Palo Alto (/ ˌ p æ l oʊ ˈ æ l t oʊ /; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto.. The city was established by Leland Stanford when he founded Stanford University, following the death of his son, Leland Stanford Jr. Palo ...