With a population of more than one million people, San Jose is the 10th largest city in the nation and the 3rd largest in California (behind Los Angeles, with about 4 million residents, and San Diego, which has approximately 1.5 million).
Originally named for the Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe in 1777, it was the first civil settlement in California and the first state capital. It was also the first major city with a woman mayor. San Jose dubbed itself the capital of Silicon Valley, and it is, in fact, the largest city in the region now known as Silicon Valley.
San Francisco is an hour away and is near Silicon Valley, but not part of it. That said, what is now considered to be Silicon Valley has been creeping and changing, so perhaps in the future The City and The Valley will merge.
Urban sprawl (not a bad thing)
San Jose is a sprawling, mostly suburban city with a number of districts which are all quite distinct.
- The upscale Silver Creek Valley community is in the Evergreen District in Southeast SJ.
- West San Jose borders Cupertino and Campbell and is known for its short commute to places such as Apple.
- Willow Glen is close to downtown and exudes a charm from yesteryear, with far fewer tract homes than most of Santa Clara County.
- Cambrian (Cambrian Park) and Almaden (Almaden Valley) are highly regarded for their good schools.
- Berryessa enjoys beautiful hillside vistas and a close proximity to the high tech centers in North SJ such as Cisco.
- Alviso sits at the bottom of the San Francisco Bay and was its own city until a few decades ago.
- The Central SJ or downtown area has many distinct neighborhoods (Japantown, Naglee Park, Shasta Hanchett, Rosegarden)
There are many other districts or regions in San Jose. Have a quick look at the map below. We have more info on most of them at our main website, SanJoseRealEstateLosGatosHomes.com.
All of that said – how is the city as a whole doing?
The San Jose Real Estate Market
Each month, we produce a comprehensive article on the local real estate market at our main blog / website. Check it monthly and you’ll always be up to date! (We have posts on the various districts and also other cities in the county, too).
The San Jose Real Estate Market Analysis
“The market” can vary by price tier, location, age of property, and other special features (present or missing). If you click through the link above, you’ll find posts on the market conditions for the majority of Santa Clara County and a few just beyond.
The housing market in West San Jose with Cupertino schools can be very different from South San Jose, Berryessa, or Almaden – it just depends. If you are interested in a particular area, it can be helpful to check both the city as a whole as well as the district that you’re following (and maybe some near to it, too).
Below please find a live Altos Research profile for the city as a whole, updated weekly. These stats use LIST price and listing data, not sold.
And here’s a chart from Altos with the median price quartiles displayed.
Homes for sale in San Jose
How’s the real estate market in San Jose? Learn more at the ReReport page with full market analysis.
We sell homes all over Santa Clara County, including throughout San Jose and its many districts. Our main focus tends to be along the corridor for Highways 85 and 17 / 880 (Santa Teresa, Blossom Valley, Cambrian, Almaden, West SJ, but also Willow Glen and Central SJ / downtown). Our office is in Los Gatos and we stay within an hour of there for our business as a general rule.
