Mountain View is located in the heart of Silicon Valley, 10 miles north of San Jose and 34 miles south of San Francisco. The city is bordered by Palo Alto, Los Altos, and Sunnyvale. The central location provides easy access to the entire San Francisco Bay Area and northern California cities.

Downtown Mountain View is the "heartbeat" of the city. This vibrant and active center offers restaurants, shops, theater, sidewalk cafes, and the civic center. Downtown Mountain View is known for its activities-- festivals, including the Chamber's Annual Art & Wine Festival, parades, cultural events, the weekly farmer's' market, free concerts and a variety of unique celebrations throughout the year. Thousands of people each year come to downtown Mountain View to enjoy the events, and the character of downtown keeps them coming back. Castro Street is the functional and symbolic center of downtown. It is a "townscape," with pedestrian-scaled street spaces, well defined by attractive buildings and beautiful landscaping. The city comes alive at night when the lights shine from the trees lining the sidewalks and diners stroll from restaurants to cafes, ice-cream shops, bookstores or pubs.

The City's Downtown Committee, made up of business owners and representatives from the downtown neighborhood, school district, Central Business Association, and Chamber of Commerce, continually focuses on maintaining high standards for the downtown and ensuring that the area grows as a shopping and dining destination. Downtown Mountain View has been recognized as one of the most successful redevelopment efforts in the region.

Mountain View has encouraged multi-use developments which have resulted in downtown residential units near transit and services. Residents of downtown, as well as daytime workers, frequent the many restaurants and retail establishments. The transit center offers train, light rail, and bus service into and out of downtown. The Centennial Plaza at the corner of Castro Street and Evelyn Avenue includes a train station designed in the style of the 1888 Southern Pacific train station once located in this spot. The building has a bicycle shelter and an automatic teller machine making it convenient for the thousands of commuters coming to and from Mountain View each day.

Down the street, visitors will find City Hall, the Center for the Performing Arts, the Library and the Chamber of Commerce-- all of which surround beautiful Pioneer Park.

Please visit downtown Mountain View to experience its unique character and charm.