Palo Alto, California for kids
The Tall Stick Tree. The true story of Palo Alto, California, near Palo Alto, CA, told for kids.
Read along
Do you know what Palo Alto means? It's Spanish for tall stick! The city is named after one real tree, a coastal redwood called El Palo Alto. Just one tree, and a whole city took its name!
Redwoods are among the tallest trees in the whole world. Wow, that is a lot of tall! Imagine telling your friends you live in Tall Stick City! Now let's play a game.
Look out the window and find the tallest tree you can see. Point to it. Can you stretch your arms up high like a tall, tall tree?
Quiz the back seat
What does Palo Alto mean in Spanish?
Show the answer
Tall stick. Tall stick! And the city is named after one real redwood tree.
3 fun facts
- Palo Alto means 'tall stick' in Spanish.
- The city is named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto.
- Redwood trees are among the tallest trees in the world.
For grown-ups
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Town and county names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).