Woodside is recognized as one of the wealthiest communities in the United States which is situated in San Mateo County. In 2010, the estimated population was at 5,287 according to the 2010 U.S. census and its government system uses the council-management style. Woodside is home to several well-known individuals, most of whom own multi-national companies and businesses like Intel co-founder Gordon E. Moore, John Thompson of Symantec, and rock legend Neil Young. Even the late Steve Jobs of Apple inc., owns a property in the area. To learn more about this wealthy town and how it came to be, here’s a quick history lesson.
Before it was discovered by Spanish explorers, Woodside was home to the natives of the Ohlone tribe. The natives found the area to be a very good place to live in since it has a good water supply, bountiful food source, and a mild climate. This is also what the Spanish explorers found when Gaspar de Portola and his men camped near the area in 1769 in search of the San Francisco Bay.
By the time of the Mexican Land Grant, European settlers had begun trickling in and made residence in the area. By the early 19th century, English-speaking settlers began dwelling in Woodside and made a living out of logging the redwoods surrounding the expanse.
Woodside became the oldest English-speaking community in the southern part of the San Francisco Peninsula, and by 1838, the first sawmill was constructed in the Mountain Home Ranch owned by Charles Brown, which still stands until today. As San Francisco’s economy started to boom, more and more mills, up to a dozen, started taking advantage of the area to produce much-needed building materials.
But it was not until 1849 during the California Gold Rush when a young lumber businessman Mathias Alfred Parkhurst was able to purchase 127 acres of the area’s timberland and named it “Woodlands”. When the area started to be known by that name, it eventually stuck to the place. The Sequoia Redwoods in the area have been of great use throughout San Francisco’s history and has been utilized to build the homes and establishments in the area for centuries.
Since then, Woodside remains to be a rural residential area. Its small business area only has a few establishments to help maintain the character of a small quaint town, while the residential area mostly consists of ranches and farm houses, as well as townhouses and vacation homes.
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