1777 - Spanish pueblo San Jose de Guadalupe founded. First civic settlement
1777 - population 68
1797 - San Jose mission founded
1803 - San Jose de Guadalupe church built
1822 - Mexico in power
1835 - Population: 700 (approximate)
1845 - Population: 900 (approximate)
1846 - Town occupied by U.S. forces
1848 - Gold Rush - 1855
1849 - Town becomes first capitol of the new State of California, November 13 - May 1, 1851
1850 - California Statehood
1850 - City chartered
1850 - Josiah Belden becomes mayor
1850 - San Francisco to San Jose stagecoach begins operating
1851 - San Jose Weekly Visitor newspaper begins publication
1851 - College of Notre Dame established
1851 - Thomas White becomes mayor -1854
1852 - San Jose Foundry in business
1852 - Vallejo becomes capitol of the State of California - February 4, 1853
1853 - First honeybee imported to the west coast
1853 - Hook and Ladder Company No.1 organized
1853 - Benicia becomes third site of California State Capitol - February 25, 1854
1854 - O.H. Allen becomes mayor
1854 - Sacramento becomes California State Capitol - present
1855 - San Jose Telegraph newspaper begins publication
1855 - Sherman Otis Houghton becomes mayor
1856 - Young Men's Literary Association organized
1856 - John M. Murphy becomes mayor
1856 - George Givens becomes mayor - 1857
1857 - Minn's Evening Normal School established
1857 - Ranson G. Moody becomes mayor
1858 - Peter O. Minor becomes mayor
1859 - Thomas Fallon becomes mayor
1860 - Richard B. Buckner becomes mayor
1860 - population 3,420
1861 - U.S. Civil War - 1865
1861 - San Jose Daily Mercury newspaper begins publication
1861 - Joseph W. Johnson becomes mayor - 1863
1863 - John Alonzo Quinby becomes mayor - 1868
1864 - San Francisco-San Jose Railway in operation
1865 - St. Joseph High School established
1866 - Santa Clara Argus newspaper begins publication
1867 - San Jose YMCA established
1868 - Courthouse built
1868 - Mark Leavenworth becomes mayor - 1870
1870 - California State Normal School relocated to San Jose
1870 - Chinatown fire (1st, Market Street and San Fernando Chinatown)
1870 - Vine Street Chinatown adjacent to Guadalupe River
1870 - Adolph Pfister becomes mayor - 1873
1870 - Population: 9,089; county 26,246
1871 - University of the Pacific relocated to San Jose vicinity
1873 - Bernard D. Murphy becomes mayor - 1877
1875 - San Jose Law Library
1875 - San Jose Fruit Packing Company
1875 - California Pioneers of Santa Clara County established
1877 - George B. McKee becomes mayor
1878 - Home of Benevolence founded
1878 - Lawrence Archer becomes mayor - 1880
1879 - Daily Morning Times begins publication
1880 - Bernard D. Murphy becomes mayor - 1882
1880 - population 12,567
1881 - Electric Light Tower built, first electrified city west of the Rocky Mountains, largest single source of electric light in the country - 1915
1882 - Charles J. Martin becomes mayor - 1884
1882 - Chinese Exclusion Act
1884 - Campbell Thompson Settle becomes mayor - 1886
1886 - Board of Trade organized
1886 - Charles W. Breyfogle becomes mayor
1887 - Samuel Watson Boring becomes mayor - 1890
1887 - May 4, Chinatown fire (2nd, Market Street Chinatown)
1887 - Woolen Mills Chinatown - 1902
1887 - Heinlenville Chinatown Fifth and Taylor Street
1887 - City Hall built - demolished June 1958
1887-1888 - First electrical streetcar line in America, built by Samuel Bishop between San Jose and Santa Clara
1888 - Lick Observatory established atop Mount Hamilton
1889 - O'Connor Hospital established
1889 - Hotel Vendome established
1890 - Samuel N. Rucker becomes mayor - 1894
1890 - Population: 18,060
1891 - Heald College established
1892 - First Unitarian Church of San Jose built
1892 - Geary act - extends Chinese Exclusion Act
1893 - Hall of Records built - demolished 1966
1894 - Associated Charities of San Jose established
1894 - Paul P. Austin becomes mayor - 1896
1895 - Post Office built
1896 - Valentine Koch becomes mayor - 1898
1897 - Good Government League organized
1898 - Charles J. Martin becomes mayor - 1902
1900 - Population: 21,500
1900 - First “garage” in the west opened by Clarence Letcher
1900 - First automobile factories opened in California including Osen and Hunt
1902 - First service station in the west opened by Clarence Letcher
1902 - George D. Worswick becomes mayor - 1906
1902 - Chinatown fire (Woolen Mills, Heinlenville still standing)
1903 - Grauman's theatre opens
1903 - San Jose Public Library Carnegie building open
1903 - Bean Spray Company relocates to San Jose
1906 - April 18 earthquake
1906 - Henry D. Mathews becomes mayor - 1908
1908 - Charles W. Davison becomes mayor - 1910
1909 - First American commercial radio station in San Jose pioneered by Charles Herrold
1909 - Santa Clara Valley Fruit Growers Association organized
1910 - Thomas Monahan becomes mayor - 1914
1910 - population 28,946
1910 - First motorbus line in the State started at Mount Hamilton
1911 - East San Jose incorporated into San Jose
1914 - Fred R. Husted becomes mayor - 1916
1916 - Elmer E. Chase becomes mayor - 1918
1918 - Charles M. O'Brian becomes mayor - 1920
1920 - Albert C. Jayet becomes mayor - 1922
1920 - population 39,642
1921 - San Jose Junior College founded
1922 - M. E. Arnerich becomes mayor - 1924
1924 - Joseph T. Brooks becomes mayor - 1926
1926 - Bank of Italy Building constructed
1926 - Dan W. Gray becomes mayor - 1928
1927 - Fox California Theater built
1928 - Fred Doerr becomes mayor - 1930
1930 - W. L. Biebrach becomes mayor - 1932
1930 - population 57,651
1932 - A. M. Meyer becomes mayor - 1934
1933 - November 26 lynching in St. James Park
1933 - Spartan Stadium opens
1934 - Charles Bishop becomes mayor - 1936
1936 - Willow Glen incorporated into San Jose
1936 - Richard French becomes mayor - 1938
1937 - San Jose Civic Orchestra formed.
