Almaden Valley, San Jose

Almaden Valley, or simply Almaden is a valley and primarily upper middle class residential neighborhood of San Jose, California, in South San Jose.[1][2]

Almaden Valley
Neighborhood of San Jose
Almaden Lake Park.
Almaden Valley
Location within San Jose and Silicon Valley
Coordinates: 37.2214°N 121.8622°W / 37.2214; -121.8622
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountySanta Clara
CitySan Jose
Zip Code
95120

History
The historic Old Almaden Winery was founded in 1852.
Almaden Lake Park.

It is named after the New Almaden Quicksilver Mines, which were named after the mercury mine in (old) Almadén, Spain, and produced mercury that was used to process ore during the Gold Rush.[3]

Like its Spanish namesake, California's Almaden had a number of quicksilver mines. The mercury was used during gold extraction in the California Gold Rush, but the mines were closed in 1975 and have been converted into Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Despite the closure of the mines, there still remains a high mercury content in the nearby soil, creeks and rivers, and signs are posted alongside them warning people not to eat the fish. Many of the names in Almaden retain their mercury mine themes. For example, there are streets called Silver Lode Lane and Silver Mine Drive (the latter of which was renamed). Also, many places in Almaden still use the name Quicksilver.

In December 1959, the Regents of the University of California selected Almaden Valley to be the site of the next campus of the University of California system.[4] Unfortunately, news of this decision caused property values in the area to increase so rapidly that the Regents could no longer afford to buy the needed land.[4] After another year of study, the Regents selected another site much farther south, which opened in 1965 as the University of California, Santa Cruz.[4]

Geography

The neighborhood is south east of the town of Los Gatos, west of the Santa Teresa neighborhood of San Jose and south of Blossom Hill Rd. The informal borders are generally Coleman Rd. at the northern end, McKean Rd. at the southern end, where the valley becomes mostly rural, and the town of Los Gatos to the west. The valley is located between the Santa Teresa Hills and the Santa Cruz Mountains, with Mount Umunhum to the west dominating the local geography.

Economy

As part of the Silicon Valley, the main industry in the neighborhood is now high technology research and development; IBM Almaden Research Center is located there.[5]

Demographics
U.S. Marines at Almaden Lake.
View of Mount Umunhum from Parma Park, Almaden Valley
Almaden Lake Park.

The neighborhoods consist of primarily upper-middle-class families, with homes owned by local professionals, scientists, professional athletes, and Silicon Valley executives. According to a 2011 estimate, the median income for a household in Almaden was $148,801 and the median income for a family was $182,981. The cost of a home in the neighborhood is generally in the $1 million-plus range.[6]

Almaden Public Library, a part of the San José Public Library

Schools

Schools in the area include:

High schools

Middle schools
  • Almaden Country School
  • Bret Harte Middle School
  • Castillero Middle School
  • Holy Spirit School

Elementary schools
  • Almaden Country School
  • Almaden Elementary School
  • Challenger School
  • Graystone Elementary School
  • Guadalupe Elementary School
  • Holy Spirit School
  • Los Alamitos Elementary School
  • Simonds Elementary School
  • Williams Elementary School

Recreation
Guadalupe reservoir at Almaden Quicksilver County Park, 2009

One of the key attractions of the Almaden Valley is the abundance of nature trails and public recreational sites.

Health & Fitness
  • Almaden Community Center and Library
  • Almaden Golf & Country Club
  • Almaden Swim and Racquet Club
  • Almaden Valley Athletic Club
  • Boulder Ridge Golf Club

Transportation
Almaden Station, on the VTA light rail.

VTA light rail:

  • Almaden (VTA) light rail station
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References
  1. "MyAlmadenValley Website". Archived from the original on 2010-08-17. Retrieved 2010-04-05.
  2. Almaden Valley Community Association (AVCA) Website
  3. AVCA About Almaden Valley
  4. Stadtman, Verne A. (1970). The University of California, 1868–1968. New York: McGraw-Hill. pp. 412–413.
  5. IBM Almaden Research Center
  6. "Census Data for 95120". Archived from the original on 2020-02-12. Retrieved 2007-04-13.

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