Explore Los Altos local geography, civic resources and voter guides, with dated official population and registration facts for Santa Clara County.
At a glance: Los Altos is an incorporated city in Santa Clara County. Population: 31,921 (California Department of Finance estimate as of January 1, 2026). Registered voters: 22,828 (California Secretary of State, as of September 4, 2026).
Los Altos occupies a largely residential part of the western Santa Clara Valley, with a low-rise downtown organized around Main and State streets. Foothill Expressway follows the former rail corridor that helped establish the community. The Los Altos Community Center and nearby civic campus provide spaces for recreation and public activities. Los Altos Library and the Los Altos History Museum add learning resources, while Shoup Park offers a wooded creekside setting. Los Altos incorporated on December 1, 1952. It is a general-law city with a council-manager government and is separate from the neighboring Town of Los Altos Hills. The incorporation date and railroad origins are described in the city's official history.
No. They are separate incorporated jurisdictions with separate councils, offices and land-use authority.
Los Altos developed around a Southern Pacific rail connection; the former right-of-way later became Foothill Expressway.
Use the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters for registration and voting information, and the city clerk for municipal election records.
22,828 (California Secretary of State, as of September 4, 2026).
CA Slates began with shared voter guides in 2012 and expanded into its current publication family and connected program.