El Palo Alto, a coastal redwood tree, inspired the name of Palo Alto, a charter city in Santa Clara County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Palo Alto is Spanish for "tall stick." On the San Francisco Peninsula's southeast coast is Palo Alto.

With moderate, rainy winters and warm, dry summers, Palo Alto experiences a Mediterranean climate, which is typical of the South Peninsula area of the San Francisco Bay Area. In the warmer months, the foothills are frequently covered in evening fog, which helps keep the warmth of the day. While July averages range from 55.7 °F to 79.4 °F, January temperatures range from 39.0 °F to 57.8 °F. 108 °F and 20 °F, respectively, are record highs and lows. Snowfall is uncommon, and despite being in a "rain shadow," the city only gets approximately 15.12 inches of rain per year, with measurable rain falling on about 55.8 days of the year. The wettest year was 1983, when 32.51 inches of rain fell, and the driest year was 2013, when 3.81 inches fell.

Historic houses from the 1890s and the first part of the 20th century, such as Craftsman and California Colonials, are included in the housing mix of Palo Alto to the north. Post-World War II homes can be seen south of the Oregon Expressway, particularly those created by or inspired by Joseph Eichler. The majority of the residences in the city are of the middle-class suburban type from the 1950s and 1960s, with values ranging from $800,000 to over $40 million. Palo Alto is one of the most expensive cities in the US, with median home sale prices of $1.4 million in July 2009 compared to $1.2 million in 2007. With an average listing price of $1.48 million for a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home in 2010, it took second place. Palo Alto is renowned as one of the most expensive college towns in the country, yet by 2020, housing opposition had only allowed 13% of the city's state-mandated low-income housing quota and 6% of very-low-income housing to be built.

Palo Alto, a key location in Silicon Valley, is home to approximately 7,000 enterprises that employ over 98,000 people. Palo Alto, which was a quaint railroad town in the 1950s, developed into a tech powerhouse, in part because of the research and educational initiatives of Stanford University. There are several IT businesses in the neighborhood, with Stanford Research Park and the nearby Sand Hill Road functioning as key hubs. Google, Facebook, PayPal, and Tesla are a few companies that have moved their corporate headquarters to neighboring cities. University Avenue and Stanford Shopping Center are just two examples of Palo Alto's vibrant retail scene. The original Apple Store, Whole Foods Market, and Victoria's Secret were all located there. The Veteran's Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, VMware Inc., SAP Ariba (SAP Labs Inc.), Varian Medical Systems, Tesla, Inc., and the Palo Alto Medical Foundation are some of the top employers in the city, according to the 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.

The powerful public system that governs the city's educational environment is managed by the Palo Alto Unified School District, which is recognized for having a low student-teacher ratio. Two high schools and three middle schools are available to students. The Monroe area is also served by nearby school districts. With a variety of educational possibilities, private education includes organizations like Castilleja School, Challenger School, and Kehillah Jewish High School. The educational scene is further enhanced by weekend institutions like the Palo Alto Chinese School. Along with Stanford University's main academic campus, Palo Alto University, which specializes in psychology, is located in the city.