San Jose (California). San Jose, California from a car window. The area where we live. Life in Silicon Valley When is the season. When is the best time to go

The climate in San Jose is one of the best in northern California. The city is located a short distance from the Pacific Ocean, so the influence of the cold Pacific Current is weakened. And because of this, the positive temperature difference between San Francisco and San Jose is usually 5-10 degrees in summer and 10-15 in winter. The number of sunny days per year is 320. The weather in San Jose is warm, little windy (compared to San Francisco), but not dry. At the same time, it should be noted that the amount of precipitation is minimal in the summer season (May-September).

Transport

San Jose has an extensive network of highways US-101, I-280, I-680, I-880, CA-17, CA-82 and other expressways. Intercity and city rail service is provided by Amtrak (northeast to Sacramento and further to Seattle and south to Los Angeles), Caltrain (San Jose is on the San Francisco - Gilroy line).

San Jose has a developed network of tram lines and bus services. And also the tram and bus service is uniform throughout the entire Silicon Valley and is provided by VTI (Santa Clara County Transportation Authority).

There are plans to expand the San Francisco Bay Area Intercity Subway (BART) to San Jose, as well as to build a maglev train connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Silicon Valley has predominantly low-rise buildings and low population density. Public transport is quite inefficient: infrequent stops and extended travel intervals make using it inconvenient. Therefore, these types of transport are mainly used by schoolchildren, visiting workers and people who do not have personal transport. Indigenous people as well as tourists use private cars or taxis.

Airport

San Jose International Airport - Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport (IATA: SJC, ICAO: KSJC, FAA LID: SJC) is one of the largest in California. The airport has 3 parallel runways (one of them is for small aircraft). Dozens of cargo and passenger flights pass through the airport every day.

The airport itself is located in the city of San Jose, the edge of the runway is located just 3 km north of the historical center - Downtown. Therefore, in the city center it seems that planes are landing directly above the houses themselves and almost touching the spiers of temples, high-rise buildings and redwoods.

There are two other large civilian airports near San Jose. This is the San Francisco airport - San Francisco International Airport (IATA: SFO, ICAO: KSFO, FAA LID: SFO), located 58 km northwest of the city along Route 101 on the western shore of the Gulf San Francisco Bay, as well as Oakland International Airport (IATA: OAK, ICAO: KOAK, FAA LID: OAK), located 57 kilometers from the city along road No. 880, north of San Francisco Jose, on the eastern shore of the bay. This gives residents significant flexibility in their use of air transport. At the same time, San Francisco airport is used more for international flights.

San Jose is a city in the western United States, located in the southern part of San Francisco Bay. As of 2013, the population of San Jose is estimated at 998 thousand, making it the third most populous city in the state of California. According to forecasts, the population of San Jose will continue to increase, by 2040 the growth will be 340-470 thousand people.

Distances from San Jose to:

San Francisco - 70 km
Sacramento - 140 km
Los Angeles - 490 km
Portland - 900 km

Downtown San Jose

San José was founded in 1777 by the Spanish, led by Lieutenant José Joaquín Moraga. The settlement was originally named El Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe, which literally means "Settlement of St. Joseph on the Guadalupe River." During the first two centuries of its history, San Jose developed and grew very slowly. By 1850, when San Jose received city status, only 4 thousand people lived in it. By 1900, the population had increased to only 21 thousand (for comparison, by this time about 350 thousand people lived in San Francisco). Until World War II, the city's economy was based on agriculture. After the war, rapid development of industry and high-tech production began. Fruit orchards have given way to research complexes and industrial parks.

Today, San Jose is located in the very center of a technologically advanced cluster, which in Russia is commonly called Silicon Valley. The English name "Silicon Valley" is derived from the word "Valley" (referring to the Santa Clara Valley - the Santa Clara Valley, where San Jose is located) and the word "silicon" ("silicon" - used to create semiconductors, actively used in the computer industry). The San Jose region is home to more than 6,600 high-tech companies employing more than 250,000 people. Among the city's largest employers are such well-known companies as Cisco Systems, IBM, eBay, Adobe and others. It is estimated that 1/3 of all venture capital funds in the US are invested in companies based in San Jose and Silicon Valley. The region's numerous universities graduate thousands of engineers each year, fueling the local economy. All this allows us to call San Jose the “Capital of Silicon Valley.”

