San Jose

City, Santa Clara County

© McCormack's Guides

 

Zip Codes: 95101, 95103, 95106, 95108, 95109, 95110, 95111, 95112, 95113, 95115, 95116, 95117, 95118, 95119, 95120, 95121, 95122, 95123, 95124, 95125, 95126, 95127, 95128, 95129, 95130, 95172, 95173, 95190, 95191, 95192, 95193, 95194, 95196

Largest city in Santa Clara County and Northern California. Population 989,496. One of the high-tech giants. School scores a mix but many high. Crime low. Suburban in nature but it's muscling up its downtown, improving its airport and opening its south side to commercial development. www.mccormacks.com

Santa Clara County in the 1990s increased its population by 185,000. Of this number, 112,700, or 61 percent, landed in San Jose. If you’re shopping for a home or apartment, San Jose offers the most choices.

Still building, especially near its light-rail stations and in the downtown. Also filling in many lots ignored in the initial booms. Housing across the spectrum — new and old, small and large, apartments, condos and single homes, mostly middle to high middle with many, especially in the hills, priced over $1 million.

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Unlike some major cities, San Jose has retained its middle class. It has its poor and its rich but it is not a city of extremes. The great majority of residents practice the traditional middle-class habits of keeping appearances up, the kids under supervision and the schools focused on basics. The town likes jobs, common sense and faster commutes.

Often compared to San Francisco, San Jose lacks the zaniness and complexity of its neighbor to the north. In San Francisco, someone is always fiddling with the budget or cutting a deal on the side. San Jose pressures its politicians to run a tighter ship, to stay to the straight and narrow.

Its former mayor was indicted over a political maneuver — negotiating garbage rates without informing the city council — that in San Francisco and other big cities would have probably passed as routine business. www.mccormacks.com

San Jose would love to attract more tourists and visitors and, with clubs, shops, restaurants, theater and musical events, has made its downtown much more enticing. But it shies away from the bawdy and the bizarre. San Francisco gives college credit for mastering bondage techniques and in matters of sex between consenting adults comes down firmly on the side of Whoopee!

San Francisco pays a lot of attention to the fine arts, to exhibits, dance, plays and museums.

San Jose has opened a museum dedicated to high-tech ... interesting but practical. San Jose supports and welcomes the arts but its patronage and money commitment falls far short of what San Francisco musters.

San Francisco has the lowest percentage of children of any county in the Bay Area, about 14 percent of all residents.

San Jose runs to about 26 percent. It is much more of a family town. Just about every school district in the city has passed a renovation bond and in 2002, San Jose Unified, the largest district, passed a renovation-construction bond for $429 million (and this is after passing a similar bond for $165 million in 1997). Lot of money; good support for schools. www.mccormacks.com

For a large city (over 400,000) San Jose has one of the lowest crime rates in the U.S. The FBI reported 26 homicides in 2005 and 24 in 2004. The counts for the previous years are 29, 26, 22,19, 29, 29, 43, 40, 38, 33, 41, 43, 53, 35, 39, 37, 24, 39. Curfew for kids: 15 and under, 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.; older kids, in by 11:30 p.m. See Crime.

In appearance, suburban, and some critics call the town bland. Among homes, the tract look dominates. Many people put their creative energies into landscaping and gardening and interior decorating. San Jose has hills but much of the city is built on flat land. Outside of the downtown, very few buildings rise over three stories.

San Jose is not an “old” city with cosmopolitan traditions. Well into the 20th century, it was no more than the largest town in an agricultural region. The city's population in 1950 was only 95,000. When it grew, it grew rapidly, adding subdivision after subdivision, annexing almost everything in its path.

To some extent, this explains the traffic jams in Silicon Valley. Many of the jobs are located north of downtown San Jose.  Much of the housing is located south of the downtown. (San Jose is now building more housing on the north side.)

Ethnically diverse, many Hispanics, Southeast Asians and Asians. Town, schools, churches and civic leaders work hard at helping people get along. www.mccormacks.com

School situation is confusing because San Jose is served by 19 separate school districts. The city grew up around established school districts, some of which serve other communities besides San Jose.

