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City of San Jose
Flag
Nickname: Capital of Silicon Valley
Location of San Jose within Santa Clara County, California
Location of San Jose with the state of California
Coordinates: 37°18′15″N 121°52′22″W / 37.30417, -121.87278
Country	United States
State	California
County	Santa Clara
Pueblo founded	November 29, 1777
Incorporated	March 27, 1850
Government
- Type	charter city, mayor-council
- Mayor	Chuck Reed
- Vice Mayor	Dave Cortese
- City Manager	Debra Figone
- Senate	List of Senators Ellen Corbett (D) Joe Simitian (D) Elaine Alquist (D) Abel Maldonado (R)
- Assembly	Assembly List Ira Ruskin (D) Sally J. Lieber (D) Joe Coto (D) Jim Beall (D) Anna M. Caballero (D)
Area [1]
- City	178.2 sq mi (461.5 km²)
- Land	174.9 sq mi (452.9 km²)
- Water	3.3 sq mi (8.6 km²)
- Urban	260.11 sq mi (673.68 km²)
- Metro	2,694.7 sq mi (6,979.4 km²)
Elevation [2]	85 ft (26 m)
Population (2006)[3][4][5]
- City	929,936 (10th)
- Density	5,216.3/sq mi (2,014.4/km²)
- Urban	1,611,000
- Metro	7,264,887
- Demonym	San Josean
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code	95101-95103, 95106, 95108-95139, 95141, 95142, 95148, 95150-95161, 95164, 95170-95173, 95190-95194, 95196
Area code(s)	408
FIPS code	06-68000
GNIS feature ID	1654952
Website: www.sanjoseca.gov

Aerial view of San Jose. The intersection of I-280 and Guadalupe Parkway is shown at bottom. View is to the south.

