Palo Alto Businesses: Compete for Every Search on Google.

Palo Alto is Silicon Valley's founding address. The HP Garage on Addison Avenue, where Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard founded Hewlett-Packard in 1939, is preserved as a California historic landmark and still called the 'Birthplace of Silicon Valley.' That legacy shapes the entire city: Stanford University anchors the west side, Stanford Research Park fills the office corridor along Page Mill and Hanover with tenants across tech, biotech, and venture-backed startups, and two distinct downtowns, University Avenue and California Avenue, split the retail and restaurant scene between them. Neighborhoods like Professorville, Old Palo Alto, Crescent Park, College Terrace, and Barron Park each have a different property profile and a different customer, from historic homes near downtown to newer builds in South Palo Alto's Midtown and Charleston Meadows. With a median household income above $230,000 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey), Palo Alto residents have both the means and the research habits to be extremely selective about who they hire.

Stanford University, Stanford Research Park (home to VMware, Xerox PARC, and dozens of biotech and venture-backed startups along Page Mill and Hanover), professional and legal services, high-end retail and dining on University and California Avenues. Stanford alone counts among the Peninsula's largest employers, drawing a constant flow of faculty, staff, and visitors into the local economy.