If you have children, check with the local district to find out where your child will be attending school. Ask about hours and times of attendance. Some schools will offer buses, some will start later than others. Some districts are losing enrollments and closing schools; this will change attendance boundaries. See Choosing a School.

The San Jose Arena (HP Pavilion) opened in 1993, part of the effort to equip San Jose with the trappings of a big-time city. The Arena came with a professional hockey team, the Sharks, who have won San Jose's fancy and support.

Since about 1980, the city has been overhauling and improving its downtown. The jobs included a light-rail system, a convention center, office towers, several hotels, a library, the Children’s Discovery Museum, Tech Museum of Innovation, a retail mall, a highway and the arena. In 2005, San Jose opened a large (18 stories) and striking city hall.

The downtown offers the cultural and recreational ornaments of metropolitan life: an opera, light opera, ballet, a repertory theater, a jazz festival and a film festival. San Jose is a frequent stop when big-name singers, rock bands and Broadway shows tour the country. www.mccormacks.com

San Jose State University, one of the largest in the state, is located in the downtown. (Two community colleges in other neighborhoods). In 2004, an old ornate movie palace was reopened, refurbished for plays, musicals and other events. More improvements have been made, including a river park that will delight strollers and joggers.

But as much as the city tries to pump up its downtown, the results often fall short of hopes. San Jose has three giant malls, all on the west side, ValleyFair, Westgate and next to Westgate what promises be the mother of all malls, Santana Row. They vacuum up the retail dollars and leave the downtown gasping for shoppers.

To be fair to the city's efforts, we're not talking a ghost town here. The downtown has its fans and its nightlife and its shoppers — just not as many as wanted. And it may be only a matter of time.

The international airport, located near the downtown, is renovating and expanding its facilities, adding parking and improving access roads. Runways are to be extended, a central terminal constructed and a “people mover” installed to get people over to a light-rail station.

Although many residents suffer a long commute, many others live close to their jobs. In recent years, the opening of two freeway stretches —Highways 85 and 87— has improved matters. Light rail was extended to east San Jose and to Campbell. www.mccormacks.com

In family and neighborhood activities, Little League, soccer, all the usual sports, youth service organizations, libraries, museums, many nice parks.

The real strength of the city is in its neighborhoods, all sustained by their own shops, movies, restaurants, churches, temples and social organizations and activities, many of them organized around schools. The great majority of residents take their pleasures in the back yard or local park. City council members are elected by district, which gives the neighborhoods more clout in local politics.

Good choice of housing; a lot of the new, the great majority of it suburban tract, although some streets seem straight out of New England or the Midwest. San Jose in the 1980s added about 41,500 residential units, far more than any other city in the Bay Area. In the 1990s, it added about 35,000 units and between 2000 and 2006, erected another 20,000 units.

Prices bounce all over. Even within the category of suburban tract, variety is plentiful, housing styles having changed frequently over the past 50 years.

Residential units in 2008 numbered 307,613, of which 167,873 were single homes, 28,227 single attached, 100,485 multiples, 11,028 mobile homes. www.mccormacks.com

San Jose’s Neighborhoods

San Jose is spread over 178 square miles of Santa Clara Valley floor and hillside — about 3.5 times the size of San Francisco.

In some instances, the neighborhoods are distinct, featuring housing from a certain era or a “look” that sets them apart or many members of a particular ethnic group.

But in many places market forces have placed new subdivisions next to old and mixed the ethnicities. A good deal of the older housing has been carefully maintained or restored while other housing has received little attention.

Many San Jose neighborhoods do not have clearly marked boundaries. Some neighborhoods — such as the downtown — have natural or man-made borders, usually the freeways. Others just flow into one another without any dividers. Many of the hill homes on the East Side are outside city limits.

As a rough guide, San Jose was built out from its downtown. As you move south, you can trace the designs of modern suburbia: two-bedroom homes move up to three, then to four; lot sizes shrink, garages get bigger. In the newer neighborhoods, utility lines have been buried. www.mccormacks.com

Store mixes are changing. Just about every neighborhood has its Starbucks or equivalents. The big bookstores, such as Barnes and Noble, have moved into neighborhood plazas. Fast-food and chain stores — the Rite Aids, the McDonalds, the Safeway’s — the neighborhoods have in abundance but especially in the upper-income areas they are attracting the cuisine restaurants and the newer shops, Bed, Bath and Beyond, Jamb Juice, Sweet Tomato, Trader Joes and so on.

