Alviso | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg)   _(cropped).jpg)  Clockwise: Aerial view of New Years Eve celebrations in Alviso; new townhomes in El Dorado; homes in Alviso;San Francisco Bay; townhomes on North First. | |
  Alviso Location within San Jose | |
| Coordinates:37°25′30″N121°58′0″W / 37.42500°N 121.96667°W /37.42500; -121.96667 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Region | San Francisco Bay Area |
| County | Santa Clara County |
| Incorporated (City of Alviso) | March 26, 1852[1] |
| Consolidated with San Jose | March 12, 1968 |
| Population (2020[2]) | |
• Total | 2,251 |
| Demonym | Alvisans |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| ZIP Code | 95002 |
| Area codes | 408/669 |
| GNIS feature ID | 233410 |
Alviso Historic District | |
| Coordinates | 37°25′30″N121°58′0″W / 37.42500°N 121.96667°W /37.42500; -121.96667 |
| Area | 9 acres (3.6 ha) |
| Built | 1851 |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000449[3] |
| Added to NRHP | October 9, 1973 |
Alviso is a district ofSan Jose, California, located inNorth San Jose on the southern shores ofSan Francisco Bay. Originally an independent town, founded in 1852, today Alviso is San Jose's only waterfront district, primarily residential in nature, with severalSilicon Valley tech companies and recreation-oriented businesses. Alviso is named after 19th-centuryCaliforniorancheroIgnacio Alviso, who owned the area as part of hisRancho Rincón de Los Esteros.
TheGuadalupe River separates Alviso fromSanta Clara andSunnyvale to the west, whileCoyote Creek separates Alviso fromMilpitas to the east. Alviso is the lowest point in theSan Francisco Bay Area at 13 feet (4.0 m) below sea level.[4]
Alviso was first settled in the 18th century. The community was named forIgnacio Alviso, the son of Corporal Domingo Alviso, one of the original members of thede Anza expedition. Corporal Alviso lived but a short time after reaching San Francisco and was buried March 11, 1777.[5] Alviso's descendants were granted theRancho Rincón de los Esteros holding. In 1840 Ignacio Alviso moved fromMission Santa Clara de Asís to this 3,653 acres (14.78 km2) ranchero. From this port,beaver pelts, cattle hides and tallow went toSan Francisco.[6]
The city of Alviso was incorporated and became the first chartered city in the State of California on March 26, 1852,[1][7] as the boating and shipping port of San José and the transportation hub for the Santa Clara Valley to the San Francisco Bay. Steamboats traveled regularly between San Francisco and Alviso. That usage declined with the growth inrailroad transportation between San Francisco and San José. In 1864 Alviso was bypassed by theSan Francisco and San Jose Railroad, (later part of theSouthern Pacific Railroad). However, in the 1880s Alviso was a stop on theNewark line of Southern Pacific Railroad between San José andOakland.
Alviso was the home to a series of several successful business ventures. Alviso Mills, founded in 1853, at its peak produced up to 300 barrels of flour a day. As wheat production in the San Joaquín Valley grew, production in the Santa Clara Valley waned and the Alviso Mills closed in 1885. In 1906, Sai Yin Chew opened the Bayside Canning Company there, and at its peak, under his sonThomas Foon Chew, was the 3rd largest cannery in the United States. During theGreat Depression Alviso was known for its dance halls and gambling establishments. In the 1960s and 1970s, a small independent boat building community developed there.[8]
The city ceased to exist when it was consolidated with the City of San Jose on March 12, 1968, following a 189 to 180 vote in favor of consolidation. The city's finalcensus was in 1960 when it recorded a population of 1,174.[9] TheUnited States Postal Service still recognizes "Alviso" as a place name. Mail is not delivered in Alviso, but must be picked up at the post office.
After the 1970s, Alviso was treated like a socioeconomic backwater of the prosperingSilicon Valley business community and struggled to restore its former vitality. On October 9, 1973, 9 acres (3.6 ha) were added to theNational Register of Historic Places listings in Santa Clara County, California as site 73000449 under the name Alviso Historic District. The listing cited 11 historic structures and alternative name Embarcadero de Santa Clara, although exact boundaries were not disclosed.[3] The floods of the early 1980s were devastating to Alviso, especially because Alviso is below sea level and is on marshland. Water was as much as 10 feet (3 m) deep in some locations. A number of homes and businesses were destroyed. Some of the picturesque character of the town was lost.
Shipping and industry have left Alviso, leaving it mostly as a small residential neighborhood. Digital video recorder companyTiVo andPolycom have their corporate headquarters in Alviso. Manysalt evaporation ponds formerly owned byCargill in the neighborhood are being converted towetlands as part of theDon Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
Throughout the 20th century, Alviso was victim to severe flooding, most recently in 1983 and 1995.[10]
As of 2021, Amtrak trains and theAltamont Corridor Express still cross through Alviso on theCoast Line.
