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Do You Know The Way To San Jose?Silicon Valley offers local color and high technologySan Jose blossomed in the 1980s and 1990s as the core of the California computer-technology industry. But there's more there than silicon chips and microcircuits.
Once a somewhat sleepy farming town, San Jose has grown from a post-WWII bedroom community to become the third-largest city in the state of California. Drawing high-tech businesses in the 1970s and 1980s, the city literally boomed in population and technology-industry in the 1990s. However this former capital of the Golden State isn't all business and offers much to city explorers. Residents enjoy a moderate climate for much of the year, with a bit of wet weather from December through February. Summer temps are often in the 80s and 90s, but with a bit of offshore flow, the temperature can easily climb into triple digits. If the city gets too warm, it's just a two hour drive north or south, and one can cool off in San Francisco or Santa Cruz, respectively. The history of the area included a lot of fruit orchards. One local favorite site is Casa de Fruta ("House of Fruit"). What started as a humble family farm that expanded to a fruit stand and store is now a full-scale amusement unto itself. There is a carousel, a narrow gauge railroad, a inn and an RV park. They host many annual events such as the Spring festival (April), a Civil War Reenactment (June), the renowned Gilroy Garlic Festival (July) and the Northern California Renaissance Faire (October). Located on Mount Hamilton is the Lick Observatory. Although primarily a research institution, the Observatory offers a range of educational programs and exhibits. Visitors in the summer months can try to visit on one of the limited evenings when public viewings through the thirty-six and forty-inch telescopes are made possible. Also in the summer is the unique Music of the Spheres Concert Series which combine music with astronomical lectures and viewing. A complete San Jose original is the Winchester Mystery House. Starting in 1884, a woman named Sarah L. Winchester began construction on this house. The eccentric and rich widow had the latest modern conveniences added to this sprawling 160-room mansion. She herself directed much of the design and the house has such details as staircases that go to the ceiling, gilt detailing, forty-seven fireplaces and four stories (down from seven following the 1906 Earthquake). San Jose is a long day's drive from Los Angeles, but broken into two days on the Pacific Coast Highway and it can be a luxurious trip. Travel between San Jose and San Francisco can be easily done by car or train. By air, it's an easy few hours from either Los Angeles or Seattle.
The copyright of the article Do You Know The Way To San Jose? in California Travel is owned by Rae Schwarz. Permission to republish Do You Know The Way To San Jose? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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