San Jose, California: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

San Jose is a major city in California, USA, and the county seat of Santa Clara County. In the 1970s, the city council officially adopted San José as the spelling for the city name, although it is still more commonly spelled San Jose. The city is located at the south end of the San Francisco Bay, within the informal boundaries of Silicon Valley. As of 2003, it reported an estimated population of 925,000, making it the most populous city in Northern California and third in the state after Los Angeles and San Diego. It is the eleventh largest city in the United States.

Looking west over northern San Jose (downtown is at far left) and other parts of Silicon Valley. See an up-to-the-minute view of San Jose from HamCam (the Mount Hamilton web camera).

Geography and Location

Aerial map

History

For thousands of years prior to the arrival of European settlers, the area now known as San Jose was inhabited by several groups of Ohlone Native Americans.

El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe was founded by José Joaquin Moraga on November 29, 1777, the first settlement not associated with a mission or a military post in Alta California. (The nearest mission, Mission Santa Clara de Asis, was founded earlier in 1777, three miles from the original pueblo site in neighboring Santa Clara. Mission San José de Guadalupe wasn't founded until 1797, about 20 miles north of San Jose in what is now Fremont). The town was founded as a farming community to provide food for the presidios of San Francisco and Monterey. In 1778 the pueblo had a population of 68. In 1797, the pueblo was moved from its original location, near the present-day intersection of Guadalupe Parkway and Taylor Street, to a location in what is now Downtown San Jose, surrounding Pueblo Plaza (now Plaza de Céasar Chávez).

During the Bear Flag Revolt, Captain Thomas Fallon led a small force from Santa Cruz and captured the pueblo without bloodshead on July 11, 1846. Fallon recieved an American flag from John D. Sloat, and raised it over the pueblo on July 14, as the California Republic agreed to join the United States following the start of the Mexican-American War. Fallon would later become the seventh mayor of San Jose.

On March 27, 1850, San Jose became the first incorporated city in the U.S. state of California. It also served as the state's first capital with the first and second sessions of the California Legislature being held there in 1850 and 1851. For nearly two centuries a farming community, San Jose produced a significant amount of fruits and vegetables until the 1960s, and many past and current names of teams, streets, buildings, and so on reflect its agricultural beginnings. Prunes were one of the largest crops, and this dried fruit's name commonly appears.

A. P. Hamann (nicknamed "Dutch") became city manager in 1950. At the time, the city had a population of 95,000 and a total area of only 17 mi². Hamann instituted an aggressive growth program by annexation of adjacent areas, such as Alviso, Cambrian Park and other neighborhoods, and a program of dispersed urbanization, sometimes called los angelization, resulting in an annual growth rate of over 8 percent. When Hamann left office in 1969, San Jose had grown to 495,000 residents and 136 mi².

Following Hamann's retirement, antigrowth city councils came to power, cemented in the 1971 election of Norman Mineta as mayor. Under Mineta, the city adopted the "General Plan" that restricted development of land inside the incorporated area of San Jose and banned development in an additional 200 mi² east and south of the city, an area known as San Jose's sphere of control. To the west, communities such as Campbell and Cupertino had incorporated as cities to avoid being annexed to San Jose, while expansion to the north was impossible because of San Francisco Bay. The result was that there was no land available to build housing. The plan's goal was to bring population growth down to a more manageable level.

However, with the boom of the electronics industry, specifically personal computers and integrated circuits, San Jose and the surrounding areas' population continued growing at high rates. By 1980, the city's population was 630,000; it reached 782,000 by 1990; and 894,943 by 2000—at which point Santa Clara County as a whole had 1,682,585 residents. As a result, housing costs in San Jose and the rest of the Bay Area rose faster than the national average in the 1980s and 1990s, such that the average 2003 home price in Santa Clara County was approximately 330% of the national average.

San Jose has a council-manager government, with a city manager nominated by the mayor and elected by the city council.

The San Jose City Council is made up of 10 council members elected by districts, and a mayor elected in an at-large election. During city council meetings, the mayor presides, and all eleven members can vote on any issue. The mayor has no veto powers. Council members and the mayor are elected to four-year terms; the mayor and the odd-numbered district council members last faced election in 2002; the even-numbered district council members will be elected in 2004. Council members and the mayor are limited to two terms in office, although a council member that has reached the term limit can be elected mayor, and vice versa. The council elects a vice-mayor from the members of the council; this council member has the right to act as mayor during the absence of the mayor, but does not have the right of succession to the mayor's office upon a vacancy.

The city manager is the chief administrative officer of the city, and must present an annual budget for approval by the city council. The council elects the manager for an indefinite term, and may at any time remove the manager, or the electorate may remove the manager through a recall election. Other city officers elected by the council are the city attorney, city auditor, and city clerk.

