Milpitas

The grass-carpeted hills of Milpitas, on the southeast shore of San Francisco Bay, were home to the Ohlone Indians for at least 1,300 years before they became a landmark for Spanish padres who rested at nearby Penitencia Creek on the long day's journey between two missions. When the area became a Mexican cattle ranch in 1835 it was called Rancho Milpitas, meaning a thousand flowers or gardens. Later adopted by the town that grew up there, the name accurately described the many farms laid ou...