Downtown San Jose
Downtown San José is the central business district of San Jose, California. The area is generally located north of Interstate 280 and east of Guadalupe Parkway, which roughly parallels Guadalupe River. The region is bound to the north by U.S. Route 101 and to the east by Coyote Creek (Santa Clara County).
History
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 for California’s first state Capitol. The area was a typical small city downtown until the aggressive expansion of San Jose into surrounding areas led by A. P. Hamann forced city spending to the outlying areas and led to downtown’s decline. In the 1980s, former mayor Tom Mchenry whose family owned several buildings in downtown, initiated significant redevelopment. Since its inception the San Jose Redevelopment Agency that has spent approximately $1.7 billion to revitalize the downtown area and surrounding neighborhoods. This has included since 2000 the innovative Strong Neighborhoods Initiative which involves residents in creating and implementing an action agenda to improve their own neighborhood.
The ZIP code for the business district of downtown San José is 95113, and the residential area is covered by ZIP codes 95110, 95112 and 95113.
In Downtown San Jose you will enjoy living in a vibrant, urban center full of nightlife and, by day, bountiful commerce.
Residential district
The residential areas of Downtown San Jose are now both inside the downtown core and surrounding the core. With more than 27 recognized, active neighborhood associations San Jose takes pride in the civic engagement of its downtown residents. In spite of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake a number of neighborhoods retain their original, pre-1906 housing stock, these neighborhoods include the South University, Naglee Park, Hensley Historic District, Reed Historic District and Vendome neighborhoods. Downtown San Jose’s early 20th century housing is diverse and includes Victorian, primarily smaller homes with a few fairly large gingerbread or Italianate-style Victorians, Craftsman, Mission and California Bungalow architecture in the neighborhoods surrounding the downtown core.
As part of its effort to stem the flow of housing and tax base away from downtown, the San Jose Redevelopment Agency began encouraging builders to invest in high-rise residential towers. The agency’s master plan has incorporated high-rise condominiums since 1980. In 2008, the city’s first high-rise projects began selling units. The four projects include The 88, a 23-story, 197-unit luxury condominium tower located at 88 East San Fernando Street; The Axis, a 22-story, 329-unit tower located at 38 North Almaden Boulevard; Three Sixty Residences a 23-story, 213-unit tower located at 170 South Market Street; and City Heights a 16-story, 124-unit tower located at 6245 Dial Way. Construction or planning has begun on at least seven additional high-rise projects. The agency’s hopes that the high-rises will contribute to the creation of a creative downtown culture have been met.
The downtown residential area consisted of primarily Caucasian residents through the mid-twentieth century, a notable exception was (in today’s) the Northside Neighborhood where minorities were invited to establish their homes and their lives freely. With a vibrant African-American community and a Chinatown that grew into today’s Japantown, San Jose’s Northside welcomed everyone and helped to form the inclusive, diverse and vibrant San Jose of today. Downtown San Jose has an array of housing options available, and there are a variety of neighborhoods. Within the downtown there exists a number of neighborhoods of great diversity, social and economic.