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53-572: John J. Coit , an experienced locomotive driver, built the track of miniature railway together with his friends at cost of $ 1,200. He had previously worked as a master machinist at the Johnson Machine Works . Due to being physically handicapped, he focused on a user-friendly design of his locomotives. In the night from 21 to 22 August 1903, the whole roadbed, rails and ties of the Long Beach and Asbury Park Railway were washed away by

106-714: A warm-summer Mediterranean climate , like much of California. Los Gatos rarely gets a hard frost . Los Gatos gets the slight winter chill that is needed to grow grapes and have vineyards . Types of bananas that ripen within three months grow well during the summer. The record high temperature was 114 °F (46 °C) on June 14, 1961, and the record low temperature was 16 °F (−9 °C) on December 22, 1990. There are an average of 27 days annually with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher and an average of 5 days annually with lows of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower. Rainfall averages 21.2 inches (54 cm) annually and falls on an average of 59 days annually. The wettest year

159-591: A 20-mile (32 km) loop through the Santa Cruz Mountains. From downtown, El Sereno mountain stands to the southwest; El Sombroso stands to the southeast. The El Sereno Open Space Preserve and the Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve open the top and upper flanks of each of these mountains to hiking and cycling. Though the official total area of the town is 11.2 square miles, approximately 100 square miles (260 km ) of

212-447: A cow. The locomotive derailed approximately 60 m (197 feet) in front of bridge No 47 near Mamei and tipped over onto the adjacent track, which ran towards the south. Coit died immediately at the scene of the accident and his West Indian fireman was seriously injured. The tipped-over locomotive was removed from the tracks to allow other trains to pass. As Coit was not married, his sister, C.J. Stanton, 418 Solano Avenue, Los Angeles,

265-469: A female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.93. In the town the population was spread out, with 21.2% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

318-459: A full recovery. Rail transport played a large role in Los Gatos's historical development, but the city, as of 2020, has no regular passenger train service of any sort. The South Pacific Coast Railroad , a popular narrow-gauge line from Alameda (and San Francisco via ferry) to Santa Cruz in the late 19th century, stopped in Los Gatos. Southern Pacific took over this line in 1887. Los Gatos

371-404: A generally unacceptable range for residential living. Vasona Park , a county park, and neighboring Oak Meadow Park, which belongs to the town, are located in what is roughly the geographic middle of the town, bordered on the south by Blossom Hill Road, on the east by Highway 17, on the west by University Avenue, and reaching at the north end not quite all the way to Lark Avenue. Located in the parks

424-406: A height of 1,295 millimetres (51 in) from the top of rail to the top of stack was of the 2-6-0 type Mogul. The locomotive had some technical innovations, such as a valve control without eccentrics, which was easy to adjust and to maintain. The locomotive had also automatic couplings and a bespoke oil burner, for which Coit filed a patent. From July 1908 he worked as a locomotive engineer on

477-684: A historic high tide. With the experience gained, Coit did not rebuild the track at this location, instead building the Eastlake Park Scenic Railway (opened on 19 May 1904) and the Venice Miniature Railway (opened on 4 July 1905) with a larger gauge of 18 in ( 457 mm ). The 4-6-0 ten-wheeler steam locomotive of this railway was constructed by H. M. Leach of the Central Iron Works under Coit's supervision. It required four months for

530-467: A household was $ 198,117, with family households having a median income of $ 240,688 and non-family households $ 113,207. The per capita income was $ 120,561. Out of the 32,700 people with a determined poverty status, 3.9% were below the poverty line . Further, 2.0% of minors and 6.4% of seniors were below the poverty line. In the survey, residents self-identified with various ethnic ancestries. People of German descent made up 11.1% of

583-447: A male householder with no partner present, and 21.5% had a female householder with no partner present. The median household size was 2.54 and the median family size was 3.05. The age distribution was 22.9% under 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 20.8% from 25 to 44, 31.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 or older. The median age was 45.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.8 males. The median income for

