Campbell Geography
Campbell is located at 37°17'2" North, 121°57'18" West (37.283909, -121.955026). It is bordered on the east and north by San Jose and on the south by Los Gatos. A narrow strip of San Jose separates Campbell on the west from Saratoga.According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.8 km2 (5.7 mi2). 14.5 km2 (5.6 mi2) of it is land and 0.3 km2 (0.1 mi2) of it is water.
Of the total area, 1.75% is water, consisting of percolation ponds in Los Gatos Creek Park and in other locations; San Tomas Aquino creek, which flows north on the west side of the city and is completely enclosed with fences and runs through concrete culverts; and Los Gatos Creek, which flows north-north-east on the east side of the city and has paths along both banks for hikers and joggers.
California State Route 17 runs roughly parallel to Los Gatos Creek on its eastern side; California State Route 85 runs roughly east-west through Los Gatos just south of Campbell and cuts through the southwest corner of the city.
Campbell Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 38,138 people, 15,920 households, and 9,122 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,624.8/km2 (6,802.8/mi2). There are 16,286 housing units at an average density of 1,120.9/km2 (2,905.0/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 72.78% White, 2.53% African American, 0.65% Native American, 14.16% Asian, 0.23% Pacific Islander, 4.87% from other races, and 4.77% from two or more races. 13.33% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.There are 15,920 households out of which 28.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% are married couples living together, 10.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 42.7% are non-families. 30.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.38 and the average family size is 3.02.
In the city the population is spread out with 21.6% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 40.2% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 96.7 males.
About 48% of the adult population has at least one college-level degree.
The median income for a household in the city is $67,214, and the median income for a family is $78,663. Males have a median income of $52,454 versus $43,750 for females. The per capita income for the city is $34,441. 4.8% of the population and 3.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 4.2% of those under the age of 18 and 8.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Campbell History
Campbell was founded by Benjamin Campbell, after whom the city was named. He came to California in 1846 with his father, William Campbell. William started a sawmill in Saratoga and surveyed the cities of San Jose and Santa Clara. In 1851, Benjamin bought 160 acres in southern Santa Clara Valley and cultivated hay and grain on it. This area later became Campbell's historical downtown core.In 1878, Campbell sold his land for $5 an acre to a railroad company. By 1887, the first subdivision was recorded west of the railroad from Campbell Avenue to the spot where the Water Tower Plaza now stands. The area became the center for shipping fruit grown in the surrounding area, and within a short time, the drying grounds and canneries made Campbell an important rail center. The Campbell Fruit Growers' Union became a well-known cooperative with its 17 acre drying yard. J.C. Ainsley Packing Company, Hyde Cannery, and Payne Cannery were the main fruit packing companies. The Bank of Campbell was founded in 1895.
Campbell was officially incorporated as a city in 1952. The city then grew rapidly as orchard lands disappeared tract by tract. Today, Campbell is a quiet suburban residential neighborhood in the southern part of the Santa Clara Valley.
Layout
Campbell is situated in the southern portion of the Santa Clara Valley, with Highway 17 passing through eastern Campbell and California State Highway 85 to its south. The historic downtown section sits just west of the railroad in the central area. The southwestern area of Campbell is known as the San Tomas neighborhood and varies somewhat from most of Campbell in the size of its lots and styles of housing. Hamilton Avenue is one the northernmost roads in Campbell.
The largest park in Campbell is Los Gatos Creek Park near Highway 17, and the second largest is John D. Morgan Park.
Housing and businesses
There are few large shopping centers or business complexes in the city, as Campbell is primarily a suburban residential area. Fry's Electronics and The Home Depot each have stores within the city limits and are two of the city's largest employers.Most residences are single-family homes, although there are some areas with condominiums, duplexes, and apartments. Single-family homes typically have one or two bathrooms and three or four bedrooms, and are between 1100 and 1600 square feet (100 and 150 m2) on lots typically measuring about 6,000 square feet (560 m2). The vast majority were built in the 1950s through 1970s. There are pockets of older homes, mostly near downtown, often in demand for their architectural styles, and pockets of newer, much larger homes (often called "monster houses" by existing residents) of 3000 to 4000 square feet (280 to 370 m2) on lots that seem small in comparison to the size of the homes, mostly built in the 1990s on subdivided lots previously occupied by homes dating from the first half of the 20th century.
Most of Campbell's apartments are located in northern Campbell on Hamilton and Campbell Avenues. As a result, most of the housing there is for rent and has a lower median household income than southern Campbell, which has primarily owner-occupied detached single-family homes.
Campbell's downtown is located near where Campbell Avenue intersects with the railroad. The downtown has many shops, bars, and restaurants.
The oldest commercial building in the city is that used for the Bank of Campbell (founded in 1895), which is a branch of the Mercantile Trust of California; the building was erected in 1920 originally for the Grower's Bank, which eventually merged with Mercantile Trust. The bank was converted to a movie theater in 1938, which closed in 1953 and remained closed with a few exceptions until 1968, when The Gaslighter Theater company purchased and refurbished the building with a small stage and bar. The Gaslighter has produced melodramas and Vaudeville-style shows there ever since.
As of September 2004, the median price of single-family homes and condos was $580,000, up 10% from the previous September, and averaging $414 per square foot ($4,456/m2) according to the San Jose Mercury News; the average single-family home price, excluding condos, was $645,000 in January, 2004 (according to the Santa Clara County Association of Realtors). The price is based largely on the land value; the replacement cost for homes is about $150 to $200 per square foot ($1,600 to $2,200/m2).
Like many other cities in the Santa Clara Valley, Campbell was originally orchard land that was later developed into housing tracts. A few small orchards remain, though their numbers continue to dwindle rapidly as they are converted to housing and shopping.
Points of interest
In the early 1990s, the Ainsley House, a unique craftsman home built in the 1930s, was moved from its original site at the corner of Hamilton and Bascom Avenues to the downtown quad and furnished with many of the Ainsley family's original furnishings. It has become the centerpiece for the Campbell Historical Museum, which houses additional exhibits in the nearby old firehouse. The Ainsley House was built in the style of English country cottages for John Colpitts Ainsley, a canning pioneer in Santa Clara County, which was at the time known for its vast spreads of fruit orchards.Campbell was also the site of the 1896 spree-killing by James Dunham.
In 1975, Mayor Rusty Hammer, at 21, became the youngest ever mayor in the United States.
The Gaslighter Theater is a small theater that produces melodramas and Vaudeville-style shows with local residents acting, singing, and dancing. It has waxed and waned in popularity over the years.
The fruit cocktail was invented in Campbell.
External links
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Campbell,_California".