Santa Clara

  

Province of Santa Clara (en) Santa Clara (es) Saint-Clair (fr) Santa Clara (tn) 圣克拉拉省 (zh) Tỉnh Xânh-ta Gà-lê-ra (vn) 샌타클래라주 (kr) サンタ・クララ州 (ja) Sankt Klara (de)
— Province of Sierra —
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): The Green Lady (official), The Silicon Valley Province, The Tech Province, The South Bay, Valley of Heart's Delight, The Prune Province, The Sharkhead Province
Motto(s): Liberty or Death
Provincial song(s): "Our Fair Green Lady"
Official language(s)	9 languages English Spanish French Han Chinese Vietnamese Korean Japanese German
Demonym	Santa Clarian(s)
Capital (and largest city)	San Jose
Area	Ranked 16th
• Total	10,625 sq mi (27,519 km2)
Population	Ranked 7th
• Total	5,574,330 (2010)
• Density	524.64/sq mi  (202.56/km2) Ranked 3rd
Elevation
• Highest point	Mount Ritter 13,149 ft (4,008 m)
• Lowest point	sea level
Admission to the Union	November 27, 1858 (6th)
Lord Superintendent	Johnathan Sterrett
Governor	Alfonso Tsai (DR)
Lieutenant Governor	Hailey Khan (DR)
Legislature	Santa Clara Legislative Assembly
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Delegates
K.S. Senators	Marco Murillo (DR) Frank Liccardo (DR) Vanessa McEnery (SD)
K.S. House delegation	14 total commoners 8 Democratic-Republicans 2 Social Democrats 2 Christian Democrats 2 Royalists
Time zone	Pacific Time Zone UTC –8/UTC –7
Abbreviations	SC, SC, St. Cl.
Category • Topics

Santa Clara, officially the Province of Santa Clara, is a province in the Styxie region on the Pacific Northwestern coast of Sierra. It is bordered by San Francisco to the northwest, San Joaquin to the north and east, Central Valley to the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is the 16th largest province by total area and the 7th most populous province. Its capital and largest city is San Jose, which is the largest city in Northern Sierra and the fourth largest in the country. Santa Clara was the second province to be admitted into the Kingdom, sharing its admission with the nation's foundation on November 27, 1858.

Santa Clara was inhabited by numerous Amerindian tribes, most notably the Ohlone, for thousands of years before it was explored and settled by the Spaniards. During Spanish and Mexican control, missions and towns were established as it became a regional hub for settlers. Following the Mexican–American War, Santa Clara became one of the original states of the California Republic and was a central location of the Gold Rush. It became a K.S. province in 1858 but seceded from the Kingdom in 1874 during the Sierran Civil War. After the war ended, Santa Clara was readmitted in 1877 and experienced rapid industrialization in its western counties, creating a socioeconomic divide between the coastal cities and the eastern rural interior counties.

The province is distinctive for its ethnically and linguistically diverse population, as well as its technology-dominant economy. It is one of only Sierran provinces with a plurality of Asian Sierrans although there is a noticeable racially demographic divide between the western and eastern parts of the province. It is internationally known for Silicon Valley, home to some of the world's largest technology companies such as Google, Apple Inc., and Intel, as well as its prune industry, provincial fairs, provincial parks system, urban trail networks, and wildlife preservation projects.

Its economy is the fourth largest in the country, with its largest industries being high-technology engineering, internet, telecommunications, education, medicine, real estate, tourism, and agriculture. As of 2019, it is the fastest growing economy, as well as the second fastest growing population. It had the highest median household income out of any province in 2019 and has the most educated population (based on those who have attained a bachelor's degree or higher). It is also ranked as the second safest province and has the third highest ranked public school system in the country.

Etymology

Santa Clara symbols
The Flag of Santa Clara
The Seal of Santa Clara
Living insignia
Amphibian	Sierra red-legged frog
Bird	Sierra thrasher
Fish	Pink salmon
Flower	Fragrant fritillary
Mammal	Pronghorn
Reptile	Blunt-nosed leopard skink
Inanimate insignia
Colors	Red, white, yellow
Food	Hangtown fry
Motto	Liberty or Death
Poem	"The Green Lady of Santa Clara"
Ship	HRMS Santa Clara
Slogan	Ceaseless Imagination Awaits
Song	"Our Fair Green Lady"
Provincial route marker
Part of a series on the provinces, states, areas, and territories of Sierra

The province was named after the first mission established within its borders: Mission Santa Clara de Asís. The mission was originally established as Mission Santa Clara de Thamien, in honor of Saint Clare of Assisi and the Tamyen people. Saint Clare of Assisi is an important Catholic saint who founded the Order of Poor Ladies during the 13th century. She is the patron saint of the province and her feast day (July 16) coincides with Santa Clara Day, the province's legal holiday which commemorates the province and its history. Santa Clara is the Hispanicized name of Saint Clare and similar to most Spanish-named places in Sierra, its name was preserved in Spanish by the Anglo-Americans when Mexico was defeated by California in 1848.

Nicknames

A painting depicting St. Clare of Assisi in green as the "Green Lady"

The official provincial nickname of Santa Clara is the Green Lady. The moniker originates from the time of the Sierran Civil War when Santa Clara was the second province to join the Second California Republic after its neighbor San Joaquin. The name reflects Santa Clara's longstanding association with republicanism. Green is the traditional color associated with Sierran republicanism. Both Santa Clara (especially Eastern Santa Clara) and San Joaquin have been paired as the integral core of the Styxie, known as the Heartland. The "Green Lady" was used affectionately by Sierran republicans as a personification for the province. Imagery depicting an anthropomorphic Santa Clara as a lady in a green dress became prevalent in Sierran political cartoons and advertisements involving the province. In 1921, the Santa Clara Legislative Assembly officially declared the "Green Lady" as the provincial nickname.