It is worth noting that Silicon Valley and San Jose are a popular place of work for programmers, IT specialists and scientists moving there from the countries of the former USSR.

View of the valley and city at night

From 1950 to 1970, San Jose grew aggressively and annexed neighboring territories. Over these 20 years, the population has increased enormously - from 95 to 459 thousand (almost 5 times!). At the same time, the city grew in width (territorially), and not in height. The area of San Jose is 466 sq. km. Due to San Jose's rapid expansion in the post-war period, much of the city is low-rise tracts spread over a larger area.

As of 2010, there are 314 thousand buildings within the San Jose city limits. 170 thousand of them (54%) are detached, inhabited by no more than one family. 58% are homeowners, 42% are renters. The average cost of a detached home in San Jose is $480 thousand, and an apartment in an apartment building/townhouse is $245 thousand.

Racial composition of San Jose population as of 2013:

Hispanic (any race) - 33.5%
Asians - 32.9%
white - 27.3%
African Americans - 3.0%
mixed races - 2.8%
Indians - 0.1%

It is worth noting that 39.3% of the city's residents were born outside the United States.

Primary language of communication at home:

English - 45%
any Asian - 24%
Spanish - 23%
others - 8%

Socio-economic indicators of San Jose:

average income per person - $34,997
population living below the poverty line - 12.8%
unemployment in the region (as of June 2014) - 6.0%
cost of living index - 140.9 (more than 40% higher than the US average).

Like most cities located in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Jose is an expensive place to live. The cost of living in the city is one of the highest in the country. The main reason is high prices for real estate, rent, utility bills, and services. At the same time, according to numerous studies and ratings, San Jose is recognized as one of the safest large cities in the United States.

Sights and interesting places of San Jose

San Jose Center for the Performing Arts - performing arts center
The Tech Museum of Innovation - science and technology museum
San Jose Museum of Art - San Jose Art Museum
Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum - a museum dedicated to Ancient Egypt
San Jose City Hall - San Jose City Hall
Santana Row is a prestigious European-style area with shops, restaurants, hotels and vibrant nightlife
Japantown - Japanese neighborhood north of downtown with a number of cultural sites, shops and good restaurants
California's Great America - amusement park (open in the summer season)
Raging Waters San Jose - water park (open during the summer season)
Plaza de Cesar Chavez - a small park in the city center where open-air concerts are held
Lick Observatory is an astronomical observatory located 46 kilometers from San Jose.

In the leading North American sports leagues, San Jose is represented by 2 teams. The San Jose Sharks hockey club plays at the HP Pavilion. And the football San Jose Earthquakes (European football) plays its home matches in Santa Clara, a suburb of San Jose. There are also several other minor league teams based in the region.

The climate in San Jose is pleasant (Mediterranean type of climate). There are more than 300 sunny days a year. Summer is warm, the average temperature in July is 21 C. In winter, snow rarely falls, the average temperature in January is 10 C. Temperature fluctuations between daytime and nighttime values are usually insignificant 5-6 C. Precipitation falls mainly from November to April. Due to the fact that San Jose is surrounded on three sides by mountains, the amount of precipitation is significantly less than in some neighboring parts of the region. At the same time, as in most of the San Francisco Bay region, San Jose has dozens of zones with their own microclimate.

San Jose is the third most populous city in California, the largest city in Northern California, and the tenth largest in the United States. The city is home to just over one million people, but the metropolitan area is home to 8.5 million. San Jose is the oldest city in California and was even its capital after California gained independence in 1850. Until the mid-20th century, San Jose was a small farming community, but since that time the undeveloped land around San Francisco Bay has begun to be developed. The rapid growth of high technology and electronics industries has further accelerated the transition from an agricultural center to an urban agglomeration. San Jose experienced a high-tech boom in the 1990s, quickly transforming the farming community into the capital of Silicon Valley.