1938 - Clyde L. Fischer becomes mayor - 1940
1940 - Harry Young becomes mayor - 1944
1940 - population 68,457
1943 - IBM west coast headquarters established
1944 - Earl Campbell becomes mayor
1945 - Ernest E. Renzel becomes mayor
1946 - Albert J. Ruffo becomes mayor - 1948
1948 - Fred Watson becomes mayor - 1950
1949 - San Jose Municipal Airport begins operating
1949 - Burbank Theater, Garden Theater, and Mayfair cinema open
1949 - Historical Museum of San José established
1950 - Clark L. Bradley becomes mayor - 1952
1952 - Parker Hathaway becomes mayor - 1954
1952 - Population: 95,280
1954 - George Starbird becomes mayor - 1956
1956 - Robert Doerr becomes mayor - 1958
1957 - San Jose Peace & Justice Center founded
1958 - Louis Solari becomes mayor - 1960
1959 - Santa Clara County United Fund established
1960 - Paul Moore becomes mayor - 1962
1960 - Population: 204,196
1961 - Happy Hollow Zoo opens
1961 - IBM Shoebox invented
1962 - Robert Welch becomes mayor - 1964
1964 - San Jose Century 21 cinema built
1964 - Joseph L. Pace becomes mayor
1967 - Junior League of San Jose
1967 - Center for Employment Training established
1968 - Alviso incorporated into San Jose
1969 - Century Theatre cinema opens
1970 - Population: 447,025
1971 - Norman Mineta becomes mayor
1971 - San Fernando Earthquake
1971 - San José Historical Museum Association
1971 - Sourisseau Academy for State and Local History established
1972 - Food Machinery Corporation headquarters relocates from San Jose to Chicago
1973 - Willow Glen Neighborhood Association formed
1974 - Santa Clara County Transportation Agency
1974 - San Jose Earthquakes soccer club
1974 - Second Harvest Food Bank established
1975 - Evergreen Valley College active
1975 - Janet Gray Hayes becomes mayor
1977 - San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles founded
1980 - Rotary Club and San Jose Repertory Theatre founded
1981 - Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose established
1983 - San Jose School District California bankruptcy
1983 - Tom McEnery becomes mayor
1985 - Market Post Tower built
1986 - First Community Housing
1986 - San Jose Cleveland Ballet founded
1986 - IBM Almaden Research Center opens
1987 - Japanese American Museum of San Jose
1987 - Chinese Historical and Cultural Project
1987 - Los Fundadores y Amigos de Alta California established
1987 - Fairmont Hotel built
1988 - Fairmont Plaza built
1989 - Loma Prieta Earthquake
1990 - Tech Museum of Innovation
1990 - San Jose International Airport's new terminal open
1990 - Population: 782,248
1991 - Tathagata Meditation Center
1991 - Santa Clara Valley MultiService Center founded
1991 - Filipino American National Historical Society chapter founded
1991 - Susan Hammer becomes mayor
1992 - Saba Islamic Center active
1992 - Chinmaya Mission San Jose founded
1993 - Plaza Park renamed Plaza de César Chávez
1994 - San Jose Clash soccer team formed
1998 - History San José nonprofit incorporated
1999 - Ron Gonzales becomes mayor
2000 - Population: 894,943
2002 - Symphony Silicon Valley established
2005 - New SJ City Hall opens downtown at 4th and Santa Clara
2007 - Chuck Reed becomes mayor
2008 - The 88 Building is constructed
2010 - Population: 945,942
2014 - Population: tops 1,000,000
2015 - Sam Liccardo becomes mayor
2017 - Coyote Creek flood