ABOUT THE CITY
The Silicon Valley lies in the South Bay of the San Francisco Bay. Once best known for its prune orchards, the area underwent explosive growth with the creation of the high-tech industry in the 1960s. Although much of the area suffers from the suburban sprawl typical of much of the western United States, it still has some remarkable charm. The nearby Santa Cruz Mountains make for a welcome respite from bustling 21st-century cyberliving. San Jose, often known as “The Capital of Silicon Valley,” is the largest city in the Bay Area. Some of the hip areas to live these days are the downtown area (for those that like urban living), the vintage charm neighborhoods of Willow Glen and Rose Garden, the woodsy area with the best schools known as Almaden Valley. Commuting? In Silicon Valley you have access to one of the Bay Area’s three international airports, San Jose, Oakland and San Francisco. You also have a choice of three commuter rail lines. So move in, sell the car and meet your neighbors at the rail station!
About Silicon Valley
The Silicon Valley is the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California. Journalist Don Hoefler first coined the term in 1971. Silicon is a component of semi-conductors and computer chips. Since the 1970s and earlier, the area has been the headquarters of many high tech companies, among them Apple, Google, and Intel.
San Jose is the largest city in the Valley by far, with around a million residents. It’s the tenth most populous city in the United States. San Jose considers itself the Capital of the Silicon Valley, but Stanford University’s home of Palo Alto is where the first technology research park was founded.
History
Before the silicon chip, before Dionne Warwick, and well before the Spanish gave it a name, the Santa Clara Valley was home to scattered settlements of Ohlone Indians. The Ohlone (“The People”) were hunter-gatherers who had lived around San Francisco Bay since the end of the last Ice Age. The southern end of the Bay, where bustling San Jose now stands, provided the Ohlones with a particularly felicitous mix of mild climate, redwood forests, acornfilled oak groves, and creeks and bay wetlands abounding with fish and wildlife.
Climate
| Month | Avg Hi | Avg Lo | Avg Precip |
| Jan | 59°F | 42°F | 3.03 in. |
| Feb | 63°F | 45°F | 2.84 in. |
| Mar | 67°F | 46°F | 2.69 in. |
| Apr | 72°F | 48°F | 1.02 in. |
| May | 77°F | 52°F | 0.44 in. |
| Jun | 82°F | 55°F | 0.10 in. |
| Jul | 84°F | 58°F | 0.06 in. |
| Aug | 84°F | 58°F | 0.07 in. |
| Sep | 82°F | 57°F | 0.23 in. |
| Oct | 76°F | 52°F | 0.87 in. |
| Nov | 65°F | 46°F | 1.73 in. |
| Dec | 59°F | 41°F | 2.00 in. |
By Car
Driving
The Silicon Valley is connected to San Francisco by the US-101 and Interstate 280 highways. The 101 is a little east of 280. It’s about 45 min to San Francisco and Oakland, but the trip can be a lot longer with traffic. The 101 also heads south to Los Angeles. Highway 1 leads northward to San Francisco and southward to Santa Cruz.
| Destination | Approx. Time | Distance |
| San Francisco | 45 min | 40 mi |
| Oakland | 50 min | 50 mi |
| Sacramento | 2 hrs | 120 mi |
| Modesto | 1 hr 30 min | 90 mi |
| Los Angeles | 5 hrs 45 min | 340 mi |
Public Transportation
By train
San Jose has three commuter rail lines:
Caltrain
1250 San Carlos Ave
San Carlos, CA 94070-1306
(800) 660-4287
Caltrain runs up the peninsula to San Francisco, and has stops in Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and more.
Amtrak California
300 Lakeside Dr 14th Fl E
Oakland, CA 94612
(877) 974-3322
Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor runs from San Jose up to the Bay Area and then inland to Sacramento
The Silicon Valley is also served by Amtrak’s Coast Starlight runing daily between Seattle, Portland, Emeryville, and Los Angeles.
