Downtown San Jose | |
|---|---|
   .jpg) .jpg) Clockwise from top: Downtown skyline from the West;San José City Hall,Hotel De Anza & Almaden Boulevard, Downtown skyline from the North,Adobe World Headquarters | |
  Downtown San Jose Location within San Jose | |
| Coordinates:37°19′55″N121°53′24″W / 37.332°N 121.89°W /37.332; -121.89 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| City | San Jose |
| ZIP Code | 95110, 95112, 95113 |
| Website | https://sjdowntown.com/ |
Downtown San Jose is thecentral business district ofSan Jose,California, United States. Downtown is one of the largest techclusters inSilicon Valley, as well as the cultural and political center of San Jose.
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The town was first settled in 1777. The area that now makes up downtown was first settled twenty years later, when the town of San Jose moved somewhat inland from its original location on the banks of the Guadalupe River. In 1850, San Jose incorporated to become California's first city and the location of California's first state capitol.
Despite widespread destruction caused by the1906 San Francisco earthquake, a number of neighborhoods around Downtown San Jose still retain their original, pre-1906 housing stock. These neighborhoods include the South University,Naglee Park, Hensley Historic District, Reed Historic District and Vendome neighborhoods.
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The downtown area was typical of a small, agriculture-based city of under 100,000 residents until city managerA. P. Hamann spearheaded aggressive expansion during the 1950s and '60s. As the city rapidly expanded into outlying areas, the downtown area entered a period of decline. In the 1980s, mayorTom McEnery, whose family owned several buildings in downtown, initiated significantgentrification in the area.
TheSan Jose Redevelopment Agency, the largest such group in the state, would eventually become a key player in revitalizing the downtown area and, to a lesser extent, surrounding neighborhoods. In some cases, historic downtown buildings were bulldozed in order to make room for new hotels, office space, condominiums, museums, theaters and parks; to widen or re-align streets, and to build parking lots and garages.
As part of its apparent effort to stimulate economic growth and increase tax revenue within the downtown community, the San Jose Redevelopment Agency began encouraging builders to construct high-rise residential towers, and the agency offered subsidies and lifted the requirement to provide affordable units that were characteristic of other redevelopment projects throughout the city.[1] The agency's master plan has incorporated high-rise condominiums since 1980.[2] In 2008, the city's first high-rise project began selling units.[1] Construction or planning has begun on at least seven additional high-rise projects.[1] The agency states the high-rises will contribute to the creation of a more vibrant and well-to-do downtown culture.[1]
Many of the 19th century buildings in central downtown appear on theNational Register of Historic Places, in particular the area surrounding St. James Park, such asTrinity Episcopal Cathedral.
Downtown San Jose's early 20th century housing is diverse and includes many smallerVictorian homes along with a few fairly large gingerbread or Italianate-style Victorians,Craftsman,Mission andCalifornia Bungalow architecture in the neighborhoods surrounding the downtown core.[3]
Downtown is home to many of the city's landmarks, including theSan Jose Museum of Art, theChildren's Discovery Museum of San Jose,The Tech Interactive, theSan Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, theSan Jose Repertory Theatre, the San Jose Stage Company, the historicDe Anza Hotel, theFairmont Hotel, theCathedral Basilica of St. Joseph, the campus ofSan Jose State University and theDr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library. TheSAP Center, just west of Guadalupe Parkway, is also normally considered to be part of the downtown community.
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Downtown San Jose is a majortech cluster ofSilicon Valley. It is home toAdobe World Headquarters,Zoom HQ,BEA Systems HQ, and numerous facilities and offices of major tech companies, includingAmazon Lab126 andGoogle. TheSan Francisco Bay Area's largest news organization,The Mercury News, is headquartered on St. James Park. Downtown San Jose has a large concentration of hotels and hospitality services in San Jose, includingThe Westin San Jose, theHilton San Jose,Marriott San Jose,Sheraton San Jose, largely concentrated near theSan Jose Convention Center.
In February 2018, San Jose's city council approved a stage of a sale of downtown property to Google for $67 million.[4] However, in April 2023, it was reported that Google paused on its West San Jose construction projects due to an economic slowdown.[5]
Downtown also is home to several importantnetwork service providers andInternet service providers, many of them located inMarket Post Tower. Although the cost of office and technical space is relatively high downtown, this is offset by the low cost ofpeering andinternetworking, an effect of proximity to other networking companies.
Many of the public areas of downtown San Jose are covered by a public, free,Wi-Fi network, including the areas surroundingPlaza de César Chávez andSan Pedro Square. Downtown is also the hub of theVTA light rail system, and the home of the main campus ofSan Jose State University.
Downtown San Jose is home to the campus ofSan José State University. SJSU is the founding campus of theCalifornia State University system and the oldest public university on the west coast of the United States. SJSU enrolls approximately 33,000 students.
TheDr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, shared by the city of San Jose and San Jose State University, is located on the campus of San Jose State University in downtown San Jose. The King Library represents the first collaboration of its kind between a university and a major U.S. city, and has won numerous awards including theLibrary Journal's prestigious 2004 Library of the Year award, the publication's highest honor.[6] The library first opened its doors in 2003.
37°19′55″N121°53′24″W / 37.332°N 121.890°W /37.332; -121.890
