San Jose History

Founded November 29, 1777, El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe was the first town in the Spanish colony of Nueva California. In its earliest days, San Jose was a farming community, responsible for supporting the Spanish military installations at San Francisco and Monterey. The settlement eventually grew to be an agricultural center and, when California became a state in 1850, San Jose served as its first capital. In 1941, the Food Machinery Corporation in San Jose received an order from the U.S. War Department for a thousand amphibious landing vehicles, which brought defense contracts to San Jose and set off a technological renaissance in the area.

Today, San Jose is known as the "Capitol of Silicon Valley." With over 300 days of sunshine every year, San Jose is constantly abuzz with activity. Visitors can hike the trails of Alum Rock Park or feed the koi at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Kelley Park. Santana Row offers hundreds of shops and restaurants, a day spa, and an open-air cafe.

San Jose is the home of Rosicrucian Park, headquarters for the American branch of the Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis. The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum hosts the largest collection of Egyptian relics in the western United States. The Tech Museum of Innovation, known simply as "The Tech," is located in downtown San Jose. The Tech features interactive exhibits and an IMAX dome theater.

But perhaps the most famous landmark in San Jose is the Winchester Mystery House. This massive mansion was under construction continuously for 38 years at the behest Sarah Winchester, the eccentric widow of gun baron William Wirt Winchester. Built without any kind of master plan, the 160 room mansion is known for its labyrinthine corridors and haphazard design. Popular legend has it that the house is haunted by the ghosts of those killed by Winchester rifles.