James Lick High School opened its doors in 1950 at the base of the East Foothills of San Jose; orchards and open land surrounded the established residential area. Its reach included homes in the Foothills overlooking the entire breadth of Santa Clara Valley. The land had been part of a proposed site for the city's airport in 1928. The school was named for James Lick (1796-1876), benefactor of the Lick Observatory atop Mount Hamilton, east.