FROM ORCHARD TO SUBURBAN SHOPPING CENTER TO
COSMOPOLITAN DISTRICT

Once known as the "Valley of Heart's Delight" for its abundant fruit orchards that dazzled the eyes with a sea of blossoms in the spring and filled the air with sweet fragrances during harvest season, the land where Santana Row now resides was first cultivated for agriculture.

In 1960, developer Ron Williams created Town & Country Villages, sprawling one-level, Spanish-style buildings with stores and restaurants. The open-air facilities invited visitors to stroll and relax, and promised a touch of class.

Three thousand miles away, Federal Realty Investment Trust was searching for a prime location in California to build its dream—an architecturally stunning new neighborhood combining residential and retail space where people could live, work, shop, dine, and enjoy time together.

The Town & Country site in San Jose fit every one of Federal Realty's requirements. Federal Realty had something far more innovative in mind; to use the best of European and American town design to create a beautiful, world-class shopping/living district in the heart of Silicon Valley, combining old world features and high-tech comfort into a charming ambiance.