Silicon Valley is a region in San Francisco Bay’s southern area, also known as the Santa Clara Valley. The region has become synonymous with American technology innovation and business, earning its nickname in the 1970s due to the silicon chips used in the semiconductor industry. Today, it is home to major technology and innovation corporations such as Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Google, and Tesla, along with high-profile internet-based companies such as Twitter, Facebook, PayPal, and Uber.

Major cities in the region include San Jose, Palo Alto, Santa Clara, and Sunnyvale. A wide variety of museums are offered for visitors, including the tech-focused Computer History Museum and Tech Museum of Innovation. Annual events hosted in the valley include the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, Facebook F8, and cultural festivals such as the Palo Alto Festival of the Arts and the San Jose Jazz Festival. Map

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