The Strong Cities, Strong State campaign now has 50 cities! Gilroy, sitting at the very southern tip of the San Francisco Bay Area in Santa Clara County, is the 50th city featured on the website. The city enjoys a beautiful and unique location within its valley setting. Despite its growth, Gilroy continues to harbor a rural and historic character, especially in the older neighborhoods where buildings dating back to the mid-1800s can be found. Today, Gilroy’s growth is closely linked with economic activity in the Bay Area as a whole, and with Silicon Valley in particular. Gilroy’s success stories include the following:
- The Gilroy Garlic Festival: The Gilroy Garlic Festival is one of the largest food festivals in the United States and held annually on the last full weekend in July at Christmas Hill Park. The three day festival is attended by well over 100,000 garlic lovers.
- Gilroy Gardens: This one-of-a-kind park is unique to California as it is designed to educate guests and to foster a greater appreciation of horticulture.
- Shopping Destination: Gilroy is also known for its Premium Outlets, with more than 150 stores offering a unique shopping experience at name brand, national outlets at a discounted price.
Read more, see photos, and connect with the city here.
Orange County’s Laguna Hills is today’s newest city on “Strong Cities | Strong State.” This city of only 6.6 square miles is home to 30,344 proud residents. Most of the areas in the City have a distinctive residential character, yet the City has a very strong commercial base as well. In September of 2000, the City grew by another 150 acres as a result of the successful annexation of residential neighborhoods identified as the Westside Area. Laguna Hills’s success stories include the following:
- Public Art and Cultural History: This is an innovative preservation project that also enhances the cultural identity and history of the City.
- Community Center and Sports Complex: A key motivation behind the City’s incorporation effort was to build community parks and recreational facilities for local residents, which were lacking at the time.
- Award Winning Circle of Friends Program: The award-winning “Circle of Friends” program is designed for individuals with disabilities over the age of thirteen. The activities of the program help foster social skills, provide athletic events, increase leisure opportunities, and create lasting friendships while enhancing developmental needs for teens and adults of all abilities.
Read more, see photos, and connect with the city here.
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