Cupertino owes its earliest mention in recorded history to Spaniards with a pioneering spirit.  In 1776, Captain Juan Bautista de Anza led an expedition from Sonora, Mexico, up the coast of California.  As they passed through the Santa Clara Valley, Pedro Font, a member of the expedition, bestowed the name "Arroyo San Jose de Cupertino" on the stream that is now called Stevens Creek.

Now, Cupertino is home to approximately 58,000 residents and is ranked in Forbes as one of the most educated small towns, with local public schools ranking highly in the country.  Cupertino is the home of the Apple Inc. corporate headquarters and one of many cities that claim to be the "heart" of Silicon Valley, as many semiconductor and computer companies were founded there and in the surrounding areas.