Tulare Hill is a prominent hill in the Santa Teresa Hills of western Santa Clara County, California. It lies along the southernmost edge of San Jose, California, adjacent to the Metcalf Energy Center. The hill and surrounding 330 acres (130 ha) of serpentine grasslands are home to the endangered Bay checkerspot butterfly[3] and Dudleya setchellii wildflower.[4] A portion of the hill makes up the Tulare Hill Ecological Preserve.

Tulare Hill
Tulare Hill along Santa Teresa Boulevard
Highest point
Elevation620 ft (190 m) NGVD 29[1]
Prominence320 ft (98 m) NGVD 29[1]
Coordinates37°13′16″N 121°45′18″W / 37.2210554°N 121.7549494°W / 37.2210554; -121.7549494[2]
Geography
Tulare Hill is located in California
Tulare Hill
Tulare Hill
Location in California
LocationSanta Clara County, California, U.S.
Parent rangeSanta Teresa Hills
Topo mapUSGS Tulare Hill

Geography edit

The hill sits atop the narrowest gap between the Santa Cruz and Diablo mountain ranges, and overlooks the Laguna Seca wetlands in northern Coyote Valley.[5]

History edit

Spanish padre Francisco Palóu passed over Tulare Hill during a 1774 expedition.[6]

The hill was once part of the historic Rancho Santa Teresa and Rancho Laguna Seca lands granted in the early 1800s.

Wildfires edit

In August 2019, a brush fire consumed approximately 60 acres along the southwestern part of the hill, as well as a small area on the eastern side of nearby Santa Teresa County Park.[7]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Tulare Hill". ListsOfJohn.com. Retrieved 2014-03-08.
  2. ^ "Tulare Hill". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2013-04-24.
  3. ^ PG&E Newsletter, March 2013
  4. ^ Silicon Valley Land Conservancy Newsletter, Summer 2008[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ Open Space Authority, Coyote Valley Landscape Linkage, December 2017
  6. ^ Muwekma Ohlone - Ethnohistory of Santa Clara Valley
  7. ^ CalFire, Bayliss Fire, August 2019