Silicon Valley

The corporate landscape of Silicon Valley in the mid-1980s.

This colorful and highly evocative poster map celebrates Silicon Valley at the height of the personal-computer revolution. Published in 1985 by City Graphic of America, Inc., the map presents the Santa Clara Valley from San Francisco Bay southward to San Jose, highlighting the remarkable concentration of technology companies, research institutions, universities, and supporting industries that had transformed the region into the world’s premier center of high technology. Major firms and institutions are prominently identified, while pictorial vignettes and decorative illustrations lend the composition the exuberant visual character of a promotional poster.

The map captures Silicon Valley at a fascinating moment of transition. The semiconductor industry remained central to the regional economy, but personal computers, software, telecommunications, and emerging technology companies were rapidly reshaping the landscape. Familiar names associated with the era appear throughout the map, providing a snapshot of the corporate geography of Silicon Valley before the explosive growth of the internet economy. Stanford University and the Stanford Research Park are prominently featured, reflecting the crucial relationship between academic research and private industry that helped define the Valley’s development.