Palo Alto is a city in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, part of Silicon Valley and home to Stanford University.  Located 35 miles south of San Francisco and 14 miles north of San Jose, Palo Alto is a community of approximately 61,200 residents.  Strategically located and easily accessible to major surface routes, including Interstate 280, Highway 101, Highway 84 - the Dumbarton Bridge and Highway 92 - the Hayward-San Mateo Bridge.  The City‘s boundaries extend from San Francisco Bay on the east to the Skyline Ridge of the coastal mountains on the west and encompasses an area of approximately 26 square miles, of which one-third is open space.  The blend of business and residential areas anchored by a vibrant downtown defines Palo Alto’s unique character with a charming mix of old and new, tree-lined streets and historic buildings reflect its California heritage but at the same time, Palo Alto is recognized worldwide as a leader in cutting-edge technological development.  As befits the City known as "Birthplace of the Silicon Valley," it has developed a 31-mile dark fiber ring for ultra-fast Internet access, complementing its exciting and innovative business community. Palo Alto’s residents are highly educated, politically aware and culturally sophisticated, home to Stanford University with its cultural and educational offerings add to the vibrance, innate charm and beauty of Palo Alto.  There is a remarkable number of city-owned parks considering its size (34 at last count) and East are the marshland trails of Baylands Nature Preserve. Distinctive in every way, Palo Alto offers its business community a diverse and exciting environment in which to live and work.