Palo Alto - Palo Alto visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Palo Alto' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from California.

Palo Alto is a prosperous city in the San Francisco Bay Area, in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, California. The city is named after a tree called 'El Palo Alto', which means 'The High Wood'. The world class Stanford University is located towards the edge of the city. With it's own public services, shopping centre and police force is like a town in it's own right.

Palo Alto is at the northern end of the Silicon Valley. It is here that many of the global high technology, computer software and current internet companies were founded. It is here that the headquarters of Hewlett-Packard and Apple are found. In addition some of the most influential and best known internet companies are also located in Palo Alto, including Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Photobucket and eBay.

This has meant that Palo Alto has some of the highest income levels of the US, and with it some of the most expensive real estate and living levels. According to the Coldwell Banker College Home Price Comparison Index, Palo Alto is the most expensive college town in the United States.

Palo Alto is about 40 minutes from San Francisco on a good day. From San Francisco simply follow the H101 south for about 30 miles.