Menlo Park, Menlo Park

Menlo Park is an affluent city in San Mateo County just south of San Francisco. Much of Menlo Park's economy centers around the companies on Sand Hill Road, consisting of venture capital, private equity, financial services, law firms, and other professional service companies and investment vehicles focusing on technology.

The main street in downtown Menlo Park is Santa Cruz Avenue, with the Menlo Center situated at its intersection with El Camino Real. The Menlo Park Civic Center is bounded by Ravenswood Avenue, Alma Street, Laurel Street and Burgess Drive. It contains the council offices, library, police station and Burgess Park which has various recreational facilities.

Menlo Park was originally the home of Ohlone Indians, called by the Spaniards "Coastanoans", or Coast-dwellers. These local residents lived off the land peacefully, gathering nuts, berries and fish from both the ocean and the bay. Because of the abundance of food there was no need for them to practice agriculture.  Today Menlo Park has continued to grow in many ways to fit the needs of a progressive community, yet it looks back with pride at its past...its beginnings...and hopes to pass on to new generations the goals and ambitions of its pioneer families.