Vineyards History

The Vineyards gets it's name from the former Paul Masson Champagne Cellars, once located on the property across the street. Before the condos were built, the land hosted a fruit (prune) orchard. The 144 condos making up the community were built in two phases between 1971 and 1973. In the 1980's Paul Masson closed their champagne cellars across the street and property was redeveloped as the "Bellgrove" neighborhood.

The Village of Saratoga

The first settlement of what is now Saratoga occurred in 1848, when William Campbell (father of Benjamin Campbell, the founder of nearby Campbell, California) constructed a sawmill about 2.5 miles southeast of the present downtown area. An early map noted the area as Campbell's Gap. In 1851, Martin McCarty, who had leased the mill, built a toll road down to the Santa Clara Valley. The toll gate was located at the present day intersection of Big Basin Way and 3rd St., giving the town its first widely used name: Toll Gate.

In 1855 the town received a post office under the name of McCartysville. Industry soon sprung up: at its height the town had a furniture factory, grist mill, tannery, and a paper factory. To commemorate this newfound productivity, the town was renamed yet again in 1863, this time as Bank Mills. Shortly after this, however, a spring was discovered which had a mineral content similar to the springs at Saratoga Springs, New York. In 1865, the town received its final name, Saratoga. At the same time, a resort hotel was constructed at the springs, and it attracted tourists to the area until it burned down in 1903.

Saratoga then became quietly agricultural, along with much of the rest of the valley. A few vineyards and orchards from this period remain today. After World War II, the town quickly became urbanized, and it incorporated in 1956, partially to avoid being annexed to San Jose. A slogan during the campaign to incorporate the city of Saratoga was "Keep it rural," according to historian Willys I. Peck.

From 1908 until 1964 the Pacific Railway carried folks from Saratoga to San Francisco. The station was located where Highway 85 now crosses over Saratoga Avenue and was called the Congress Springs Junction.

Today the city of Saratoga serves as a bedroom community for upper-middle class Silicon Valley tech workers. Saratoga is consistently ranked among as one of the most affluent, educated, and desirable suburbs in the US. As of early 2026, the median home value in Saratoga, California, was roughly $3.5 million to $3.6 million, reflecting a highly premium, competitive market. Many luxury, single-family homes frequently push the median over $3.5M with low inventory and fast sale times (approx. 13 days). Fueled by tech boomers, the city is often cited as the top "richest retirement town" in the U.S.