🇺🇸 Campbell is a city in Santa Clara County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Campbell is home to the Pruneyard Shopping Center, a sprawling open-air retail complex which was involved in a famous U.S. Supreme Court case that established the extent of the right to free speech in California. Today, the Pruneyard Shopping Center is home to the South Bay offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

History Prior to the founding of the neighborhood of Campbell, the land was occupied by the Ohlone, the Native American people of the Northern California coast.

About a third of present-day Campbell was part of the 1839 Alta California Rancho Rinconada de Los Gatos land grant. The northern extent of the grant land was along present-day Rincon Avenue, and across the North end of John D. Morgan Park in central Campbell.

Industrialization The city was founded by Benjamin Campbell (1826–1907), after whom the city is named. Benjamin came to California in 1846 with his father, William M. Campbell I (1793–1885). William started a sawmill in Saratoga, and surveyed the cities of San Jose and Santa Clara. In 1851, Benjamin bought 160 acres (0.65 km²) in southern Santa Clara Valley and cultivated hay and grain on it. This area later became Campbell's historical downtown core.

In 1878, Campbell sold his land for $5 an acre to a railroad company. By 1887, the first subdivision was recorded west of the railroad, from Campbell Avenue to the spot where the Water Tower Plaza now stands. He and his wife Mary (née Rucker) Campbell (1834–1913) founded the city which was first known as Campbell's Place, but would later become the town of Campbell.

In 1888, the Campbell School District was formed.

The area became the centre for shipping fruit grown in the surrounding area, and within a short time, the drying grounds and canneries made Campbell an important rail center. By 1892, the Campbell Fruit Growers' Union became a well-known cooperative with its 17-acre (69,000 m²) drying yard. J.C. Ainsley Packing Company, Hyde Cannery, and Payne Cannery were the main fruit packing companies. In 1895, The Bank of Campbell was founded and the first newspaper, the Campbell Weekly Visitor, began publication.

Campbell was incorporated as a city in 1952. The city then grew rapidly as orchard lands disappeared, tract by tract. Today, Campbell is a suburban residential neighborhood in the southern part of the Santa Clara Valley.

Economy 8x8, Barracuda Networks, Move, ChargePoint, Hightail and ZURB are among the companies based in Campbell.

Top employers According to a recent Financial Report, the top employers in the city include:

Employer # of Employees

1 Chargepoint, Inc.; 2 Barracuda Networks Inc.; 3 Safeway; 4 Home Depot; 5 Pacific Netsoft Inc.; 6 Andro's Rostilj LLC; 7 On-Site.com; 8 Family Matters In-Home Care; 9 Friend Finder Networks, Inc; 10 Saama Technologies.

Transportation Campbell is served by several major roads, including State Route 17, State Route 85, Interstate 280, and San Tomas Expressway (Santa Clara County Route G4). Major local arterial roads include Winchester Boulevard and Bascom Avenue.

Public transport in Campbell is operated by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority and includes several local and express bus lines that link the community to nearby towns, including Cupertino, Los Gatos, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara and Saratoga. Additionally, the town is served by three light rail stations on the Mountain View - Winchester line, including Hamilton Station, Downtown Campbell Station, and the line's terminus at Winchester Station. These stations were opened as part of the first phase of the Vasona Light Rail project; the line will be extended past Winchester to Vasona Junction in Los Gatos once funding is secured. That line is now served by buses.

The extension was the subject of a minor dispute with the Federal Railroad Administration over the sounding of train horns late at night. This dispute delayed the opening of most of the extension for two months before the grand opening on October 1, 2005.

Housing and businesses There are few large shopping centres or business complexes in the city, as Campbell is primarily a suburban residential area. The Home Depot has a store within the city limits and is one of the city's largest employers.

Most residences are single-family homes, although there are some areas with condominiums, duplexes, and apartments. Single-family homes typically have one or two bathrooms and three or four bedrooms and are between 1,000 square feet (93 m²) and 1,600 square feet (150 m²) on lots typically measuring about 6,000 square feet (560 m²). The vast majority were built in the 1950s through 1970s. There are pockets of older homes, mostly near downtown, often in demand for their architectural styles. There are also pockets of newer, much larger homes about 3,500 square feet (330 m²), mostly built in the 1990s on subdivided lots previously occupied by homes dating from the first half of the 20th century. Campbell's downtown is located near where Campbell Avenue intersects with the railroad. The downtown has many shops, bars, and restaurants.

The oldest commercial building in the city was erected in 1920 for the Grower's Bank. The building was converted to a movie theater in 1938. In 1968, The Gaslighter Theater company purchased and refurbished the building with a small stage and bar. The Gaslighter produced melodramas and Vaudeville-style shows there until it closed in 2006. In 2013 the building was sold and underwent refurbishment to become a wine bar, tasting room, and restaurant.

As of October 2006, the median price of single-family homes and condos was $707,500, up 4.8% from the previous October, and averaging $472 per square foot ($5,080/m²) according to the San Jose Mercury News; the average single-family home price, excluding condos, was $645,000 in January, 2004 (according to the Santa Clara County Association of Realtors). The price is based largely on the land value; the replacement cost for homes is about $150 to $200 per square foot ($1,600 to $2,200/m²).

With the advent of the California housing crisis, property values have greatly increased; as of April 2018, the median home value was $1,453,300, according to Zillow.

Like many other cities in the Santa Clara Valley, Campbell was originally orchard land that was later developed into housing tracts.