51 Interesting Facts About Silicon Valley
51 Interesting Facts About Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is known to be THE epicentre of technological activity in the United States. On the other hand, Quiz Coconut are THE hub of trivia! Therefore, we could not resist sharing all of our wonderful knowledge on Silicon Valley. Without further ado, check out our top 51 facts about Silicon Valley!
1. Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a nickname for the southern portion of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. The “valley” refers to the Santa Clara Valley, which includes the city of San Jose and surrounding cities and towns.
2. Silicon
The word “silicon” originally referred to the large number of silicon chip innovators and manufacturers in the region. As of now, Silicon Valley is the residence of many of the world’s largest technology companies.
3. The annual profit is around $275 billion
This is approximately equal to the whole of Finland!
4. It is where the first Apple computer was built
In the 1960’s, the Job’s family moved to the Los Altos era. In 2013, the house itself was declared to be a historical site due to this technological achievement.
5. Silicon Valley is home to the 39 companies that are on Fortune 1000 list
6. It is the headquarters for the biggest companies in the world
This includes Apple Computers, Tesla, Google, HP, Dell, Sony, and more!
7. Silicon Valley used to be a Navy research facility
Silicone Valley is home to Moffet Federal Airfield. To be exact, it was located in the San Francisco Bay area.
8. “Valley of the Heart’s Delight”
In the mid of 20th century, the Santa Clara Valley was filled with lustrous cherry blossoms. As a result of this, it was fondly nicknamed “the valley of the hearts delight”.
9. Silicon Valley Unicorn
Unfortunately, this does not refer to the one-horned mythological creature, but instead, refers to a private start-up in the region that is valued at over $1 billion.
10. Silicone Valley encompasses more than 1,850 square miles
11. Several countries have also adopted the term ‘silicon’ valley to refer to their technology centers
Examples include “Silicon City” in India, “Brazilian Silicon Valley”, “Silicon Paradise” in Costa Rica, “Dubai Silicon Oasis” in Dubai, “Gulf of Silicon” in the Philippines, and “Silicon Islands” in Japan.
12. It Was Once Nicknamed ‘The Valley Of Death’
Rest assured, this does not mean literal death! This refers to the panic over the computers replacing jobs. In addition, Silicon Valley is also where popular drama films such as Dangerous Minds and One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest are filmed.
13. Half of the World’s Technology Billionaires Reside in Silicone Valley
For reference, there are 143 that are known across the globe.
14. Silicon Valley is where you will find Facebook Headquarters
They can be found at 1 Hacker Way.
15. Elon Musk began a PhD at Stanford University but left to pursue an entrepreneurial career in Silicon Valley
16. Big Companies began in garages
Brothers Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard were the first and founded HP in a garage in Palo Alto.
17. Mobile Marijuana Services
Weed is indeed legal in California! You can find it in some food trucks on the streets and at company doors at certain times of the day.
18. There is a mobile dentistry service in Silicon Valley
They stop at companies like Airbnb and Google to attend to their employees’ dental needs. Interestingly, they provide complete cleaning and even X-rays.
19. You may see a robot at your hotel!
You read that right! Interestingly, robots are in use for various private functions, including delivering food and even room service. The most popular is K5, made by the company Knightscope who specializes in advanced security.
20. It Has A Population of 4 Million
21. The term Silicon Valley was first used by Electronic News on its January 10, 1971
The journalist Don Hoefler, who at the time was writing about the history of the semiconductor, penned this term in his three-part series.
22. Increasing Growth
From 1992 to 1999 Silicon Valley grew by 23%, adding more than 230,000 jobs. This means, that at this time, it accounted for roughly 40 percent of California’s export trade.
23. Awful For Traffic
A study from GPS navigation company TomTom indicates that the Bay Area has the second-worst traffic in the United States. For reference, Los Angeles counts as the first!
24. The most expensive listed property is currently for sale for nearly $100 million
The home boasts 20 rooms, two fireplaces and a pool!
25. The region’s largest city is San Jose
26. Long Commutes
According to the San Francisco Business Times, it would not be seen as odd to take 10 hours to drive to work! In addition to this, some people often sleep in their workspace parking lot! This is because it saves them from paying huge rent costs.