Natural and climatic conditions, weather San Jose

San Jose has a subtropical Mediterranean climate, with 301 days of sunshine per year and an average annual temperature of 15.8°. The city is surrounded on three sides by mountains, for example, the local climate is very different from the climate in San Francisco, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean. San Jose has a drier climate as the city is sheltered from rain. As you understand, some distance from the coast means that in San Jose there are wider temperature fluctuations; the climate can be said to be more continental. Temperatures in summer often exceed 30 degrees, in winter about 8 degrees Celsius, but there are days when the temperature can drop to sub-zero values; even snow often falls in San Jose. Precipitation usually occurs only in winter.

Pros and cons, advantages, pros and cons of living in San Jose, reviews. How people live in San Jose

Salaries, income and jobs in San Jose. Average and minimum wage

The median household income in San Jose is the highest in the United States for any city with more than a quarter million residents, at $76,963 per year. The average income per family is 86,822, men have an average income of 49,347 versus 36,936 for women. Per capita income in San Jose is $26,697. About 6.0% of families and 8.8% of the population are below the poverty line, including 10.3% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or older. You can see from these numbers that poverty has almost completely been eliminated in San Jose.

San Jose is the richest city in the United States, with the highest average salaries in the United States since 1990. If you are a specialist in computer technology, then you cannot find a better city to realize your ambitious plans.

Jobs in San Jose

The main offices of such companies as: The North American, Samsung, Altera, Atmel, CEVA, Cypress Semiconductor, Echelon, Extreme Networks, Harmonic, Integrated Device Technology, Maxim Integrated, Micrel, Move, Netgear, Novellus Systems, Oclaro are located in San Jose , OCZ, Online Trading Academy, Quantum, SunPower, Sharks Sports and Entertainment, Supermicro, Tessera Technologies, TiVo, Ultratech and many others.

Residents of San Jose file more US patents than any other city. 35 percent of all venture capital funds in the US are invested in San Jose.

On July 31, 2015, Apple, headquartered in Cupertino, acquired a 40-acre site in San Jose, where the office and research campus of this computer giant is currently being built. In the near future, it will be possible to say that Apple is not from Cupertino, but from San -Jose.

Economy and business in San Jose

IBM established its West Coast headquarters in San Jose back in 1943 and opened a research and development center in 1952, both centers were harbingers for the unprecedented progress of San Jose's economy; by 1990, San Jose's population growth had surpassed even a city like San Francisco is all thanks to Silicon Valley.

San Jose is considered the capital of Silicon Valley. There is a large concentration of high-tech engineering, computer and microprocessor companies here. In addition, San Jose has a huge number of colleges, universities and research centers

City of Art and Architecture San Jose

San Jose is often criticized for the fact that almost all historical architecture has been destroyed here, in the place of which a lot of modern and essentially featureless architecture has appeared. The hysterical part of the city with mansions from the 1950s was partially demolished, even the historical downtown was partially damaged; buildings such as the Hotel De Anza and Hotel Sainte Claire miraculously managed to avoid demolition.

Modern public buildings are designed exclusively in an innovative futuristic style, such as the Children's Discovery Museum, the Technical Museum of Innovation, the San Jose Theater and the New City Hall.

In San Jose there are quite a lot of places where you can relax culturally: San Jose Children's Musical Theater, Silicon Valley Symphony, San Jose Opera, San Jose Ballet, sjDANCEco, Youth Symphony Hall, San Jose Repertory Theater, Museum Arts, which is the most important museum of contemporary art in the United States, we note the annual independent film festival Cinequest, the Asian American Film Festival, the San Jose Jazz Festival.

Russians and Ukrainians in San Jose. Demographics and population

San Jose is the fastest growing city in the US, I wouldn't be surprised if in a few years San Jose surpasses Los Angeles in population.

