About Morgan Hill

Morgan Hill (/ˈmɔrɡɨn ˈhɪl/), officially the City of Morgan Hill, is a city located in the southern part of Santa Clara County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a population of 37,882.

Incorporated in 1906, the city is named after Hiram Morgan Hill, a Missouri businessman who built a country retreat home there in 1884. Originally a community of ranchers, farmers and orchardists, the city has evolved into a bedroom community for the high-tech industries in Silicon Valley. Abundance of land and proximity to recreational facilities has led to a proliferation of oversized estate homes, resulting in a significant increase in real estate prices in the past decade.

Morgan Hill is named after the city's famed founder, Hiram Morgan Hill, though often erroneously thought to be the name of El Toro Mountain. Prior to the city's incorporation and founding by Hiram Morgan Hill, the area was known as Rancho Ojo de Agua de la Coche, during the time when the Murphy family owned all the land in the area. When the land came in to Hiramn Morgan Hill's possession, it became known as Morgan Hill's Ranch, which gradually shortened to Morgan Hill.

Morgan Hill is located within the seismically active San Francisco Bay region. The significant earthquakes in the region are generally associated with crustal movements along well-defined, active fault zones. The nearest known active faults are the San Andreas Fault, approximately 19 km (12 mi) southwest, and the Calaveras Fault, approximately 1.6 km (0.99 mi) northeast. Both faults have produced major earthquakes in the past, and have estimated maximum credible Richter magnitudes of 8.3 and 7.3 respectively. The Sargent-Berrocal Fault, a potentially active fault, lies 16 km (9.9 mi) away from the sites and has an estimated maximum credible Richter magnitude of 7.4. The Coyote Creek Fault is located in Morgan Hill and is classified as potentially active as well. In addition, several unnamed faults traverse the western slopes of the upland areas. Geomorphic evidence suggests that these faults were active during recent geologic time. However, these fault-related geomorphic features are not as fresh as those of the active Calaveras Fault and are considered to be somewhat older.