San Jose (IPA: /ˌsænhoʊˈzeɪ/) (meaning St. Joseph in Spanish) or San José is the third-largest city in California, and the tenth-largest in the United States. It is the county seat of Santa Clara County. San Jose is located in the Santa Clara Valley, which has been dubbed the "Silicon Valley," at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area. Once a small farming city, San Jose became a magnet for suburban newcomers in new housing developments between the 1960s and the 1990s, and is now the largest city in Northern California. The official United States Census Bureau population estimate for July 1, 2006 is 929,936.^[4] The California Department of Finance estimates, San Jose's population on January 1, 2007 was 973,672. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... San José – or its anglicised form San Jose – is the Spanish for Saint Joseph. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x352, 232 KB) Summary © Matthew Hendricks Photo of the San Jose skyline in 2006. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... EXAMPLE:Laughbox,Blondie,BamBam,Pinkie,etc. ... This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Santa Clara County is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. ... Adapted from Wikipedias CA county maps by Bumm13. ... This list of countries, arranged alphabetically, gives an overview of countries of the world. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      A U.S. state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of... This article is about the U.S. state. ... The U.S. state of California is divided into 58 counties. ... Santa Clara County is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. ... // For thousands of years before the arrival of European settlers, the area now known as San Jose was inhabited by several groups of Ohlone Native Americans. ... is the 333rd day of the year (334th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1777 (MDCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... A Municipal Corporation is a legal defintion for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, and towns. ... is the 86th day of the year (87th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the game, see: 1850 (board game) 1850 (MDCCCL) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday [1] of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Incorporated town. ... Mayor-Council government is one of two variations of government most commonly used in modern representative municipal governments in the United States. ... A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger, greater) is the modern title of the highest ranking municipal officer. ... Chuck Reed (born Charles Rufus Reed in 1948) is an American politician. ... Deputy Mayor is an elective or appointive office of the second ranking official in many local governments. ... David D. Cortese is an American politician from California, currently serving as Vice Mayor on the San José City Council, representing District 8. ... The council-manager government is one of 2 main variations of representative municipal government (for contrast, also see Mayor-Council government). ... California State Senate chamber The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. ... Ellen M. Corbett (born 31 December 1954) is a Democratic politician from San Leandro, California. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major United States political parties. ... S. Joseph Joe Simitian is a Democratic California State Senator, who was elected to replace the term-limited Byron Sher in the 2004 elections. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major United States political parties. ... Elaine White Alquist (born 1944) is currently a Democratic State Senator from Californias 13th Senate District. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major United States political parties. ... Abel Maldonado (born August 21, 1967) is a Republican U.S. politician, who is currently a California State Senator and a candidate for California State Controller. ... This article is about the modern United States Republican Party. ... The California State Assembly chamber California State Assembly Chamber in the State Capitol The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. ... Ira Ruskin is a Democratic California State Assemblyman and former Redwood City, California Council member. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major United States political parties. ... Sally Lieber is a Democratic California State Assemblymember and former Mountain View, CA City Council member and Vice Mayor. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major United States political parties. ... Joe Coto is a Democratic State Assembly member from San Jose, California. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major United States political parties. ... James T. Beall Jr. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major United States political parties. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major United States political parties. ... This article is about the physical quantity. ... For other uses, see City (disambiguation). ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (≈1,609 m) in length. ... To help compare different orders of magnitude and geographical regions, we list here areas between 100 km² and 1000 km². See also areas of other orders of magnitude. ... Elevation histogram of the surface of the Earth – approximately 71% of the Earths surface is covered with water. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... For other uses, see City (disambiguation). ... Ten most populous cities in the United States Los Angeles San Jose San Diego Phoenix Chicago New York City Houston San Antonio Dallas Philadelphia The following is a list of the most populous incorporated places in the United States. ... Population density per square kilometre by country, 2006 Population density map of the world in 1994. ... Cities with at least a million inhabitants in 2006 An urban area is an area with an increased density of human-created structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a people or the inhabitants of a place. ... Timezone and TimeZone redirect here. ... PST is UTC-8, highlighted in red. ... −12 | −11 | −10 | −9:30 | −9 | −8 | −7 | −6 | −5 | −4 | −3:30 | −3 | −2:30 | −2 | −1 | −0:25 | UTC (0) | +0:20 | +0:30 | +1 | +2 | +3 | +3:30 | +4 | +4:30 | +4:51 | +5 | +5:30 | +5:40 | +5:45 | +6 | +6:30 | +7 | +7:20 | +7... Although DST is common in Europe and North America, most of the worlds people do not use it. ... −12 | −11 | −10 | −9:30 | −9 | −8 | −7 | −6 | −5 | −4 | −3:30 | −3 | −2:30 | −2 | −1 | −0:25 | UTC (0) | +0:20 | +0:30 | +1 | +2 | +3 | +3:30 | +4 | +4:30 | +4:51 | +5 | +5:30 | +5:40 | +5:45 | +6 | +6:30 | +7 | +7:20 | +7... Mr. ... A telephone numbering plan is a plan for allocating telephone number ranges to countries, regions, areas and exchanges and to non-fixed telephone networks such as mobile phone networks. ... Map of California area codes in blue (and border states) with 408 in red North American area code 408 is a California telephone area code which covers Saratoga, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Cupertino and San Jose. ... Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) are publicly announced standards developed by the U.S. Federal government for use by all (non-military) government agencies and by government contractors. ... GNIS (The Geographic Names Information System) contains name and locative information about almost two million physical and cultural features located throughout the United States of America and its Territories. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (1500 × 1000 pixel, file size: 785 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): San Jose, California ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (1500 × 1000 pixel, file size: 785 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): San Jose, California ... A view of the scenic portion of Interstate 280 Interstate 280 (abbreviated I-280) is a 57-mile-long interstate highway in the San Francisco Bay Area metropolitan area of Northern California. ... For other uses, see Saint Joseph (disambiguation). ... The following is list showing the 100 largest incorporated cities in the state of California ranked by population, based on California Department of Finance estimates for January 1, 2007. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Ten most populous cities in the United States Los Angeles San Jose San Diego Phoenix Chicago New York City Houston San Antonio Dallas Philadelphia The following is a list of the most populous incorporated places in the United States. ... A county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county, primarily used in the United States. ... Santa Clara County is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. ... For the Nintendo 64 game, see Space Station Silicon Valley. ... Bay Area redirects here. ... Farming, ploughing rice paddy, in Indonesia Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fiber and other desired products by cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals (livestock). ... Northern California, sometimes referred to as NorCal, is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. ... The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title ) is a part of the United States Department of Commerce. ... is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Originally known as El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe, San Jose was founded on November 29, 1777 as the first town in the Spanish colony of Nueva California, which later became Alta California.^[6] The city served as a farming community to support Spanish military installations at San Francisco and Monterey. When California gained statehood in 1850, San Jose served as its first capital.^[7] After more than 150 years as an agricultural center, increased demand for housing from soldiers and other veterans returning from World War II, as well as aggressive expansion during the 1950s and 1960s, led San Jose to become what would later be known as the Capital of Silicon Valley. Growth in the 1970s attracted more businesses to the city. In the late 1980s, after four decades of heavy development and population growth, San Jose surpassed San Francisco in population to become the third most populous city in California. By the 1990s, San Jose's location within the booming local technology industry earned the city the nickname Capital of Silicon Valley. is the 333rd day of the year (334th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1777 (MDCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... Ronda, Spain Main street in Bastrop, Texas, United States, a small town A town is a community of people ranging from a few hundred to several thousands, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas. ... The Spanish colonization of the Americas was Spains conquest, settlement, and rule over much of the western hemisphere from 1492-1898. ... Alta California (Upper California) was formed in 1804 when the province of California, then a part of the Spanish colony of New Spain, was divided in two along the line separating the Franciscan missions in the north from the Dominican missions in the south. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... For other uses, see Monterey (disambiguation). ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Name

