A view from Ridge Vineyards along Montebello Road

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The City of Cupertino, often considered the heart of Silicon Valley, offers shorter commutes, strong public schools, abundant parks and open space, an active community center, and more. This city is home to both small and large tech companies, both startups and Apple Inc. It attracts professionals and entrepreneurs from around the world. All of this, in turn, creates a competitive real estate landscape.

This city is vibrant and offers fabulous restaurants and shops. These are sometimes not mentioned as they are overshadowed by the fame of the schools and the job centers, but are noteworthy as they contribute to a high quality of life for everyone there.

Cupertino schools

The public schools in Cupertino are outstanding, often at the top of the list in state rankings for test scores, 4 year college admissions, and notable academic awards earned by students here. Off campus, there are private schools that teach other languages, dance, art, religion, and culture on off hours or weekends.

Within the districts, some schools are more sought after than others. Monta Vista High and Lynbrook High are often the most desired by home buyers. But not all. Some parents prefer good schools that are not as competitive as these two may be. Each family should research the offerings and see what is the best fit for them and their needs.

Students are served by these districts:

Cupertino Union School District (K – 8)

Fremont Union High School District (9 – 12)

De Anza Community College

A tiny sliver of northeastern Cupertino is served by the Santa Clara Unified School District.

Neighborhoods and Parks

A few of the larger neighborhoods here include these areas:

City Center (Blaney & Stevens Creek)
Creston (Los Altos border)
Fairgrove (Close to De Anza College)
Garden Gate (straddles Hwy 280)
Inspiration Heights (west of Foothill Blvd, some homes have views)
Monta Vista (east of Foothill, mostly west of 280)
Oak Valley (west of 280, former St. Joseph seminary land, younger homes)
Rancho Rinconada (annexed in 1994) West of Lawrence, So of Stevens Creek
Seven Springs (Saratoga border)

Properties in walking or biking distance to work will be more expensive per square foot than similar sized houses further out. Similarly, properties in the prime school attendance areas will usually sell for more, and if they are within a few blocks (as long as they aren’t too close) will be pricier still.

One especially beautiful area is the Monta Vista neighborhood. This pocket of the city boasts two golf courses and a huge amount of open space as well as fantastic schools.

This community is graced with many wonderful and wonderfully maintained open spaces. Use the Park Finder to see what’s there!

Fremont Older Open Space Preserve in Cupertino and Saratoga – another wonderful park with trails that’s worth visiting.

How’s the Cupertino Real Estate Market?

We have written another article on this blog, Cupertino Real Estate Market Trends and Statistics, which is updated monthly with analysis on sales and listings as well as dynamic market statistics updating automatically every week for this city’s residential realty market. Check it out for all the latest housing market data!

Natural and Environmental Hazards

The hazards in this area include some natural, such as earthquake faults or liquefaction zones, and also some environmental, such as pollution from the Permanente Quarry. Overall, this region of the valley seems to have fewer issues than those closer to the bay (which has more liquefaction and flood plains) or more in the hills (with earthquake faults and high fire zones). No part of the San Francisco Bay Area is exempt, though.

One corner of this city – a tiny sliver near the Saratoga border – is in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone.

Much of the city, like much of the valley, is in a zone of potential flooding from dam failure. (Dams are human made, so it’s not technically a “natural” hazard.)

A good place to check the natural hazards generally is the Cal My Hazards site (with one exception, they don’t seem to have updated the fire zone with Cal Fire’s newest map)

To learn about Superfund sites and other toxic cleanup areas, please use the EnvirStor site.

History, in brief

Cupertino was incorporated as a city only in 1955, long, long after the community had sprung up and had its own, distinct identity within Santa Clara County.

As a small village, it began at the intersection of Stevens Creek Road and Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road (now De Anza Blvd) and was originally known simply as “West Side”. Since that name was so generic and would be confused with other places bearing similar names, the post office opted to give it a more distinguishable name in 1898. Because there was a nearby Cupertino winery and Cupertino Creek that name was applied to the post office and nearby stores.

Historic tidbit: the full name of this waterway was Arroyo San Giuseppe da Copertino – which translates into English as St. Joseph of Cupertino Creek – by a Spanish padre by the name of Fr. Font who was the cartologist and diarist of the explorer Juan Bautista de Anza. Cupertino Creek is now known as Stevens Creek, by the way.

You can read more about St. Joseph of Cupertino, the patron saint of students and test takers, at the link (on one of my other sites).

More links for buying, selling and living in this part of Silicon Valley:

Here are some links you might find especially helpful if you move to Cupertino. (Also please visit my relocation website, Move2SiliconValley.com if moving here from out of the area!).

Cupertino A description of this city, a city renowned for its schools, climate, and proximity to Silicon Valley employment, on our PopeHandy.com site.

Cupertino.org The City government website, with helpful resources such as the Services and New Resident Information page.

Find more Cupertino posts on this blog or view one of these:

Market comparison: Los Gatos, Saratoga, Cupertino and Los Altos

Where are the high voltage power lines in Cupertino, Saratoga, Los Gatos, and Almaden Valley?

Silicon Valley Homes for Sale Near Golf Courses in the Foothill Areas

Finding scenic places in which to live in Silicon Valley

Houses & Homes for Sale in Cupertino

Below please find houses & duet homes listed on our local MLS for sale in Cupertino.

See all Real estate matching your search.
(all data current as of 12/1/2023)

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

Related reading:

Cupertino (basic intro on popehandy.com)

City of Cupertino interactive zoning map

Cupertino annexation map

Cupertino Union School District – school boundary map