Home to some interesting history, the city of Saratoga, California can boast notable people, such as Senator James Phelan, Olivia de Haviland and Joan Fontaine, as past residents. But this city against the base of the coastal range also has interesting historical places, such as the well known Hakone Gardens, Villa Montalvo and the Mountain Winery. Less famous but still interesting are the very old Saratoga Springs and the Madronia Cemetery, as well as the downtown area around Big Basin Way.

Saratoga appreciates its history, from the well known to the almost forgotten. All of Silicon Valley should be happy that the city of Saratoga has an orchard which is being preserved as a part of its “living history”. That park can be found at the corner of Saratoga Avenue and Fruitvale Avenue (appropriate intersection), near the Saratoga Public Library and West Valley College.

An easy to visit but sometimes less well known piece of history involves stretches of streets in Saratoga. One is this patch of Austin Way off Saratoga-Los Gatos Road, and the other is a section of Saratoga Avenue between Sacred Heart Church and the Saratoga Village area. Austin Way, near La Hacienda Inn (which also has some interesting history!) and the borders of Los Gatos, Saratoga, and Monte Sereno, features a beautiful, bumpy brick road. It’s a piece of Saratoga’s history not just in memory, but to a degree, in reality. The bricks have been the paving along Austin Way for nearly a century.

If you are interested in the history of Saratoga, California, visit the Saratoga Historical Foundation’s museum (located at 20450 Saratoga-Los Gatos Road in downtown Saratoga) and website and see about getting involved or attending some of their events. Also visit the Chamber of Commerce’s history page for more information on the city’s rich past.

If you’re interested in Saratoga Real Estate, about buying or selling a home in Saratoga, please contact me! I would be happy to assist you.

Tags: Austin Way, CA, Heritage Lane, Historic Area, Saratoga, Saratoga Avenue

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 25th, 2008 at 12:20 pm and is filed under Saratoga. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.