Founded in 1912, Sunnyvale became a California charter city in 1949. It is one of the only cities in the U.S to have a single unified Department of Public Safety where all members are trained as both firefighters and police officers, able to quickly respond to emergencies in either capacity. Because of this, Sunnyvale is ranked as the 18th safest city in the country. Ten minutes North of San Jose, Sunnyvale is accessible by highways 237, 85, 280 and 101.
The downtown is divided into five main sections, following the five main streets running through the center of the city. Evelyn, Mathilda, Murphy, and Sunnyvale avenues and the Town and Country area all offer an abundance of retail and cuisine. Il Postale, a popular local destination, was voted the best Italian restaurant in the Silicon Valley for two consecutive years. Residents also enjoy the numerous small shopping centers spread outside the downtown area, as well as over 20 public parks. Over 70 developed acres cover the Baylands Park, which offers family picnic areas as well as hiking trails and recreation areas. 105 acres of seasonal wetlands is protected as a Wetlands Preserve, serving as a safe habitat for a diversity of plants and wildlife. The city draws in visitors with it's two golf courses, Sunnyvale Music and Market festival (with local bands, produce from local farmers and samplings from local restaurants), and the South Bay Hindu Temple and Community Center. The Columbia Neighborhood Center, Sunnyvale Senior Center and city community center organize art and fitness classes, health seminars for new parents, and after school programs.
Three school districts serve Sunnyvale: the Santa Clara Unified School District, the Cupertino Union School District and the Sunnyvale School District which earned an API score of 772 in 2005. Outstanding schools in the city's district are Cherry Chase Elementary (with an API of 917) and Cumberland Elementary (with an API of 872). Fremont High School and Homestead High School provide excellent secondary education. Brooks College is one of Northern California's top schools for graphic and fashion design, located within the city.
With a population of 131,760 inside 23-square-miles, the median household income within Sunnyvale is $74,409. 1145 properties were sold last year with a median price of $765,000. Several high profile technology-based companies have built their headquarters in Sunnyvale. Among these are: Yahoo!, the most visited website on the internet today, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), the second-largest supplier of non-volatile flash memory, and the SanDisk Corporation, a producer of memory cards and USB drives. The Onizuka Air Force Station, the only active military base in the Bay Area, is located within Sunnyvale. Famous faces Teri Hatcher (television actress from 'Desperate Housewives,' 'Lois and Clark') and Brian Boitano (Olympic figure skater) were both born in Sunnyvale.