Saratoga

 

The sleepy city of Saratoga is surrounded by creeks and trails and bordered by the majestic Santa Clara Mountains. It’s a semi-rural, tranquil neighborhood at Silicon Valley’s western edge with some fantastic cultural attractions and an abundance of open spaces.

Saratoga’s downtown district is spread along Big Basin Way, which provides residents with high-end restaurants and boutique shopping options in a small-town setting. Saratoga is home to an array of unique cultural attractions including galleries and live performances the Montalvo Arts Center, numerous vineyards and wineries, and the oldest Japanese gardens in the western world.

Elegant estates are nestled within the thickly forested hillsides of the Santa Clara Mountains around Saratoga. Residences sit upon lots spanning several acres and cabernet vines grow throughout the area. These luxurious homes exhibit stunningly crafted architecture and offer commanding views across Silicon Valley. Unique design features in these custom-built dream houses include home theaters, gyms, spas, outdoor swimming pools, and sunken hot tubs.

With spacious estates situated in a beautiful natural setting, Saratoga is among the most sought-after communities surrounding Silicon Valley. In 2016, the Coldwell Banker Home Listing Report named Saratoga as the most expensive real estate market in the United States. The median sales price has increased by 7% over the past year, reaching $2,382,000, with an average price per square foot of $925.

Saratoga’s proximity to Silicon Valley attracts many of the hi-tech hub’s best-paid employees to this gorgeous laidback semi-rural setting. This concentration of highly-educated individuals has led numerous publications to shower the town with acclaim, including Forbes placing it among the United States’ top twenty most educated small towns and CNN Money noting that more than 70% of residents have an annual income in excess of $100,000.

Saratoga residents enjoy a wonderful range of chic upscale eateries situated along Big Basin Way. The Basin serves magnificent gourmet meat, fish, and vegetarian dishes that fuse traditional Spanish and Italian influences with modern American panache. The Plume Horse offers exquisite fine dining and sommeliers noted for their first-class wine pairing recommendations. La Mere Michelle is a Saratoga institution that has been delighting customers with sensational French cuisine for more than four decades.

These fantastic restaurants are nestled along a street that offers wonderful boutique shopping and is situated near the Mountain Winery, another popular Saratoga attraction. This beautiful vineyard is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and holds regular concerts that have brought some incredible live music acts to Saratoga. Previous performers include The Beach Boys, Ringo Starr, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, and Stevie Wonder.

Montalvo Arts Center is another outstanding Saratoga cultural hub, including artists’ residences, two theaters, and an art gallery within a grand Italian Mediterranean Revival mansion situated on beautifully manicured grounds.

Saratoga’s rich history and immaculate natural setting come together in the spectacular Hakone Gardens, which faithfully recreate the famous gardens of Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park.

The semi-rural setting of Saratoga includes an abundance of open space, a highlight being the sprawling expanse of untouched forestry, Sanborn County Park. This immaculate green space stages California’s only outdoor Shakespearean theater company.