Top-10 cult places of Silicon Valley

The headquarters of the world's IT giants, the latest technological achievements, leaders of innovative thought - this is what California's Silicon Valley looks like today. With every legendary technology mind from William Hewlett and David Packard, who founded HP, to Steve Jobs, who created Arrle, or Mark Zuckerberg, who gave the world Facebook, — there are places here that convey the spirit of the Valley no worse than the newfangled offices of global corporations. ForumDaily 10 chose iconic places without which Silicon Valley would not be what we know it today.

Photo: Shutterstock

HP garage

The first company of Silicon Valley is considered Hewlett-Packard, Founded in 1939 by two Stanford students, William Hewlett and David Packard. They did not have money for the office, so they opened their company right in the garage of a house in the town of Palo Alto, near Stanford, where they lived at the time. Newlyweds David and Lucille Packard rented the first floor of the house with a garage, and William Hewlett lived in a small house behind the garage.

The first product of HP, created in this garage, was the sound generator, and one of the first customers who bought these generators - the company Walt Disney Studios. After almost 30 years, they will release the first minicomputer and programmable scientific calculator.

At the beginning of the 21st century, the company became the largest producer of personal computers - it held the leading position from 2007 to 2013, later giving way to Lenovo. By 2014, HP had more than 300 000 employees on its staff. In the same year, the company split into two: HP Inc and Hewlett Packard Enterprisewhose revenues are $ 57 and $ 53 billion dollars, respectively.

Today, a memorial plaque hangs in the garage where HP began, and it itself is listed in the National Register of Historic Places of the USA.

The garage and the house are closed to the public, but you can take a photo of the memorial site and signs from the street.

Address: 367 Addison Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301

Stanford University

“The children of California will be our children,” railroad magnate Leland Stanford told his wife when he dedicated the founding of the university in 1891 to the memory of their deceased son. Since then, the children of California, and not only that, have been flocking here to get one of the best and most rated educations in the world.

That Stanford was destined to play a major role in the emergence and development of Silicon Valley.

After World War II, the number of students at the university increased, and the question of additional funds arose sharply. Stanford, at the suggestion of Engineering Dean Frederick Terman, began leasing university land to high-tech companies for long-term leases, thus initiating the creation of the Stanford Industrial Park. It provided students with jobs, and the university itself with financial support and the development of educational programs.

Graduates of Stanford eventually founded such IT giants as Google, Yahoo !, Cisco Systems, Electronic Arts, Sun Microsystems, Nvidia, Silicon Graphics and others.

Address: 450 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA 94305

The garage where the first Apple was assembled

other, not one story of the formation of the giants of Silicon Valley took its beginning in the garage. Corporation Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), also originated in the garage of the home of Steve Jobs' parents in the city of Los Altos. It is believed that the first 50 computers, the company's founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, together with friends and relatives gathered there.

A few years ago, Wozniak tried to disprove this myth, arguing that much of the work was still going on in his workplace. Hewlett-Packard, and the garage was just something of a gathering place where everyone felt comfortable. However, destroying the legend is not so simple. The house with a garage is now entered in the register of historic places, but even without a plaque it is an iconic place for admirers. Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC),.

Now you can’t get into the house - the Jobs’ relatives live here. Photos can only be taken from the street.

Address: 2066 Crist Dr., Los Altos, CA 94024

University Avenue

Legendary street is located in the center of the town of Palo Alto, near Stanford. Here is the history of success and the atmosphere of good luck. For example, it is worth looking into University café (271 University Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301), where Mark Zuckerberg met the iconic business angel Ron Conway in the Valley. He likes to remember that Mark Zuckerberg had a clear vision of the development of the social network, which surprised him. Conway has invested in Facebook your personal funds. But more importantly, with his support he gave status to a new project called Facebook. After that, Mark Zuckerberg was not denied in other venture capital firms.

Nearby is another popular cafe - Coupa café (538 Ramona St, Palo Alto, CA 94301)where investors and businessmen like to gather very much.

After drinking coffee there, be sure to take a walk to building number 165. Taking a photo against its background is like rubbing your nose in the numerous monuments that bring good luck. After all, it was here that they had their first offices Google, Paypal, Logitech and many other successful companies. No wonder this place is now called the "happy office".

Steve Jobs House

From the side of the brick house of the great entrepreneur in Palo Alto looks quite modest. He bought it after the wedding with Lorin Powell - his wife categorically refused to move to a gloomy half-empty mansion in Woodside, where Jobs had previously lived. In this house, Steve Jobs and his wife lived 20 for years, their three children were born here, and it was here that the founder Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), Died in 2011 year.