The current mayor is Ron Gonzales, and the city manager is Del D. Borgsdorf. The city council members are:

• Linda J. LeZotte, District 1
• Forrest Williams, District 2
• Cindy Chavez, District 3
• Chuck Reed, District 4
• Nora Campos, District 5
• Ken Yeager, District 6
• Terry O. Gregory, District 7
• David D. Cortese, District 8
• Judy Chirco, District 9
• Pat Dando, District 10 (Vice Mayor)

San Jose is located at 37°18'15" North, 121°52'22" West (37.304051, −121.872734)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 461.5 km² (178.2 mi²). 452.9 km² (174.9 mi²) of it is land and 8.6 km² (3.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.86% water.

The Guadalupe River runs from the Santa Cruz Mountains (which separate the South Bay from the Pacific Coast) flowing north through San Jose, ending in the San Francisco Bay at Alviso. The river is the home to the only known salmon spawning run through a major U.S. downtown area. Along the southern part of the river is the neighborhood of Almaden, originally named for the mercury mines which produced mercury needed for gold extraction from quartz during the California gold rush as well as mercury fulminate blasting caps and detonators for the U.S. military from 1870 to 1945.

The lowest point in San Jose is at sea level at the San Francisco Bay in Alviso, the highest is 4,372 feet at Copernicus Peak, Mount Hamilton. Due to the proximity to Lick Observatory atop Mount Hamilton, San Jose has taken several steps to reduce light pollution, including replacing all street lamps with low pressure sodium lamps. To recognize the city's efforts, the asteroid 6216 San Jose was named after the city.

San Jose considers itself "the Capital of Silicon Valley." As such, its economy rises and falls with high-tech employment in the Bay Area. During the peak of the tech bubble, employment, housing prices, and traffic congestion peaked, but all eased as the economy slowed during the first few years of the 21st century. As of 2003, the city reported 355,000 jobs within the city limits and an unemployment rate of 8.7%.

The city lists 25 companies with 1,000 employees or more, including the headquarters of Adobe Systems, BEA Systems, Cisco, and eBay, as well as major facilities for Flextronics, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Hitachi and Lockheed Martin. Sizable government employers include the city, Santa Clara County, and San José State University.

As of the census of 2000, there are 894,943 people, 276,598 households, and 203,576 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,976.1/km² (5,117.9/mi²). There are 281,841 housing units at an average density of 622.3/km² (1,611.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 47.49% White, 3.50% African American, 0.77% Native American, 26.86% Asian, 0.40% Pacific Islander, 15.94% from other races, and 5.04% from two or more races. 30.17% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 276,598 households out of which 38.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% are married couples living together, 11.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% are non-families. 18.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 4.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.20 and the average family size is 3.62.

In the city the population is spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 103.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 102.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $70,243, and the median income for a family is $74,813. Males have a median income of $49,347 versus $36,936 for females. The per capita income for the city is $26,697. 8.8% of the population and 6.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 10.3% are under the age of 18 and 7.4% are 65 or older.

• Almaden Quicksilver County Park, 4,147 acres of former mercury mines in South San Jose
• Alum Rock Park, 718 acres in East San Jose, the oldest municipal park in California
• Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph, the oldest parish in California
• Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose
• HP Pavilion - Home of the NHL's San Jose Sharks
• Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies, home of the largest Beethoven collection outside Europe
• Lick Observatory, home of what was once the largest telescope in the world
• Peralta Adobe, a restored adobe home showing the lifestyle of Spanish and Mexican California
• Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, home of the largest collection of Egyptian relics in the western United States
• San Jose Municipal Rose Garden, 5½ acre park near downtown, featuring over 4,000 rose bushes
• San Jose Municipal Stadium, home of the minor league San Jose Giants.
• San Jose Museum of Art
• Spartan Stadium, home of San Jose State University football and the Major League Soccer's San Jose Earthquakes
• The Tech Museum of Innovation
• Winchester Mystery House, a sprawling, 160-room Victorian mansion built by Sarah Winchester

See also attractions in adjacent communities in Santa Clara County.

San Jose's downtown architecture is noted more for its limited height than for any particular buildings. Because the downtown area is in the flight path to nearby Mineta International Airport, there is a permanent height limit for all buildings.

Municipal building projects have experimented more with architectural styles than have most private enterprises. The Children's Discovery Museum, Tech Museum of Innovation, and the San Jose Repertory Theater building have experimented with bold colors and unusual exteriors.

