San Jose is the capital of Silicon Valley and Northern California’s largest city. The city is known for being the global epicenter for high tech startups. San Jose has a lot of high-paying jobs and the housing market is incredibly expensive. Aside from the high cost of living, the city is very livable. The area has nice weather, plenty of amenities, and good restaurants and shopping.
San Jose is unquestionably best known for being a hub for high tech companies. Cisco and Ebay have their global headquarters in San Jose.
The National Football League’s San Francisco 49ers recently built their home stadium in Santa Clara (15 minutes from San Jose). The National Hockey League’s San Jose Sharks play their home games in San Jose at the SAP Center (not surprising named after a high-tech company).
The city has invested in celebrating culture. The Municipal Rose Garden is a historic landmark and peaceful spot to spend an afternoon. Happy Hollow Park and Zoo is a fun experience, especially for families. San Jose also has several museums, including the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, the San Jose Museum of Art, and the Japanese American Resource Center.
San Jose has a charming downtown area, with galleries, restaurants, and boutiques. The area hosts entertainment events, including major Broadway shows.
Winter is relatively the wet season (it is still pretty dry). The daily highs are in the low 60s. If visiting in the winter, consider seeing a San Jose Sharks hockey game.
The weather is very nice in May. San Jose gets over 300 days of sunshine annually, and April through October is packed with sunny and dry days.
Summer is warm (but not crazy hot) and very dry. Daily highs reach the mid-80s.
While most people visiting for wine country don't stay in San Jose (Napa/Sonoma are on the northern side of San Francisco), fall is harvest season at the wineries. The weather is mild and the harvest is a good time.