South Bay

The portions of California known as Silicon Valley, Santa Clara Valley, and Santa Clara County are collectively referred to as "South Bay" a sub-region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Fully fifteen incorporated cities are located here: Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga, and Sunnyvale.

In addition to those, another half dozen incorporated cities are frequently considered as belonging to South Bay by local reporting media: Capitola, Hollister, San Juan Bautista, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, and Watsonville. Of all these municipalities, San Jose is the largest.

The "South Bay" designation is relatively recent, positioning the area as distinct from San Francisco's other large sub-regions: East Bay, North Bay, Wine Country, and the Peninsula. The image it seeks to portray is decidedly high-tech.

Attractions in South Bay are many. Its universities include Stanford, San Jose State, and UCSC. Both Google and Apple have their corporate campuses here. Noteworthy museums range from the Computer History Museum and the Tech Museum of Innovation to the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum and the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose. Other popular sites are the Winchester Mystery House, the Hayes Mansion, Lick Observatory, and HP Pavilion, among others.