On April 3, 1979, the San José City Council adopted San José as the spelling of the city name on the city seal, official stationery, office titles and department names. Also, by city council convention, the spelling of San José is used when the name is stated in both uppercase and lowercase letters, but not when the name is stated only in uppercase letters. The name is still more commonly spelled without the diacritical mark as San Jose. The official name of the city remains The City of San Jose with no diacritical mark, according to the City Charter. is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... // Councilmember Chuck Reed defeated Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez in the November general election and took the position as Mayor in January 2007. ... Example of a letter with a diacritic A diacritic or diacritical mark, also called an accent, is a small sign added to a letter to alter pronunciation or to distinguish between similar words. ...

History

Main article: History of San Jose, California

Prior to western settlement, the area was inhabited by several groups of Ohlone Native Americans^[8] Though visited briefly by the English two centuries prior, the first lasting European presence began with a series of Franciscan missions established from 1769 by Father Junípero Serra.^[9] On orders from Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa, Spanish Viceroy of New Spain, San Jose was founded by Lieutenant José Joaquín Moraga as Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe (in honor of Saint Joseph) on November 29, 1777, to establish a farming community. The town was the first civil settlement in Alta California.^[10] // For thousands of years before the arrival of European settlers, the area now known as San Jose was inhabited by several groups of Ohlone Native Americans. ... For the college of the same name, see Ohlone College. ... This article is about the people indigenous to the United States. ... The Spanish missions in California (more simply referred to as the California Missions) comprise a series of religious outposts established by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order between 1769 and 1823 to spread the Catholic faith among the local Native Americans. ... Blessed Junípero Serra (November 24, 1713 – August 28, 1784) was a Majorcan (Spain) Franciscan friar who founded the mission chain in Alta California. ... Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa, marqués de Valleheroso y conde de Jerena, Viceroy of New Spain Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa, marqués de Valleheroso y conde de Jerena (sometimes spelled Bucareli y Urzúa) (January 21, 1717, Seville, Spain—April 9, 1779... Viceroys of New Spain Spanish Rule Before Appointment of Viceroy Hernán Cortés, as Governor-General Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán, as Audiencia President . ... Lieutenant is a military, naval, paramilitary, fire service or police officer rank. ... Lieutenant Alferez José Joaquín de la Santísima Trinidad Moraga was an early explorer to Alta California, now known as California. ... For other uses, see Saint Joseph (disambiguation). ... is the 333rd day of the year (334th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1777 (MDCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... Alta California (Upper California) was formed in 1804 when the province of California, then a part of the Spanish colony of New Spain, was divided in two along the line separating the Franciscan missions in the north from the Dominican missions in the south. ...

