South San Jose Communities
Almaden Valley District, Santa Teresa/Blossom Valley District, Edenvale District, and North Monterey/Seven Trees/Fairgrounds District
South San Jose Lifestyle
The most suburban of San Jose’s neighborhoods is South San Jose. South San Jose carries a different vibe than any other community in Silicon Valley.
While further from the bulk of Silicon Valley jobs, a tech hub has grown along the 101 corridors in the Santa Teresa area. With light rail service and three freeways, there remains easy access to jobs further north. Plus, with Oakridge/Westfield Mall on Blossom Hill, South San Jose has plenty of shopping and restaurant offerings. Equally important, South San Jose is close to the events and nightlife in Downtown San Jose.
South San Jose, wrapped around the southern foothills, has several hillside parks. For example, Santa Teresa County Park, Almaden Lake Regional Park, and Almaden QuickSilver offer quick escapes to nature. When you mix in miles of hiking/biking trails (Coyote Creek and Los Alamitos Creek), you will find the perfect mix of city life, good neighborhoods, and natural retreats. Lastly, South San Jose’s lifestyle is perfect to enjoy the fantastic weather it boasts year-round.
A vibrant, red mineral called cinnabar, used by native people, inspired New Almaden’s name. Cinnabar contains a mixture of mercury and sulfur. Native peoples long used this pigment as in body paint to decorate themselves and conduct trade. Mining of the material cinnabar in New Almaden began in 1845. This material was Santa Clara Valley’s most profitable resource during California’s Gold Rush. The workers at New Almaden mined cinnabar to obtain mercury.
Founded in 1934 as Rancho Santa Teresa (named after Santa Teresa of Avila, who is related by legend to the always-flowing Santa Teresa Spring. The spring is now located in the Bernal-Gulnac-Joice Ranch, which is part of the Santa Teresa County Park.) As the area transitioned from the agrarian to high-tech world, many essential inventions for the computer age came out of the IBM Research Lab. This research lab is now in the hills behind the Santa Teresa County Park.
South San Jose History and Neighboorhoods
Almaden Valley District
A vibrant, red mineral called cinnabar, used by native people inspired New Almaden’s name. Cinnabar contains a mixture of mercury and sulfur. Native peoples long used this pigment as in body paint to decorate themselves and trade. Mining of the material cinnabar in New Almaden began in 1845. This material was Santa Clara Valley’s most profitable resource during California’s Gold Rush. The workers at New Almaden mined cinnabar to obtain mercury.
Mercury was a crucial ingredient for one method used in the extraction of gold and silver. Mercury, also known as quicksilver, was produced at the New Almaden mines, making it California’s first mining operation. Quicksilver can separate gold or silver from crushed ore. The success of California’s Gold Rush was due in large part to the readily available source of quicksilver supplied by the mines at New Almaden.
South San Jose also served as home for the first vineyards in California. Almaden planted three vineyards along the Guadalupe River in 1852; Paul Masson worked with Almaden vineyards and vinted the first California wine to win an international prize in 1914. While the Cinnabar mines and Almaden vineyards are now part of history, the area’s beauty remains.
Today, the Almaden Valley boasts an upscale neighborhood of housing and great schools, with spectacular vistas of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Santa Teresa/Blossom Valley District
Once an unrivaled area for Orchards and rancheros, these neighborhoods, which sit below the Santa Teresa Hills, have grown. They now serve the insatiable housing needs of Silicon Valley. Slowly tech campuses are moving in along the 101 freeway stretch from Blossom Hill Road to Bernal Road. With less of an urban feel, the area is considered one of Silicon Valley’s safest.
Founded in 1934 as Rancho Santa Teresa (named after Santa Teresa of Avila. Who is related by legend to the always-flowing Santa Teresa Spring. Now located in the Bernal-Gulnac-Joice Ranch, which is part of the Santa Teresa County Park.) As the area transitioned from the agrarian to high-tech world, many essential inventions for the computer age came out of the IBM Research Lab. This research lab is now in the hills behind the Santa Teresa County Park.
Edenvale District
This district centered around the Union Pacific Railroad and Monterey Road — part of the major California thoroughfare known as El Camino Real. Edenvale’s neighborhoods are younger, having been built since the 1970s. Like much of San Jose, Edenvale has an ethnically diverse population. Most prominent are people of Hispanic and Asian descent.
The Historic Hayes Mansion is called the Gem of Edenvale and centers on the Edenvale Gardens Park (once a small amusement park called Frontier Village, which closed in 1980.)
North Monterey/Seven Trees/Fairgrounds District
Since 1941 the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds has been the site for more fun adventures for the people of the San Jose valley than any other. Featuring the yearly County Fair, and every other weekend hosts trade shows and cultural events, including concerts. On Capitol Expressway, Capitol Drive also hosts a noted Flea Market every weekend.
The housing growth in San Jose bypassed the North Monterey Road, Santa Clara County Fairgrounds district, until the 1970s. At this time, new neighborhoods began to sprout up everywhere. Most housing is more recent, and the general retail establishments have been undergoing continuous upgrades for two decades. The district just south of the Fairgrounds to Capitol Expressway remains one of the most diverse in the city. The area provides easy access to the entertainment venues of downtown and the natural parks to the south.
That SV Life Real Estate & Community
