Long before European settlement, the Santa Clara Valley was inhabited by the Ohlone people, specifically the Tamien nation, who built thriving communities along the region's creeks and rivers, managing the landscape for thousands of years.
Campbell's modern founding traces back to 1846, when Benjamin Campbell—after whom the city is named—arrived in California with his family. In 1851, he purchased 160 acres of land in the Santa Clara Valley. The turning point for the settlement came in 1878 when Campbell sold a portion of his land to the South Pacific Coast Railroad for a depot, which firmly established the area as a vital shipping point. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Campbell had become one of the premier fruit-packing centers of California. The J.C. Ainsley Packing Company, founded in 1891, became famous worldwide for its canned fruit, cementing Campbell's nickname as "The Orchard City."
As the mid-20th century approached, the economic landscape of the Santa Clara Valley shifted dramatically. To avoid being annexed by rapidly expanding neighboring cities like San Jose, Campbell officially incorporated as a city in 1952. The subsequent decades saw the orchards give way to residential subdivisions and commercial centers. In 1995, Pierre Omidyar founded AuctionWeb (later renamed eBay) in his Campbell living room, forever linking the city to the digital revolution. Today, Campbell is a fully developed residential and commercial community that honors its agricultural past through preserved landmarks and community traditions.