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. San Jose came under Mexican rule in 1825 after Mexico broke with the Spanish crown. It then became part of the United States, after it capitulated without bloodshed in 1846 and California was annexed.^[8] Soon afterwards, on March 27, 1850, San Jose became the first incorporated city in the state, with Josiah Belden its first mayor. The town was the state's first capital, as well as host of the first and second sessions (1850-1851) of the California Legislature. California Highway 87, the Guadalupe Freeway, is a north-south highway entirely within San José, California. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... is the 86th day of the year (87th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the game, see: 1850 (board game) 1850 (MDCCCL) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday [1] of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Josiah Belden (1815–1892) was an American pioneer and politician. ... The California State Legislature is the legislative branch of the state government of California. ...

Though not impacted as severely as San Francisco, San Jose suffered damage from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Over 100 people died at the Agnews Asylum (later Agnews State Hospital) after its walls and roof collapsed,^[11] and the San Jose High School's three-story stone was also destroyed. During World War II many Japanese were sent to internment camps^{[citation needed]} and, following the Los Angeles zoot suit riots, anti-Mexican violence took place in the summer of 1943.^{[citation needed]} This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Sarah San Francisco Earthquake redirects here. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The word internment is generally used to refer to the imprisonment or confinement of people, generally in prison camps or prisons, without due process of law and a trial. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... Zoot Suit riots, June 1943 For the swing album by Cherry Poppin Daddies, see Zoot Suit Riot (album) The Zoot Suit Riots were a series of riots that erupted in Los Angeles, California during World War II, between sailors and soldiers stationed in the city and Mexican American youths, who...

As World War II started, the city's economy shifted from agriculture (the Del Monte cannery was the largest employer) to industrial manufacturing with the contracting of the Food Machinery Corporation (FMC) by the United States War Department to build 1000 Landing Vehicle Tracked.^[12] After World War II, FMC (later United Defense, and currently BAE Systems) continued as a defense contractor, with the San Jose facilities designing and manufacturing military platforms such as the M113 Armored Personnel Carrier, the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, and various subsystems of the M1 Abrams.^[13] IBM established its West Coast headquarters in San Jose in 1943 and opened a downtown research and development facility in 1952. Both would prove to be harbingers for the economy of San Jose, as Reynold Johnson and his team would later invent RAMAC, as well as the disc drive, and the technological side of San Jose's economy grew.^[14] Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Del Monte Foods (NYSE: DLM) is an American food production and distribution company based in San Francisco, California. ... Gentgeen 08:41, 28 January 2006 (UTC) Category: ... The United States Department of War was the military department of the United States governments executive branch from 1789 until 1949, when it became part of the United States Department of Defense. ... The Landing Vehicle Tracked (LVT) was an amphibious vehicle used by the United States Navy, Marine Corps and Army during World War II. It was widely known as amphtrack, amtrak, amtrac etc. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... United Defense Industries was a United States defense contractor which is now part of BAE Systems Land and Armaments. ... , BAE Systems plc (BAE) is a British defence and aerospace company headquartered at Farnborough, England, UK, that has worldwide interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. ... A defense contractor (sometimes called a military contractor) is a business organization or individual that provides products or services to a defense department of a government. ... The M113 is an armored personnel carrier family of vehicles in use with the US military and many other nations. ... General Characteristics (M2 Bradley) Length: 21 ft 2 in (6. ... The M1 Abrams is a military tank produced in the United States. ... For other uses, see IBM (disambiguation) and Big Blue. ... Reynold Johnson (1906-1998) was an American inventor and computer pioneer. ... RAMAC is an IBM trademark for mass storage products. ... Disc Drive or Disc drive might refer to: Disk drive is a form of data storage for computers DiscDrive is the afternoon show on CBC Radio Two This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Downtown San Jose looking over the Tech Museum towards Mount Hamilton; hills in the background show their winter green color.

