This boilerplate description of Mountain View was usually printed at the top of the first column on the front page of the Mountain View papers:
Mountain View is on the line of the division of the Southern Pacific Coast Railroad (broad gauge) in the most fertile section of the great Santa Clara Valley; it is 39 miles from San Francisco, 11 miles from San Jose, 5 miles from Stanford University, 3 miles from the bay, 1 1/2 miles from the schooner landing, and within two hours ride by rail of the great resorts — Monterey, Santa Cruz and Pacific Grove. The finest camping grounds in the midst of the most delightful mountain scenery in California may be reached by a drive from five to twenty miles from the town taking in all the renowned scenery of the Santa Cruz Mountains and other parts of the coastal range. Twelve passenger trains pass Mountain View every day, and all but two stop here. Two mails arrive from the south and two from the north daily. The climate is mild, its equableness being due to the combined influence of the mountains on the south, which are but four miles away, and the bay on the north distant but three miles. The chief products of the Mountain View are hay, grain, vegetables, berries, fruits, wines and brandies. There are eighteen wineries and distilleries at Mountain View and in its vicinity, and no section of the state has a more enviable reputation for the products of its orchards and vineyards. A local brickyard and saw-mill furnish the chief materials for building at chief figures. The soil is rich and highly productive, and land may be obtained at a low price in tracts to suit.