Editing Palo Alto, California (section)

=== Creation of the town ===
[[File:University Avenue at the Circle with train steaming toward El Palo Alto, 1894.jpg|thumb|University Avenue at the Circle with train steaming toward El Palo Alto, 1894]]
In 1884, Leland and Jane Stanford lost their only child [[Leland Stanford Jr.]] when he died of [[typhoid fever]] at 15 years old and decided to create a university in his memory. In 1886, they proposed having the university's gateway be Mayfield. However, they had one condition: alcohol had to be banned from the town. Known for its 13 rowdy saloons, Mayfield rejected his request. This led them to drive the formation of a new [[Temperance Towns|temperance town]] with the help of their friend [[Timothy Hopkins]] of the [[Southern Pacific Railroad]], who in 1887 bought {{convert|740|acre|km2|1}} of private land for the new townsite. This Hopkins Tract, bounded by El Camino Real, San Francisquito Creek, Boyce, Channing, Melville, and Hopkins Avenues, and Embarcadero Road,<ref>{{cite web|title=Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan, page L-3|url=http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/knowzone/city_projects/land_use/comprehensive_plan.asp|access-date=February 3, 2011|archive-date=July 29, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120729063143/http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/knowzone/city_projects/land_use/comprehensive_plan.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref> was proclaimed a local Heritage District during Palo Alto's centennial in 1994. The Stanfords set up their university, [[Stanford University]], and a [[Palo Alto station|train stop]] (on University Avenue) by the new town. This new community was initially called University Park (the name "Palo Alto" at that time was attached to what is now College Terrace), but was [[municipal corporation|incorporated]] in 1894 with the name Palo Alto. With the Stanfords' support, Palo Alto grew to the size of Mayfield. Mayfield eventually passed an ordinance banning saloons that took effect in January 1905.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}