Mountain View is named for its views of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The city shares its borders with the cities of Palo Alto, Los Altos, andSunnyvale, as well as Moffett Federal Airfield and the San Francisco Bay.
Today, high technology is the basis of the local economy and there are few remnants of its agricultural past. Many of the largest technology companies in the world are headquartered in the here, including the Fortune 1000 companies Google, Symantec, and Intuit.
Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south. The transit center links the Caltrain commuter rail and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) light rail and bus systems.
Going south from the downtown station, there are approximately four blocks with a high concentration of diverse restaurants, cafes, and shops. Chez TJ, one of the few restaurants rated by the prestigious Michelin Guide in the Bay Area, is located a block from Castro Street on Villa Street. Tied House, located next door, was one of the first brewpubs to open in the Bay Area, and remains a popular stop in downtown.
The core of downtown is the plaza shared by City Hall, the Mountain View Center for Performing Arts and the award-winning Mountain View Public Library. Behind those buildings is Pioneer Park, which enjoys a quiet environment resulting from the City Hall building blocking out the noise from Castro Street. The Plaza between City Hall and the Performing Arts Center is a well-used spot for community gatherings and events, and features an impressive collection of public art. The Mountain View Police Department is located two blocks away from Castro Street on Villa Street.