According to the 2010 Census, San Jose's population is 42.8% white, 28.7% non-Hispanic white, 33.2% Hispanic or Latino, 32.0% Asian, and 3.2% black or African American. As you can see, in recent years the city has received a very large increase in Asians, to some extent - this can be explained by the innovative nature of the San Jose economy; according to some data, it is the Asian population of the United States that shows great success on the path to a good education and obtaining highly qualified positions.

Racial composition of San Jose: 42.8% White, 32.0% Asian, 10.4% Vietnamese, 6.7% Chinese, 5.6% Filipino, 4.6% Indian, 1.2% Korean, 1. 2% Japanese, 0.3% Cambodian, 3.2% African American.

28.2% of the city's population were of Mexican descent, with Salvadorans 0.7% and Puerto Ricans 0.5%.

An interesting feature of San Jose is that there are 2,458 same-sex married couples, which is 0.8% of all families in the metropolitan area.

The average household size in San Jose is 3.09, the average family size is 3.54. Average age 35.2 years. For every 100 women there are 101.1 men. For every 100 women aged 18 and over, there are 99.8 men.

39.0% of San Jose's population is foreign national, including many high-tech workers from East and South Asia, immigrants from Eastern Europe, and poor immigrants from Latin America. There is a large social divide between races in San Jose, especially when comparing Asians and Hispanics.

As for Russians and Ukrainians in San Jose, their number is insignificant; there are no Russian neighborhoods here, like, for example, in Los Angeles, but the Asian community is very widely represented; by the way, Asians in San Jose are the richest people in the city.

Level and quality of life in San Jose

Today, San Jose is a city of fantastic opportunities for people related to computer technology; there are the highest salaries and a correspondingly high standard of living, which could not but affect prices.

The level and quality of life in San Jose may be the highest in the USA, for example, the highest quality city in the USA according to the Mercer agency is San Francisco, but San Jose was not included in the list only because it is within the city limits sees off no more than a million residents.

Crime and safety in San Jose

The crime rate in San Jose has increased sharply since 2013, until that point the city was a quiet and peaceful place, but since 2013 the average crime rate has already exceeded the average for both California and the United States as a whole, nevertheless San -José is one of the safest cities in the country with a population of over 500,000 people.

Houses, apartments and real estate San Jose

Between 1976 and 2001, local real estate appreciated by 936%. Today, the main source of filling the budget of San Jose is taxes on real estate sales. San Jose currently has 314,038 housing units with an average density of 1,745 per square mile or 673.7 per square kilometer, of which 176,216 or 58.5% are owner occupied and 125,150 or 41.5% are renter occupied. Homeowner vacancy rate is 1.6%. 553,436 people or 58.5% of the population live in their own homes and 379,184 people or 40.1% live in rented ones.

Historic buildings from the 19th and 20th centuries can be found in areas such as Hanchett Park, Naglee Park, Rose Garden, Willow Glen, and Victorian, Prairie, Craftsman, and Revival styles. To become the owner of your own home in San Jose, you need to be a millionaire; the average price of a home exceeds 700 thousand US dollars, this is one of the highest indicators. The prices for renting residential or commercial real estate are exactly the same; prices are rising due to the demand of employees of computer corporations, who can boast of exorbitant salaries.

San Jose is the third most populous city in California, after Los Angeles and San Diego, and is considered California's first settlement. San Jose is also considered the capital of Silicon Valley. Read on for these and many other interesting facts about San Jose.

State: California

Date of foundation: 1777

Population: 1,000,536 people

Nickname: Capital of Silicon Valley

Why is the city called San Jose?

In 1777, Mexican colonists founded a settlement on the site of modern San Jose called El Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe, named after St. Joseph and the Guadalupe River flowing near these lands. The city's name was later shortened to San Jose, meaning Saint Joseph.

San Jose Photos

History of San Jose

San Jose was founded to develop agriculture in Northern California, then called Alta California. Each San Jose settler was provided with livestock, farm implements, seeds, and a $10 monthly fee. Farmers joined the Spanish missionaries who were already living in this part of California, and therefore the population of San Jose grew rapidly, while the indigenous people of this region began to die out from various diseases, eventually leading to their complete disappearance.

