San Jose Department of Housing - Data

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: 989,496, 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.

San Jose, Capital of Silicon Valley: #1 Community for Innovators in the United States

Venture Capitalists' #1 Investment One-third of all venture capital invested in the United States is invested in companies in the San Jose area--$5 billion in 2003 alone.

National Leader in Patents San Jose leads the nation in patent generation, and is home to more patent holders than San Diego and Los Angeles combined.

Productivity Double the Nation Employee productivity in San Jose is more than double the national average. More than 40% of the workforce has a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 25% nationally.

Real Estate Rates at 1997 Levels High-quality workspace is available at 1997 rates in the world's leading innovation center.

#1 in Techology Expertise The San Jose area is home to the largest concentration of technology expertise in the world -- more than 7,300 technology companies employing more than 300,000 people.

Most Diversified Tech Economy San Jose's economy is by far the most diversified of any innovation-based community; specilizations span seven technology fields and foster innovation at the intersections of Industry.

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

Largest City, Highest Incomes in the Bay Area San Jose has the largest population and the highest incomes in the Bay Area.

Ranked in Top 3 for "Fun" Money Magazine ranked the San Jose area in the top 3 among the top 50 Most Fun cities in America, based on criteria such as recreation, arts and culture, restaurants, and sports.

Best Companies to Work for 2 of the top 10 "Fortune Best Companies to Work For" are headquartered in San Jose: Xilinx and Adobe Systems.

Safest Big City San Jose is rated as one of the top three "Safest Large Cities" in the Nation.