During the last half of the 18th Century, a woman traveling in northern California frequently found herself forced to get personal. Mountain views filled the distant horizons as that female, forced to sit next to strangers in a stagecoach, bumped along on the route from San Francisco to San Jose. Those mountain views were especially lovely at one of the stage stops. Over time that particular stop received the name "Mountain View."

For the women of Mountain View, those distant peeks offered more than lovely scenery; they also provided a possible place to get personal. Mountain View couples could give thought to planning a picnic together in the mountains. On such a date two young people could feel free to express their dreams and their fears. They could do what you're supposed to do on a date-get personal.

Mountain View was once a large rancho in the Santa Clara Valley. Eventually the owner of that rancho, Don Mariano, divided his land into northern and southern sections. The southern section later became the city of Mountain View.

The residents of Mountain View decided to incorporate in 1902. Both before and immediately after the incorporation, the youngest residents had trouble finding a place to get personal. Mountain View gossip at that time spread quickly through the city, even though there were then no lines for Internet access.  In fact, the young residents of that period were lucky that they did not have the same concerns as today's Mountain View girls.

Mountain View girls do not lead a very exciting social life. Many look forward to little more than the day when they will be able to sit in the Mountain View women's lounge at the local bar. At the same time those girls are under close scrutiny from the town adults. Still, the social life for the Mountain View women of today is far better than the social life of the late 18th Century.

Now any of the dating Mountain View girls can continue a dating conversation long after the time that the couple spent together. They can correspond with their dates using e-mail. This convenience allows a dating couple to prolong the time when they are getting personal. Mountain View mailboxes have begun to overflow with mailed confirmations of online personal statements.

The Mountain View women's valentine looks very different from the traditional Hallmark card. That is because both Google and MSN/Hotmail have offices in Mountain View. That proximity has caused the Mountain View valentine to appear often in the guise of an e-mail message.

Dating in Mountain View has now come a long way from that time of the "close squeeze" in the stagecoach. Fortunately one thing that has not changed is the presence of the mountain view. That remains available as the setting for a sharing that is personal. Mountain View dates can still take place in the distant mountains.

Of course today's dating couples do not rely on horses to carry them into the mountains. Many ride to their dates in the latest sports cars. This gives each of the couples more time for the establishment of a truly personal relationship.