Established in 1885, Stanford is a private research university located in Stanford, California in the United States. Stanford is considered one of the top research universities in the world. Located in close proximity to Silicon Valley, Stanford is known for its many successful start-up companies, including Google, Hewlett-Packard, and Cisco. Alumni include technology entrepreneur Elon Musk, the first female Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Conner, and the first female astronaut Sally Ride.