San Jose Department of Housing - Data

San Jose is an exciting city and the quality of life is unbeatable! With 300 days of sunshine a year, San Jose is the ideal place to live, work, and play. Our City is comprised of many great neighborhoods, each of its own special character - from urban living in the downtown area to cozy suburbia to quaint and diverse communities.

Did you know....

San Jose has the world's most diversified innovation-based economic community that spans seven technology sectors.

An international city, San Jose is a crossroads for ideas, talent, culture and business that continue to change the world.

Home to more than half the biggest tech firms in the world, including giants Cisco, Adobe, eBay, Xilinx, and Cadence.

Emerging as one of the greenest cities in the nation, San Jose is at the forefront in recycling and innovative environment policies, including green building and development.

Silicon Valley's only urban center, San Jose has 10 high-rise projects currently in planning or under development.

San Jose is consistently one of the safest big cities in America, ensuring that visitors and residents alike enjoy a warm community welcome in the 10th largest city in the nation.

Powering San Jose's innovation economy is one of the most productive and highly educated populations in America. More than 40 percent of the workforce has a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 25 percent nationally.

More than 85% of new job growth in San Jose/Silicon Valley comes from companies less than 10 years old.

In 2006, San Jose ranked 3rd among Money Magazine's top 50 Most Fun cities in America. This ranking was based on criteria such as recreation, arts, and culture, restaurants, and sports.

AT A GLANCE...

Founded: 1777, San Jose was California's first civilian settlement.

Incorporated: March 27, 1850, San Jose was California's first incorporated city and site of the first state capital.

County: Santa Clara

Population: 958,789, San Jose is the third largest city in California, following Los Angeles and San Diego. It is the 10th largest city in the U.S.

Incorporated Area: 177.4 square miles.

Surface Water: 8,581 square kilometers.

Position: San Jose is positioned 37.30 degrees north of the equator and 121.84 degrees west of the prime meridian.

Location: At the southern most end of San Francisco Bay, 50 miles south of San Francisco.

Climate: Temperatures vary from an average of 50 to 70 degrees. San Jose boasts an average of more than 300 sunny days per year, and has a mean annual rainfall of 14.4 inches.

Elevation: The highest elevation is 4,372 feet at Copernicus Peak in the Diablo Range; the lowest elevation at sea level.

History: San Jose was named "Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe" in the name of Charles the Third of Spain. In 1846, the American flag was first flown over the community. San Jose was the first civilian settlement in California. It was also the first city in California to be incorporated. It was the first state capital before California was officially a state. In 1849, on December 15th, the first state legislature was assembled here in San Jose.

Learn more about the City of San Jose.