From being the first chartered city in California, to being the birthplace of “Orange Sauce,” there’s no shortage of spectacular things in San Jose that keep us here to stay. 🏙️
While this list doesn’t encompass absolutely everything that makes San Jose great, we wanted to start the conversation with 10 reasons why we just can’t separate from the great 408. 💘
1. Our weather
You can’t beat our 300 days of sunshine — our mild climate makes for more opportunities to go out and explore.
2. Little Saigon
We boast the largest Vietnamese population in any one city outside of Vietnam — which is about 180,000 residents. This community offers us a well-rounded look at northern, southern, and central Vietnamese flavors, cultural traditions, and more.
3. San Jose Mineta Airport
There’s a reason that SJC recently changed its logo to, “Fly Simple.” As one of the top ranking mid-size airports, and the top airport for holiday travel, Mineta Airport makes traveling much more manageable.
The classic car cruises are unlike any other.
Photo via @steph___62
4. Lowriders
We can’t talk about San Jose without mentioning its extensive history of lowriders. You can spot large functions at the intersections of Story and King roads, as well as down East Santa Clara Street — keeping the legacy of family lowriding culture alive.
5. Nightlife
Perfectly described by downtown DJ duo SOULMAT3S, our nightlife is unlike other Bay Area cities. Our DJs don’t just play at clubs, they also spin at restaurants and lounges. You can find tech CEOs and fresh 21-year-olds enjoying the same spots.
6. Japantown
As one of the only three Japantowns in the US, the pride + culture runs very strong in this community. Enjoy fresh poke, streetwear shopping, and frequent festivals — like the Obon Festival, which draws in 1,000+ dancers.
We have so many great outdoor spaces.
Photo via @open_space_authority
7. Outdoor spaces
Our city boasts 200+ parks, and more than 60 miles of scenic trails to hike or bike. Take in the vastness of San Jose at Sierra Vista Point and Mt. Hamilton, or travel across the pacific in your own backyard at the Japanese Friendship Garden.
8. Diverse cuisines
There’s Italian, Japanese, Thai, Ethiopian, Carribean, Nepalese, and El Salvadorian — just to name a few. When we asked you what you’re thankful for in San Jose, there was overwhelming support for our diverse range of cuisines.
9. Technology pioneers
While we know that we’re not just the “Capital of Silicon Valley,” we can definitely say that we’re ahead of the curve in a lot of inventions + tech programs that better our community. Like the recent news that our parking issues may be solved.
10. Pride
SJtoday has shown pride in place, but San Jose has shown it for years. Whether its sporting #SharksTerritory gear, promoting East Side culture, or shopping small with local SJ-based businesses, there’s so much love we have for our city.
Don’t be shy, keep the pride going — what about San Jose makes you stay?
