Timeline of San José History
1700s
- 1777 - Spanish pueblo San Jose de Guadalupe founded and becomes the first civic settlement
- 1777 - Population is 68
- 1797 - San José mission founded
1800-1849
- 1803 - San José de Guadalupe church built
- 1822 - Mexico in power
- 1835 - Population is approximately 700
- 1845 - Population is approximately 900
- 1846 - Town occupied by U.S. forces
- 1848 - Gold Rush - 1855
- 1849 - San José becomes first capital of the new State of California, November 13 - May 1, 1851
1850s
- 1850 - California Statehood
- 1850 - San José is 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 is establishd
- 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 is established
- 1857 - Ranson G. Moody becomes mayor
- 1858 - Peter O. Minor becomes mayor
- 1859 - Thomas Fallon becomes mayor
1860s
- 1860 - Richard B. Buckner becomes mayor
- 1860 - Population is 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 - YMCA is established in San José
- 1868 - San José Courthouse is built
- 1868 - Mark Leavenworth becomes mayor - 1870
1870s
- 1870 - California State Normal School relocates to San José
- 1870 - Fire in Chinatown on 1st, Market Street and San Fernando Chinatown
- 1870 - Vine Street Chinatown adjacent to Guadalupe River
- 1870 - Adolph Pfister becomes mayor
- 1870 - Population is 9,089, with 26,246 in the county
- 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 is established
- 1877 - George B. McKee becomes mayor
- 1878 - Home of Benevolence founded
- 1878 - Lawrence Archer becomes mayor - 1880
- 1879 - Daily Morning Times begins publication
1880s
- 1880 - Bernard D. Murphy becomes mayor - 1882
- 1880 - Population is 12,567
- 1881 - Electric Light Tower is built, the first electrified city west of the Rocky Mountains and largest single source of electric light in the country
- 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 - Fire in Chinatown on May 4th on 2nd Street and Market Street Chinatown
- 1887 - Woolen Mills Chinatown - 1902
- 1887 - The Ng Shing Gung Temple in Heinlenville Chinatown is completed on Fifth and Taylor Street
- 1887 - City Hall is built and 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
1890s
- 1890 - Samuel N. Rucker becomes mayor - 1894
- 1890 - Population is 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 and demolished in 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
1900s
- 1900 - Population is 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
1910s
- 1910 - Thomas Monahan becomes mayor - 1914
- 1910 - Population is 28,946
- 1910 - First motorbus line in the State started at Mount Hamilton
- 1911 - East San José is 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
1920s
- 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
1930s
- 1930 - W. L. Biebrach becomes mayor - 1932
- 1930 - Population is 57,651
- 1932 - A. M. Meyer becomes mayor - 1934
- 1933 - Lynching at St. James Park, November 26
- 1933 - Spartan Stadium opens
- 1934 - Charles Bishop becomes mayor - 1936
- 1936 - Willow Glen is incorporated into San José
- 1936 - Richard French becomes mayor - 1938
- 1937 - San Jose Civic Orchestra formed.
- 1938 - Clyde L. Fischer becomes mayor - 1940
1940s
- 1940 - Population is 68,457
- 1940 - Harry Young becomes mayor - 1944
- 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
1950s
- 1950 - Clark L. Bradley becomes mayor - 1952
- 1952 - Parker Hathaway becomes mayor - 1954
- 1952 - Population is 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
1960s
- 1960 - Population is 204,196
- 1960 - Paul Moore becomes mayor - 1962
- 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
1970s
- 1970 - Population is 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
1980s
- 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
1990s
- 1990 - Population is 782,248
- 1990 - Tech Museum of Innovation
- 1990 - San Jose International Airport's new terminal open
- 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
2000s
- 2000 - Population is 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
2010s
- 2010 - Population is 945,942
- 2014 - Population tops 1,000,000
- 2015 - Sam Liccardo becomes mayor
- 2017 - Coyote Creek flood