City Directories | San Jose Public Library

We provide city directories for San José, San Francisco, and other cities in print, on microfilm, or online (for San Francisco). The year ranges for each city directory on this page include missing years. Please contact the California Room to see if the exact year(s) you need is available.

San José City Directories

We have San José City Directories:

1870-1979 in print
1870-1960 on microfilm
covering San José Suburban for 1968-1974

Important note: The earlier San José City Directories often list other Santa Clara County cities. For exact city coverage in these directories, please see our City Directories Index (PDF).

San Francisco City Directories

We have San Francisco City Directories in print and/or microfilm:

1882-1982 (missing some years)

San Francisco Directories online:

San Francisco City Directory 1881-1890 (missing 1884, 1887, 1888)
San Francisco City Directory 1891-1927 (missing some years)

Other City Directories

We provide the following city directories in print. Not all years within a range may be covered, so contact the California Room to see if the year(s) you need is available.

Gilroy: 1964-1983
Los Gatos: 1956-1967
Menlo Park: 1978-1980
Morgan Hill: 1968-1983
Mountain View: 1962-1968
Palo Alto: 1938-1978
San Martin: 1970-1983
Santa Cruz: 1963-1985
Sunnyvale: 1964-1968
Watsonville: 1981-1988

Important note: Earlier San José City Directories often list other Santa Clara County cities. For exact coverage in these directories, please see our City Directories Index (PDF).

About City Directories

What Is a City Directory?
City directories are like telephone books that list individuals along with their place of residence, occupation, and (beginning in 1911) spouse and children over 18.

Who Is Included?
To be listed, a person or property must have been located within city limits when the directory was issued. For example, large parts of present-day San José are not included in early city directories.

Street Index
In 1913, City Directories added a street index. This is helpful to you if you are researching your house since you can look up a specific address to find its residents.

Street Name Changes
Street names can change. For example, in 1913 in San José, 14th St. became 17th St. You can find a listing of street name changes in the California Room. Street numbers can change, too.

Contact

California Room
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, 5th Floor
150 E. San Fernando St.
San José, CA 95112
(408) 808-2167
cal.sjpl@sjlibrary.org
Contact Form