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636-429: A maximum pressure of 200 psi (13.8 bar; 1,379.0 kPa). It had 73 pieces of 1 ⁄ 2 -inch (12.7 mm) diameter flues, which were 41 inches (1,041 mm) long. The complete train was equipped with a Westinghouse straight air brake . This United States rail–related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . John J. Coit John J. Coit (1875 – 21 September 1910)

689-458: A population of 29,413. The population density was 2,635.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,017.6/km ). The racial makeup of Los Gatos was 24,060 (81.8%) White , 269 (0.9%) African American , 86 (0.3%) Native American , 3,203 (10.9%) Asian , 52 (0.2%) Pacific Islander , 462 (1.6%) from other races , and 1,281 (4.4%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2,120 persons (7.2%). The Census reported that 29,063 people (98.8% of

742-636: Is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California , United States. The population is 33,529 according to the 2020 census . It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area just southwest of San Jose in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains . Los Gatos is part of Silicon Valley , with several high technology companies maintaining a presence there. Netflix , the streaming service and content creator,

795-509: Is bisected by State Route 17 , which runs through the town from south to north. State Route 85 roughly marks the northern boundary of the town, although a few pockets of homes to its North are included. Highway 9 (Los Gatos-Saratoga Road) from the coast terminates at Highway 17. Downtown Los Gatos, the area on and around Santa Cruz Avenue and Main Street, is located in the southwest quadrant of town. A left exit on northbound Highway 17 becomes

848-453: Is headquartered in Los Gatos and has developed a large presence in the area. Los Gatos is Spanish for "The Cats". The name derives from the 1839 Alta California land grant that encompassed the area, which was called La Rinconada de Los Gatos ("The Corner of the Cats"), where the cats refers to the cougars (mountain lions) and bobcats that are indigenous to the foothills in which

901-569: Is in the 15th Senate District , represented by Democrat Dave Cortese , and in the 28th Assembly District , represented by Democrat Gail Pellerin . In the United States House of Representatives , Los Gatos is in California's 16th congressional district , represented by Democrat Anna Eshoo . Los Gatos was in the 18th district until January 3, 2023, when the new district boundaries commenced . The seal of

954-682: Is now located in Monte Sereno ); Justin Goodsell, a renowned quantum mechanics spectroscopy scientist, was born in this town, and a prominent Beat hero Neal Cassady lived there in the 1950s. Along with much of the Santa Clara Valley , Los Gatos became a suburban community for San Jose beginning in the 1950s, and the town was mostly built out by the 1980s. Downtown Los Gatos has retained and restored many of its Victorian -era homes and commercial buildings. Notable buildings include

1007-567: Is the popular William "Billy" Jones Wildcat Railroad. In Vasona Park is the trail to Prune Ridge. Los Gatos Creek begins in the Santa Cruz Mountains south of the town and runs through the town parallel to Highway 17 all the way through neighboring Campbell and San Jose to the Guadalupe River , which flows into San Francisco Bay. A walking, jogging, and biking trail called the Los Gatos Creek Trail runs alongside much of

1060-633: The Forbes Mill annex, dating to 1880 and formerly housing a history museum; Los Gatos High School, which dates from the 1920s; and the Old Town Shopping Center, formerly the University Avenue School (the school was established in 1882; the current buildings date to 1923). The Lyndon Hotel was another location of significance in the town from its establishment in the 1890s until it was razed in 1963.The building

1113-826: The Bay Area. In 2017, the school district attracted attention for a dress code that targeted specific groups disproportionately. The Los Gatos Public Library is operated by the Town of Los Gatos and is not part of the Santa Clara County Library system. The library is located at 100 Villa Ave, Los Gatos, CA in the town Civic Center. Any California resident with proper identification and verification of their mailing address may have borrowing privileges. The New Museum (NUMU), formerly called Museums of Los Gatos, offers exhibitions and programs on Los Gatos and San Francisco Bay Area art and history. Los Gatos offers