A contemporary nickname ascribed to Santa Clara is "The Silicon Valley Province". The province is home to Silicon Valley, a region known for its globally leading role in science, high technology, engineering, computing, innovation, and social media. Major technology companies such as Alphabet Inc. (Google), Apple Inc., Intel, Cabrillo Technologies, HP Inc., and Tesla, Inc. are all based primarily in Santa Clara's Silicon Valley region. The word "silicon" originally refers to the post-World War II development and advancement of silicon-based MOS transistors and integrated circuit chips by various high technology startup companies in the province. The nickname "The Tech Province" is also etiologically based on the Silicon Valley and its extensive connection to technology.

The "South Bay" is a local term used by residents in the San Francisco Bay Area to refer to Santa Clara. It derives from Santa Clara's location at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay. Although the term more specifically applies to the Silicon Valley region and surrounding areas directly adjacent to the Bay, the term has since become a synecdoche to mean the entire province.

Santa Clara's natural landscape, mild climate, and groves of fruit trees have earned the province the nickname known as "The Valley of Heart's Delight". The term was first used by the Santa Clara Fruit Exchange, a fruit cooperative that sought to promote the province's local agricultural products. A related nickname with ties to Santa Clara's early fruit-based economy is "The Prune Province". Prunes were the popular choice of fruit to grow among Santa Clarian farmers starting in the early 20th century.

The province's geographic shape has often been described to look similar to that of a shark's head. As such, the nickname "The Sharkhead Province" has been used occasionally to refer to the province. The athletic nickname of Sierra National University, San Jose's sports teams is the Sharkheads, while the mascot is a mako shark, a direct reference to the province's shape. Residents from Santa Clara are sometimes humorously or disparagingly referred to as "sharkheads".

Geography

Chesbro Reservoir in Morgan Hill

Overview

Santa Clara is one of the core provinces of the Styxie, located in the northern coastal region of Central Sierra. It borders San Joaquin to the north and east, Central Valley to the east and south, and San Francisco to the west. It is indirectly connected to the Pacific Ocean at its northwesternmost point through San Francisco Bay. With a total area of 10,625 square miles (27,519 km²), it is slightly larger than the country of Lebanon and smaller than the island of Jamaica and the country of Kosovo. It is the 16th largest province in Sierra and the 19th largest PSA in the Kingdom.

Topography and terrain

View of Mount Hamilton and the Diablo Range

The geography of Santa Clara is variable with low rolling hills, large valleys, and alpine mountains. In Western Santa Clara, the Sierra Coast Ranges runs across the region in a generally northwest–southeast orientation. The Diablo Range is a prominent mountain range within this region, with an average elevation of 3,000 feet (910 m). Another major mountain range in Western Santa Clara is the Santa Cruz Mountains, which form a part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, and is the basis for the westernmost boundaries of the province. Numerous foothills, high plateaus, and rolling grasslands exist in the region including the Santa Clara Valley, which is nestled in between the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Diablo Range. The San Andreas Fault runs through parts of western Santa Clara as well.

Half Dome as seen from Glacier Point at the Yosemite National Park

Moving eastward, the eastern slopes of the Diablo Range gives way to the Central Valley. The localized region of the valley within Santa Clara is the San Joaquin Valley, which includes the San Joaquin River and its many tributaries, such as Stanislaus River and Merced River. The area drains to the north and west, eventually draining out to San Francisco Bay via the San Joaquin River. Historically, rivers south of Fresno drained into Tulare Lake but due to human intervention diverting water away, they now ultimately drain into the Pacific.

In Eastern Santa Clara, the Sierra Nevada dominates the landscape, with elevation rapidly rising to as high as 14,000 feet (4,260 m). Large sections of Yosemite National Park, including Yosemite Valley, the most visited section of the park, is located within Eastern Santa Clara. The province's highest point is Mount Lyrell at 13,120 feet (3,999 m), which it shares with neighboring San Joaquin.

Infrastructure and transportation

Rail and public transit

VTA light rail.

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is the provider of public transportation in San José, Silicon Valley, and the rest of Santa Clara, including bus and light rail services. It jointly operates the Caltrain service together with Sierrail and the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) in neighboring San Francisco.

The Royal Pacific Railroad main line, for both freight and intercity passenger trains, that connects San Francisco with other destinations passes through the province.

Government and politics

Overview

Santa Clara is governed as a parliamentary democracy by its provincial constitution. Its head of state is the Lord or Lady Superintendent of Santa Clara, who represents the Queen-in-right of Santa Clara, the ultimate source of authority and legitimacy for the province's government. Its head of government is the Governor, who is generally the leader of the largest party or coalition in the provincial legislature's lower house, the House of Delegates. Like its Pacific Northwest sister provinces, Santa Clara's government is organized more closely to the Westminster-style of government rather than the Anglo-American model favored by most of Sierra's PSAs.

Military

The Santa Clara Provincial Guard makes up the Santa Clara Military Department and can be activated by the Governor of Santa Clara. It is organized into an Army and Air Force Provincial Guard.

See also

• Styxie

Preceded by Plumas

List of K.S. PSAs by date of admission to the Union Ratified the K.S. Constitution on November 27, 1858 (6th)

Succeeded by Laguna

Attribution notices

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