San Jose, California
 

What kind of a night life is there in San Jose, California? I'm interested in relocating there and I'm still young. Is it a fun place to live? Are there other nice cities, in Northern or Southern California, with a high quality of life (low crime, etc.) and where you can have a lot of fun?

"Fun" isn't a word that leaps to mind when I think of San Jose and environs.<BR>Fun as compared to Omaha, Baton Rouge or Bakersfield -- probably; as compared with San Francisco, Chicago or Montreal -- most likely not.

It depends on what you mean by night life. There are places where people go to meet and let off steam, usually microbreweries and classy bars. Palo Alto and Los Gatos have many such places in a small area so they tend to be happening on the weekends. But it's certainly not New York or San Francisco! However, San Francisco is only and hour, hour and a half drive, and many people go up there on Friday or Saturday nights from San Jose (not me, though, I'm too old!) The demographic in San Jose is quite young, so there are a lot of young professionals.

Leslie, San Jose is a great place to live but doesn't have the very best nightlife. Where are you moving from? In San Jose the cost of living is comparatively high and housing is tight and the job market is scarce ... BUT that is all because it is a great place to live, great weather, centrally located to many beautiful locales: Tahoe, the beach, SF, Monterey, Yosemite. Fun? Depends on what your idea is of fun. Where are you coming from?

Since you are thinking about Southern California - have you considered Los Angeles? The cost of living is much better here (I have family and was born in San Jose) as is the night life. LA is a great place to be single and have fun.<BR><BR>San Diego might also be an idea.<BR><BR>I guess it depends on what you do for a living and your interests.

Leslie,<BR><BR>Being that San Jose is the largest city in Northern California, there is plenty in terms of nightlife, restaurants, museums, performing arts, parks etc. (www.sanjose.org) Of course, being that it is a major business center and a high technology hub, it is an expensive place to live. It is all relative compared to your salary, of course. In terms of nightlife, the best place would be downtown in the SoFa (South First Area) District where there are numerous clubs, restaurants, and during the day you can stroll varous area art galleries. There are also plenty of great restaurants of all types, as well as museums all in walking distance. The nearby Compaq Center (San Jose Arena) always has some game or concert event planned. In the Spring and Summer Downtown has numerous planned events such as opera in the park and the San Jose America Festival during the 4th of July. There are also unique neighborhoods in the city such as Willow Glen( quaint Lincoln Avenue with sidewalk cafes and shops) or the Rosegarden (home to the Municipal Rosegarden and the Rosucrucian Egytian Museum). Of course, the proximity of San Jose to the Monterey Bay Area, Lake Tahoe, and Yosemite also make it a desirable place to live, along with having a Mediterranean climate (300 sunny days per year). The rainy season usually starts in November and goes until about April. If you prefer living in the suburbs, the town of Los Gatos and the city of Palo Alto would also be great places to look into.

Oh God. Our relentless San Jose cheerleader is posting his epistles about the glories of living/visiting in that cesspool yet again...complete with web site links. He and his aliases are the ONLY ones touting the region, probably because the chamber of commerce is paying him to do so. Everyone else in the world realizes what a hell hole the place is and avoids it like the plague.

If you go to San Jose in the summertime, remember to take an oxygen mask and a lot of eye drops so you can tolerate the air pollution.

Leslie,<BR><BR>I lived in San Jose while going to graduate school during my mid twenties (only a couple of years ago). I moved up to San Francisco for work after that, and now i'm living in Palo Alto and working in San Jose. <BR><BR>I wouldn't worry about finding nightlife near San Jose. I used to go out at night in Los Gatos, Palo Alto, and downtown San Jose where there were plenty of young people. There are quite a few different restaurants, bars, concert venues and clubs where people your age congregate at night. During the weekends, there are lots of things to do and places to see to keep you interested. It's definitely not anything like Omaha or Bakersfield like a previous poster seems to think, but it's not like living in a city either. <BR><BR>This is a really convenient place to live with a lot to offer: i've always been able to find a gym less than 10 minutes from home or work, find a variety of unique restaurants that serve up international cuisine, find a movie theater showing independent films, see a play, take a windsurfing or ballroom dance class, etc, etc, etc. You can always find something new to do as long as you look for stuff that interests you. Plus, i've found that the area attracts a lot of intelligent, fun and well-rounded people, although the male-female ratio here is a bit skewed to the benefit of the women because of the technology industry. My suggestion would be to come up for a visit and bring a friend with you just to see how you like it. If and when you do, i'm sure if you post a question asking for some nightlife suggestions, people will be happy to accomodate you.

