Unlike most of the other missions, Mission Santa Clara never fell out of use, since it served as seed for Santa Clara University starting in 1851, but, like the other missions, is not original. The chapel was rebuilt in 1929 after a fire.
Santa Clara is located between Sunnyvale to its north and San Jose to its south. I haven’t thought of Santa Clara as a destination spot and was pleasantly surprised to find it has a small historic downtown.
Santa Clara has expanded into loft living and there are quite a few loft conversions that are really interesting and add to the character of the city.
Santa Clara’s house prices have shot up recently since its location is so convenient to the new Apple campus in Cupertino, plus it’s easily accessed from 101 and Lawrence Expressway; as a result homes here have become quite desirable as more and more folk look to reduce their commutes.