San Jose is located in the northern part of California, in the Santa Clara Valley, the third-largest city in the state. San Jose is known to be a major commercial center for agricultural products because of the gold rush that happened from 1849, and the arrival of railroads in the 1860s that made a significant contribution to growth. Agriculture is still a large chunk of the city’s economy today.

However, it is technology that has made San Jose what it is nowadays. It’s identified for its reputation in the production of semiconductors and computer-related technology. Among the large industries that are based in San Jose are BEA Systems Adobe Systems, eBay and Cisco. High tech has begun to flourish in the 1980s, and it has brought significant success to San Jose, making it renowned as one of the fastest growing cities in the nation.

San Jose also ranks the highest for median household income, giving it prosperity of engaging outlets to expend that income. The city of San Jose is part of the country’s fourth-largest metropolis together with San Francisco, Oakland and other towns in the Bay Area.

Talking about safety, San Jose is one of America’s safest cities in California. Safety is an excellent aspect for a person’s social comfort and ease. When it comes to quality of life and security, San Jose is the right place to live in. The city ranked one of the least violent cities in the USA. Its population rate is 900,000 people and over, but its crime rate was only 2.6. The robbery rate is very small; hence it is possible to park cars in dark areas, or even walk in the middle of the night alone.

With regards to recreational activities, San Jose is an ideal city for fun time. It has 300 sunny days each year with a temperature of 70 degrees. It is as well proximate to the ocean and mountains.

Almaden Lake Park situated in the heart of the city offers several activities such as boating, swimming, windsurfing, fishing, volleyball, and hiking. Guadalupe River Park, the country’s largest urban park is under development. It is situated beside the Guadalupe River in downtown San Jose.

The city is just 20 minutes from famous beaches alongside the Pacific Coast. Surfer’s mecca is Santa Cruz. San Jose has stress-free access to California’s nearby mountain ranges promoting hiking during summer and skiing in the winter.

The transportation system in San Jose is hassle-free. You can get around the City through the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority light rail and bus system. It takes travelers to most points of interest in San Jose proper, however because of the metro area’s extension, various rides are lengthy and include several transfers. The Caltrain, which enables stops among San Jose and San Francisco, gives a public transportation choice for some travelers living outside the city.

Furthermore, numerous technology companies operate expedient shuttles to their campuses for workers, and the biking infrastructure is persistently growing. However, in the long run residents of San Jose still count significantly on their cars. San Jose has the worst traffic congestion at times, one of the rare negative sides of the city.

The city of San Jose has a Manager-Council type of government wherein the mayor and City Council are setting policy and a non-elected city manager is implementing the rules. All other large cities and a large number of cities across the nation use a Strong-Mayor system of government, in which power is fragmented among the executive mayor- in charge in running the city, and the legislative council.

This type of government was created primarily in the last century to eliminate politics from the local government, which was seen as limiting its ability to give essential services.

Most residents in San Jose trust the mayor who runs the city. He stands to be the voice of the city. However, he cannot direct the city departments to do whatsoever as they are independent.