Leslie,<BR><BR>I would just ignore the naysayers. Given the fact that close to 1 million people live in San Jose, the city obviously must be a desirable place. <BR><BR><BR>

Guess California has over 1 million dumb people with lung problems then?<BR>Over 7 million people live in LA so that means it's a great place to live also?<BR>Almost as smoggy as LA. Can't see the hills from spring until fall.

Yeah, most of the residents are Third World Hispanic and Asian immigrants, so anything looks good to them after living in Vietnam or Mexico. The place is outrageously priced and the quality of life is very low. Then again, if you enjoy Third World conditions, by all means, move there.

xxx,<BR>To say that residents of San Jose are Third World suggests that you are not a very educated individual. San Jose's population is actually very highly educated given the fact that most people come here to be in the center of Silicon Valley. That is not exactly an attrubute of a Third World place. San Jose is expensive, but what desirable place to live is not? It would not be expensive if people did not want to live there. New York City is expensive but I would not say that it is Third World or that it has a low quality of life. <BR><BR>noSJ, I have lived in the San Jose area many years and have no trouble seeing the mountains on the outskirts of the city. I also do not have any lung problems nor do I know of anybody who has as a result of air quality. Of course, I cannot speak for LA.

I've live in/near SJ forever, I'm in my late 20s, and I wouldn't say that there's a great nightlife there. Most of us head up to SF (~1hr away) or Palo Alto for the nightlife.<BR><BR>In the last couple of years, SJ has tried to revitalize it's downtown area, but hasn't had much luck. There are some GREAT restaurants in SJ, but they closed all the clubs. There are a couple of great bars/restaurants where people (mostly young professionals) hang out. There are also some great shows (musicals/plays, etc) & sports events, but SJ is not a major urban center.<BR><BR>One of the best things about SJ is the location. Our weather is better than SF (slightly warmer than Palo Alto, too), and it's not too far away from all the fun stuff - SF, the beach, skiing, wine country, etc.<BR><BR>If you're serious about relocating here, look into the cost of living. I love it here, but it's EXPENSIVE to live here (at least in terms of housing).

Some of the responses on this thread are just ridiculous. Clearly, if you don't like San Jose, don't live there! Why so much anger?<BR><BR>And Dave, while giving factual information, does sound a bit like the Visitors Bureau spokesperson. Everything he says is true, but I don't think that Leslie was asking about art galleries! I remember well being in my early 20's, and if I can put thoughts into Leslie's mind I think she's asking will she be able to go out and have fun at night or will she be stuck bored out of her mind. And Leslie, I like Anna's answer the best. Clearly she knows the scene.

Monica,<BR>I agree with you in terms of these negative posters. It's obvious that they have nothing meaningful to say. Just to clarify, I do not work for the San Jose Visitor's Bureau. I was just trying to give Leslie some of the pertinent facts about the city<BR><BR>Leslie,<BR><BR>For an unbiased opinion, take a look at Money Magazine's most recent survey of the most desirable metropolitan areas to live.<BR>http://www.carychamber.com/money1.html<BR><BR>Actually, San Jose was by far the highest ranking major urban center in California.<BR><BR>

"Unbiased"???? Surely you jest. I can tell you that I worked in the human resources department of a major corporation, and there were two places in which no manager wanted to live or work: Los Angeles and San Jose. We had to offer "urban combat" pay, and even so, no one budged, even if it meant they were sacrificing future promotions. The quality of life and cost of living were two factors that no HR team in the world could overcome.

San Jose is the armpit of California! Avoid it at all cost! I can't understand why anyone would live there.

Well, I leave this board for a few weeks and David (my partner at the San Jose Visitor's Bureau) shows up touting the virtues and glories of San Jose. Fact: San Jose is an endless suburb, with 1 million people living in it's vacinity. It is neither "fun" nor "attractive". It *does* have many jobs and many streets and cars. Oh and an Airport (sanjoseairport.com). But it's not known for it's nightlife.<BR><BR>In the San Francisco Bay Area, there is only one "City", of course, and that is San Francisco. Everyone in the Bay Area flocks to The City for their night life. Search this board for San Francisco and you will get 100's of ideas on what it has to offer for nightlife.<BR><BR>My suggestion: Come to the bay area, you may have a hard time finding a place to live that you can afford, but just remember that if you want to have fun, you will always end up in The City by the bay!

Vacinity? What's that?

Hmm, I just searched for San Jose on this board regarding fun things to do and all I found was the Winchester Mystery House. Damn, I'm going!