Here are some of the major neighborhoods and their locations. As a point of reference, we have included the approximate distance from each neighborhood to the City of Santa Clara, near the heart of Silicon Valley.

• Santa Teresa.

Southeast section of the city, along Santa Teresa Boulevard. About 40 years ago farm country. Now divided into housing, high tech, schools and stores.

Borders large county park with golf course. Another golf course to south and several more nearby. Some homes built in ’50s and ’60s. Most homes built in the ’70s.

Well-maintained. Stucco and wood shingles. Many two-story homes. After the first wave of construction, developers came back years later and filled in lots with larger homes. www.mccormacks.com

To the southeast of Santa Teresa is Coyote Valley, which city has zoned for major development (25,000 homes on 7,000 acres, maybe 75,000 people).

Students attend the Oak Grove Elementary District and the Morgan Hill District and possibly, the Evergreen district. Many of the teens attend Santa Teresa High (scores in the 70 and 80^th percentiles) in the East Side high school district. Because of the multiple districts, call the districts to identify assigned school. List at top. See Choosing a School.

High school district is changing its attendance boundaries.

From 12-16 miles to Santa Clara. Highways 101 and 85, several expressways. End of the line for one spur of the light-rail trolleys to downtown San Jose and Silicon Valley. Parking lot at station.

This side of San Jose has a good number of jobs but the great majority are located on other side of downtown San Jose. On many nights, the drive commute will be slow and congested. www.mccormacks.com

About a dozen parks, a few quite large. Annual community festival.

• Evergreen. Silver Creek.

East of Highway 101, north and south of Aborn Road. Slightly above and to the east of Santa Teresa neighborhood. Flat lands to hills. Silver Creek is separated from Evergreen by a long valley that runs along San Felipe Road.

Subdivisions, many built over the last 25 years. Apartments toward the flatlands, single homes in hills. Newer subs feature four bedrooms and higher. Many new homes, with a fair number jumping way up the scale. Three country-club subdivisions, the newest, Silver Creek Valley favoring gated tracts. Golf courses with greens that in some places seem to be hanging off the hills; steep.

Evergreen Elementary District is using bond, passed in 2006, to build two schools and add wings to schools. Local schools have won national blue ribbons for high academic standards. Scores in elementary schools range from 50^th to 90^th percentile, among highest in San Jose.

Many older students attend Evergreen Valley High in the Eastside Union High School District. This district, to even out enrollments, is talking about changing attendance boundaries. www.mccormacks.com

YMCA with swimming pool. Evergreen Community College. Community center expanded. Replacement library, larger than its predecessor, opened in 2006. About 10 parks, including a linear park along a creek.

About 4,000 to 5,000 more residential units are planned the hills; many arguments. In exchange for green light, developers say they will fund more parks, community centers, road improvements and amenities. Check with city hall.

New neighborhood mall, with Lunardi’s (upscale market) encourages pedestrian shopping. It’s located on Ruby Avenue, just south of Aborn Road. Other neighborhood shopping plazas. A few miles to north, the Eastridge Mall: Sears, Penneys, Macys; movies.

From 10-14 miles to Santa Clara. Highway 101, the main freeway, but others within a drive of a few miles. Several expressways, at least one with a car-pool lane. Highway 101, especially coming out of the downtown, frequently congests at the intersection of Interstate 680.

• East Valley

Also known as “Eastside.” Above Evergreen. Typical home is over 40 years old but newer homes mixed in, three and four bedrooms. Diverse cultures and choices among restaurants. www.mccormacks.com

Many apartments. Some custom homes in hills. Note Reid-Hillview Airport, near Eastridge Mall (Macys, Penneys, 150 outlets, movies, restaurants). Every once in a while a plane crashes taking off or landing. Some want to close airport but it will probably be around for a long time. Many small planes, which sometimes can be louder than jets. Check out noise.

