The New International Encyclopædia/San José (California)

SAN JOSÉ, sän Hṓ-sā′, or, colloquially, săn ṓ-zā′. The county-seat of Santa Clara County, Cal., 50 miles south by east of San Francisco, on the Southern Pacific and the Central Pacific railroads (Map: California, C 3). It is situated in the beautiful Santa Clara Valley, and is a popular health resort. San José is the seat of the University of the Pacific (Methodist Episcopal), with handsome buildings and a campus covering 17 acres; the College of Notre Dame, a Roman Catholic institution, opened in 1851; and a State Normal School. Noteworthy also are the city hall, court house and hall of records, the post office building, and the high school building. The city has a public library and the San José Library. There are two parks—Saint James and the City Hall Park. Alum Rock Park, 7 miles distant, with its mineral springs and picturesque scenery, and the Lick Observatory (q.v.), on the summit of Mount Hamilton, 18 miles to the east, attract many vistors. San José is the centre of the Santa Clara Valley, which produces large quantities of prunes, apricots, peaches, cherries, grapes, olives, wheat, and barley. It is an important fruit packing and shipping point, and also ranks high industrially. In the census year 1900 the various industries had an invested capital of $3,534,136, and a production valued at $4,584,072. There are foundries, fruit canning and drying establishments, marble works, and manufactories of wine and malt liquors, leather, windmills, etc. The government, under the revised charter of 1897, is vested in a mayor, elected every two years, and a unicameral council. Population, in 1890, 18,060; in 1900, 21,500. The Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe was founded here in 1777, and the Mission of San José was established near by in 1797. In 1840 a small force took possession for the United States, and from 1849 to 1851 San José was the capital of California. Consult: Hall, History of San José and surroundings (San Francisco, 1871); Mars, Reminiscences of Santa Clara Valley and San José (ib., 1901).