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San Jose, California

City in California, United States / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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San Jose, officially the City of San José (Spanish for 'Saint Joseph'[11] /ˌsæn hˈz, -ˈs/ SAN hoh-ZAY, -SAY; Spanish: [saŋ xoˈse]),[12] is the largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 population of 1,013,240,[13] it is the most populous city in both the Bay Area and the San Jose–San Francisco–Oakland Combined Statistical Area, which has a 2015 population of 7.7 million and 9.7 million people respectively,[14] the third-most populous city in California after Los Angeles and San Diego, and the 12th-most populous in the United States.[15][16] Located in the center of the Santa Clara Valley on the southern shore of San Francisco Bay, San Jose covers an area of 179.97 sq mi (466.1 km2). San Jose is the county seat of Santa Clara County and the main component of the San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara Metropolitan Statistical Area, with an estimated population of around two million residents in 2018.[17]

Quick facts: San Jose, Country, State, County, Region...
San Jose
City of San José
Official seal of San Jose
Official logo of San Jose
Motto: 
Capital of Silicon Valley
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osm-intl,8,37.193333333333,-121.80333333333,280x280.png
osm-intl,5,37,-120,280x280.png
osm-intl,3,39.828175,-98.5795,280x280.png
Coordinates: 37°20′10″N 121°53′26″W
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountySanta Clara
RegionSan Francisco Bay Area
MetroSan Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
CSASan Jose-San Francisco-Oakland
Pueblo foundedNovember 29, 1777
Founded asPueblo de San José de Guadalupe
IncorporatedMarch 27, 1850[1]
Named forSaint Joseph
Government
  TypeCouncil–manager[2]
  BodySan Jose City Council
  MayorMatt Mahan[3] (D)
  Vice mayorRosemary Kamei (D)
  City CouncilSergio Jimenez (D)
Omar Torres (D)
David Cohen (D)
Peter Ortiz (D)
Dev Davis (I)
Bien Doan (R)
Domingo Candelas (D)
Pam Foley (D)
Arjun Batra (D)
  City ManagerJennifer Maguire[4]
  Assemblymembers[5]
Area
  City181.36 sq mi (469.72 km2)
  Land178.24 sq mi (461.63 km2)
  Water3.12 sq mi (8.09 km2)  1.91%
  Urban
285.48 sq mi (739.4 km2)
  Metro
2,694.61 sq mi (6,979 km2)
Elevation82 ft (25 m)
Lowest elevation0 ft (0 m)
Population
 (2020)
  City1,013,240
  Rank26th in North America
12th in the United States
3rd in California
  Density5,684.69/sq mi (2,194.92/km2)
  Urban
1,837,446 (US: 28th)
  Urban density6,436.4/sq mi (2,485.1/km2)
  Metro2,000,468 (US: 35th)
Demonym(s)San Josean(s)
San Joséan(s)
Josefino/a(s)
Time zoneUTC−08:00 (PST)
  Summer (DST)UTC−07:00 (PDT)
ZIP Codes
List
  • 95002
  • 95008
  • 95101
  • 95103
  • 95106
  • 95108–95113
  • 95115–95141
  • 95148
  • 95150–95161
  • 95164, 95170
  • 95172
  • 95173
  • 95129
  • 95190–95194
  • 95196[10]
Area code(s)408/669
FIPS code06-68000
GNIS feature IDs1654952, 2411790
Websitewww.sanjoseca.gov
Close

San Jose is notable for its innovation, cultural diversity,[18] affluence,[19] and sunny and mild Mediterranean climate.[20] Its connection to the booming high tech industry phenomenon known as Silicon Valley[21] prompted Mayor Tom McEnery to adopt the city motto of "Capital of Silicon Valley" in 1988 to promote the city.[22] Major global tech companies including Cisco Systems, eBay, Adobe Inc., PayPal, Broadcom, Samsung, Acer, and Zoom maintain their headquarters in San Jose. San Jose is one of the wealthiest major cities in the world, with the third-highest GDP per capita (after Zürich and Oslo)[23] and the fifth-most expensive housing market.[24] It is home to one of the world's largest overseas Vietnamese populations,[25] a Hispanic community that makes up over 40% of the city's residents,[26] and historic ethnic enclaves such as Japantown and Little Portugal.

Before the arrival of the Spanish, the area around San Jose was long inhabited by the Tamien nation of the Ohlone peoples of California. San Jose was founded on November 29, 1777, as the Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe, the first city founded in the Californias.[27] It became a part of Mexico in 1821 after the Mexican War of Independence.

Following the American Conquest of California during the Mexican–American War, the territory was ceded to the United States in 1848. After California achieved statehood two years later, San Jose was designated as the state's first capital.[28] Following World War II, San Jose experienced an economic boom, with a rapid population growth and aggressive annexation of nearby cities and communities carried out in the 1950s and 1960s. The rapid growth of the high-technology and electronics industries further accelerated the transition from an agricultural center to an urbanized metropolitan area. Results of the 1990 U.S. census indicated that San Jose had officially surpassed San Francisco as the most populous city in Northern California.[29] By the 1990s, San Jose had become the global center for the high tech and internet industries, making it California's fastest-growing economy.[30]