Large park with water slides and pools, Raging Waters.

From 8-12 miles to Santa Clara. Highway 101, the main road but this neighborhood is almost a straight line to downtown San Jose and its jobs. Several arterial streets to downtown.

Light-rail line to jobs around North San Jose-Santa Clara and Mountain View. Station at McKee Road.

Education by, possibly, five or six school districts, including San Jose Unified, Alum Rock Elementary, Mt. Pleasant Elementary, Evergreen and East Side high school district. Call school district to identify assigned schools. See Choosing a School.

• Berryessa-North Valley, Alum Rock.

Berryessa on its north side is sometimes called North Valley. The whole area starts at Milpitas city limits and extends south to Alum Rock Park, large and criss-crossed by trails, the oldest and one of the most popular parks in San Jose. Berryessa is above East Valley and a large unincorporated (governed by county) neighborhood called East San Jose. www.mccormacks.com

Many middle to upper income neighborhoods on the east side transitioning to apartments and condos. Many four- to six-bedroom, two-story homes. Bedroom community. Many homes in this area were built after 1960-1970. In planning in 2007, proposal to build 1,000 residential units near Brokaw and Oakland Roads, near Interstate 880.

The higher the elevation, the grander the homes. Some will have views of Bay and Valley. In some instances, the apartments were built in large complexes, mini-neighborhoods unto themselves.

Most students attend Berryessa and Alum Rock elementary districts and move to high schools of the East Side district. The high-school district may change attendance boundaries to even out enrollments. High schools serving this area include, foremost, Piedmont Hills, and James Lick (Alum Rock Road) and Independence.

Several charter schools in the Alum Rock area. 

Berryessa Art and Wine Festival, an annual event. Section includes San Jose Flea Market, which claims to be largest in U.S. (4 million visitors a year.)

From 5-7 miles to Santa Clara. Split by Interstate 680, a fast shot to downtown San Jose, and bordered on west by Interstate 880. In 2004, commute got much better with the extension of the light rail down from Great Mall of Milpitas down to Alum Rock Road. www.mccormacks.com

East San Jose recently opened a Mexican Cultural Heritage Center and Plaza. Facility includes theater, art gallery, rooms for workshops. Teen center opened near James Lick High School. Youth center at Morrill Middle School. In 2005, expanded library opened. About 10 parks total, one with a public golf course.

• Alviso-North San Jose.

Just north and south of Highway 237. Alviso is tiny, low to middle-income neighborhood north of the highway. Used to be seaport. History of flooding. Little housing turnover but homes are less expensive than elsewhere.

Small marina. Overhauled park will add launch for canoes and small boats. Favorite town of local writers when they want to bewail the loss of the old, bucolic San Jose.

Change is coming. New housing complex on edge of hamlet. With some planning and money, city might be able to preserve portion of town and buffer residents from the new.

North San Jose is generally defined as the land east and west of Zanker Road, running north from the downtown to about Highway 237. The Zanker-First Street corridor skirts San Jose Airport and passes through the land dividing the City of Santa Clara from Milpitas. The light-rail line crosses Zanker just below Highway 237. www.mccormacks.com

Many high-tech firms in this corridor. Cisco headquarters. San Jose is mixing in apartments and condos, part of the smart-growth plan of placing housing (about 30,000 units here) next to jobs and rail transit. San Jose has its plans, the cities of Santa Clara and Milpitas had their plans and the arguments took years to resolve.

Large state hospital for disabled (Agnews) to close in 2008; San Jose wants to demolish and turn land to high tech and housing. State in 2007 was talking about placing old or terminally ill prisoners in Agnews. Locals aghast, vow to fight.

Good commute. Highways 237 and 101 and Interstate 880. For frequent flyers, a fast way out of town. Restaurants, shops in Milpitas (McCarthy Ranch) and in downtown San Jose. Check out jet noise.

Several school districts: Santa Clara, Milpitas and Orchard Elementary.

• Central San Jose.

The downtown. Offices, government buildings, hotels, restaurants, and a lot of housing. Lot more going up.

