Thomas Edison. He lived and worked at Menlo Park from early 1876 until early 1881. Those five years had a profound impact on the world which earned him this nickname.
The population of Menlo Park, California on December 15th 2011 is approximately 32,062. (Extrapolated from a 2000 US census population of 30,785 and a population of 32,026 on July 30th 2011.)