History and Culture
Woodside was first settled as a lumber town in the 1840s. By the late 19th century, Woodside was home to country estates. The town was incorporated in 1956 to prevent urbanization, and it still retains a rural residential character, though it is a short commute to Silicon Valley.
Today Woodside is among the wealthiest small towns in the United States. Affordable housing is unavailable; vacant lots, were any to be found, would sell for over a million dollars. Several famous rich people live here, including Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle Corporation; Gordon E. Moore, co-founder of Intel and originator of Moore’s Law; Neil Young, rock singer; and Joan Baez, folk singer. Woodside is also home to Koko, the gorilla who was taught sign language.
The very small business district includes two restaurants, a grocery store, hardware store, and nursery.
Horses are part of the local culture. Many residents keep horses, and the town government maintains a network of horse trails.
Woodside is located on the San Francisco Peninsula, midway between San Jose and San Francisco, just north of Silicon Valley, in San Mateo County. The infamous San Andreas Fault runs through town. This fault is a major source of earthquake activity in California, including the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
Much of Woodside is wooded, with redwoods dominating in the western hills and more oaks and eucalyptus in the lower areas.
As is true of most of the California coastal areas, weather is mild during most of the year. Summers are dry and can be hot; winter temperatures rarely dip much below freezing. Snowflakes are extremely rare. Hills between Woodside and the Pacific coast make fog much less prevalent than in nearby San Francisco.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 30.5 km˛ (11.8 mi˛). 30.5 km˛ (11.8 mi˛) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
The nearest cities and towns are Redwood City, Menlo Park, Portola Valley, Atherton, San Carlos, and Palo Alto.
There are 1,949 households, of which 31.6% have children under the age of 18. 68.8% are married couples living together, 5.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 22.2% are non-families. 15.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.74 and the average family size is 2.98.
In the town the population is spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 32.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 44 years. For every 100 females there are 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 96.1 males.
The median household income in the town is $171,126, and the median family income is $196,505. The per capita income is $104,667. 2.8% of the population and 1.6% of families are below the poverty line. Of those living in poverty, 1.4% are under the age of 18 and 4.8% are 65 or older.Geography and Climate
Woodside is located at 37°25'15" North, 122°15'35" West (37.420704, -122.259777). Government
Woodside uses a council-manager system of government.Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 5,352 people, 1,949 households, and 1,516 families residing in the town. The population density is 175.7/km² (455.1/mi²). There are 2,030 housing units at an average density of 66.6/km² (172.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 90.21% White, 0.37% African American, 0.15% Native American, 4.99% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 1.31% from other races, and 2.86% from two or more races. 4.33% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.