The house is closed to the public, but Jobs’s wife still lives there. In Halloween, the queue of lovers is going to get their share of sweets in front of the house and at least from the threshold to look into the past of a great man.

Address: 2101 Waverley st, Palo Alto, CA 94301

Mark Zuckerberg House

The youngest billionaire in history (at the age of 26 had a fortune of $ 4 billion) chose a house in Palo Alto, a 10-minute drive from the headquarters Facebook in Menlo Park. He bought it in 2011.

The house, built in 1866, cost Zuckerberg $7 million. This ancient two-story mansion (one of the two oldest houses in Palo Alto) has 13 rooms and is surrounded by a brick wall. It has everything you need to enjoy privacy in comfort: a seawater swimming pool, a garden, a croquet lawn and a walking area. This, however, was not enough for the owner, and he bought four more houses around his own - in order to certainly do without annoying neighbors.

Of course, it is impossible to get into the territory. But the house is located along the road, so it’s possible to take a look at the mansion.

Address: 1456 Edgewood Dr, Palo Alto, CA 94301

Google Garage

Yes, yes, another garage. 7 September 1998 brought three employees to the garage in Menlo Park: the founders of the company are Sergey Brin and Larry Page and their Stanford classmate Craig Silverstein. Craig became the first employee in Google, and the garage is the first office of the IT giant.

Garage Bryn and Paige were removed from their friend Susan Wojitsky. Now Susan is the head Youtube, but at that time she needed the money to pay off the loan.

The garage served as the main office for less than six months. After the expansion, the start-up company moved to University Boulevard, which we wrote about above. Eight years later, in the 2006 year, Google bought the garage along with the house and patio. Now this is the company's legacy - the whole situation repeats the one that was at the time when Sergey Brin and Larry Page began their work here.

The garage is closed to tourists.

Address: 232 Santa Margarita ave, Menlo park, CA, 94025

Sand Hill Road

This road in the town of Menlo Park, the length of some three kilometers, is considered one of the most iconic in the Valley. In 1972, the venture capital office settled here. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. They were followed up by about another hundred venture funds. Therefore, all the technological giants, in their time, in search of funding, went precisely to Sand Hill Road.

During their tenure, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers have provided financial support to companies such as Amazon, Twitter, Google, Facebook, Coursera, Groupon. And this is not a complete list of those who found financial support on Sand Hill Road. Here dreams turn into reality, and on the street one can easily meet the founder of a world-famous company or a billionaire running a jog.

Address: Sandhill road, Menlo park, CA

Moffett Federal Airfield and Ames Research Center

In 1933, the US Naval Station Moffett Field opened in Sunnyvale and the world's largest airship hangar was built at the associated airbase. From 1933 to 1947, military airships were based at Moffett Field. Around the base itself, the number of technology companies that served it grew. After the base closed, the National Aeronautics Advisory Council, the predecessor of NASA, took its place.

Now Google leased Hangar No. 1 for 60 years for more than $1 billion, planning to use it for its projects in the field of robotics, aviation and space technology. What specific projects will be worked on here is a big secret.

Adjacent to the hangar on the airfield is also the Ames Research Center, one of NASA's main centers. His contribution to the emergence of Silicon Valley as a technology center cannot be overestimated. With nearly 3000 researchers and a nearly billion-dollar budget each year, the center is able to pursue cutting-edge research in spaceflight, supercomputing, artificial intelligence, and many other areas that we only see in movies.

Getting to the NASA site is not difficult; it should be said that you are heading to the Moffett Field Museum. It's worth a visit if you're interested in airships, hot air balloons, historical paraphernalia associated with flight, and the history of flying.

Address: Moffett Field, Mountain view, CA 94035

"Sweets" from Google

The offices of large companies that can be recommended for visiting are not counting. But only Google gives anyone the opportunity to touch the story of their success. In order to see the figures, similar to sweets, exhibited in front of the campus, you do not need to look for friends who will lead to the territory. Figures - for everyone!

All update versions Google's Android tied to the next subsequent letter of the alphabet - and the name of the sweetness that the next plastic figure will hold will start with the same letter Android, exposed in front of the office Google. The imagination of designers is limitless, and passions are running high before the release of a new version - everyone is trying to guess what they have prepared this time. The last letter was M (Marshmallow - in honor of the operating system Android 6.0 Marshmallow), and before that Android grabbed a colorful lollipop (from the English lollipop - in honor of the version of the mobile operating system Android Lollipop).

Address: 1600 Amphitheater Parkway Mountain View, CA 94043

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