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Tuesday November 16, 2010
Blossom Hill
So this is just a boring road - with some pretty autumnal trees.
But it is bestowed with a name to conjure with. It is filled with nostalgia, encompassing my first ever visit to California through to the very origins of its name. For me, it was the first road I had to become familiar with in California stretching right from my initial lodging in Los Gatos up to the factory gates of where I was working in San Jose (which in those days was almost a little town all on its own - and is now bulldozed, despite having been designated of historical interest); and going home to my condo "down Blossom Hill, turn right at Snell". It makes me think of those sad lyrics dating from long before there was a Silicon Valley, when a lonely would-be actor wistfully dreams of home.
You are hard pressed to find the plum trees there now - but I always see the blossom.
San José
The City of San Jose has a rich history, one that has been marked over the years by the extent of change that has accentuated its landscapes - both physical and figurative. Once a largely agrarian community, San Jose was a city of bucolic hillsides and an expansive valley dotted with orchards of apricots, walnuts, cherries and plums. In those days, San Jose was known as the "Prune Capital of the World." Decades later, the city successfully carved out a niche as the Capital of Silicon Valley, and is known around the globe as a high-tech center.
San José Statistics
- Founded: November 29, 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.
- Incorporated Area: 178.2 square miles
- County: Santa Clara
- Population: 1,007,000*
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.
*2009 California Department of Finance - Technology Expertise: The San Jose area is home to the largest concentration of technology expertise in the world--more than 5,600 technology companies employing more than 240,000 people.
- Climate: Temperatures vary from an average of 50º in January
to an average of 70º in July.
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 on Mt. Hamilton (near Lick Observatory) in the Diablo Range; the lowest elevation is sea level.
Distinctions
- 10th Largest City in the U.S.
- #1 Recycler among nation's largest cities
- Highest credit rating of any large City in California
- #1 median household income in the United States
San José by the number
- Cultural Events (Approx.) ..........................450
- Arts Groups (Approx.) ...............................125
- Regional Parks .............................................9
- Neighborhood Parks..................................203
- Parks Acres.............................................2,884
- Libraries......................................................18
- Community Centers....................................29
- Senior Centers ..........................................12
- Youth Centers ............................................14
- Fire Stations ..............................................34
- Sworn Fire Personnel ...............................716
- Sworn Police Personnel .........................1,343
- Total Employees ....................................6,623
- Miles of City Streets ...............................2,300
- Miles of Trails .............................................50
- Airport Area Acres .................................1,050
All information in extended entry about San José copied from San Jose City Facts Leaflet 2009
Office of the City Manager
200 East Santa Clara Street, San José, CA 95113
Customer Service Call Center
(408) 535-3500
www.sanjoseca.gov
Posted by Christina at 4:31 PM. Category: Holiday Canada and North America
