MORGAN HILL

So, where do Silicon Valley’s tech giants choose to call home? Many of them flock to Morgan Hill, and for good reason. Actually, count three reasons this gorgeous city is a magnet to the talented and wealthy: its premiere real estate offerings, upscale leisure opportunities, and its high-tech industry.

Morgan Hill quick facts

• The city had a population of nearly 38,000 as of the last census.
• Morgan Hill became a city in 1906.
• The city is made up of nearly 13 miles of Santa Clara County land.
• Morgan Hill is located about 12 miles south of San Jose, about 69 miles southeast of San Francisco and about 320 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
• Agriculture was the dominant industry here in the early twentieth century.
• Between 1973 and 1980, the population exploded, from 7,000 to 18,000 residents.

Morgan Hill’s schools

The Unified School District — ranked 275 of 865 California public school districts — serves 8,700 public school students who live here and other areas of Santa Clara County.

Depending on home address, students are assigned to one of six elementary, two elementary/middle, two middle or two high schools. The district also administers a continuation high school and a community adult school.

The district’s highest ranking schools include:

• Nordstrom Elementary – 507th of California’s 5,621 public elementary schools.
• Martin Murphy Middle School — 957th of 2,472 California public middle schools.
• Ann Sobrato High School — 278th of 2,044 California public high schools.

Many parents choose private schools for their children and among the most popular is Oakwood School, an independent, non-sectarian, college-preparatory school for students in preschool through grade 12.

The city is also home to Saint Catherine School, a Kindergarten through grade 8 Catholic elementary school and Saint John XXIII College Prep, a Catholic high school. Shadow Mountain Baptist School serves students in grades Pre-K through 12 and Crossroads Christian School’s academic program serves children in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 8^th.

Gavilan College, a community college, offers a campus in Morgan Hill.

Getting around in Morgan Hill

Highway 101 bisects Morgan Hill, offering convenient access to communities north and south and to east and west connectors in San Jose.

If you prefer public transit for your commute, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) provides local and express busses to San Jose, Santa Clara, Gilroy and Sunnyvale.

Or, take Caltrain to San Francisco via the Morgan Hill station.

Business and industry in Morgan Hill

Morgan Hill Unified School District, Anritsu (a global telecommunications and electronics corporation) and Specialized Bicycle Components are the three largest employers.

Because of its position within Silicon Valley, Morgan Hill is home to a variety of tech firms, including Velodyne and Flextronics, among others. Additionally, many start-ups and R&D firms choose to call Morgan Hill home.

The employees here, on average, earn 64.2 percent more than the national median income and 51.2 percent more than California’s.

Slightly more than 15 percent of the city’s residents are self-employed.

Morgan Hill arts, entertainment and events

Downtown Morgan Hill is home to a number of Gateway Art Projects as part of its commitment to the Downtown Placemaking Investment Strategy. Pieces such as the whimsical tarantula climbing up the façade of a parking structure and the gorgeous “Encompass” display (Monterey Rd. and Dunne) add a sense of history and culture.

The St. Catherine of Alexandria parish holds several highly anticipated annual events in the city, including the Fall Fun Fest, the Golf Classic and the Annual Sweepstakes.

Other local events include:

• Art a La Carte​
• Fall Tarantula Fest and BBQ
• Family Fun Night at the Pool
• Family FunFest & Movie Night Under the Stars
• Friday Night Music Series
• Freedom Fest
• Mushroom Mardi Gras
• Splash 2 Dash Youth Triathlon
• Summer Fun in the Park
• Taste of Morgan Hill

Shopping and Dining

Whether you prefer an indoor or outdoor shopping experience, large malls with national retailers, the convenience of strip malls or shopping among locally-owned retailers you’ll find your spot here.

Local favorite centers for general errand-running include Cochrane Commons, Cochrane Plaza and Vineyard Town Center. Lawrence Oaks Shopping Center offers a Home Depot and grocery store and you’ll find many smaller shopping centers scattered throughout the city.

When it’s time to grab a bite to eat in Morgan Hill you’ll find an array of options. As a testament to the city’s diversity, residents’ favorites include breakfast/brunch, barbecue and Vietnamese, Italian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Thai and Mediterranean cuisine.

Getting Outdoors

The residents love getting outdoors in their leisure time and the city admirably supplies them with 26 parks and facilities in which to do just that. Some of the most popular include the following:

• Morgan Hill Outdoor Sports Center – A sports tournament venue, it features two full-size synthetic turf sports fields and nine grass fields. The facility hosts sports events but it is also available to local sports groups.
• Morgan Hill Skateboard/BMX Park – 15,000 square feet of fun. Designed for scooter, BMX and skateboarding.
• Centennial Tennis Courts — The City offers eight public tennis courts.
• Morgan Hill Aquatics Center – Offers two large waterslides, splash pad, water play feature and competition-size pool.

Among the many parks in the area, residents love Diana Park for the kids’ play equipment and basketball court, Stone Creek Park for the water feature, kite flying and skate ramp and Morgan Hill Dog Park for its doggy wading pool and drinking fountains, fire hydrants for the boy dogs, shady seating for the two-legged and secure gate system.

For less-structured outdoor activities, visit Anderson Lake County Park, just over the north and east borders of Morgan Hill. The more than 4,200-acre park includes the larges reservoir in Santa Clara County, ideal for boating. You’ll also find horse, bicycle and hiking trails and lots of nature to commune with.

Homes in Morgan Hill

The city is home to nearly 13,000 housing units, 71 percent of which are owner-occupied. About 25 percent of the homes were built in the last two decades so you’ll find many California ranch-style homes as well as a few vintage homes that date back to the late 1800s.

Townhomes are typically priced from the mid-$600,000s and single-family homes that need work can be had for as little as $500,000. You’ll find plenty of homes with acreage as well and, if you want to build a home, vacant parcels of land are typically available for sale.

Feel free to  contact us to be notified about new listings of homes for sale in Morgan Hill. We’re happy to help.