If someone were to ask “Which is the largest city in Northern California’s Wine Country?”, we wager that most people would say San Francisco. It is large, with slightly more than 800,000 people. Sacramento is pretty big, too, with around 525,000 residents. But the biggest is San Jose, which is nearing 1 million in population.
San Jose has long been in San Francisco’s shadow, but the advent of the technology industry in the area has begun to give the city its own personality. Maybe that personality is not as flamboyant or historical and San Fran’s, but if you are tasting in the vicinity, it’s worth a stop. The most notable nearby winemaking regions are in the Santa Crus Mountains, with 80 wineries, and the Santa Clara Valley, with 60.
If you’re a sports fan, you probably have heard of the San Jose Sharks in the National Hockey League (there isn’t an NHL team in San Francisco) and the 49ers have SF on their helmets, although their Santa Clara Stadium is closer to San Jose. These teams mean that San Jose can legitimately call itself a major league city.
San Jose has a museum called The Tech Interactive. Now, many cities have science and technology museums, but this one is in the heart of Silicon Valley, so it takes on added relevance. There are more than 100 exhibits, many of which are powered by artificial intelligence (of course). But it’s not all gee-whiz technology. Some deal with space exploration and the biology of the human body.
The California Theater. Photo courtesy of Evergreene Architectural Arts.
As with any large city, San Jose has parks, gardens and art museums, but frankly they aren’t worth a special visit. These probably exist in your city back home, although it is nice that the San Joseans have cultural activities of their own. They have a symphony orchestra and an opera company, too, both of which perform at a renovated movie palace now called the California Theater. Its architecture resonates with echoes of past cinema glories.
Santana Row. Photo courtesy of Federal Realty Investment Trust.
We have most enjoyed the district known as Santana Row. It is San Jose’s center, with shops, restaurants, offices and pedestrian walkways. In some ways, Santana Row is much like the “downtowns” of planned communities around the country. In many ways the explosive growth of San Jose created a need for a place where residential, business and leisure would combine. And since there is a great deal of money for those working in tech, an invented civic center can be quite enjoyable. We find Santana Row to be the best reason to pay San Jose a visit. Unless you’re a hockey fan, that is.