David, you are the best:<BR><BR>&gt;&gt;For an unbiased opinion, take a look at Money Magazine's most recent survey of the most desirable metropolitan areas to live.<BR><BR>And you claim not to work for the city of San Jose. You must be kidding.<BR><BR>&gt;&gt;There are also plenty of great restaurants of all types, as well as museums all in walking distance.<BR><BR>There are maybe 2 or 3 hack museums in San Jose (after thoughts really) and the restaurants all close early, there isn't a place to go after 10pm, even on the weekends. In the past few years, many places have closed or moved out of San Jose and the place is now a ghost town at night. For example, "San Jose Live" was a actually a fun place for folks to hit after a movie, etc, but it's gone now.<BR><BR>&gt;&gt;The nearby Compaq Center (San Jose Arena) always has some game or concert event planned.<BR><BR>Featuring the Sharks, Ice Hockey. San Jose was the last major city in the US (with a population of over $1 million people) to acquire a major sporting team. I wonder why?<BR><BR>&gt;&gt;There are also unique neighborhoods in the city such as Willow Glen<BR><BR>Huh? Unique. Maybe unique to San Jose. But, that's not what you meant was it?<BR><BR>&gt;&gt;the Rosegarden (home to the Municipal Rosegarden and the Rosucrucian Egytian Museum<BR><BR>Do you have to mention the Rosucrucian museum *EVERY* time you discuss San Jose? Or is that part of your performance rating?<BR><BR>You would do well to ignore David. Do your own research. Talk to REAL people who live in San Jose about what you can expect before you move. Don't listen to David, since clearly he has an agenda.<BR>

Obviously people such as Scamartist, Jimbo, etc are to be disregarded for their misinformation. For one thing, I am not affiliated with the San Jose Chamber of Commerce or any other city agency. People such as Jimbo, Scamartist, etc, are doing nothing but posting false and misleading about San Jose. To say that San Jose is a suburb is laughable given, the fact that it is the most populated city in Northern California and a major business center. And to say that its museums are an afterthought, that's the joke of the century. The San Jose Museum of Art has a cooperative with the Whitney Museum in New York City for an art exchange, not exactly what I would expect from a museum that is an afterthought. If you don't like the city, that is entirely your opinion. But posting false information is uncalled for.<BR><BR>Scamartist, have you ever been to Willow Glen? I bet not. If you took time to walk the neighborhood an appreciate the architecture of the many interesting bungalow, Tudor and cottage homes and the cafes on Lincoln Avenue, you would see why it is a unique neighborhood. <BR><BR>

It is obvious that Jimbo works for the San Francisco Visitor's Bureau. Any information he posts about San Jose should be disregarded since his sole agenda is to promote SF while bashing San Jose. I know that tourism is down in SF, hopefully they are paying you well for your efforts.

Scamartist,<BR><BR>I have lived in Downtown San Jose for the last three years while going to SJ State University, and would not consider Downtown to be a ghosttown at night. The clubs on South First Street are open until 2:00AM. and restaurants sych as Original Joe's are open for dinner until at least 1:00 AM. It is unfortunate that San Jose Live is no longer open, but I am looking forward to the opeing of the House of Blues and the Improv Comedy club.

Scamartist,<BR><BR>I have lived in Downtown San Jose for the last three years while going to SJ State University, and would not consider Downtown to be a ghosttown at night. The clubs on South First Street are open until 2:00AM. and restaurants such as Original Joe's are open for dinner until at least 1:00 AM. It is unfortunate that San Jose Live is no longer open, but I am looking forward to the opening of the House of Blues and the Improv Comedy club.

Hey, people, people, calm down already! It's obvious from this thread that some people like San Jose and some people don't. So what's the big deal? <BR><BR>Look, it's a suburb. Yes, we all know that. It's NOT San Francisco. We'll give you that one. All of CA is just one giant suburb anyways other than SF. So it's got some tract housing and mini-malls. If you don't like tract housing and mini-malls, that's fine, but I challenge you naysayers to find any city in CA that doesn't have some. It's crowded and expensive to live here because there are so many people moving here and staying. If it's such a miserable place to live, why don't people leave so I can buy a house for under $750,000 and so I don't have to spend 25 minutes driving 8 miles to work? <BR><BR>It's just a good place to live for people who want good schools, nice housing (albeit expensive), some interesting history, great job opportunities in growing industries, good weather, and a city that is situated in a great location. Yes, it's got restaurants and nightlife, and if you're not happy with what SJ has to offer, SF is less than an hour away. Case closed.<BR><BR>This is the place to be if you're an up and comer. People who can't take the competition that this town offers up hate it and leave. Some people are settled with kids and a family and won't move here even with "urban" pay and job promotions. But, young people with no attachments who really want to develop themselves, work hard to succeed have tons of opportunities here. That's why I moved back to my home town after swearing i'd never come back.<BR><BR>And, ScamArtist, San Jose Live a fun place to go? Ugh! That place died a proper death because it was considered the cheesiest of cheesy! Only guys in wife beater t-shirts, slicked back hair, gold chains and pants hanging halfway down their butt would go there. The women were the ultimate in hoochie. Let me just give the forum an example. The one and only night I went there with some friends, I was asked, at the door whether I wanted a nametag so I could enter the "Best Chest Contest" they were having later that evening. Good riddance to that place.<BR><BR>