San Jose up to the 1950s was small, compact and logical. The city in 1950 counted only 95,280 people, all living in or close to the downtown. The rich or well-to-do lived in certain neighborhoods, the middle class in other neighborhoods, the poor in their sections. www.mccormacks.com

When the suburban boom came, the city expanded mainly to the south and the downtown, with exceptions, was ignored until civic and business leaders decades later decided to revive it and make it bigger and better and the true center of Silicon Valley.

There followed years of planning and bringing in this building and that, and all the while hungering for that Glorious Day when San Jose, the most populous city in Northern California, would have a downtown that symbolized the wealth, power and energy of Silicon Valley.

Still waiting and this day may never come to pass.

Regional malls and outlying stores are taking away retail dollars that the downtown needs to grow. Santa Clara residents, by and large, are not night clubbers or theater goers or downtowners. They are back-yard barbecuers and computer addicts and television watchers and video game players and family people.

The result: a downtown that in many aspects is a real downtown. High-rise hotels and office buildings, city and county buildings, courts, large library, large university (San Jose State) on its south side, sports arena (Sharks, professional hockey), museums, opera house, movies, the host of many festivals throughout the year, lovely churches, etc. City has planted a linear park along the Guadalupe River and made it into a popular trail (that is being extended).

Nightlife does not approach what San Francisco offers but far surpasses what’s available in other parts of Santa Clara County. Art, mariachi and jazz festivals, grand prix (car racing), summer concerts, winter outdoor ice rink. Many restaurants, many cuisines. Museums. Neighborhood stores and saloons. Farmers market. www.mccormacks.com

University puts thousands of students into the downtown and gives it, somewhat, a collegiate air.

Yet a downtown that is missing the elusive qualities that make people feel they are in a true Big City downtown.

Over the last 20 years, the city has been building condos and apartments and especially on the north side, near the light-rail line. The hammers are still flying but just a few blocks east or west the old residential neighborhoods kick in — some of the most affordable housing in the county. Some of it is run down; a lot shows a high level of care. Some blocks are quaint and lovely, especially west of the Rose Garden (Spring and Taylor streets) craftsman bungalows and mansions. Between the old and the new, many choices.

Close to San Jose Airport and many jobs in North San Jose. Many government and service jobs. Adobe, with 2,300 employers, is the biggest private employer.

Buses, light rail, several freeways. Amtrak station. One of these years, BART to be extended to downtown. www.mccormacks.com

Good neighborhood for people who fly a lot (but check out noise from jets.)

In the works, high-rise condos, some over 20 stories. Downtown is height sensitive because of the airport.

Homeless and disturbed cluster on some streets. San Jose, like many other cities, helps the homeless but lives with them.

San Jose Unified School District but other districts may intrude.

• Willow Glen.

Located south and slightly west of downtown. Key streets: Lincoln and Minnesota avenues.

Older neighborhood. Many streets worthy of the adjective “lovely.” Well-kept, leafy, quaint, flower and vegetable gardens. Many bungalows and custom homes built in ’30s, basements, hardwood floors, brick, large gardens. Midwest-New England look, expensive. Willow Glen presents some of the finest “old” (often restored) housing in San Jose. www.mccormacks.com

Restaurants, cafes, shops along Lincoln Avenue, also praised for ambiance. Light-rail station. Caltrain station. Park-and-ride lots. In 2006, construction began on two 11-story buildings that will present 242 condos and include a park. Located near light rail station. Residents fought job, then accepted it with revisions. 

Old library demolished, new one to open about 2008. About 11 times more books and items. Also a technology room, an internet café, reading room with fireplace, teen room, larger children’s section.

Albertson’s supermarket closed in 2006. Another supermarket has expressed interest in the site.

About seven parks, one with a community center. Small park opened in 2006; includes bocce court and horseshoe pit.

Close to Highway 17 and Interstate 280 but near enough to downtown San Jose to drive by street. Many residents are within walking distance of light-rail station. From 5-7 miles to Santa Clara. www.mccormacks.com

San Jose Unified School District. Willow Glen Elementary scores about the 50^th percentile. Bellarmine College Prep (Catholic).

• South San Jose.

