*You'll notice that others had mentioned my difficulty level was rated as being higher than it should have. Initially I was hoping to place it in a MUCH more difficult location, but it was too close to the end of a puzzle cache, so that's why I had to move it to its current location. I still say it's a 2 in difficulty if nothing else because of the constant traffic...except for my FTF cacher who got lucky! Congrats lel_h on the FTF! (I feel like you stalk me & my caches now & I also feel the need to step up my difficulty levels. Challenge accepted!)
There was a time when there were orchards as far as the eye could see. Walnuts, almonds, grapes, pears & peaches were also a part of the vast diversity of what were the building blocks to The Valley of Heart's Delight. I have placed this cache in a location that use to boast orchards for miles in every direction.
Before it was Silicon Valley, the Santa Clara Valley was a land of orchards and farmland. This photo, taken from the top of Mount Hamilton in 1914, shows the wide expanse of the valley.
Known by many as the "Valley of Heart's Delight," early 20th-century farms in the Santa Clara Valley supplied one-third of the world's prunes, in addition to huge quantities of tomatoes, grains, onions, carrots, cherries, and walnuts.
A group of men posed with a trenching machine made by the Knapp Plow Company. The manufacturers were an important part of the region's development into an agricultural hub, as the plows they created made it possible to farm the valley's hillsides.
By 1939, the region was home to 18 canneries, 13 dried-fruit packing houses, and 12 fresh-fruit and vegetable shipping firms, including companies owned by the Leonard family and the ancestors of what would eventually become Del Monte.
As the region's railway network improved over time, the Santa Clara Valley became the world's largest center for canned goods and fruit processing.
As these orchards flourished the valley became known for the spring profusion of blossoms. Many more people passed through the Cupertino area first by electric railway and later by car to view all the blossoms in the "Valley of Heart's Delight." Because of the electric railway, the Monta Vista area of Cupertino developed. Monta Vista was the name of its first housing tract.
And Then There Was "Progress":
In the late 1940's, Cupertino was swept up in Santa Clara Valley's postwar population explosion. Concerned by unplanned development, higher taxes and piecemeal annexation to adjacent cities, Cupertino's community leaders began a drive in 1954 for incorporation. Incorporation was approved in a September 27, 1955 election. Cupertino officially became Santa Clara County's 13th City on October 10, 1955.
Until the mid-1960s, Cupertino remained largely a town of ranches and estate vineyards. Then two things happened: De Anza College opened, and soon after, computers came on the scene. Cupertino's growth obliterated not only the original names but many of the old landmarks, replacing them with a proliferation of shopping malls. Notable locations occupies the places where the city's first post office, blacksmith shop and general store once stood, replacing them with chain stores and restaurants.
Today, most nightlife is over the border in less residential San Jose -- which had begun to spread tentacles across the valley in the postwar years. Fear of annexation caused Cupertino to incorporate in 1955, and the population has since grown tenfold, to more than 52,000. Cupertino was motivated to set its original boundaries by residents who were concerned that nearby cities' attempts to incorporate the area would submerge the community's distinctive qualities and diminish home rule. In this way, "community character" has been an integral aspect of Cupertino since it was established.
Today, the private sector in Cupertino is dominated by high-tech electronics and computer corporations. The City serves as a corporate headquarters and center for research and development. Virtually no manufacturing takes place in the City, because land and living costs are too high. Representatives of corporate businesses indicate that their companies enjoy a competitive advantage by having facilities in Cupertino. This is because highly skilled, sought-after employees prefer working and living in the Cupertino area, with its moderate size and unique, balanced mix of high technology firms, retail center, open space, quality schools and residential areas.
http://www.vintag.es/2014/07/vintage-photos-of-silicon-valley-before.html
http://www.cupertino.org/index.aspx?page=622
