Menlo Park is a city in San Mateo County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area, and one of the defining communities of Silicon Valley. With a population of 33,780 at the 2020 census, it sits at the eastern edge of the county, bordered by San Francisco Bay to the north and east, and by East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, Stanford, and Atherton to the south and west. The city's identity is closely tied to technology. Menlo Park is home to the headquarters of Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, and sits adjacent to Stanford University and the venture-capital and technology ecosystem that radiates from it. This position has made Menlo Park a central address in the global technology economy, while its residential character remains leafy, established, and family-oriented. Menlo Park is also known for the strength and complexity of its schools. The city is served by multiple districts: the Menlo Park City School District covers central portions, the Ravenswood City School District serves the Belle Haven neighborhood, and the Las Lomitas Elementary School District serves Sharon Heights and Stanford Hills, with the Sequoia Union High School District providing high school education. This layering reflects the city's patchwork of historic neighborhoods. Transportation is anchored by Caltrain, whose Menlo Park station links the city to San Francisco and San Jose along the Peninsula. The city's neighborhoods, from the waterfront Belle Haven to the hillside Sharon Heights, offer a range of settings united by proximity to Stanford, major employers, and the cultural and economic opportunities of the Bay Area.