Altamont Commuter Express
(209) 944-6220
The Commuter Express runs from Stockton, Livermore, and Pleasanton into San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley in the morning and then returns in the late afternoon and evening.
By Bus and Light Rail
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)
3331 N. First Street
San Jose, CA, 95134-1906
(408) 321-2300
The VTA has 42 miles of light rail track and 82 regularly operated bus routes. It operates throughout the Silicon Valley. VTA connects with Amtrak, Caltrain, and the Commuter Express. It also connects with BART, the public transportation provider in the Bay Area.
Air Transportation
San Jose International (SJC)
1732 N. First Street #600
San Jose, CA 95112
(408) 277-4759
San Jose International serves the Silicon Valley with domestic and international flights. It’s two miles north of downtown San Jose and is owned by the city. The airport handles about 30,000 passengers daily and has 31 gates total between 3 terminals.
Airlines operating at SJC:
- Alaska Airlines
- American Airlines/ American Eagle
- Continental Airlines
- Delta Airlines
- Frontier Airlines
- Hawaiian Airlines
- Horizon Air
- JetBlue Airways
- Mexicana
- Northwest Airlines
- Southwest Airlines
- United Airlines/ United Express
- US Airways
Other nearby Airports:
San Francisco International is a major international hub used by a lot of Silicon Valley residents. It’s 35 miles northwest of downtown San Jose. Another popular airport is Oakland International 30 miles to the north, which is medium sized.
San Francisco International (SFO)
PO Box 8097
San Francisco, CA 94128-9916
(650) 821-8211
Oakland International (OAK)
1 Airport Dr
Oakland, 94621
(510) 577-4000
Local Phone Numbers
City Area Code(s)
Cupertino, San Jose, Sunnyvale, Los Gatos: 408 Palo Alto, Mt. View: 650
| Emergency | |
| All Emergencies | 911 |
| Los Gatos Police 10 East Main Street P.O. Box 973 Los Gatos, CA 95031 |
(408) 354-8600 |
| Mountain View Police 1000 Villa St Mountain View, CA 94041 |
(650) 903-6357 |
| Mountain View Fire 1000 Villa St Mountain View, CA 94041 |
(650) 903-6365 |
| Palo Alto Police 275 Forest Ave Palo Alto, CA 94301 |
(650) 329-2413 |
| Palo Alto Fire 250 Hamilton Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94301 |
(650) 329-2184 |
| San Jose Police 201 W. Mission Street San Jose, CA. 95110 |
311 |
| San Jose Fire 170 W. San Carlos St San Jose 95113-2005 |
(408) 277-4444 |
| Santa Clara Police 601 El Camino Real Santa Clara, CA 95050 |
(408) 615-4700 |
| Santa Clara Fire 777 Benton St Santa Clara, CA 95050 |
(408) 615-4900 |
| Sunnyvale Police 700 All America Way Sunnyvale CA, 94088 |
(408) 730-7100 |
| Sunnyvale Fire 505 W. Olive Ave Ste 150 Sunnyvale CA 94086 |
(408) 730-7212 |
| Government | |
