Details of the Town of San Marcello

• San Marcello (pronounced by locals as “san mar-sell-o”) is in Santa Lorena County, California, on what was once Rancho Prado de las Ovejas, granted by the Spanish Government to Marcello Estrada

• Santa Lorena County is located in Silicon Valley, between Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, at the south end of San Francisco Bay, extending southwest to the Pacific Ocean

• with the exception of San Marcello and Mikesboro, Santa Lorena County is mostly rural with a handful of unincorporated communities

• Santa Lorena County’s current population is approximately 100,000

• Santa Lorena’s county seat is San Marcello

• the Town of San Marcello was incorporated in 1900 by developer Donovan E. Riley

• San Marcello’s current population is approximately 30,000

• San Marcello sits at the edge of the Bay, and stretches south into the foothills of Mt. Angustia on the Santa Cruz Mountain Range

• Menlo Park abuts San Marcello to the northwest, San Francisco Bay to the northeast, Mikesboro to the southwest, Palo Alto to the southeast

• Bailey Ridge runs northwest-southeast along the eastern portion of Santa Lorena County, separating the Santa Lorena Valley from the Santa Clara Valley

• Martinez Point lies at the edge of the Bay where Bailey Ridge terminates; it was named to honor the death of an early resident who died there

• Marcello Estrada State Park is located at the summit of Mt. Angustia

• Emerson River flows south from Mt. Angustia, through downtown San Marcello, into the Bay; the river is named after the town’s white settler Emerson Sterling Benton

• Sterling Observatory, atop Mt. Angustia, was completed in 1895; at the time, it was the largest astronomical observatory in the world; on his deathbed, Emerson Benton decided to have it constructed, and to be named after his grandfather, Sterling Benton

• San Marcello streets run north-south and avenues run east-west

• three of the main boulevards downtown are Hollis, Mason, and Palmer, named after Emerson Benton’s sons; Mason St. and Palmer St. run parallel, on either bank of the Emerson River; Hollis Ave. runs perpendicular, crossing the river via bridge

• many streets in town are named after early female Benton family residents, including Emerson’s daughters Celeste (Celeste St.) and Constance (Constance St.) and wife Claire (Claire Ave., running east-west between Celeste and Constance Streets)

• many local place names are from early residents, including the following families: Bailey (i.e. Bailey Ridge), Jensen (i.e. Jensen Hill), Martinez (i.e. Martinez Point), McDonough (i.e. McDonough Park.), Riley (i.e. the Riley Bldg.), and Wilhelm (i.e. Wilhelm Field)

• Neighborhoods include low-income Riverview; working-class McDonough Park; middle-class Orchard Grove; upper-middle-class Bayview; and exclusive Jensen Hill, on the southern outskirts of town

• El Camino Real (SR 82) and the Bayshore Freeway (US 101) run northwest-southeast through town; the Junipero Serra Freeway (I-280) runs northwest-southeast just south of town

• Caltrain, formerly the Southern Pacific Railway, runs northwest-southeast (to San Francisco, in the north and San Jose, in the south) through downtown San Marcello, stopping at the San Marcello Station

• San Marcello has a light rail system, called the MARC, Metropolitan Arterial Rapid Commute

• the high-rise Valley Towers Hotel is located downtown, overlooking Emerson River

• DVI World Headquarters was built downtown in 1992 across the street from rival Benton Industries

• The UK firm Kingsley Oil has an office in downtown San Marcello and oil fields outside of McKittrick, in the Central Valley

• San Marcello is home to Wilhelm Textiles and Jensen Fine Fruits

• formerly a thriving fruit growing and packing region, San Marcello is now home to many of the electronics and software industries’ leading companies; however, several orchards and vineyards still operate today

• located just outside of Old Downtown is the Santa Lorena/San Marcello Civic Center, housing the San Marcello Public Safety Dept. (police and fire/rescue); the city/county jail; county courthouse; San Marcello Town Hall; Santa Lorena County Building (district attorney’s office, sheriff, county commission, public health dept., county records, registrar of voters, planning dept., SLUHSD offices, etc.); and the main branch of the Santa Lorena Regional Library system

• San Marcello University is located in town, and is the location of the teaching hospital

• the University’s athletic stadium is called the Epicenter; their football team is the Temblors

• local students attend Emerson High School, part of the Santa Lorena Unified High School District

• the local newspaper is the San Marcello Bulletin

• the local radio station is KSMO FM; The Paige Turner Show is a one-hour call-in show broadcast on Wed. nights

• the local TV station is KSLV

• San Marcello Municipal Airport, AKA Wilhelm Field, is named after an early 20th Century flight enthusiast

• Remo’s Landing is the name of the city’s marina

• the Wilhelm Estate, thought to be haunted, sits atop Jensen Hill

• Bay Vista Ranch is the Benton Family mansion, located in the Jensen Hill neighborhood

• local restaurants include: Lotus Blossom, a sushi restaurant owned by the Nguyen family; Civic Center Grill, a downtown greasy spoon diner; Benedetto’s, an Italian restaurant; and The Crooked Twig, a tea bazaar

• the local department store chain is Hart’s

• the Plaza Mall is located alongside Emerson River, downtown

• The Wilhelm Gallery maintains a private art collection in the Uptown Arts District

• Lujoso is the luxury spa and health club in town

• Orchard Grove Community Church is a Unitarian Universalist church run by Pastor Ruthledge

• Riverview Community Center serves the recreational needs of the low-income residents of the Riverview neighborhood; social service agencies and food programs also use the center to provide needed services

• Riverview Clinic, located across the street from Riverview Community Center and run by Dr. Antonio Martinez, serves impoverished patients’ medical needs

• Sycamore Delta State Correctional Facility is a prison near Stockton

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