During the 1950s and 1960s, city manager Dutch Hamann led the city in a major growth campaign. The city annexed adjacent areas, such as Alviso and Cambrian Park, providing large areas for suburbs. An anti-growth reaction to the effects of rapid development emerged in the 1970s championed by mayors Norman Mineta and Janet Gray Hayes. Despite establishing an urban growth boundary, development fees, and incorporations of Campbell and Cupertino, development was not slowed, but rather directed into already incorporated areas.^[12] San Jose's position in Silicon Valley triggered more economic and population growth, which led to the highest housing costs increase in the nation, 936% between 1976 and 2001.^[15] Efforts to increase density continued into 1990s when an update of the 1974 urban plan kept the urban growth boundaries intact and voters rejected a ballot measure to ease development restrictions in the foothills. Sixty percent of the housing built in San Jose since 1980 and over three-quarters of the housing built since 2000 have been multifamily structures, reflecting a political propensity toward Smart Growth planning principles.^[16] Download high resolution version (1000x667, 184 KB)Downtown San Jose, California from the Adobe towers. ... Download high resolution version (1000x667, 184 KB)Downtown San Jose, California from the Adobe towers. ... The Tech Museum of Innovation, or simply The Tech, is a museum located in the heart of Silicon Valley, in downtown San Jose, California USA. Focusing on technology and its effects, The Tech serves as an important educational and cultural resource for tourists and local residents alike. ... Mount Hamilton is a mountain in Californias Diablo Range. ... Anthony P. Hamann, better known as A. P. Hamann or Dutch, was the city manager of San Jose, California, USA, from 1950 to 1969, longer than any other manager in the citys history. ... Alviso is a small community in Santa Clara County, California. ... Cambrian Park is a census-designated place and neighborhood of San Jose, California. ... Norman Yoshio Mineta (born November 12, 1931) is a United States politician of the Democratic Party. ... UGB redirects here. ... Campbell is a city located in Santa Clara County, California, part of Silicon Valley. ... Location of Cupertino within Santa Clara County, California. ... For the Nintendo 64 game, see Space Station Silicon Valley. ... Smart growth is a concept and term used by those who seek to identify a set of policies governing transportation and land use planning policy for urban areas that benefits communities and preserves the natural environment. ...

Law and government

The San Jose City Hall opened in 2005.

See also: San José City Council, List of mayors of San Jose, California, and List of city managers of San Jose, California

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x750, 200 KB) Summary The new City Hall of San Jose, California. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x750, 200 KB) Summary The new City Hall of San Jose, California. ... San José City Hall. ... // Councilmember Chuck Reed defeated Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez in the November general election and took the position as Mayor in January 2007. ... This is a list of Mayors of San Jose, California from its incorporation in 1850. ...

Local

San Jose is a charter city under California law, giving it the power to enact local ordinances that may conflict with state law, within the limits provided by the charter.^[17] The city has a council-manager government with a city manager nominated by the mayor and elected by the city council. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Incorporated town. ... The council-manager government is one of two main variations of representative municipal government in the United States. ... The council-manager government is one of 2 main variations of representative municipal government (for contrast, also see Mayor-Council government). ... A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger, greater) is the modern title of the highest ranking municipal officer. ... A city council is the most common style of legislative government in a city or town. ...

The San José City Council is made up of ten 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 even-numbered district council members beginning in 1994; the mayor and the odd-numbered district council members beginning in 1996. Council members and the mayor are limited to two successive 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 at the second meeting of the year following a council election. This council member has the right to act as mayor during the temporary absence of the mayor, but does not have the right of succession to the mayor's office upon a vacancy.^[18] // Councilmember Chuck Reed defeated Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez in the November general election and took the position as Mayor in January 2007. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

The City Manager is the chief administrative officer of the city, and must present an annual budget for approval by the city council. When the office is vacant, the Mayor proposes a candidate for City Manager, subject to council approval. The council appoints 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 appointed by the council are the City Attorney, City Auditor, City Clerk, and Independent Police Auditor.^[18] For the rental car company, see Budget Rent a Car. ... A recall election is a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office. ...

Like all California cities except San Francisco, both the levels and the boundaries of what the city government controls is determined by the local county Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO).^[19] The goal of a LAFCO is to try to avoid uncontrolled urban sprawl. The Santa Clara County LAFCO has set boundaries of San Jose's "Sphere of Influence" (indicated by the blue line in the map near the top of the page) as a superset of the actual city limits (the yellow area in the map), plus parts of the surrounding unincorporated county land, where San Jose can, for example, prevent development of fringe areas to concentrate city growth closer to the city's core. The LAFCO also defines a subset of the Sphere as an 'Urban Service Area' (indicated by the red line in the map), effectively limiting development to areas where urban infrastructure (sewers, electrical service, etc.) already exists. Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is the spreading out of a city and its suburbs over rural land at the fringe of an urban area. ...

