Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Saratoga is locally known for its rural small-town feel, wineries, and high-end boutiques. In 2008, CNN/Money ranked Saratoga number four in its listing of top-earning towns. Saratoga was also ranked by Forbes in 2009 as one of America's top 20 most educated small towns. Major attractions include Villa Montalvo, Hakone Gardens, and the Mountain Winery.
As of the census of 2000, there were 29,843 people, 10,450 households, and 8,600 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,465.3 people per square mile (951.5/km²). There were 10,649 housing units at an average density of 879.7/sq mi (339.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 67.39% White, 0.39% African American, 0.15% Native American, 29.08% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.57% from other races, and 2.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.14% of the population.
There were 10,450 households out of which 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.0% were married couples living together, 4.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.7% were non-families. 14.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.13. The population age distribution is as follows: 26.0% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 29.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.
According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $137,270, and the median income for a family was $159,765. Males had a median income of $75,000 versus $66,240 for females. The per capita income for the city was $65,400. About 1.8% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 2.6% over 64.
Saratoga has several major roads, including Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road, Saratoga-Los Gatos Road (Highway 9), Cox Avenue, Saratoga Avenue, Pierce Road, Quito Road and Congress Springs Road (also part of Highway 9). The West Valley Freeway (Highway 85) was completed in 1994 and passes through northeast Saratoga, and a railroad, now rarely in use, travels parallel to the highway. The railway, which from 1908 to 1964 delivered commuters to San Francisco in as little as 90 minutes, now only sees an occasional freight train. Highway 85 has one onramp/offramp within the city, at Saratoga Avenue; while the original plans for the freeway also included exits at Quito Road and Prospect Avenue, objections by residents kept those interchanges from being constructed. Local streets and roads in Saratoga are fairly well maintained, but they are generally not as often re-paved as San Jose's streets. Street signs, unlike those in San Jose, are brown in color.
Saratoga has no train or light rail service and very minimal bus service.
Saratoga also has a zoning code comparable to that of Los Altos, which requires that houses must be spaced farther away from each other and that trees must be properly taken care of to preserve a semi-rural appearance. Saratoga emphasizes its semi-rural appearance by foregoing street lights and sidewalks on most residential streets. This, in addition to the excellent schools, causes Saratoga to have very high housing costs.
The Blue Hills neighborhood of Saratoga has many hiking trails that are owned by the City of Saratoga for use by residents.