Cupertino is world renowned for its position at the center of the technology industry and for the excellence of its schools. Boasting the best-education and most creative workforce in Silicon Valley, Cupertino is a natural home for such innovative companies as Apple, Arc Sight, Chordiant, Durect, Hewlett Packard, Panasonic, Seagate Technology, Sugar CRM, TrendMicro, and Verigy. Cupertino’s unique blend of education, world-class employers, diversity, and quality of life make it the ideal community to start a business or raise a family.

Cupertino’s public schools are widely recognized as among the best in the nation. Both the Cupertino Union School District and the Fremont Union High School District pride themselves on integrating technology into the curriculum and offering a wide variety of academic programs. The results are extraordinary. Each of the 15 public schools in Cupertino received an API score of more than 850 in 2010 and 9 of those schools scored 950 or more (out of 1000). Additionally, more than 90% of students from the public high schools go on to attend college.

Given its exceptional K-12 education, it is not surprising that Cupertino is also home to excellent institutions of higher education. De Anza College and University of San Francisco have campuses in the city. The three schools offer a mix of AA, bachelor, and graduate degrees as well as professional certifications. De Anza’s transfer rates to UC or CSU campuses consistently ranks as #1 or #2 among the state’s community colleges and it offers programs in animation, environmental studies that are recognized as best in class.

Cupertino represents the best place in Silicon Valley to locate a business. Whether starting a retail store or locating a technology company, Cupertino draws the personnel and customer base necessary to make your business successful. The local workforce is the best educated in the region, with over 65% of the adult population holding a college degree. Our workforce is also extremely innovative – Cupertino ranks in the top 10 nationally of cities with the most registered patents. Finally, Cupertino boasts an extremely attractive customer base. Consumer-focused businesses benefit from a community whose median household income exceeds $143,000, while entities focused on enterprise sales benefit from their proximity to numerous world-class corporations.

Located in the heart of the Silicon Valley, Cupertino provides its residents access to a diversity of employment, shopping, and cultural opportunities and amenities. While a number of the residents of Cupertino live and work in the immediate community, the city’s proximity to Highway 85, Interstate 280, and Lawrence Expressway also provide quick and convenient access to many destinations in and around the B ay Area. Several public transit options also exist in the area, including the Valley Transportation Authority’s bus system. As the public transit infrastructure for California and the Bay Area develops, the Cupertino Chamber will continue to work with the public, officials, and the business community to ensure that these economic and environmentally-friendly options benefit Cupertino as well as the larger community.

Cupertino is a general law city, following the requirements set forth by the state of California. The governing body of the city government is the City Council, which is comprised of five members who serve staggered four-year terms, with three members elected in one election cycle and two members elected in the other cycle. Elections are held every other year in the odd years.

City facilities, many of which can be utilized on a reservation basis, are found throughout Cupertino, and include an active and energetic Senior Center, an abundance of well-maintained park spaces, the Sports Center, athletic fields, and the Quinlan Center, where a number of activities and meetings take place. Many of the activities of the city government take place in a modern, state-of-the-art facility encompassing both municipal space and, in keeping with the values of the overall community, a well-patronized library. This Civic Center Complex reflects both the innovative spirit and small-town roots of the community.

The thoughtfully designed Community Hall, equipped with such features as multi-media speaking lecterns and the capability to broadcast proceedings live on TV, radio, and the internet, is a space large enough to hold community-wide public sessions, but at the same time adheres to the value that community participation should take place within a non-imposing, discussion-friendly environment. The Civic Plaza, an outdoor space just outside of Community Hall, contains many trees, a number of seating area, and a set of fountains which are very popular with families and their children.

A family-oriented community with a very low crime rate, Cupertino centers its social scene around a healthy, active, and well-educated lifestyle. Adjacent to Community Hall is a two-story library. Containing many family-friendly features, such as a wall-integrated 16-foot aquarium next to the children’s books section, this library, which is a branch of the greater Santa Clara County system, has had the distinction for each of the past several years of having the county’s highest circulation.

Cupertino is replete with facilities for a diverse array of sports and other activities, including baseball, gymnastics, softball, soccer, cricket, swimming, and tennis. The city’s Parks and Recreation department offers over 200 activities, ranging from painting to karate, pottery to guitar lessons, language to a wide array of dance classes, and various after-school music programs. Parks are distributed throughout the community, which include a nature preserve, a 9-hole community golf course, and an extensive tennis facility at the Sports Center. A number of classes and community events are offered or hosted by De Anza College, which is also home to the Euphrat Museum of Art.

A number of venues make Cupertino an eclectic and fascinating venue for shopping and dining. In many ways, the relatively rapid change in the demographic make-up of the Cupertino community in recent decades has been reflected in the diverse mixture of shopping and dining experiences. In recent years, Cupertino has witnessed an expansion of culinary offerings from many excellent and authentic restaurants, which now number more than 160 throughout the city. The city’s largest shopping center, the Vallco Mall, also known as Cupertino Square, is anchored by the Macy’s, Sears, and JC Penney department stores, and also includes the AMC Theaters, the Bowlmor Lanes bowling alley, and an ice skating rink. Working together with the community, the Cupertino Chamber will continue its efforts to make Cupertino an economically vibrant and healthy environment.