27. There are people who live in shipping containers
This is much cheaper than the current cost of rent! In addition to this, people also live in motor homes or vans.
28. Silicon Valley Consists of 30 Cities And 5 Universities
Cities include Cupertino, Los Gatos, Mountain View, San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and many others.
29. On average, Silicon Valley has the highest housing prices in the USA
Just to give you an idea, a house with 4 bedrooms in Palo Alto can cost around $2.8 million dollars. In addition to this, the price for an acre of land can be around $15 million.
30. Silicon Valley also accounts for one-third of all of the venture investment in the United States
31. Desirable Salaries
The annual average salary in Silicon Valley is US$ 122,000 and can reach US$ 174,000. For comparison, the national average national salary is approximately $67,340.
32. It is not very diverse!
Sadly, in terms of ethnic and gender diversity, Silicone Valley is not at the forefront. For example, Apple reports that 80% of its global tech staff are male. In addition to this, 54% are staffed by Caucasians and 23% by Asians. Furthermore only 8.8% of companies have women CEOs in Silicone Valley. Overall, this is thee lowest percentage in the state of California.
33. There is a TV Comedy Series Based on Silicon Valley
Starting in 2014, HBO launched a sitcom called ‘Silicon Valley’. It follows an imaginary technology company, Pied Piper, who are looking to achieve the success of their start-up. What is more, Bill Gates has confirmed that he likes the series because it is a great portrayal of reality in Silicon Valley.
34. Silicon Valley’s largest higher-learning institution
San Jose State University It has over 4,000 employees and over 30,000 students.
35. In 2020, 81 billionaires were reportedly living in Silicon Valley
36. San Jose
San Jose is the top-third safest big city in the U.S. It is also and is known as the Capital City of Silicone Valley.
37. “Boys Club”
“The Elephant in the Valley”, a survey for women in the workplace, interviewed over 200 women in the San Francisco technology industry. The result of this was that 60% of women reported unwanted sexual advances. Furthermore, 87% claim to be demeaned by male colleagues.
38. Stanford University is the second most popular university in the United States
According to Top Universities, as of 2020, Stanford University ranks at second. In addition, it is one of the largest universities in the United States.
39. Silicon Valley is made up of the 10 most inventive towns in America
This is according to the Wall Street Journal Story of 2006.
40. Over half the population of Silicon Valley posses an advanced degree
41. The USA Department of Defence has a facility in The Silicon Valley
The purpose of this department is to research new technology that can help the armed forces during mission cycles. In particular, it devloped high tech communication devices.
42. Families in Silicon Valley have fewer children
There are only 1.88 children in each family, as compared to 2.12 in the rest of the country.
43. Silicon Valley is currently researching immortality
At present, there are three current pathways. Firstly, it is to use gene therapy to reduce the length of telomeres on human DNA. Secondly, there are studies ongoing to ‘upload’ our brain into an artificial body. Finally, scientists are looking for ways to slow down the process of aging.
44. It is classified as a “Smart City”
This means that it uses technology in an attempt to improve the quality of life.
45. 300 out of 1000 workers in Silicon Valley are employed in the IT sector
46. Many Tech Workers Engage in the practice of “Biohacks”
These are attempts to improve efficiency by altering human bodily functions. For example, intermitted fasting to improve efficiency. Even more, there is even a club, called WeFast, that is popular among technology employees. Business Insider reports that members from this group forgo food for up to 14 ours across several days!
47. The Traitorous Eight
The “traitorous eight” were employees of Shockley Semiconductor who left to form Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957. They set the pattern of frequent job-hopping and company formation.
48. Walt Disney helped Hewlett-Packard get started as one of its first customers
Disney ordered eight Hewlett-Packard oscillators in 1938 to test recording equipment for “Fantasia.” Disney is still a major HP Inc. customer today.
49. The first iPod was sold here
In 2001!
50. The computer mouse was invented in Silicon Valley in 1963.
51. San Jose Featured the first street car
There you have it! Silicon Valley is loaded with a plethora with fun and interesting facts. What is your favorite fact about Silicon Valley? Leave a comment and let the Quiz Coconut team know!
