Portola Valley, California
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Portola Valley is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. Located on the San Francisco Peninsula in the Bay Area, Portola Valley is a small, wealthy community nestled on the eastern slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains.<ref name="income94028"/><ref name=SJMN_2024-04-02 />
History
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Portola Valley was named for Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolá, who led the first party of Europeans to explore the San Francisco Peninsula in 1769.
The Native Americans already present were Ohlone and specifically the group (or groups) known as Olpen or Guemelento but these were later moved to Mission Dolores and Mission Santa Clara de Asís which claimed the land and peoples.<ref name="ohlone">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="bocek">Template:Cite journal</ref> The area's written history dates back to 1833, when a square league of land was given to Domingo Peralta and Máximo Martínez by Governor José Figueroa to form the Rancho Cañada del Corte de Madera.<ref name="HistSpots">Template:Cite book</ref> In those days it was used for lumbering and cattle grazing.
By the 1880s Andrew S. Hallidie, a wire rope manufacturer, had built his country home of Eagle Home Farm in what is now Portola Valley. He built a 7,341 foot long aerial tramway from his house to the top of Skyline in 1894 though it was removed after his death in 1900.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1886 the name Portola-Crespi Valley was bestowed on the area from the then community of Crystal Springs (now under Crystal Springs Reservoir to the then community of Searsville (in the area of the present day Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve); Crespi is for Juan Crespí, a Franciscan friar with the Portolà expedition.
The town was incorporated in 1964.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Bill Lane, known as the publisher of Sunset magazine, was the first mayor.<ref name="HistSpots"/>
Housing issues
[edit]In recent years, due to the California housing shortage, the state government has increased its pressure on local governments to allow construction of more housing, using a process called the Regional Housing Needs Assessment.Template:R In late 2021, this assessment declared that Portola Valley needed to allow for the construction of 253 new housing units over the next 8 years.Template:R The state requires localities to submit plans to satisfy this requirement detailing how much housing and what types (low-income, luxury housing) the locality has planned for, and to make zoning changes to allow those types of housing to be built.Template:R Previously, Portola Valley's exclusionary zoning has not allowed any multifamily housing, resulting in a town that is much whiter and wealthier than average for the area, (75% white vs. 35% in San Mateo county as a whole), with the median household income at $250,000 and the average home costing $3.8 million.Template:R
In 2023, during the process of generating the town's housing plan (called a "housing element"), NIMBY homeowners lashed out at the town's workers and Councilmembers, resulting in over two thirds of the town's employees quitting and several of the Councilmembers being replaced.<ref name=SFS_2024-11-14>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:R Additionally, according to the Los Angeles Times, about a dozen residents threatened the mayor that if housing plans were not to their liking, they would sue the town in order to force the town to incur such large litigation costs that it would go bankrupt.Template:R
In March 2024, the California Department of Housing and Community Development decertified Portola Valley's housing plan because the town had failed to re-zone to allow for the new housing.<ref name=SJMN_2024-04-02 >Template:Cite news</ref> By December 2024, fiscal issues arising from the higher costs of using consultants to do the jobs of employees who quit, the costs of lawsuits fighting residents who oppose new housing, and an expected 60% increase in costs for the policing contract with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, led some to consider dissolving Portola Valley and merging it with the county or another nearby city, Woodside.Template:R<ref name=LAT_2024-12-20 >Template:Cite news</ref>
Geography
[edit]Portola Valley is located on the San Francisco Peninsula on the eastern slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The town is west of Interstate 280 and the southwest boundary is along Skyline Boulevard which more or less is the ridge of the mountains. The Windy Hill Open Space Preserve is a large part of the town's southwest side and the north side of the town borders Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve. Woodside borders it to the northwest and Palo Alto to the southeast The unincorporated subdivision of Ladera is adjacent to the northern boundary of the town. It is in a mostly wooded area, with some open fields. The San Andreas Fault bisects the town.<ref name="LostFound">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="GeoMap">Template:Cite web</ref>
Alpine Road and Portola Road are the two relatively main roads in the town and their intersection forms a small shopping nexus.
