tcUhJJJwCoIC ] The historic building was repaired at a cost of US$600,000 after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. [ [http://www.stdenisparish.org/history.htm St. Denis Parish. History] ]

Woodside was incorporated in 1956 to prevent urbanization, and it still retains a rural residential character, though it is a short commute to Silicon Valley.

Today, Woodside is among the wealthiest small towns in the United States. Vacant lots, were any to be found, would sell for over a million dollars. Several well-known people live here, including Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle Corporation; Gordon E. Moore, co-founder of Intel and originator of Moore's Law; John Thompson, CEO of Symantec; Neil Young, rock singer, who owns a 1500 acre (6 km²) ranch there; Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and Pixar has a house here, but actually lives in Palo Alto; Shirley Temple Black, US ambassador and former child actress; Ted Belanoff, a famous California chess player, Michelle Pfeiffer, actress, and her husband David E. Kelley, producer; Thomas Siebel, founder of Siebel Systems; Scott Cook, co-founder of Intuit, Inc.; John Doerr, venture capitalist; Dr. Carl Djerassi, novelist and member of team that developed the birth control pill; Kenneth Fisher, investor, "Forbes" columnist, author, and local historian; Susan Dawson, philanthropist; and Joan Baez, folk singer. Woodside is also home to Koko, the gorilla who was taught American Sign Language.

The very small business district includes a few restaurants (Buck's, Woodside Bakery & Cafe, John Bentley's, and The Village Pub), a grocery store (Roberts Market), a hardware store, an art gallery and picture framing store (Allegro Framing and Art) and a home and garden store. The town is home to the famous [http://www.buckswoodside.com Buck's of Woodside] restaurant, which is well known among Silicon Valley entrepreneurs as the location where many VC investment deals have been signed. The inside of the restaurant is decorated with historic Silicon Valley artifacts. The corporate headquarters for Fisher Investments sits atop Kings Mountain in Woodside.

Horses are part of the local culture. Many residents keep horses, and the town government maintains a network of horse trails. The town is also quite popular among local cyclists and draws them in large numbers on summer weekends. Most popular road cycling routes include Old La Honda Rd., King's Mountain Rd, Canada Rd., Southgate Dr., Skyline Rd. and Highway 84. Woodside is home to a number of open space preserves, including the Purisima Open Space (which is part of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space), where both horseback riding and bicycling is allowed.

The Woodside Fire District is a special district serving Woodside, Portola Valley and unincorporated areas including Ladera, Los Trancos Woods, Vista Verde, Emerald Lake, Menlo Park (Unincorporated) and Skyline/State Route 35 area.

Dr. Carl Djerassi founded an artists colony in the community in memory of his late daughter. The Djerassi Resident Artists Program is one of several Bay Area programs which house artists in an environment where they can be creative without worrying about how to pay the rent. Others include Villa Montalvo in Saratoga and Marin Headlands Center for the Arts north of San Francisco.

It is adjacent to the campus of Stanford University, which is east of the town.

Geography and climate

Woodside is located at coor dms|37|25|15|N|122|15|35|W|city (37.420704, -122.259777)GR|1.

Woodside is located on the San Francisco Peninsula, midway between San Jose and San Francisco, just north of Silicon Valley, in San Mateo County. The infamous San Andreas Fault runs through town. This fault is a major source of earthquake activity in California, including the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

Much of Woodside is wooded, with redwoods dominating in the western hills and more oaks and eucalyptus in the lower areas. San Francisco Bay lies to the east, while Pacific Ocean beaches lie to the west. The Santa Cruz mountains separate Woodside from the ocean and extend down to Monterey Bay about forty miles south.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 11.8 square miles (30.5 km²), all land.

The nearest cities and towns are Redwood City, Menlo Park, Portola Valley, Atherton, San Carlos, Belmont, East Palo Alto and Palo Alto.

Climate

As is true of most of the California coastal areas, weather in Woodside is usually mild during most of the year. Summers are dry and can be hot; winter temperatures rarely dip much below freezing. Average January temperatures are a maximum of convert|60|°F|°C|abbr=on and a minimum of convert|36|°F|°C|abbr=on. Average July temperatures are a maximum of convert|88|°F|°C|abbr=on and a minimum of 51 °F. [worldclimate.com] Snowfall is extremely rare except in the nearby Santa Cruz Mountains, where several inches falls every several years. Annual precipitation averages 30.9 inches (785.4 milimeters) and falls on an average of 61 days annually. [citytowninfo.com]

The record maximum temperature was convert|114|°F|°C|abbr=on on July 22, 2006, and the record minimum temperature was convert|17|°F|°C|abbr=on on February 6, 1989. Temperatures reach 90 °F (32 °C) or higher on an average of 48.4 days annually. Temperatures drop to freezing on an average of 10.0 days annually. The most rainfall in one year was convert|59.86|in|mm in 1983. The most rainfall in one month was convert|20.50|in|mm in December 2002 and the most in 24 hours was convert|4.64|in|mm on December 1, 2002. On February 5, 1976, 3.0 inches of snow fell at the fire station. [wrcc.dri.edu]

Hills and mountains between Woodside and the Pacific coast make fog much less prevalent than in nearby San Francisco.

Environmental features

Woodside has a variety of habitat types including California oak woodland and riparian zones. There is considerable biodiversity present, Woodside being within the California Floristic Province. Notable species present include the rare and endangered species "Acanthomintha duttonii", the San Mateo Thornmint'

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 5,352 people, 1,949 households, and 1,516 families residing in the town. The population density was 455.1 people per square mile (175.7/km²). There were 2,030 housing units at an average density of 172.6/sq mi (66.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.21% White, 0.37% African American, 0.15% Native American, 4.99% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 1.31% from other races, and 2.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.33% of the population.

There are 1,949 households, of which 31.6% have children under the age of 18. 68.8% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.2% were non-families. 15.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 32.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.1 males.

The median household income in the town is $171,126, and the median family income is $196,505. The per capita income for the town was $104,667. About 1.6% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

In the state legislature Woodside is located in the 8th Senate District, represented by Democrat Leland Yee, and in the 21st Assembly District, represented by Democrat Ira Ruskin. Federally, Woodside is located in California's 14th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +18 [cite web | title = Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest? | publisher = Campaign Legal Center Blog | url=http://www.clcblog.org/blog_item-85.html | accessdate = 2008-02-10] and is represented by Democrat Anna Eshoo.

Film and television

The house in the Robin Williams movie "Bicentennial Man" is in Woodside. "Dynasty" was filmed at the Filoli Estate (not the interior of the mansion, but the exterior), as were the films "The Wedding Planner", "The Game", "Lolita", "George of the Jungle", "Heaven Can Wait", and "Harold and Maude". The musical Rent also has a scene filmed inside the Filoli Estate. Singer Tennessee Ernie Ford lived in Woodside for many years until his death.

Notable residents

=

ee also

* Skeggs Point
* Citizens of Woodside A blog focusing on the town of Woodside.

External links

* [http://www.woodsidetown.org/ Town of Woodside home page]
* [http://www.smcl.org Woodside Public Library - a branch of the San Mateo County Library]
* [http://www.woodsidefire.org/ Woodside Fire District]