Blurry neighborhood. Some people consider South San Jose to be the south section of the city, near Coyote Valley, others mix it in with Blossom Valley.

For McCormack's Guides, we are placing it south of downtown, east of Willow Glen. For a while, this was the south side of the city but as San Jose kept annexing, the south became more south-central and one of these years, it might be called South Central.

Homes and apartment complexes built just before and after World War II, mixed in with new apartment complexes. Older housing means lower rents and prices but these days in this section, single homes, 1,000 to 1,100 square feet, nothing special about them, are asking $660,000 and higher. Mobile homes. Under construction, 4,000 homes and apartments on hills near Oak Hill cemetery.

Light-rail line, with several stations, runs down the middle of Highway 85, one the main freeways. The second, is Highway 101 to the east. Good commute neighborhoods because when the freeways are jammed, you can take arterials to downtown jobs. Caltrain to jobs in downtown San Jose, Palo Alto and San Francisco. From 7-10 miles to Santa Clara. Check out noise from planes approaching San Jose International. www.mccormacks.com

Bisected by the linear Kelley-Stonegate Park, one of San Jose’s largest and longest; goes on for mile and ties into another park. Great for hiking. Park has a tea garden, historic farm, golf course, playing fields and a zoo. About a half dozen other parks. County Fairgrounds.

Education by San Jose Unified School District and possibly several other districts, including East Side high school district, Franklin McKinley and Oak Grove elementary districts. Two high schools — Hill and Gunderson — are scoring about the 50^th percentile.

• Blossom Valley.

South of South San Jose, north of Santa Teresa. Identifying street: Blossom Hill Road.

Didn’t start developing until ’60s. Typical home is three-bedroom, two-bath, 1,400 sq. feet. Larger homes mixed in. Many single homes and condos. Got its name from blossoming fruit trees. Middle America tending upscale. Among major in-filling projects: 3,500 apartments and townhouses near Cottle Road near intersection of Highway 85.

Oakridge Mall — Sears, Macys, movies. Many small parks in neighborhood. Trails around Almaden Lake.

Education by San Jose Unified School District and possibly others. Sample scores: Pioneer High School, 80^th and 90^th percentiles. IBM research center nearby and this has brought in high-tech parents who get behind schools. www.mccormacks.com

Light-rail station. Highways 85 and 87. Straight ride to downtown San Jose. From 10-14 miles to Santa Clara.

• Almaden Valley.

South, southwest of Blossom Valley. Mix of housing, some old, some from 60s, many new, custom, upscale. Scenic views from hill homes. Country feeling to the point where some residents complain about the coyotes. Some residents go in for horses.

In 1800s, the site contained mines for mercury (quicksilver that used to extract gold in other parts of California. Mines closed, mining area turned into Almaden Quicksilver Park, large and rugged. This park and another and open space preserves have closed the hills to the south and west to development, which contributes to the country atmosphere of the neighborhood. Also to its seclusion, which is helped by a large mound-hill to the east of the residential streets. Almaden Valley is indeed a valley.

Education by San Jose Unified School District. The local schools — Los Alamitos, Simonds, Graystone and Williams elementaries, Harte and Castillero middles, and Leland High — are scoring almost entirely in the 90^th percentiles, sometimes the high 90s.

IBM has a large research facility close by and it is believed that the brainy parents are raising brainy kids and putting a lot of energy into the schools. www.mccormacks.com

At least a half dozen parks. One golf course, another nearby. In 2006, community center and library opened. Library has an internet café, computer lab and study areas. Community center, a gym, fitness center, dance studio, computer lab and kitchen for cooking classes. Other classes and activities offered.

Shopping at malls along Blossom Hill Road — Macys, Sears, Target, movies, restaurants. Just over the hill to west is Los Gatos: Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, haute cuisine, nightlife.

Highway 85 to north. If you have to drive to North San Jose, Palo Alto, Mountain View, your nerves might twang a sad song. Light-rail station at Almaden Lake on north side. From 12-16 miles to Santa Clara.

• Cambrian.