San Jose is the county seat of Santa Clara County.^[20] Accordingly, many county government facilities are located in the city, including the office of the County Executive, the Board of Supervisors, the District Attorney's Office, eight courthouses of the Superior Court, the Sheriff's Office, and the County Clerk.^[21] A county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county, primarily used in the United States. ... Santa Clara County is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. ...

State and Federal

In the state legislature San Jose is located in the 10th, 11th, 13th, and 15th Senate Districts, represented by Democrats Ellen Corbett, Joe Simitian, and Elaine Alquist, and Republican Abel Maldonado respectively, and in the 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 27th, and 28th Assembly Districts, represented by Democrats Alberto Torrico, Ira Ruskin, Sally Lieber, Joe Coto, Jim Beall, John Laird, and Anna M. Caballero respectively. Federally, San Jose is located in California's 14th, 15th, and 16th congressional districts, which have Cook PVIs of D +18, D +14, and D +16 respectively^[22] and are represented by Democrats Anna Eshoo, Mike Honda, and Zoe Lofgren respectively. Californias Capitol, where the State Legislature meets California State Assembly chamber California state Senate chamber The California Legislature is the legislative branch of the state government of California. ... California State Senate chamber The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... Ellen M. Corbett (born 31 December 1954) is a Democratic politician from San Leandro, California. ... S. Joseph Joe Simitian is a Democratic California State Senator, who was elected to replace the term-limited Byron Sher in the 2004 elections. ... Elaine White Alquist (born 1944) is currently a Democratic State Senator from Californias 13th Senate District. ... GOP redirects here. ... Abel Maldonado (born August 21, 1967) is a Republican U.S. politician, who is currently a California State Senator and a candidate for California State Controller. ... The California State Assembly chamber California State Assembly Chamber in the State Capitol The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. ... Alberto Torrico has been a member of the California State Assembly since December of 2004 after Assemblyman John Dutra was term limited. ... Ira Ruskin is a Democratic California State Assemblyman and former Redwood City, California Council member. ... Joe Coto is a Democratic State Assembly member from San Jose, California. ... James T. Beall Jr. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... California congressional districts since 2003. ... California congressional districts since 2003. ... California congressional districts since 2003. ... The Cook Partisan Voting Index indicates how much more Democratic or Republican a district performs compared to the nation as a whole. ... Anna Georges Eshoo (born December 13, 1942) is an American politician who has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1993, representing the 14th District of California, the heart of Silicon Valley (see map). ... Michael Makoto Mike Honda (Japanese: 本田 誠 born June 27, 1941) is an American Democratic politician. ... Zoe Lofgren Zoe Lofgren (born Sue Lofgren on December 21, 1947), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1995, representing the 16th District of California (map), based in San Jose. ...

Several state and federal agencies maintain offices in San Jose. The city is the location of the Sixth District of the California Courts of Appeal.^[23] It is also home to one of the courthouses of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.^[24] The California Courts of Appeal are the state intermediate appellate courts in the U.S. state of California. ... The United States District Court for the Northern District of California is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises following counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Sonoma. ...

Crime

San Jose considers itself one of the safest large cities in the United States. During the 1990s and 2000s, the crime rate fell ^[25], but it did not fall as fast as crime rates in most American cities during the same time period ^[26]. However, as of the end of 2007, San Jose has lost that title^[27]. The designation is based on crime statistics reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in six categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and auto theft. Current mayor ,Chuck Reed, is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition,^[28] an organization formed in 2006 and co-chaired by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston mayor Thomas Menino. F.B.I. and FBI redirect here. ... Aggravated assault is a form of violent crime. ... Motor vehicle theft is a crime of theft. ... Chuck Reed (born Charles Rufus Reed in 1948) is an American politician. ... The Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition is a coalition of mayors from 225 different United States cities, with a stated goal of making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born 14 February 1942) is an American businessman, founder of Bloomberg L.P., and the current Mayor of New York City. ... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe)1, Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution, Puritan City, Americas Walking City Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ... Thomas Michael Menino (born December 27, 1942) is the current mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, United States and the citys first Italian-American mayor. ...

