The city is about 175 square miles and perfectly situated in northern California. It’s the third largest in the state of California and the 11^th largest in the nation with over 912,000 residents. San Jose is located in the Santa Clara Valley and nearby city neighbors Buena Vista and Burbank. After a 14.2% increase in population from 1990 to 2000, the number of people heading over to San Jose slowed down in recent years. Based from the 2005 statistics of the U.S. Census Bureau, the median age of city residents was 34.7 years. Three parts make nearly the whole population of San Jose with 32% of White

non-Hispanic, 32% Asian and 31% Hispanic races. Accounting for 73% of city households is the average of 3.1 people per home. English is not the primary language for 55% of city homes because 38% of San Jose’s residents are foreign-born.

San Jose has low unemployment and poverty; their earnings are among the best in California. People going to San Jose are finding well-paying jobs with a median household income of $70,921, as of 2005. Management, professional and other related occupations, which make up 40% of the workforce, are among the most common in the city. Also in 2005 study, poverty was 3% below the national average of 10%, only 4.9% for White non-Hispanic residents. A large part of the city’s economy is Agriculture with wine production and food processing and distribution among the leading industries. However, it is technology that has made San Jose what it is today. At the heart of the city is Silicon Valley, known for its prominence in semiconductor and computer-related technology. In Silicon Valley, you’ll find some of the industry giants’ headquarters, like Adobe Systems, Cisco and eBay. Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Hitachi also have bases in the city.

San Jose real estate has some high property values that have risen greatly since 2000, when the median home was marked at a value of $427, 800. The value went up to 625,400 in 2005. This is a very moderate increase in a state with surging home values. Still, new home construction is in decline. The number of building permits has dwindled from 2329 building built in 1997 to 602 permits in 2006. Home ownership in San Jose is high compared to the rest of California with 62% of homes occupied by owners. The average age of city dwellings is below the state average with 18% of housing units built since 1990. The median housing costs of mortgaged owners was $2409, non-mortgaged owners $439, and renters $1,153.

San Jose is one of the safest places to live in America, especially for its size. Morgan Quitno ranked it #1 among the big cities for 3 years in a row. Stolen reports, however, have been on the rise from 2615 thefts in 1999 to over 5,500 in 2005. The FBI Crime Rate dropped during the same period to 236.8 compared to the U.S. average of 325.2. In San Jose, 36% of its citizens hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, which is high compared to the national average. One big college in the city is San Jose State University having full-time enrollment of 20,861 students.

San Jose also has a good climate. Residents enjoy mild but semi-arid weather with about 15 inches of annual precipitation. The average temperature in January is 48.7 while July sees high temperatures averaging 84 degrees. With 300 sunny days per year, the average annual temperature is 70 degrees.

Cranium Inc., named San Jose as the Most Fun City in America. This is due to several things like a number of popular beaches on the Pacific Ocean are 20 minutes away from San Jose. Nearby Santa Cruz is a popular hangout for surfers. Residents can also access nearby mountain ranges for summer hiking and water skiing. The city is also a short distance from the topnotch golf courses, including the popular Pebble Beach. One major sports franchise, the NHL’s San Jose Sharks makes their home on the ice at the HP Pavilion, known as the “Shark Tank”. Commuters seldom use public transportation. In 2005, 78% of workers drove to work alone while only 3% used mass transit. Those who commuted to work took an average of 25 minutes to arrive at their respective jobs. There are also three international airports in the area, with Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International being the closest, followed by Oakland and San Francisco. Amtrak also offers its services to San Jose.

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Because of California’s vast size, the state is home to a very diverse economy with different regions each containing its own economic base.  Hollywood has an entertainment economy, Southern California is aerospace, Central Valley is agriculture, Silicon Valley is computers and high tech manufacturing, and then there are places such as Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley with a wine based economy.  In terms of jobs, however, the largest employers are those in trade, transportation, government, professional services, education and health services, and leisure and hospitality industries.

For 2007, the gross state product was about $1.812 trillion, which contributes to 13 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product, making California the state with the highest gross state product.  Nevertheless, California still faces a budget deficit, causing many legislations being passed in an attempt to alleviate the financial problems.  In 2008, the state had the 6^th highest tax burden of any state.  Although many of California’s coastal cities are among the wealthiest cities in the nation, agricultural regions such as Central Valley tend to suffer from poverty due to many migrant farm workers earning less than minimum wage.

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