Portola Valley can generally be divided into 7 subdivisions: Central Portola Valley, The Ranch, Corte Madera, Los Trancos/Vista Verde, Woodside Highlands, Westridge, and Blue Oaks.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of Template:Convert, 99.98% of it land and 0.02% of it water.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2016">Template:Cite web</ref>
Attractions
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Our Lady of the Wayside Church was built in 1912 for the local Catholic community and is a California Historic Landmark and on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Portola Valley School is a one-room former school house built in 1909 and is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.<ref name="pvs">Template:Cite web</ref> It is now used for town council meetings.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Alpine Inn, also known as Casa de Tableta, Rossotti's or Zott's, is one of the oldest existing drinking establishments in California; it started around 1852 when Felix Buelna built it as a gambling house.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The first two-network TCP/IP transmission was between a specialized SRI van and ARPANET on August 27, 1976; the van was parked next to the Alpine Inn and wires were run to one of the picnic tables.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 2018, the inn was acquired by new owners, who closed it temporarily for remodeling.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was re-opened in August 2019.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Trails
[edit]Portola Valley is known for its expansive trail network both maintained by the town<ref name="PVtrails">Template:Cite web</ref> and also in the Windy Hill Open Space Preserve maintained by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District.<ref name="windyhill">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The trail network includes the 235 acre Coal Mine Ridge Nature Preserve which is private property, but, by agreement with the town is set aside as open space.<ref name="coalmineridge">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Demographics
[edit]As of 2020, the town has a much higher percentage of white people than the rest of San Mateo county, with 75% being white as opposed to 35% in San Mateo county overall.<ref name=SJMN_2024-04-02 /> This is the result of its exclusionary zoning ordinances, which prohibit multifamily dwellings anywhere in the town.<ref name=SJMN_2024-04-02 />
As of 2020 the median income per household in Portola Valley was estimated at $235,469 and the per capita income was $142,778.<ref name="income94028">Template:Cite web</ref>
2020
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The 2020 United States census<ref name="2020census">Template:Cite web</ref> reported that Portola Valley had a population of 4,456. The racial makeup was 3,585 (80.45%) White, 11 (0.25%) African American, 4 (0.09%) Native American, 347 (7.79%) Asian, 57 (1.28%) other races, and 452 (10.14%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 230 (5.16%).
There were 1,915 housing units.<ref name="2020census"/>
2010
[edit]The 2010 United States Census<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> reported that Portola Valley had a population of 4,353. The population density was Template:Convert. The racial makeup of Portola Valley was 3,960 (91.0%) White, 12 (0.3%) African American, 5 (0.1%) Native American, 242 (5.6%) Asian, 1 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 29 (0.7%) other races, and 104 (2.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 175 persons (4.0%).
The Census reported that 4,309 people (99.0% of the population) lived in households, 9 (0.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 35 (0.8%) were institutionalized.
There were 1,746 households, out of which 518 (29.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,149 (65.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 70 (4.0%) had a female householder with no husband present, 35 (2.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 37 (2.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 21 (1.2%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 420 households (24.1%) were made up of individuals, and 290 (16.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47. There were 1,254 families (71.8% of all households); the average family size was 2.93.
The population was spread out, with 1,001 people (23.0%) under the age of 18, 145 people (3.3%) aged 18 to 24, 538 people (12.4%) aged 25 to 44, 1,496 people (34.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,173 people (26.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.
There were 1,895 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert, of which 1,392 (79.7%) were owner-occupied, and 354 (20.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 9.8%. 3,702 people (85.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 607 people (13.9%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
[edit]As of the census<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 4,392 people, 1,772 households, and 1,269 families residing in the town. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 1,772 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the town was 4,210 White, 29 African American, 22 Native American, 217 Asian, 5 Pacific Islander, 54 from other races, and 64 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 149.
There were 1,772 households, out of which 532 had children under the age of 18 living with them, 1,176 were married couples living together, 68 had a woman householder with no man present, and 431 were non-families. 339 of all households were made up of individuals, and 226 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the town the age distribution of the population shows 1021 persons under the age of 18, 90 from 20 to 24, 867 from 25 to 44, 1492 from 45 to 64, and 938 who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.5 years old. For every 100 women there were 96.8 men. For every 100 women age 18 and over, there were 91.7 men.