Sister cities

The Office of Economic Development coordinates the San Jose Sister City Program which is part of Sister Cities International. As of 2006, there are seven sister cities ^[29]: Sister Cities International is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and fostering town twinning, especially between cities in the United States and cities in other countries. ... 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sign denoting twin towns of Neckarsulm, Germany Town twinning is a concept whereby towns or cities in geographically and politically distinct areas are paired with the goal of fostering human contact and cultural links. ...

Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... Okayama airport Okayama (岡山市; -shi) is the capital city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Costa_Rica. ... Nickname: Coordinates: , Country Province Canton San José Canton Founded circa. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Mexico. ... Veracruz from space, July 1997 The city of Veracruz is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China. ... Tainan redirects here; for the county of the same name see Tainan County. ... For the Chinese civilization, see China. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Ireland. ... For other uses, see Dublin (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_India. ... For the sport which developed into badminton, see Poona (sport). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia. ... Yekaterinburg (Russian: , also romanized Ekaterinburg, formerly Sverdlovsk) is a major city in the central part of Russia, the administrative center of Sverdlovsk Oblast. ...

Geography

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 the Mount Hamilton web camera. http://mthamilton.ucolick.org/hamcam/

San Jose is located at 37°18′15″N, 121°52′22″W (37.304051, −121.872734). View looking west across Silicon Valley from South Rim Trail at Alum Rock Park. ... View looking west across Silicon Valley from South Rim Trail at Alum Rock Park. ...

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 178.2 square miles (461.5 km²)^[30], of which 3.3 square miles (8.6 km²; 1.86%) is water. The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title ) is a part of the United States Department of Commerce. ... Square kilometre (U.S. spelling: square kilometer), symbol km², is a decimal multiple of SI unit of surface area square metre, one of the SI derived units. ...

San Jose lies near the San Andreas Fault; a major source of earthquake activity in California. The most serious earthquake, in 1906, damaged many buildings in San Jose as described earlier. Earlier significant quakes rocked the city in 1839, 1851, 1858, 1864, 1865, 1868, and 1891.^{[citation needed]} The Daly City Earthquake of 1957 caused some damage. The Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 also did some damage to parts of the city. The other faults near San Jose are the Monte Vista Fault, South Hayward Fault, Northern Calaveras Fault, and Central Calaveras Fault. View of the San Andreas Fault on the Carrizo Plain in central California, 35°07N, 119°39W The San Andreas Fault is a geological fault that runs a length of roughly 800 miles (1300 kilometres) through western and southern California in the United States. ... This article is about the natural seismic phenomenon. ... Daly City is a city located in San Mateo County, California, United States. ... The Loma Prieta earthquake was a major earthquake that struck the San Francisco Bay Area of California on October 17, 1989 at 5:04 p. ... For recent activity in the region shown on this map see the USGS map for this location. ...

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. Along the southern part of the river is the neighborhood of Almaden Valley, 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.^{[citation needed]} The Guadalupe River is a short river in California that runs from the Santa Cruz Mountains flowing north through San Jose, California, and emptying into the San Francisco Bay at Alviso. ... The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central California, United States. ... Alviso is a small community in Santa Clara County, California. ... Almaden Valley (often just called Almaden) is a neighborhood in the south of San Jose, California, USA, roughly equivalent to the 95120 ZIP Code. ... This article is about the element. ... GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ... For other uses, see Quartz (disambiguation). ... The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) began shortly after January 24, 1848 (when gold was discovered at Sutters Mill in Coloma). ... Mercury fulminate (Hg(ONC)2) is a primary explosive. ...

The lowest point in San Jose is 13 feet (4 m) below sea level at the San Francisco Bay in Alviso;^[31] the highest is 4,372 feet (1,333 m) at Copernicus Peak, Mount Hamilton, which is technically outside the city limit. 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 and outdoor lighting in private developments with low pressure sodium lamps.^[32] To recognize the city's efforts, the asteroid 6216 San Jose was named after the city.^[33] For considerations of sea level change, in particular rise associated with possible global warming, see sea level rise. ... Mount Hamilton is a mountain in Californias Diablo Range. ... The Lick Observatory is an astronomical observatory, owned and operated by the University of California. ... This time exposure photo of New York City shows sky glow, one form of light pollution. ... A sodium vapor lamp is a gas discharge lamp which uses sodium in an excited state to produce light. ... For other uses, see Asteroid (disambiguation). ...

