Seniors Stop In Northern California

San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the United States, and the county seat of Santa Clara County, senior travelers find out. The population runs right at one million.

San José is a highly popular destination for senior tourists. San Jose’s location within the booming local technology industry has earned the city the nickname “Capital of Silicon Valley”. Senior travelers will find, among others, Cisco Systems, eBay, and Adobe Systems.

City history goes back a long ways to November 29, 1777 when the town was founded as El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe, the first civilian town in the Spanish colony of Nueva California. When California gained statehood in 1850, San Jose served as its first capital.

Silicon Valley Meets Spanish History Meets Senior Historians

TripAdvisor notes that this is where Silicon Valley meets Spanish history and modern edifices sit alongside meticulously restored 19th-century buildings. Such is the contrast of this city rich in tradition and, thanks to the tech industry, just plain rich.

Five star-hotels and fine restaurants line the streets of the restored downtown area, and the cultural scene is thriving with museums, theater and art to rival any world-class hub. TripAdvisor notes 139 things to see and do in San Jose.

Include a visit to San Jose State University on your stay in town. SJSU has matured into a metropolitan university. San Jose City College has a student enrollment of 20,000, so it’s large as well.

 “Do You Know The Way To San Jose?”

In 1968, singer Dionne Warwick released her hit “Do You Know The Way To San Jose?” Today it seems that many folks have indeed found the way.

Like many large cities, outside of downtown, things are spread out in San Jose, so an automobile is the best mode of transportation.

Senior travelers will discover that the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, VTA, offers serviceable transit around town. Maybe do some shopping at San Pedro Square Farmer’s Markets on Fridays and Saturdays.

Area schools such as the Berkeley, University of California and Stanford University add a throng of engineering and computer science graduates into the local economy every year.

The cost of living in San Jose and the surrounding areas is one of the highest in the nation, but that’s the Silicon Valley for you.

I liked what Frommer’s had to say about San Jose: The San Jose of yesteryear — a sleepy town of orchards, crops, and cattle — is long gone… And despite all the growth, a number of surveys declare it one of the safest and sunniest cities in the nation. jeb