Santa Clara County

County in north-central California; area 3,349 sq km/1,293 sq mi; population (1990) 1,497,577. San Jose is its capital. It extends southeast from San Francisco Bay between the Diablo Range and the Santa Cruz Mountains, incorporating the northern Santa Clara Valley, a rich fruit growing region. Since the 1950s, technological research and manufacturing have spread through the north of the county, creating Silicon Valley. In the south, winemaking, fruit production, and other types of agriculture remain dominant.

Since the 1950s there has been tremendous growth around the educational and industrial centres of Palo Alto, San Jose, and Santa Clara and in their suburbs.