Cupertino (Calif.)

Cupertino ( KOOP-ər-TEEN-oh) is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States, directly west of San Jose on the western edge of the Santa Clara Valley with portions extending into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The population was 60,381 as of the 2020 census. The city is widely known for being the home of Apple Inc., headquartered within the city at Apple Park. Named for a local creek by Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza's cartographer bearing the name of Saint Joseph of Cupertino, Cupertino was officially incorporated in 1955, though it saw economic activity in the early 19th century. The area was originally an agricultural community producing prunes, apricots and cherries, with a winery joining the ranks by the 19th century. Cupertino grew immensely during the 1950s due to the suburban housing boom experienced after the Second World War, concurring with the earliest roots of Silicon Valley developing near Cupertino. By the 1960s, office parks were being built and technology companies were setting up shop in the city, most notably Apple and Hewlett-Packard. Today, Cupertino remains a cornerstone of Silicon Valley with its residents making a median household income of just under $200,000 a year. The economy is dominated by technology companies, both large ones like Apple, as well as medium-sized companies and various Silicon Valley startups.