Redwood
City California is located in the Bay Area 25 miles south
of San Francisco and home to approximately 80,000 people. It is
the oldest bayside city in San Mateo County, incorporated in 1867,
and has been the County Seat since 1856. Redwood City combines residential,
industrial, and commercial elements in an extremely attractive urban
environment. Its waterfront provides a yacht harbor and the only
deep-water port in the South Bay. A wide variety of housing types
and Redwood City hotels are available. Notable Redwood City corporate
headquarters include Ampex (audio and video tape), Oracle (computer
software) and Oral-B (oral health/hygiene).
Early History of Redwood City: The first occupants of Redwood
City were Native Americans from tribe called the Ohlone. The main
staple of the Ohlone diet was shellfish gathered from the bay. Gradually,
the discarded shells from the shellfish raised into enormous mounds.
A section of Main Street between Maple Street and Woodside Road
was originally called "Mound Street" because of the large shell
mound located near that area.
In 1776, Spanish Colonel Juan Bautista de Anza and his men became
the first Europeans to pass through Redwood City on their way up
the peninsula to what is now San Francisco. Land was granted by
the Spanish government to high-ranking officers in return for their
service in the military. One of these officers, Don Jose Darío Argüello,
was granted 69,000 acres between San Mateo Creek to the north and
San Francisquito Creek to the south. Don Argüello named his home
Rancho de las Pulgas and it included what is today Belmont, San
Carlos, Redwood City, Menlo Park, and Woodside. As a result of the
Mexican-American War (1846 - 1848) Spanish-Mexican property owners
were subsequently forced to defend the titles to their land before
a U.S. Land Commission. The Argüellos hired an attorney, Simon M.
Mezes, who succeeded in establishing clear title for their land
in 1853. In fact, Mezes eventually became the owner of the land
that now includes most of downtown Redwood City. By this time, so
many Americans had settled on the property that Mezes decided to
create an official town and sell lots instead of trying to force
the squatters to leave. Mezes named his town "Mezesville", but the
residents insisted on the name "Redwood City". |
