San Jose, California
San Jose is an incorporated city in Santa Clara County in California. It is the largest city in the county, and in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the third-largest by population in California. Its population is estimated as 973,672 in 2007[1], up from 894,943 in the 2000 census. This growth has made San Jose the 10th largest city by population in the United States around 2004. The incorporated area of San Jose is 178.1 sq.mi. (461.3 km²). In 1979, the city adopted a policy of spelling the name of the city as San José, with an accent mark. However, the official name remains City of San Jose, without the accent mark. Use of the accent mark has been common but not universal for decades.[2]
San Jose is located near the eastern end of the Santa Clara Valley, which has been nicknamed Silicon Valley due to the large concentration of the computer and electronic industry in the valley. The northern end of San Jose's incorporated area borders the southern end of the San Francisco Bay, while the southern end extends into agricultural areas miles to the south.
The settlement of San Jose was founded in 1777 by Spanish settlers. San Jose was the first capital of California, upon California's admission as a state in 1850, though poor road conditions in winter led the State to move the capital to Vallejo in 1852.
San Jose has a council-manager form of government, with an elected mayor and 10 councilmembers elected by district composing the City Council.
San Jose is served by several freeways, including I-880, I-280, I-680, US-101, CA-17, CA-85, CA-87, and CA-237. CalTrain operates commuter trains between San Jose and San Francisco, California. San Jose is home to the Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport (SJO). Santa Clara County's Valley Transit Authority operates buses and light-rail in and around San Jose.
Many computer-industry companies have operations or headquarters in San Jose, including Cisco Systems, IBM, Hitachi, Agilent Technologies, Xilinx, and Adobe Systems; other major employers include Santa Clara County, the city, San José State University, and the San Jose Unified School District.[3]
Notes
- ↑ E-4 Population Estimates for Cities, Counties and the State, 2001-2007, with 2000 Benchmark. California Department of Finance (May 2007). Retrieved on 2008-04-02.
- ↑ Mencken, H.L., The American Language.
- ↑ About San José: A Diverse Community. City of San José. Retrieved on 2008-04-02.