In 1850, about 5,000 people lived in the city. During the gold rush, San Jose experienced a population explosion. From 1849 to 1851, San Jose served as the state's capital, and then, until the arrival of the railroad in 1864, became an important stop on the route to San Francisco. Population growth continued in the 1880s, culminating in parallel with a real estate boom in 1887. At that time, the total cost of selling land was $2 million per day. At the turn of the century, San Jose became a center for fruit growing (apricots, prunes and grapes). With advantageous rail connections, San Jose was an important regional shipping center.

Production in San Jose

Before World War II, 18 canning factories and 13 packaging factories were built in San Jose, at that time the city was considered the largest fruit canning and dried fruit packaging center in the world. San Jose can also be considered a pioneer in the production of specialized mechanical farm equipment.

Why is San Jose called Silicon Valley?

In 1950, San Jose transitioned from a farming center to a high-tech center using another of its natural resources: silicon. This element is used in the manufacture of semiconductors and is a key component in high-tech industries. As a result, the area in which the cities of San Jose, San Francisco and Santa Clara are located became known as “Silicon Valley”.

Which is correct: Silicon Valley or Silicon Valley?

Many people believe that Silicon Valley and Silicon Valley are 2 completely different valleys. However, this is not true. The phrase “Silicon Valley” came about as a result of an incorrect translation of the English term “silicon”, which means silicon in Russian. This is not surprising, because in the words “silicone” (silicon) and “silicon” (silicon), the difference is only one letter. In general, the correct name for the valley is Silicon.

Later, Silicon Valley included the city of Palo Alto, which developed a military-industrial complex that included the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). As a result, Silicon Valley spread throughout the southern part of the peninsula.

Thanks to the high-tech revolution, San Jose began another boom in population growth. The rapid development of computer companies has led to large investments in the city.

Economy of San Jose

Unemployment in San Jose remains relatively low as... More than 20% of semiconductors and related devices manufactured in the United States continue to be manufactured in Silicon Valley. Due to the large influx of specialists from all over the world, the population of San Jose began to grow rapidly, which caused certain problems with traffic congestion on the city's roads. The city authorities solved this problem by building a new subway system. At the beginning of the 21st century, San Jose boasted great economic opportunities, jobs and a high standard of living.

Sights of San Jose

Most of San Jose's attractions are related to the nature of the city and its surrounding areas. Kelley Park is also very popular among residents and guests of the city. The park contains a zoo, a Japanese garden, a botanical garden, a historical museum, etc.

The Winchester Mystery House is especially popular among tourists. According to legend, this huge house was built by the wealthy widow of a Winchester manufacturer to appease the spirits who were victims of the famous rifle.

When in San Jose, be sure to try the locally produced wines, because... this Californian city is famous for its wine production.

San Jose is home to a large number of museums and galleries. The Children's Discovery Museum offers hands-on exhibits, the Technology Museum features innovations, and the city also has an Egyptian Museum, a city planetarium, and a textile museum, one of the few of its kind in the United States.

Sports in San Jose

In the sports arena, San Jose is represented by several professional teams:

San Jose Sharks – NHL (hockey)
San Jose Earthquakes – MLS (soccer)
San Jose Sabrecats – AFL (American football)
San Jose Giants – Baseball (California League)

San Jose is home to 144 public parks, as well as numerous lakes and reservoirs that host sailing, water skiing and windsurfing competitions. Thanks to the large number of parks, San Jose provides all the conditions for various sports activities, such as baseball, tennis, golf, hiking, horse riding, etc.

I would like to note that San Jose has all the conditions for a fulfilling life. Here you can get a job that suits you, rent inexpensive housing and enjoy the nature of this wonderful city. Once you have been to San Jose, you will definitely want to come back here again, and perhaps forever.

This American city has long been not as popular as its successful neighbor San Francisco. Over the past decades, it has become the main commercial and cultural center of California and confidently remains in the lead. One of the three largest cities in the state, it has taken the lead in innovative technologies.

