Technology Jobs and Wealth in Woodside, California

Woodside is one of the richest places in northern California and Number 17 on Bloomberg's list of the 25 Wealthiest Towns in America.

After the California Gold Rush and the American railroads reached the state around the 1840s-1850s, not only rows of simple worker's houses but also businessman's mansions began to appear around Woodside up to San Francisco. San Francisco has been a port city active in shipping and passenger transport over the water since its foundations and Woodside became a wealthy far-suburb on the San Francisco Peninsula. Today it is largely upscale residential in nature, but located among breathtaking scenery and numerous outdoor activities.

Woodside lies just south of interstate highway I-280 and abuts nearly two dozen state parks and state green space preserves. Between I-280 and California Highway-101 about five miles to the northeast lie a dozen additional suburbs and shopping areas. Between this area and San Francisco are found even more open green spaces, state parks, and retail shopping malls among the cities.

If you have ever watched the nighttime television soap opera Dynasty, then you have seen Fioli when it was used as the Carrington Mansion on the series in opening credits and for some interior shots. The actual mansion is even more opulent than was seen on TV.

The Fioli estate is located near Woodside and is an upcale site for national and state Historic Preservation activities. The property was developed into a magnificent country estate with several gardens, a nature preserve with native plants and wildflife, sunstantial educational programming, and a giant brick mansion. A number of garden and horticulture relatied certificates many be earned in this complex, makking it a community learning center of sorts.

Fioli as a word is a combination of words important to one if its developers (in effect paraphrased, fight for justice, love people, and then live a good life). This edict seems a bit forced when jammed into a single word, but the estate is a marvel, developed to showcase wealth and nature; and the people can enjoy it as a living nature museum now.

The owners, the Bourns, created a separate world here, where they felt safe from earthquake, crime, and a sort of nuisance of the industrialization of San Francisco. It was a lavish refuge from the city and the family's work in ownership of the Spring Valley Water Company. They made it a beautiful place with the help of well known architects and landscape designers. The next owners, in the late 1930s, were the Matson family of Matson Navigation Company. This shipping company became a vehicle for opening up sea travel to Hawaii for vacation and business purposes, followed by hotel development on the islands. Matson shipping is still a large venture today.

This country estate was built with wealth provided from a local gold mine in 1916 during WWI, about a decade following the San Francisco Earthquake. Apparently,after the earthquake struck, San Francisco's wealthiest residents moved 30 miles south to this area and built their mansions, feeling protected from future quakes. Several wealthy families have owned the estate, finally donating it to the State of California in the mid-1970s.

Fioli is listed as both a California State Historic Landmark and a US National Historic Place.

California Landmark Number 209 and US National Landmark Number 77000338, the Our Lady of the Wayside Church was designed by a 19-year-old architect, Timothy Pflueger, as his first work. He went on to help design many notable San Francisco area theaters during the Golden Age of Hollywood as part of the partnership of Miller and Pflueger, Architects.

• Canada College: A community college in the San Francisco Bay Area offering AA & AS degrees, vocational certificates, and 4-year degree programs.
• College of San Mateo
• Foothill College
• Kings Mountain Art Fair in Woodside, CA

  The Kings Mountain Art Fair is an annual event, held every Labor Day Weekend in Woodside, CA. The Art Fair benefits the Kings Mountain Volunteer Fire Brigade and other community activities, including the Kings Mountain Elementary School, and is staff

• Menlo College
• Point Montara Lighthouse and Hostel, 8800 Cabrillo Highway, Montara, CA 94037: The historic hostel offers unique and affordable accommodations, near Half Moon Bay on California's rugged Pacific coast. Come be our guest!
• Stanford University: One of the world's leading research and teaching institutions. It is located in Palo Alto, California.

Selected Parks and Open Spaces

• Bay Area Hiker: Burleigh Murray State Park

• El Corte Madera Creek Preserve: Highway 35 (Skyline Boulevard), about one mile south of the Caltrans Skeggs Point.
• Recreation: Huddart and Wunderlich Parks in Woodside, California. The Friends of Huddart and Wunderlich Parks is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the local environment and historic legacies of these two exceptional parks in Woodside, California.
• San Francisco State Fish and Game Refuge: An expanse of state parks, open green spaces, forests, and outdoor recreation venues extends from Highway 1 at Pacifica on the coast of California southeastward to Highway 17 outside of San Jose. This route makes a beautiful region that contains Woodside at its center.

• The Purisma Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve

  Purisima Creek Redwoods is the finest of the mid-peninsula preserves, with lush second-growth redwood forests and sweeping views over tree-capped coastal hills.

In the spring of 2011, California State officials announced the likelihood that 70 of California's 278 parks, beaches and state and national historic areas (about 25% of the total) would be closed to the public by July 1, 2012 in order to cut the state budget deficit.

However, a bill passed the California Assembly that would allow nonprofits to more easily take over these venues: Assembly Bill Number 42. Since 2011, California succeeded in keeping most of its state parks open with the help of nonprofit corporations and volunteers.

High Demand Jobs in Woodside Area

According to SImplyHired.com, job search and trending site, Woodside has experienced a 35% increase in advertised jobs from November 2012 through November 2013 alone. Something of a Job Boom appeared from 2012 - 2016.

Special groups advocated in job listings:

• Veteran friendly jobs
• Fortune 500 companies
• Mom friendly
• Dog friendly, permitting pet dogs at work.

Highest Demand Jobs

1. Software Engineers and Developers
2. Project and Program Managers
3. Q & A Engineers
4. Retail Sales Consultants and Salespeople
5. Business Analysts
6. Account Executives - Big ticket sales; financial products and others.
7. Registered Nurses (RN License and above)
8. Occupational and Physical Therapists
9. Healthcare Technicians
10. Physicians

Aerospace Jobs Advertised

Increasing numbers of jobs are advertised for companies involved in the aerospace and defense industries. These positions include many listings with the following companies:

1. Stanford University
2. MDX Global
3. Marriott International
4. AU Energy
5. Tesla
6. Sanmima Corporation
7. Lockheed Corporation: NASA Commerical Crew member
8. Space Systems Loral
9. Kitty Hawk
10. ON Semiconductor