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1166-746: The Moody Gulch drillers, R.C. McPherson, found oil in a well along San Jose Road (now Los Gatos Boulevard) in the Santa Clara Valley flatlands, about 1.9 miles (3 km) northeast of the Los Gatos Post Office. Although commercial production was never established, small amounts of oil were produced for use as fuel, lubricant, and road tar by local residents. Los Gatos is located at 37°14′10″N 121°57′42″W  /  37.23611°N 121.96167°W  / 37.23611; -121.96167 (37.236044, −121.961768). Los Gatos

1219-507: The Santa Cruz Mountains in the vicinity of Moody Gulch, about 4 miles (6.5 km) south of the Los Gatos Post Office. An intense search for oil ensued, resulting in the drilling of many wells and establishment of the Moody Gulch oil field. The Moody Gulch oil field, however, never met expectations, and it was abandoned sometime around 1938 after producing a total of about 98,000 barrels (15,600 m ) of oil and 44 million cu ft (1.2 million m ) of gas. In 1891, one of

1272-726: The Winchester Transit Center, the 49 via Los Gatos Boulevard and the 48 via Winchester. For railroad transportation the nearby city of Santa Clara has the closest train station served by Caltrain , and nearby in the city of Campbell provides access to VTA light rail via the Winchester , Downtown Campbell , and Hamilton stations. For air travel, the closest international airports are San Jose International Airport (SJC), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), and Oakland International Airport (OAK). All these airports are used for air travel by people across

1325-521: The city was 71.7% White, 17.2% Asian, 2.6% some other race, 1.2% Black or African American, and 0.1% Native American or Alaskan Native, with 7.3% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 8.2% of the population. Of the 12,855 households, 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.9% had seniors 65 years or older living with them, 61.1% were married couples living together, 4.8% were couples cohabitating, 12.6% had

1378-416: The city's 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: As of the 2022 American Community Survey estimates, there were 33,093 people and 12,855 households. The population density was 2,864.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,105.9/km ). There were 13,765 housing units at an average density of 1,191.4 units per square mile (460.0 units/km ). The racial makeup of

1431-435: The city, the extension was cut short to Winchester due to the high cost of the extension, minimal expected ridership gains, and the difficulty of sharing rail right-of-way to Vasona Junction with Union Pacific freight trains. Between 1891 and 1929, about 20 oil wells were drilled in and around Los Gatos, starting a minor oil-drilling boom. About 1861, small amounts of oil were discovered in streams, springs, and water wells in

1484-612: The creek from Lexington Dam through Vasona Park and Campbell to Meridian Avenue in San Jose . In Los Gatos, the trail passes the 1854 Forbes Mill . According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 11.2 square miles (29 km ). 11.1 square miles (29 km ) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km ) of it, comprising 0.71%, is water. Los Gatos is surrounded by several mountain bike trails. Cyclists can leave from downtown on

1537-412: The five men who worked on it to complete the locomotive. The combined length of the locomotive and the tender was 16 feet (4,877 mm). The height was 52 inches (1,321 mm) from the top of the rail to the top of the stack. The locomotive had six driving wheels with a diameter of 18 + 1 ⁄ 4 inches (464 mm) and four smaller leading wheels in a bogie. The Vanderbilt type boiler had

1590-483: The logging industry in the Santa Cruz Mountains until the end of the 19th century. Despite being nearby to logging communities, Los Gatos itself only served as a stopping point for those heading into the mountains. With the creation of the Los Gatos Turnpike road, the town was placed in a strategic position on the journey between San Jose and Santa Cruz, and it became an attractive location to live in. Soon,

1643-733: The main line of the Panama railroad, while the Panama Canal was being built. He was employed by the Atlantic Division, and his residence in the Canal Zone was at Culebra . Coit died in an accident in the morning of 21 September 1910 at the age of 35, when the locomotive No 500, with which he pulled a work train, derailed on the main line of the Panama Canal Railway from Gatún to Culebra after colliding with

