Need Thanksgiving dinner talking points?

25 interesting facts about San Jose

San Jose Museum of Art from a drone perspective.

Meet you in Downtown. | Photo via @bennys_journey

Did you know that San Jose is home to the world’s largest Monopoly Board?

Nah, just kidding. If you know us, you know we’re here for the deep cuts — and there’s plenty of interesting factoids to go around. As connoisseurs of the quirky and unconventional, we put together a list of San Jose’s history, oddest characteristics, and more. Maybe you’ve lived here your whole life and know some of this, or maybe you’ll learn something new.

Either way, spice up the dinner table this year with these 15 interesting facts.

The staff of the San Jose Animal Care Center at a City Hall meeting. — The San Jose Animal Care Center staff, volunteers, and rescue partners at a City Hall meeting.

1. San Jose laws limit owners to five licensed animals total — and no more than three dogs. Yes, two dogs and three cats is okay, five cats are fine, but don’t dare break the law with two dogs and four cats. 🐾

2. In January 1951, San Jose was hit with a freak tornado that damaged the area of Delmas Ave. and San Fernando St. While there were no injuries or fatalities, a 12 block area was hit the hardest — and a house was unroofed.

3. Meet Mineta International Airport’s largest VIP: Tai the elephant — who shut down the airport for three days. She and actor Bill Murray filmed a scene inside Terminal C for the 1996 film, “Larger Than Life.”

4. We rank in the top ten out of 187 least stressed US cities. The data was drawn from metrics such as average weekly work hours, unemployment rates, and divorce and suicide rates.

5. San Jose recycles the most among large American cities. ♻️

The San Jose Civic Center front. — Have you ever attended an event at the Civic?

6. The Civic Center is the site of some cool historical events: major sporting events (Jack Dempsey vs. Joe Louis), venue for 1981 World Games I, The Who’s first U.S. tour, and host to other great artists including The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and Frank Sinatra.

7. The highest temperature ever recorded in San Jose was 109° in September 2022, while the lowest was 18° in 1894.

8. Eaters vs. Iguanas. San Josean professional eaters Joey Chestnut and Matt Stonie took on Iguanas’ Burritozilla Challenge — eating a five-pound, 17-inch burrito in under five minutes. Chestnut finished in 3 minutes and 10 seconds, while Stonie clocked 1 minute and 50 seconds. 🌯

7 MORE SAN JOSE FACTS

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Wednesday, Nov. 23

Thanks in Giving 2022 | Wednesday, Nov. 23 | 2:30-4:30 p.m. | African American Community Service Agency, 304 N. Sixth St., San Jose | Free | Join the AACSA in distributing warm meals, dry goods, and more to members of the community.
VTA and SVBC Biking Basics | Wednesday, Nov. 23 | 7-8 p.m. | Zone, 1887 Matrix Blvd., San Jose | Free | This online course will give new + experienced riders top tips on safe, bike commuting.

Thursday, Nov. 24

Thanksgiving Buffet | Thursday, Nov. 24 | 11 a.m.-3 p.m. | Fountain Restaurant, 170 S. Market St., San Jose | $59.37-$122.61 | Bring the family for a feast with charcuterie, sushi + sashimi, and traditional Thanksgiving mains and sides.

Friday, Nov. 25

Santa Parade | Friday, Nov. 25 | 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. | Eastridge Center, 2200 Eastridge Loop, San Jose | Free | See Santa + Mrs. Claus, and enjoy performances from DJ Thick, Lokahi Polynesian Dance Group, and more.
Saratoga Holiday Wine Experience | Friday, Nov. 25 | 6-8:30 p.m. | Saratoga Chamber of Commerce, 14460 Big Basin Way, Saratoga | $55-$430 | Enjoy a night of wine tasting in the Historic Saratoga Village.

