This day in history: San Jose, CA's incorporation

Can you believe we’re already at the end of the year?

It may be an ordinary Monday, but exactly 170 years ago today — March 27, 1850 — San Jose was incorporated as an official city of California.

Technically, we were founded in November 1777 as the first California civic settlement named Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe . But, after California was established as the 31st state of the US in 1850, San Jose quickly followed to become one of the first incorporated cities.

At the time, our city:

Had been serving as the state’s capital since 1849, before it was moved to Vallejo in 1852.
Had a population of ~500, which was just as diverse as it is now — hosting residents from Mexico, Peru, Chile, India, and America.
Served as a trade depot for the goldfields in Sacramento (hey, SACtoday ).

San Jose’s roots are so deeply woven into the state of California’s history — we definitely have first-child bragging rights.

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Alyson Chuyang

Alyson is based in San Jose, CA, and helped launch SJtoday in February 2022. She graduated from San Jose State, where she reported on the city’s arts + culture scene for her alma mater’s paper, The Spartan Daily. You can find her scouting new South Bay eateries or thrifting around town.

This day in history: San Jose, CA’s incorporation

On March 27, 1850, the first California legislature incorporated San Jose as an official city. Let’s take a look at the significance of this date.