| Los Gatos Town Hall 110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 |
(408) 354-6832 |
| Mountain View City Hall 500 Castro Street P.O. Box 7540, CA 94041 |
(650) 903-6300 |
| Palo Alto City Hall 250 Hamilton Ave Palo Alto, CA 94301 |
(650) 329-2100 |
| Santa Clara City Hall 1500 Warburton Ave Santa Clara, CA 95050 |
(408) 615-2200 |
| San Jose City Hall | (408) 535-3500 |
| 200 E Santa Clara St San Jose, CA 95113 |
|
| Sunnyvale City Hall 456 West Olive Ave Sunnyvale, CA 94086 |
(408) 730-7500 |
| Internal Revenue Service | (800) 829-1040 |
| Social Security Administration | (800) 772-1213 |
| Utilities | |
| City Ulilities | |
| Mountain View Garbage/Recycling | (650) 903-6227 |
| Palo Alto Utilities 250 Hamilton Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94301 |
(650) 329-2161 |
| Santa Clara Utilities | (408) 615-2300 |
| San José Environmental Services Dept 200 East Santa Clara Street, 10th Floor San Jose, CA 95113-1905 |
(408) 535-8550 |
| Sunnyvale Utilities Finance Dept, City Hall Annex 650 West Olive Avenue Sunnyvale, CA 94086 |
(408) 730-7400 |
| Cable | |
| Comcast 1610 N 4th St San Jose, CA 95112 |
(408) 452-3355 |
| Gas & Electric | |
| Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) | (800) 743-5000 |
| Phone | |
| AT&T | (800) 288-2020 |
| Libraries | |
| Silicon Valley Library System | |
| Los Gatos | (408) 354-6896 |
| Mountain View | (650) 903-6337 |
| Palo Alto | (650) 329-2664 |
| San Jose | (408) 808-2100 |
| Santa Clara City | (408) 615-2900 |
| Sunnyvale | (408) 730-7300 |
| The San Jose City Library combines the collections of the city’s system with the San Jose State main library. The city has 20 neighborhood branches including the Biblioteca Latinoamericana which specializes in Spanish language works. | |
| Financial Services | |
| Automatic Teller Information | |
| ATM Locator | (800) 248-4286 |
| MasterCrd ATM | (800) 424-7787 |
| VISA Plus System | (800) 843-7587 |
| Lost or Stolen Credit Cards | |
| American Express | (800) 233-5432 |
| AT&T Universal Card | (800) 423-4343 |
| Diners Club | (800) 234-6377 |
| Discover Card | (800) 347-2683 |
| JCB | (800) 736-8111 |
| MasterCard | (800) 826-2181 |
| VISA | (800) 336-8472 |
| Lost or Stolen Travelers Checks | |
| American Express | (800) 221-7282 |
| Thomas Cook MasterCard | (800) 223-7373 |
| Travelers Check Customer Service | (800) 645-6556 |
| VISA | (800) 227-6811 |
| Support Networks | |
| Teen Link (Various Topics) | (800) 235-9678 |
| Crisis Pregnancy Center | (800) 395-4357 |
| Services | |
| Directory Assistance | 411 |
| Shipping & Postal Service | |
| Airborne Express | (800) 247-2676 |
| Federal Express | (800) 463-3339 |
| UPS | (800) 742-5877 |
Radio
The Silicon Valley is actually the birthplace of the radio station. In 1909, the first broadcast station was founded in San Jose.