Saturday, Nov. 26

Cinderella | Saturday, Nov. 26-Sunday, Nov. 27 | 2 p.m. | California Theatre, 345 S. First St., San Jose | $55-$195 | This family-friendly production features Cinderella as a lowly copyist at an opera company run by a scheming stepmother.

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

100+ MORE EVENTS

Weather

69º | Partly cloudy | 10% chance of rain

Traffic

Happy almost Thanksgiving. If you’re traveling, here’s the good news: gas is cheaper than it was a week ago, falling 18.5 cents per gallon on average in San Jose. (Silicon Valley Business Journal)
As for the not-so-good-news, today’s Bay Area traffic is predicted to be, well, trafficky, but you can avoid it by leaving before 8 a.m., after 8 p.m., or by driving on Thanksgiving Day. 🚗 (The Mercury News)

Civic

A new, first-of-its-kind city ordinance will require all San Jose gun owners to have insurance covering firearm harm or accidental firings, effective Jan. 1, 2023. Gun-owning households will also pay an annual fee — currently set for about $25 — to go towards a non-profit organization the city has yet to select. (San Jose Inside)

State

California’s homelessness funds should be returning. After freezing $1 billion in funding this November and calling for more impactful city and county plans to reduce homelessness, Gov. Newsom announced funds will be delivered after all. Psst — here’s how to help community members in need. (San Jose Inside)

Real Estate

A 2.2-acre portion of Edenvale Shopping Center in south San Jose was purchased for $11.1 million. Plans for the property have not yet been announced. Retail stores inside the purchased acreage include Mercado California, Number One Cleaner, Trine’s Cafe, and My Cellular Plus. (The Mercury News)

Biz

Locally-based Zoom Video Communications reported its slowest quarterly sales growth to date. Of the company’s total $1.1 billion in revenue, online revenue brought in $487.6 million — down 9% from last year — though Zoom predicts its Enterprise business will grow.

Stat

63% of first time homebuyers admitted to bidding for a home they didn’t really want. That’s nearly two in three homebuyers. Here’s why that may be.*

The Buy

Unbox the best holiday gift of all: a smile you’re proud of. SmileDirectClub is the easiest way to straighten your teeth in as little as 60 days — for 60% less than Invisalign or braces. 👀 *

Sports

If you’re into (or even sort of into) sports: The GIST is a must-subscribe newsletter that provides a refreshing female voice and perspective on sports four times a week. Read: If ‘do the thing and score the points’ is your baseline understanding, you might enjoy this to uplevel your knowledge. ⚽ *

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A Reed Street read

The history of the Reed name

A map of old San Jose in 1869 with Martha St., Reed St., and 1st-3rd St. labeled.

This is a visualization of where the San Jose streets were in 1869. | Photo via City of San José

Did you know — Reed Street in Downtown is named after James Frazier Reed. Yes, the one in the Donner-Reed party… remember learning that in grade school?

Following the fateful journey out West in 1846, James and his family arrived in San Jose. He quickly became an early civic leader within the city, and by 1849, he owned the area between Reed Street and First Street.

The other streets were named after his family members: Margaret, Virginia, Martha, and Keyes.

James believed San Jose could be California’s new capital, and invested money into 115 town lots and five squares to build what now encompasses St. James Square and Washington Square — which is the core of San Jose State University’s campus today.

He died in San Jose in 1874, and is buried next to his wife, Margaret Reed, at Oak Hill Memorial Park.

Did you enjoy this history? What other San Jose placenames should we explore next?

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Sarah.

Editor’s pick: Did you know that the San Jose Toy Drive is already 40% full of toy reservations for kids? Here’s how you can still register to receive toys — and here’s the Amazon wishlist to send toys directly to the drive. I spy a pretty cool instant-print digital camera and a rad Lisa Frank coloring set...

Missed Monday’s newsletter? Here’s what we’re thankful for about San Jose.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Alyson Chuyang, Sarah Leonhardt, Britt Thorson, Emily Shea | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Julie Brown | Advertise with us.

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