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1696-491: The mid-1850s with the building of a flour-milling operation, Forbes Mill , by James Alexander Forbes along Los Gatos Creek, then called Jones's Creek. The mill's two-story stone storage annex still stands. The settlement that was established in the 1860s was originally named for the mill, but the name was changed to Los Gatos after the Spanish land grant. The town was incorporated in 1887 and remained an important town for

1749-519: The population of the town, followed by English at 10.7%, Irish at 8.0%, Italian at 7.0%, French at 3.0%, American at 2.5%, Ukrainian at 2.3%, Swedish at 2.1%, Russian at 2.1%, Scottish at 2.0%, Polish at 1.6%, Portuguese at 1.4%, Greek at 1.4%, Arab at 1.3%, Norwegian at 1.2%, Dutch at 1.0%, Hungarian at 0.9%, Danish at 0.8%, Welsh at 0.7%, Sub-Saharan African at 0.6%, Scotch-Irish at 0.6%, and Czech at 0.6%. The 2010 United States Census reported that Los Gatos had

1802-547: The population were below the poverty line , including 4.4% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over. The town is governed by five elected council members with the position of mayor rotating between council members each year. Half the council is elected to a four-year term every two years. There are no term limits for the Town Council. In the California State Legislature , Los Gatos

1855-644: The population) lived in households, 92 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 258 (0.9%) were institutionalized. There were 12,355 households, out of which 3,775 (30.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 6,417 (51.9%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 949 (7.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 435 (3.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 551 (4.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships , and 84 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships . 3,695 households (29.9%) were made up of individuals, and 1,464 (11.8%) had someone living alone who

1908-407: The population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 9,162 people (31.1%) lived in rental housing units. As of the census of 2000, there were 28,592 people, 11,988 households, and 7,300 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,030.8/km (2,670/sq mi). There were 12,367 housing units at an average density of 445.8 units/km (1,155 units/sq mi). The ethnic makeup of

1961-516: The south end of South Santa Cruz Avenue, leading into downtown. The area around Los Gatos Boulevard, east of Highway 17, is much more typically suburban than downtown, with medium-sized shopping centers clustered at major intersections of the multilane boulevard. Although the town has generally a quiet setting, its principal noise generators are State Route 17 and Los Gatos Boulevard. Sound levels within one hundred and fifty feet of Los Gatos Boulevard exceed 60 db CNEL (Community Noise Equivalent Level),

2014-475: The surrounding Los Gatos Mountains (within the Santa Cruz Mountains range) has a Los Gatos address and uses the 95033 ZIP code (primarily) for U.S. Postal Service mail delivery (among other purposes). The principal cemetery is the Los Gatos Memorial Park , dating from 1889. Los Gatos experiences nearly the same temperatures as San Jose, just slightly warmer and with more rain. Los Gatos has

2067-518: The town became a thriving agricultural town with apricots , grapes and prunes being grown in the area. By the 1920s, the Los Gatos area had a local reputation as an arts colony, attracting painters, musicians, writers, actors and their bohemian associates as residents over the years. The violinist Yehudi Menuhin lived there as a boy; the actresses Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland (sisters) were graduates of Los Gatos High School ; John Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath there (the location

2120-448: The town contains an image of the pair of cat sculptures by sculptor Robert Paine that he made for the estate of Charles Erskine Scott Wood and Sara Bard Field . The town of Los Gatos is served by the VTA , (Valley Transportation Authority) which also serves the majority of the county of Santa Clara , including San Jose. The two Los Gatos Community Buses run from Santa Cruz and Main to

2173-482: The town is located. The pronunciation is often anglicized to / l ɔː s ˈ ɡ æ t ə s / lawss- GAT -əs , although one also hears pronunciations truer to the original Spanish, / l oʊ s ˈ ɡ ɑː t oʊ s / lohss- GAH -tohss . The first inhabitants of the area that is now Los Gatos were the Ohlone Native Americans. At the time the first settlers arrived in the area, it

Long Beach and Asbury Park Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue

2226-406: The town was 86.68% Caucasian , 0.79% African American , 0.30% Native American , 7.60% Asian , 0.07% Pacific Islander , 1.28% from other races , and 3.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.21% of the population. There were 11,988 households, out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were married couples living together, 7.2% had

2279-450: The town was booming. In 1852 only one adobe home existed in the area; by 1868 Los Gatos held the Mill, a blacksmith shop, a stage depot, a lumber yard, a temporary schoolhouse, a hotel, a post office, and several houses. The town began to rapidly gain prominence after the town of Lexington lost its importance with the fall of the timber industry in the area. In the early 20th century,

2332-700: Was 1909 with 51.77 inches and the driest year was 2007 with 9.47 inches (241 mm). The most rainfall in one month was 26.56 inches in December 1955 and the most rainfall in 24 hours was 8.48 inches on December 23, 1955. Although snow sometimes falls in the nearby Santa Cruz Mountains, it is very rare in Los Gatos. The most snow on record was 2.0 inches in February 1976. Los Gatos averages 330 sunny days per year. The following companies are headquartered in Los Gatos: According to

2385-414: Was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males. According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the town was $ 126,568, and the median income for a family was $ 152,940. Males had a median income of $ 89,420 versus $ 57,596 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 56,094. About 3.1% of families and 4.3% of

2438-419: Was 45.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males. There were 13,050 housing units at an average density of 1,169.4 units per square mile (451.5 units/km ), of which 7,778 (63.0%) were owner-occupied, and 4,577 (37.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.5%. 19,901 people (67.7% of

2491-417: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35. There were 7,801 families (63.1% of all households); the average family size was 2.96. The population was spread out, with 6,567 people (22.3%) under the age of 18, 1,442 people (4.9%) aged 18 to 24, 6,722 people (22.9%) aged 25 to 44, 9,417 people (32.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 5,265 people (17.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

2544-521: Was also a streetcar-type rail line called the Peninsular Railway with service to Saratoga and San Jose that started about 1905 and ended about 1933. San Francisco commuter trains continued into downtown until 1959, and Vasona Junction until 1964. The site of the old railroad station is now occupied by Town Plaza and the post office. While VTA had originally planned to extend their Green Line to Vasona Junction and bring back passenger rail to

2597-570: Was also near the Southern Pacific resort town of Holy City , along the rail line in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The last Southern Pacific passenger train to Santa Cruz left Los Gatos on February 26, 1940. In town, the rail line used to run along the shore of Vasona Reservoir to the present-day location of the Post Office, following the path of what is now a continuous string of parking lots between Santa Cruz Ave. and University Ave. There

2650-547: Was an American experienced railroad engineer , who built and operated four miniature railways in California. John J. Coit worked initially as a master machinist at the Johnson Machine Works but could not continue in this profession because he became physically handicapped. He built and operated several miniature railways in succession: His oilfired steam locomotive No 1903 with a total length of 5.80 meters (19 ft 0 in) from tip of pilot to end of tank couple and

2703-527: Was estimated that approximately 5,000 indigenous people were living in the Valley , and noted that the relationship between the settlers and natives was very good. The first settlers to enter the Valley proper were two soldiers that had strayed from their missionary group on November 2, 1769. By 1777, there were between 1,500 and 2,000 Native Americans living in the mission compound. The town's founding dates to

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2756-413: Was located on the site of a previous hotel. One that had changed hands numerous times over the previous years. But primarily under the ownership of one of the most esteemed Los Gatos business owners at the time. John Weldon Lyndon. A number of brick buildings in downtown Los Gatos were destroyed or seriously damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake , though the district was quickly rebuilt and has made

2809-587: Was the next of kin . Three of his miniature locomotives are known to survive today. Venice Railway No. 1 and Eastlake Park No. 1903 are with private owners, while Venice Railway No. 2 operates at the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad in Los Gatos, California . Los Gatos, California Los Gatos ( US : / l oʊ s ˈ ɡ ɑː t oʊ s , l ɔː s -/ ; Spanish: [los ˈɣatos] ; Spanish for 'The Cats')

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