| AM | ||
| 1170 | KLOK | Spanish News/Talk |
| 1220 | KNTS | News/Talk |
| 1370 | KZSF | Mexican |
| 1500 | KSJX | Vietnamese |
| 1590 | KLIV | News |
| FM | ||
| 89.3 | KMTG | San Jose Unified School District |
| 89.7 | KFJC | Foothill Community College |
| 90.1 | KZSU | Stanford University |
| 90.5 | KSJS | San José State University |
| 91.1 | KCSM | Jazz |
| 92.3 | KSJO | Spanish |
| 94.9 | KYLD | Hip Hop/Rap |
| 96.5 | KOIT | Soft Rock |
| 98.5 | KUFX | Classic Rock |
| 100.3 | KBRG | Spanish Oldies |
| 103.3 | KSCU | Santa Clara University |
| 106.1 | KMEL | Mainstream Urban |
| 106.5 | KEZR | Modern Mix |
Television
| Traditional Analog | ||
| 2 | KTVU | FOX |
| 5 | KPIX | CBS |
| 7 | KGO | ABC |
| 11 | KNTV | NBC |
| 36 | KICU | Independent |
| 48 | KSTS | Telemundo |
| 54 | KTEH | PBS |
| 65 | KKPX | PAX |
| Digital Broadcasts | ||
| 12 | KNTV | NBC |
| 24 | KGO | ABC |
| 29 | KPIX | CBS |
| 41 | KKPX | PAX |
| 49 | KSTS | Telemundo |
| 50 | KTEH | PBS |
| 52 | KICU | Independent |
| 56 | KTVU | FOX |
| Cable Comcast |
1610 N 4th St
San Jose, CA 95112
(408) 452-3355
Newspapers
San Jose Mercury News
750 Ridder Park Drive
San Jose, CA 95190
(408) 920-5000
Metro Silicon Valley
550 South First St.
San Jose, CA 95113
(408) 298-8000
The San Jose Mercury News is the largest paper in the Silicon Valley with a circulation around 250,000. The Metro Silicon Valley is a weekly alternative paper that is mainly read for its coverage of entertainment and arts. In addition to these two papers, most cities and towns in the valley have local papers.
The Mercury News has a website dedicated to Silicon Valley news at:
Museums
Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose
180 Woz Way
San Jose, CA 95110
(408) 298-5437
Built on the concept that children learn better when they’re active in the process, this museum has a lot of interactive exhibits, ranging from technology to the arts. The purple building is hard to miss in downtown San Jose.
Intel Museum
2200 Mission College Blvd
Santa Clara, CA 95052
(408) 765-0503
The Intel Museum focuses on the history of both the Intel Corporation and Silicon Valley as a whole. One exhibit explains the creation of a computer chip. Admission is free.
Art
Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies and Museum
1 Washington Square
San Jose State University
San Jose, CA 95192
(408) 924-4590
The museum focuses on the German composer’s life and music. In the collection are early editions of his music, memorabilia, and original manuscripts.
San Jose Museum of Art
110 South Market St
San Jose, CA 95113
(408) 271-6840
This downtown art museum focuses on contemporary California art. The museum’s collection includes paintings, photography, glasswork, and sculptures. The museum also hosts poetry readings, seminars, and other events.
Sights
Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph
90 South Market St
San Jose, CA 95113
(408) 283-8100
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph actually stands on the site of the city’s first church, St. Joseph Church, an adobe structure that dates back to 1803. The current structure dates to the 1870s and is full of beautiful stained glass.
Guadalupe River Park and Gardens
1300 Senter Rd
San Jose, CA 95112
(408) 277-2757
The Park hosts thousands of varieties of roses, the Children’s Discovery Museum, miles of walking trails, art, and other things to do while you enjoy nature.
Shopping
Westfield Shoppingtown Valley Fair
2855 Stevens Creek…
San Jose, CA 95101
(408) 248-3333
This is a huge mall that has more than 350 stores occupying two levels of shopping. There’s parking for expectant mothers and more than 20 restaurants, from little mall kiosks to sit down fine dining.
Santana Row
3055 Olin Ave
San Jose, CA 95128
(408) 551-0163
Here’s a row of high-priced, high-fashion shops and restaurants. It’s close to Valley Fair, but has a much different feel. It’s like if Rodeo Drive moved to San Jose, and the shops are often unique boutiques.
Sports
Hockey
San Jose Sharks
525 W. Santa Clara St
San Jose, CA 95113
(800) 366-4423
The San Jose Sharks play in the NHL and were division champs in the 2003-04 season.
Football
San Jose SaberCats
525 W. Santa Clara St
San Jose, CA 95113
(408) 573-5577
The SaberCats won the Arena Football League’s championship in 2004.
Golf
Blackberry Farm Golf Course (408) 253-9200
22100 Stevens Creek Blvd.
Cupertino, CA
This nine hole par 29 course has a lot more than just golfing, including picnic and meeting facilities, a retreat center, pools, and other sports facilities. A round will cost between $12 and $16.
