Value proposition

As the Capital of Silicon Valley, the spirit of innovation powers everything we do for our communities.

From its founding in 1777 as California's first city, San José has been a leader driven by its spirit of innovation. Today, San José stands as the largest city in Northern California and the Capital of Silicon Valley—the world's leading center of technology innovation. San José is the 10th largest in the U.S., and is committed to remaining a top-ranked place to do business, work, live, play and learn.

San José is located in Santa Clara County at the southern edge of the San Francisco Bay, about 50 miles south of San Francisco, 390 miles north of Los Angeles. The local weather is hard to beat with moderate year-round temperatures. Residents enjoy 300 days of sunshine each year and an average annual temperature of 70 degrees.

The City of San José operates under the council-manager form of government, a system that combines the policy leadership of elected officials in the form of a city council, with the managerial expertise of an appointed city manager.

Building Inspection, Code Enforcement, Economic Development, Environmental Services, Finance, Green Building, Housing, Information Technology, Planning, Public Safety, Public Works, Recycling, Transportation, Zero Waste, Aviation, Parks & Recreation, Library, and Animal Care