Borders Los Gatos and Campbell, northwest of Almaden neighborhood. Served in part by the Campbell school districts. Another situation where you should check with school districts to determine location of neighborhood schools. Also served by Cambrian Elementary District, scores in the 80^th and 90^th percentile, top 20 percent in state.

In 2001, voters in the Cambrian school district passed a parcel tax to improve instruction, a sign of good support for education.

A farm village that was absorbed by San Jose, Cambria has some cottages that predate World War II but the great majority of homes came in the post war boom, which reached Cambria about 1960. At that time, many people were taking their equity and buying up, mainly to three- and four-bedroom homes, built in the ranch style. Cambria also has homes that jump a little higher on the scale. Many of these homes have been remodeled and expanded. Some townhouses, condos, duplexes. www.mccormacks.com

Tall trees. Many original owners. Considered middle, upper-middle class. Terrain starts level and rises into hills as it nears Los Gatos  About seven parks, two with community centers. Dog park to open in 2007.

Replacement library opened in 2006; almost triple the size of the old one. Computer room, teen center, study and story-telling areas.

Fairly good commute to many Silicon Valley cities. Highways 85 and 17 close by. Light-rail station at Campbell. From 9-13 miles to Santa Clara.

• West San Jose.

From about Highway 17 west to Cupertino. Parts of neighborhood are bordered on the south by Saratoga and Campbell and on the north by Cupertino and Santa Clara. Real mix of housing.

Many streets in the older section, on the east side, were developed just before and after World War II. As you move west, the housing becomes newer. Most of the homes and apartments were built in the 1960s and 1970s. www.mccormacks.com

San Jose City College, many activities, is located on the east side, a big plus. Lynbrook High, which draws students from part of this neighborhood, is one of highest scoring in the state. Archbishop Mitty, one of the largest Catholic high schools in Santa Clara County.

Three malls within a drive of a few miles: ValleyFair, Westmont and the dazzling, Santana Row, which also includes apartments and condos. At least two libraries, about a dozen parks.

Highways 17, 280 and 85. Several expressways. Park-and-ride lots. Usual congestion at peak hours but this neighborhood has to be considered a good commute because it is close to major job centers. Some San Jose homes will have Campbell mailing addresses.

San Jose Chamber of Commerce (408) 291-5250. Convention and Visitors Bureau (408) 295-9600.

Miscellaneous

• Power plant, a source of many arguments, was opened in 2005. It is located off Monterey Road on the south side of San Jose. www.mccormacks.com

• International airport forbids takeoff of large planes after 11 p.m. Over the next few years, the runways are to be expanded. Neighbors complain of airport noises. Airport has soundproofed 1,400 homes; more to be done. Some plane owners, who say their crafts are quiet, want the airport to revise its curfew. The airport handles 13 million passengers annually and hopes to boost this to 17 million. In planning for airport area, office buildings, hotels, condos and apartments.

• Palmy days. City has all but adopted the palm. It's tall, graceful, easy to maintain, doesn't block signs or the vision of motorists.

• Declining enrollments forced the closing of schools in the San Jose, Oak Grove, Union and Moreland districts.

• More parks. San Jose is concluding that rapid development and a funding plan that did not keep up with inflation are shortchanging the city on neighborhood parks. City council may up fees on developers.

• BART. One of these years — the gods of funding willing — BART will be extended from Fremont to downtown San Jose. The price, about $4 billion, seems astronomical but this is one job the county seems committed to finish, if not in your lifetime, perhaps your grandchild's. www.mccormacks.com

• Burp! Joey Chestnut of San Jose in 2006 wowed them in Philadelphia when he knocked off 173 chicken wings in 30 minutes, a record and the winner of Philly’s Annual Wing Bowl. First prize, a new car and ring valued at $5,500. Not a man to rest on his rump, Joey, an engineering major at San Jose State, entered the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York, where he faced the formidable Takeru Kobayashi of Japan, five times winner. They were dog and dog until the 12^th minute and the 53rd dog when Kobayashi stuffed ahead and won his sixth title. Joey, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 230, blamed himself. “I could have prepared better.” But he looks forward to a rematch. Incidentally, he prepared by eating 17 hot dogs a day.

City web site: www.sanjoseca.gov