Public art is not a major attraction in the city, and much of it has been controversial. For example, the statue of Quetzalcoatl (the plumed serpent) in downtown was controversial in its planning because some religious groups felt that it was pagan; it was controversial in its implementation because many felt that the final statue did not closely resemble a winged serpent. Attempts to place statues of early explorers and settlers around the city met strong resistance from those who felt that these people were largely responsible for the decimation of early native populations.

In 2001, the city sponsored SharkByte, an exhibit of decorated sharks, based on the mascot of the hockey team, the San Jose Sharks, and modeled after Chicago's display of decorated cows[1]. Large models of sharks were decorated in a variety of clever, colorful, or creative ways by local artists and were then displayed for months at dozens of locations around the city. Many displays were removed early because of vandalism. After the exhibition, the sharks were auctioned off and the proceeds donated to charity. The sharks can still be found in their new owners' homes and businesses.

• Golden Gate University
• National Hispanic University
• San Jose State University
• Silicon Valley College
• Lincoln Law School of San Jose
• Evergreen Valley College (community)
• San Jose City College (community)

San Jose is the home of the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League, San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League, San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer, St Joseph's Hurling Club, the San Jose Stealth of the National Lacrosse League, and the San Jose Giants of the California League of minor league baseball. San Jose was to have been the home of the Demons of the XFL, but the team moved to San Francisco prior to the start of the season.

People born in San Jose

• Brandi Chastain, soccer player
• Dustin Diamond, actor
• Dudley R. Herschbach, winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
• Luis A. López, poet
• Norman Mineta, Mayor of San Jose, United States Secretary of Transportation
• Jim Plunkett, American football quarterback
• William Price, entertainer and gay rights activist
• Dave Righetti, baseball pitcher
• Randy Stonehill, singer/songwriter
• Pat Tillman, American football player, Army Ranger

People who moved to San Jose

• César Chávez, farm labor leader
• Edgar F. Codd, computer scientist
• Kate Elliott, novelist
• Mike Honda, member of the United States House of Representatives
• Joseph Menusa, Marine Corps NCO
• Linda Park, actress
• Linus Torvalds, programmer
• Al Ruffo, Mayor of San Jose
• Sarah Winchester, heiress and eccentric
• Jerry Yang, cofounder of Yahoo

• Center
  • Downtown San Jose
  • Japantown
  • Rose Garden
  • Sunol-Midtown
  • Willow Glen
• North
  • Alviso
  • Berryessa
  • North Valley
• South
  • Almaden Valley
  • Blossom Valley
  • Coyote Valley
  • Evergreen
  • San Filipe Valley
  • Santa Teresa
  • Silver Creek Valley
• East
  • Alum Rock
  • East Foothills
  • King and Story
• West
  • Burbank
  • Cambrian Park
  • Rancho Rinconada
  • West San Jose
  • Winchester

The San Jose area has a well-developed freeway system, including three Interstate highways—I-280, I-880, and I-680—in addition to several federal and state highways, US 101, CA 85, CA 87, CA 17, and CA 237. Rail service to San Jose is provided by Amtrak, Caltrain (commuter rail service to San Francisco and Gilroy), and a local light-rail system connecting downtown to Mountain View, Milpitas, and Almaden Valley, operated by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). San Jose is served by the medium-sized Mineta San Jose International Airport, two miles northwest of downtown, as well as San Francisco International Airport, a major international hub 35 miles northwest.

San Jose is served by local media as well as that of San Francisco and national media. The following lists include only local media.

Newspapers

• San Jose Mercury News - daily
• Metro Silicon Valley - weekly

Television

• NTSC (traditional analog)
  • Channel 11: KNTV - NBC, "NBC 11", originally an ABC affiliate
  • Channel 36: KICU - independent, "Action 36, Cable 6"
  • Channel 48: KSTS - Telemundo
  • Channel 54: KTEH - PBS
  • Channel 65: KKPX - PAX
• ATSC (digital television)
  • Channel 12: KNTV - NBC
  • Channel 41: KKPX - PAX
  • Channel 49: KSTS - Telemundo
  • Channel 50: KTEH - PBS
  • Channel 52: KICU - independent

Radio

• AM
  • KLOK 1170 kHz - Entravision
  • KZSF 1370 kHz
  • KSJX 1500 kHz - Multicultural Radio Broadcasting
  • KLIV 1590 kHz - Empire Broadcasting

• FM
  • KMTG 89.3 MHz - San Jose Unified School District
  • KSJS 90.5 MHz - San Jose State University
  • KSJO 92.3 MHz - rock music, Citicasters
  • KUFX 98.5 MHz - classic rock, Citicasters, rebroadcast of KFOX
  • KBRG 100.3 MHz - Entravision
  • KEZR 106.5 MHz - music mix, Infinity Broadcasting

• Flashback: A short political history of San Jose
• San Jose case study, part one: the urban-growth boundary