San Jose : California

An Overview
Once a quiet, medium-sized city at the center of a thriving agricultural area, San Jose was transformed in less than 30 years into a huge metropolis and a phenomenon in U.S. economic history. As the result of the computer revolution, San Jose became the capital of the "Silicon Valley," a vast complex of electronics industries that stretches throughout California's Santa Clara County. From 1950 to 1980, a period of tremendous growth and prosperity, the population of San Jose increased fourfold. Like other major urban areas, however, the city has been forced to confront the problems that come with unbridled development: traffic congestion, air pollution, housing shortages, and a strained infrastructure. A 1985 recession in the Silicon Valley produced a stagnant economy, from which the city recovered by the twenty-first century. San Jose consistently ranks high in polls that rate cities for business climate, livability, and fun.

The City was founded in the year of 1777 & was incorporated on 1850.

Geography
San Jose is located in the Santa Clara Valley at the southern tip of San Francisco Bay, 48 miles south of San Francisco and 40 miles south of Oakland. The area is known as the Southern Peninsula. San Jose is the seat of Santa Clara County and the center of a large and expanding metropolitan area bordered by the Santa Cruz Mountains on the west and the Diablo Mountain range on the east. The Coyote and Guadalupe rivers run through the city.

Area: 175 square miles (2000)

Elevation: 67 feet above sea level.

Latitude: 37.30 N

Longitude: 121.87 W

Climate
Temperatures vary from an average of 50 degrees in January to an average of 70 degrees in July. San José boasts an average of more than 300 sunny days per year, and has a mean annual rainfall of 14.4 inches. San Jose's climate is mild and semi-arid, with humidity varying from 67 percent in January to 51 percent in July.

Average Annual Precipitation: 18.5 inches

Population: 912,332 (as on July 2005)

San Jose attractions: Overfelt Gardens, Municipal Rose Garden

Local festivals include:
· San Jose Jazz Festival - Aug. 17-20, 2006
· Santa Clara County Fair - Aug. 4-6, 2006