The median income for a household in Portola Valley, including earnings, is $244,771 and the median income for a family was $180,893. Men have a median income of over $200,000 versus $172,585 for women. The per capita income for Portola Valley is $152,128. About 18 families and 104 people were below the poverty line, including 38 of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
Education
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The Portola Valley Elementary School District has two public primary schools: Ormondale School (with grades K–3) and Corte Madera School (grades 4–8). The public high school is Woodside High School, part of the Sequoia Union High School District and in the neighboring community of Woodside.<ref name="schools">Template:Cite web</ref> Ormondale is named for the Ormondale ranch that had covered much of present-day Westridge, Oak Hills, and Ladera and was home to the famous English racehorse, Ormonde, in his later years.<ref name="PVincorp1">Template:Cite web</ref>
Portola Valley is also home to two private schools: Woodside Priory School, an independent college-preparatory Roman Catholic day and boarding school serving grades 6-12, and Woodland School, an independent pre-K-8 grade school.<ref name="schools"/>
The city is served by the Portola Valley Public Library of the San Mateo County Libraries, a member of the Peninsula Library System.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Government
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In the California State Legislature, Portola Valley is in Template:Representative, and in Template:Representative.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Federally, Portola Valley is in Template:Representative.<ref>Template:Cite GovTrack</ref> Politically, Portola Valley leans slightly Democratic based on voting patterns for past presidential elections.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Portola Valley is part of the Woodside Fire Protection District (which also covers Woodside, Ladera, Emerald Hills, Los Trancos, Skyline, and Viste Verde), which has one its three stations in the town.<ref name="fireprotection">Template:Cite web</ref>
For law enforcement, Portola Valley contracts with the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.
The Portola Valley Town Council made up of volunteers elected for four year terms governs the town. It appoints a town manager and other necessary officers and also elects a mayor.<ref name="municode">Template:Cite web</ref>
Notable people
[edit]- John Arrillaga, billionaire businessman and real estate mogul.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Pat Burrell, retired baseball player.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
- Curtis Carlson, former CEO of SRI International<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Roger Craig, retired pro football player.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Hewitt D. Crane (1927–2008), engineer and inventor who worked at SRI International<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Richard Crooks (1900–1972), operatic tenor, longtime host of The Voice of Firestone on network radio who, in later years, sang with the choir at the local Presbyterian church, lived in Portola Valley for many years until his death.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- John Donahoe, an American businessman who is the CEO of Nike; He has been the CEO of tech companies like eBay, PayPal and ServiceNow<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Donna Dubinsky, CEO of Palm, Inc.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Taylor Eigsti, jazz pianist. From Menlo Park, California, but graduated salutatorian of his high school class at Woodside Priory School.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Stanley Falkow (1934–2018) microbiologist, died in Portola Valley.<ref name="nytimes">Template:Cite web</ref>
- Dr. Thomas J. Fogarty, surgeon and inventor of the embolectomy catheter.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Tennessee Ernie Ford (1919–1991), singer best known for "Sixteen Tons".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Cuthbert Hurd (1911–1996), computer pioneer.<ref name= "LZ96">Template:Cite news</ref> who discovered a popular variety manzanita in his garden.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Vinod Khosla, a co-founder of Sun Microsystems and current owner of Khosla Ventures.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Laurence W. "Bill" Lane Jr. (1919–2010), the first mayor and one of the founders of Portola Valley, also served as Ambassador to Japan and Australia for the US, and the publisher of Sunset Magazine.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Chong Moon Lee, founder of Diamond Multimedia.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Jacques Littlefield (1949–2009), president and founder of the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation, one of the largest collections of historical military vehicles in the world.<ref>Military Vehicle Technology Foundation</ref>
- Pete McCloskey, former member of Congress and co-chair of Earth Day. He was also the Town of Portola Valley's first city attorney.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Maverick McNealy, professional golfer, former World No. 1 ranked amateur golfer<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Scott McNealy, co-founder of Sun Microsystems<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Kent Mitchell, Olympic rowing champion, former mayor of Portola Valley<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Ed Oates, a co-founder of Oracle Corporation; currently on the board of the San Francisco Zoological Society, and the San Jose State University Tower Foundation.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>