City of the future

Modern San Jose (California) is the oldest city in the state and the third most populous. The unofficial capital of America, where the offices of the world's most famous corporations are located, is imbued with the spirit of modern technology, and the abundance of glass and concrete houses is more reminiscent of the fantastic landscapes of a city from the distant future.

A little history

According to official data, the city was founded in 1777. It was the main center of the Spanish colony of New California, but no historical monuments from that period have survived. It was a small farming community that became the state's capital in 1850 after the state gained independence. Undeveloped land began to be rapidly developed, and growth transformed the agricultural community into a global high-tech center.

Weather in San Jose (CA)

Tourists adore this unique city for its wonderful continental climate. The influence of the Pacific Current, which brings coolness, is weakened here, unlike other coastal cities. The mountains that surround it on all sides protect it from rain and strong winds, and therefore sunny weather with clear skies reigns here for more than 300 days a year. Precipitation is very rare; mild summers and warm winters delight travelers from different countries who come here on vacation throughout the year.

Economic Development of the Commercial Center

The city's economy, where engineering and computer companies are concentrated, is growing rapidly. The population is also growing rapidly, but it cannot be said that all problems have bypassed the economic center. The city has very high housing costs, and about six percent of people live below the poverty line. The beginning of the 21st century was marked by a real race for technological discoveries, each company sought to get ahead and win its customers. At this time, in San Jose (California), hundreds of Internet corporations went bankrupt, and thousands of people lost their jobs. Residents of the business center never forget that success also has a downside.

In general, the metropolis is considered the richest and the salaries of the population are recognized as the highest in the country. An expensive settlement to live in, it is a popular place of work for experienced programmers and scientists, so the best specialists in the field of computer development rush here, dreaming of realizing their profession. Today, more than 6,500 companies are registered in the city, employing 250 thousand people.

Investments in the city by two powerful corporations

The huge Apple corporation has already invested $300 million in the developing San Jose. The State of California and City Council have approved the desire to build an office in the region. Five million square feet of office space is planned to become the tech giant's headquarters.

And in 2013, the main competitor of the American brand, the South Korean brand Samsung, laid the foundation of its research and development center in the city. And two years later, a 10-story office with an area of more than one million square meters opened its doors. ft. The strategically important facility is the company's largest investment in San Jose, California. This is how Samsung plans to increase its presence in the American market.

Strange house - labyrinth

The city with its own laws of life is of great interest to tourists. Its main attractions are numerous museums and a haunted house.

The Winchester Villa, recognized as the strangest building in San Jose, stands alone. Built by the daughter of a major arms manufacturer, the three-story house is a labyrinthine labyrinth where doors open into blank walls, hallways wind through winding paths, and flights of stairs end at the ceiling. The hostess tried in this way to drive away evil spirits from the house, which, in her opinion, took the lives of loved ones.

An inattentive visitor risks breaking his neck by breaking through windows built into the floor, or falling out onto the street through a door that opens outward. A frightening labyrinth of 150 rooms with dead ends and secret passages is recognized as one of the most mysterious mansions in the world. Residents of San Jose (California) believe that the spirits living there are still rushing about in search of a ghostly exit.

What else to visit in the city?

The Museum of Science and Technology is located in the very center of the metropolis. Its exhibitions will tell you how modern technologies affect people's lives.

The art museum, which harmoniously fits into the landscape of the city of the future, was previously a small gallery where the works of fashionable artists were exhibited, and now it is the largest center of contemporary art.

The M. L. King Library, established 13 years ago, offers visitors free access to modern multimedia resources. And the snow-white building is a real architectural masterpiece.

The Egyptian Rosicrucian Museum is a genuine treasury containing unique artifacts of Ancient Egypt.

The Museum of Patchwork and Textiles is interesting because it is the only institution of its kind in America. Every three months the collections are replenished with the most interesting specimens.

According to all tourists who have visited a state like California, the city of San Jose lives in the future, and that is where the thoughts of local residents are directed. Even among friends, all conversations are about high technology. And as long as they exist, the metropolis will occupy a leading position in the field of innovative technologies for a long time.