Climate

Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range, showing summer's golden mantle. Dark green areas in hills are primarily scrub oak and other low-growing shrubs. The white domes on top are UCSC's Lick Observatory

Mount Hamilton in January, with morning fog clearing away.

San Jose, like most of the Bay Area, has a Mediterranean climate.^[34] Unlike San Francisco, which is exposed to the ocean or Bay on three sides and whose temperature therefore varies relatively little year-round and overnight, San Jose lies further inland, protected on three sides by mountains. This shelters the city from rain and makes it more of a semiarid, near-desert area, with a mean annual rainfall of only 14.4 inches (366 mm), compared to some other parts of the Bay Area, which can get up to four times that amount. It also avoids San Francisco's omnipresent fog most of the year.^[35] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Diablo Range is a large group of mountain chains and ranges in western California. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ...  Areas with Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate is one that resembles the climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, which includes over half of the area with this climate type world-wide. ... San Francisco redirects here. ... The steppe of Western Kazakhstan in early spring In physical geography, steppe (from Slavic step) is a plain without trees (apart from those near rivers and lakes); it is similar to a prairie, although a prairie is generally reckoned as being dominated by tall grasses, while short grasses are said...

However, temperatures are generally moderate. January's average high is 59 °F (15 °C) and average low is 42 °F (6 °C), with overnight freezes several nights each year; July's average high is 84 °F (29 °C) and average low is 58 °F (14 °C), with heat exceeding 100 °F (38 °C) several days each year. The highest temperature ever recorded in San Jose was 109 °F (42.8 °C) on June 14, 2000; the lowest was 17 °F (-8.3 °C) on January 9, 1920 and January 10, 1920. Temperatures between night and day can vary by 30 or 40 °F (17 to 22 °C). Temperatures exceed 90°F (32°C) on an average of 18.3 days annually, and drop to 32°F (0°C) or lower on an average of 5.6 days annually.

With the light rainfall, San Jose experiences over 300 days a year of full or significant sunshine. Rain occurs primarily in the months from October through April or May, with hardly any rainfall from June through September. During the winter, hillsides and fields turn green with grasses and vegetation, although deciduous trees are bare; with the coming of the annual summer dry period, the vegetation dies and dries, giving the hills a golden cover, which some find beautiful but which also provides fuel for frequent grass fires. For other uses, see Deciduous (disambiguation). ... Fire in San Bernardino, California Mountains (image taken from the International Space Station) A wildfire, also known as a forest fire, vegetation fire, grass fire, or bushfire (in Australasia), is an uncontrolled fire in wildland often caused by lightning; other common causes are human carelessness and arson. ...

Measurable precipitation falls in downtown San Jose on an average of 58 days a year. Annual precipitation has ranged from 6.12 inches in 1953 to 32.57 inches in 1983. The most precipitation in one month was 10.23 inches in February 1998. The maximum 24-hour rainfall was 3.60 inches on January 30, 1968. Although the summer is normally quite dry in San Jose, a very heavy thunderstorm on August 21, 1968, brought 1.92 inch of rain, causing some localized flooding.^[36]

The snow level drops as low as 2,000 ft (610 m) above sea level, or lower, occasionally each winter, coating nearby Mount Hamilton, and less frequently the Santa Cruz Mountains, with snow that normally lasts a few days. This sometimes snarls traffic traveling on State Route 17 towards Santa Cruz. Snow occasionally falls in San Jose, but until recently, the most recent snow to remain on the ground was on February 5, 1976, when many residents around the city saw as much as 3 inches (7.6 cm) on car and roof tops. The official observation station measured only 0.5 inch of snow. However, in March of 2006, a smaller amount, up to one inch (2.5 cm) of snow fell in downtown San Jose as well as other areas around the city at elevations of only 90 feet (27 m) to 200 feet (61 m) above sea level. For other uses, see Snow (disambiguation). ... Mount Hamilton is a mountain in