On the southern coast of San Francisco Bay, San Jose is the largest city in northern California. Home to more than a million people, San Jose is famous as the heart of Silicon Valley, a global hub of technology and social media.

A bustling center of industry and culture, people here are never bored. The Santana Row district keeps shoppers and restaurant-goers busy with over 50 shops and 30 restaurants. This area frequently hosts outdoor events, including fashion shows, yoga classes, and concerts.

San Jose is also a hub for live music and performing arts. Enjoy shows at popular venues such as The Ritz, Cafe Stritch, and the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts.

One of the most popular oddities in town is the Winchester Mystery House. It once belonged to Sarah Winchester, the widowed heiress of Winchester Rifles. Built in the Victorian Era, this mansion is famous for its quirky, improvised architecture. Some even say it's haunted by the ghosts of everyone killed with a Winchester rifle.

Antiquarians and amateur Egyptologists will fall in love with the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. Housing the largest collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts in western North America, this museum's architecture is a living replica of the Temple of Amon at Karnak.

Even though San Jose is a major metropolitan center, it still has something to offer nature lovers. The Los Gatos Creek Trail is perfect for runners and cyclists, and cuts through ponds and parks. The Happy Hollow Park and Zoo strives to connect people with nature through exotic and endangered animals. The zoo houses tapirs, lemurs, and jaguars.

The city has a complex history, dating back more than 6,000 years. The Tamyen group of the Ohlone people settled here in 4,000 B.C.

California became part of the Spanish Empire in 1542, but it would be another 200 years before San Jose was founded. The city became part of Mexico in 1821, after the country won its independence from Spain. In the mid-19th century, San Jose became part of the short lived California Republic. The city joined the United States after Mexico's defeat in the Mexican American War.

San Jose's economy was mostly based on agriculture until World War II, when the city became a hub of manufacturing. IBM opened its West Coast headquarters in San Jose in 1943. Technology and innovation has grown to be an ever more important part of the local economy.

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