Jennie,<BR><BR>I'll give you that.. it was cheesy.. but the original poster seems like a yound person looking for nightlife.. and that place was about the best place SJ had for young people, sports, games, drinks, etc. Cheesy: Yes ... fun for young folk: Yes.<BR><BR>And David<BR><BR>Why do you ATTEMPT to post under a different name in all your threads? You clearly posted under 3 names in this one alone. Everyone can spot your posts a mile away. You salivate whenever a "San Jose" Post pops up.. your mouth froths up in a furry at the excitement of being able to tell everyone about the Rosucrucian Egytian Museum, but it's no Louvre, ok? Enough already. Stop it. We get it. You're in love with San Jose. That's ok, but spare us the details everytime. It's SAN JOSE for god's sakes.. it's no big deal. Thanks.

jumping into the debate and bashing, here. First of all, San Jose is NOT a suburb. The CITY of San Jose has a population of nearly 1 mil., is the 11th largest city in the U.S. and is considered the "Capital of Silicon Valley." It is a very diverse city; with a mixture of Caucasian, Hispanic, Asian, African-Americans. Having lived there 35 years, and watching it evolve into an overpopulated and overbuilt, rude city, I got out and did move to the 'burbs! As an earlier post stated, you can pretty much count on spending your time crawling to work in bumper-to-bumper commute traffic. Given its size, it proclaims to have a fairly low crime-rate, however, when I lived there I was the victim of burglary several times, car-theft, purse-snatching and attempted kidnapping at age 10! You will be in hi-tech heaven and living among the masses, if you choose San Jose. I rank San Jose second to L.A. Double-Ick! I can't think of any night-life to brag about there. As far as any nicer cities in No. or So. CA, I'm sure there are many more appealing!! Maybe it would help if you could be more specific in describing what type of living environment you are looking for, including any economic factors, interests, etc. Best of luck to you!

So, Mr. Mayor, if you're so smart... who IS the mayor of San Jose? Who's he sleeping with? And the population is 875,000 (125k more than SF)

I have a sneaking suspicion that many of the posters who say there is no nightlife in and around SJ for young people to enjoy are actually too old to know about nightlife for young people. No offense, but older people enjoy places that are a bit more refined.<BR><BR>People may be right that in downtown SJ, there's not as much, but there are tons of places within 15 or 20 minutes. Examples of places that I used to go which may still be around or not. <BR><BR>San Jose - Katie Blooms, Mission Ale House, Gordon Biersch, Shark & Rose, Tied House, South 1st Billiards, Cinebar, Flying Pig Pub, PollyEsthers, JJ Blues<BR><BR>Sunnyvale/Cupertino - PJ Mulligan's, Brittania Arms, Scruffy Murphys, Fibbar McGee's<BR><BR>Los Gatos - Los Gatos Bar & Grill, Black Watch, CB Hannigan's, Mountain Charley's<BR><BR>Mtn View/Palo Alto - Molly McGee's, The Limelight, Nola's, Rudy's, Blue Chalk, Rose & Crown, Fanny & Alexander's

Scamartist,<BR><BR>I always have posted under one name on this and every other thread. And by then way, I never compared the Rosicrucian Museum to the Louvre. Why would anyone make such a comparison. If Leslie has asked about places to see in Paris, then yes, by all means mention the Louvre.

Alright, people, let's settle down. Getting back to Leslie's original question, yes, I've always been able to scare up a little action in the Silicon Valley. The cootchie here is out of this world!

Where is Leslie?

Don't live there but had friends who did (they were around 25 years old and married). Housing is EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE. They bought a 2 bedroom/1 bath house and it cost them $500,000!<BR><BR>I am not sure what it costs to rent there, but I would think it would be very expensive also.

Travelin Man: Where's Leslie? Well, after Chuck Feathers and all the other cackling going on here, I'm sure she got smart and flew the cootchie coop!