Boulder Creek Golf Club (831) 338-2111
16901 Big Basin Hwy.
Boulder Creek, CA
This par 65 course has a variety of packages available, including condo rentals, banquet or barbecue facilities, tennis and swimming. Regular rates are $22 to $40 per round.
Education
Community Colleges
Community colleges exist for two major purposes. The first is to serve as a bridge from high school to college by providing courses for transfer toward a bachelor’s degree. Four out of 10 collegebound high-school graduates start their college education this way.
The second function of community colleges is to prepare students for the job market by offering entry-level career training as well as courses for adult students who want to upgrade their skills for the workplace. They often offer programs that are not available at four-year schools, like fashion design.
Liberal Arts Colleges
Liberal arts colleges offer a broad base of courses in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Most are private and focus mainly on undergraduate students. Classes tend to be small and personal attention is available.
Online Learning
Recent years have witnessed the rise of online degree programs, to allow the busy professional a chance to work at their own pace from the comfort of their home on the path to getting a degree. The costs to students are typically the same as for traditional classes- and financial aid is equally available-while the cost to the institution can be much less.
There are online universities ranging from legitimate distance learning systems to fly-by-night degree-mills. It’s important to research a particular institution before deciding to enroll in their system. Generally, brick-and-mortar schools that also offer online classes are the safest, though there are plenty of fully accredited online universities out there.
Nearly 3 million students are believed to be taking online classes at institutions of higher education in the United States this year. That number has been growing about 25% a year recently. Now, virtually all public higher education institutions, as well as a vast majority of private, for-profit institutions, now offer online classes. By contrast, only about half of private, nonprofit schools offer them. Online schools offer everything from Associate’s degrees to Doctoral programs with available emphases in everything from Business Administration to Criminal Justice to Nursing. Some programs require students to attend some campus classes or orientations, but many are delivered completely online. Online courses generally require a computer with a broadband connection, but are now a serious option for the busy professional.
Public vs. Private
Public colleges are usually less expensive, particularly for in-state residents. They get most of their money from the state or local government. Private colleges rely on tuition, fees, endowments, and other private sources. Private colleges are usually smaller and can offer more personalized attention and often more prestige.
Stanford University (650) 723-2300
Palo Alto, CA 94305
Technically, the following universities are not located in Silicon Valley, but are nearby and contribute to the high tech culture of the area.
Santa Clara University (408) 554-4000
500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, California 95053
Universities
Generally, a university is bigger than a college and offers more majors and research facilities. Class size often reflects institutional size and some classes may taught by graduate students.
Upper Division
Upper-division schools offer the last two years of undergraduate study, usually in specialized programs leading to a bachelor’s degree. Students then generally transfer to an upper-division college after completing an associate degree or after finishing a second year of study at a four-year college.
San José State University (408) 924-1000
One Washington Square
San José, California USA, 95192
University of California, Berkeley (510) 642-6000
Berkeley, CA 94720
California State University, East Bay (510) 885-3286
25800 Carlos Bee Blvd
Hayward, CA 94542
University of California, Davis (530) 752-1011
One Shields Ave
Davis, CA 95616
University of California, Santa Cruz (831) 459-0111
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
Voter Registration
It is important to note that if you are registering to vote for the first time, changing your name or political party, or have moved to a new county, you must also complete a Voter Registration form to update the SOS Elections Division database. Give your completed Voter Registration form to a technician, and DMV will mail it to the SOS Elections Division office for updating.
When applying for or renewing your driver license or identification card at any DMV office, you have the opportunity of registering to vote.
When you have your new address, complete a DMV change of address form, and the Secretary of State (SOS) Elections Division will be notified of your address change. You can download the DMV Change of Address form DMV 14, or you may request a change of address form by calling your local DMV office at 1 (800) 777-0133.
Even if you are not conducting business with DMV, you may pick up Voter Registration forms at any DMV office. Compete the form and mail it to the SOS Elections Division preprinted address on the form.
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