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The 2020 census reported that Alviso had a population of 2,251.[11] With a total of 558 households with an average size of 4.03 people and 428 families. The racial makeup of Alviso was 539 (23.9%) White, 316 (14.0%) Asian (4.9% Indian, 3.5% Vietnamese 3.3% Chinese and 1.1% Filipino), 38 (1.7%) Native American, 1,200 (53.3%) from other races, and 109 (4.8%) from two or more races. There were 1,374 residents of Hispanic or Latino background (61%). 59.6% of the neighborhood's population was of Mexican descent.
TheU.S. Census Bureau provides demographic information for the 95002 ZIP Code Tabulation Area, which includes the former City of Alviso. (See map of the 95002Zip Code Tabulation Area.)[12] As of thecensus[13] of 2000, there were 2,128 people, 506 households, and 400 families residing in the CDP. There were 514 housing units.
The racial makeup of the CDP was 40.8%White, 0.6%African American, 1.1%Native American, 2.7%Asian, 50.5% fromother races, and 4.3% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 75.4% of the population.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $87,679, and the median income for a family was $105,827. Males had a median income of $58,750 versus $56,875 for females. Theper capita income for the CDP was $62,452. About 3.8% of families and 5.1% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 11.8% of those under the age of eighteen and 10.4% of those sixty five or over.
This 18.9 acres (76,000 m2) bayside park, though small in size, offers a great deal of activities within its boundaries and on into the Wildlife Refuge. The first phase of improvements, which included construction of a boardwalk, trails, observation deck, signage, picnic areas, and improvements to the parking lot, was completed in 2005. A second phase, completed in 2010, added new boat launch ramps, a parking lot for boat trailers, and wetland mitigation areas.[14] Both the pathways and boardwalks of the County Park and trails around the ponds in the adjacent Wildlife Refuge offer fantastic views of the mountains surrounding the bay, and of the wildlife that call these ponds home.
Dogs are allowed in the County Park's pathways and picnic areas, but are not allowed on the trails, levees and boardwalks. Bicycles are allowed on all pathways and trails in the park, but should be walked when on the boardwalks. The launch ramp provides one of the few clear routes in the San Jose area through the salt marshes out to the open waters of the San Francisco Bay.[15]
Every year on a Sunday in October Alviso celebrates Day on the Bay, a multicultural event, free for all, sponsored by Santa Clara County. Day on the Bay attracts families with music, food, booths for community organizations, Halloween pumpkins, kayak rides, and other activities.
Day on the Bay began on October 16, 2010, to celebrate the opening of the newly renovated Marina Park. About 5,000 people were in attendance from all around the county. The event was created to celebrate the new city attraction but also to attract a diverse crowd to the outdoor recreational setting.[16]
Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, the first urban National Wildlife Refuge established in the United States, is dedicated to preserving and enhancing wildlife habitat, protecting migratory birds, protecting threatened and endangered species, and providing opportunities for wildlife-oriented recreation and nature study for the surrounding communities.
As of 2004, the Refuge spans 30,000 acres (12,000 ha) of open bay, salt pond, salt marsh, mudflat, upland and vernal pool habitats located throughout south San Francisco Bay. Located along the Pacific Flyway, the Refuge hosts over 280 species of birds each year. Millions of shorebirds and waterfowl stop to refuel at the Refuge during the spring and fall migration. In addition to its seasonal visitors, the Refuge provides critical habitat to resident species like the endangeredRidgway's rail andsalt marsh harvest mouse.
The Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge is part of a complex made up of six other wildlife refuges in the San Francisco Bay Area. Founded in 1974 and administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, It was renamed Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in 1995 in recognition ofCongressman Don Edwards' efforts to protect sensitive wetlands in south San Francisco Bay.[17]
The Bayside Cannery is a historicMission Revival style building in Alviso, built in 1906. Originally founded as the Precita Canning Co. in San Francisco, the cannery moved to Alviso following the1906 San Francisco earthquake. Bayside Cannery grew to be the third largest canning company in the world, afterDel Monte andLibby Cannery.[18] It was closed in 1936 and the property is currently used by theSan Francisco Bay Bird Observatory.[19]
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The Laine Store at 996 Elizabeth Street was run by the Tilden family from 1865 to 1912. In the 1920s it became a Chinese gambling hall.[20] After the 1983 flood, the store was abandoned and fell into disrepair. In 2017 it collapsed and the debris was removed.
AnItalianate–Victorian home built in 1887 by Susan Tilden, and located on Elizabeth Street.[21] The home is still occupied by the Laine family; Thomas Laine and Beverly Laine.
The H. G. Wade Warehouse was built in 1860 and used for storage of grain and hay prior to shipment to San Francisco, and also forWells Fargo horse-drawn carriages. It was a City of San Jose historic landmark.[22] It was destroyed by fire in June 2021.[23]
Information posted here is gathered from old newspaper clippings, books, and reference materials found at the Alviso Branch of the San Jose Library.
The SBYC club house itself stands as a prominent landmark in Alviso with her tall flag staff and yard arm proudly displaying the South Bay Burgee.
Settled at the south end of San Francisco Bay in the 1700s, this little town was the junction for the transportation of goods and people going north and south.
