20 interesting facts about San Jose

With the sad news that SJtoday is pausing operations, I'd like to send them one last plug. This is one of my favorite recent articles. 

Did you know an elephant shut down SJC for 3 days? Or perhaps that the San Jose Earthquakes set the Guinness World Record for the largest ground breaking with 6,256 participants (I was one of them and still have the shovel). California's first and largest mercury mining operation was in San Jose, but did you know there is still a publicly accessible quicksilver mining museum in New Almaden?

To see the full list of interesting facts, head here. 

You'll be missed SJtoday!

The 7 Wonders of the San Jose World

Searchlight San Jose has a great post about the most interesting "wonders" of San Jose. Number one is obvious and pictured below, I have yet to visit number two, there is a great movie about number three, number four is surrounded by delicious food stalls, number five is the only place in San Jose where you can find snow each year, number six is our most colorful park, number seven is a famous museum, and there is a bonus eight that will make you laugh (or cry).

Click here to find out what the 7 Wonders of the San Jose World are.

The Great 408

On San Jose's 240th birthday last week (November 29th), Mayor Sam Liccardo and Mercury News Columnist Sal Pizarro launched a campaign to celebrate San Jose's story. Below is their letter to the community:



Dear Neighbors,

As two longtime San Jose residents, we feel fortunate to live in a community with a rich history and a unique, sometimes quirky, character. So, today - on San Jose's 240th birthday, we've come together launch The Great 408: a campaign to celebrate the gems, history, and culture that have helped make San Jose the great city it is, and set the tone for our future. 

Each week, we'll unveil interesting, unique tidbits on the campaign's website - great408.org - that we hope will both fuel San Josean pride and inspire others to learn more about the city we call home. 

While we've gotten the ball rolling with an initial list of 10 fun facts, we want you to join in by submitting your ideas on the Great408 website. We'll add public submissions to our weekly reveal to help ensure that The Great 408 remains a community-wide campaign. As our list grows, we hope you'll share all that's great in the 408 on social media, using #Great408. 

We're excited to share San Jose's story, and we hope you'll join us on this adventure. 

Sam Liccardo, San Jose Mayor 
Sal Pizarro, Mercury News Columnist 

In addition to the letter you can see their video introduction to the project over here. I love this idea and hope you will all contribute lots of ideas to great408.org!

Searchlight San Jose

I'm not sure how I missed this site, but there is a really cool blog about San Jose oddities, urban legends, and interesting stories. It's called Searchlight San Jose and you can access it right over here or by using the blogroll to the right.  I love the writing style and there are quite a few tidbits in there that were completely new to me. As a teaser, below is what Downtown San Jose would look like today if the Electric Light Tower was still here.

Click here to read Searchlight San Jose!

52 Things About San Jose You Probably Didn't Know

Movoto put together a great list of San Jose statistics and fun facts, easily one of the best I have seen. If you haven't already gone through it, head over there right now and have a look. You'll be glad you did.

Here are some of my favorites from their list:

• #4 - Roughly 35% of Venture Capital funds that are invested into American companies end up in San Jose
• #5 - Best known for voicing Mario and Luigi, Charles Martinet is from San Jose
• #7 - The 30 foot tall Check E. Cheese status in San Jose is the world's largest rat.
• #8 - Rocking the crown since 1981, "The Wave" was invented by former San Jose State cheerleader Crazy George Henderson.
• #10 - The Monopoly board in the Guadalupe River Park is 30 feet by 30 feet, making it the largest Monopoly board in the world.
• #13 - Over half of the adults in San Jose have a college degree, making it one of the most educated cities in the country.
• #16 - San Jose State University's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library is the largest public library west of the Mississippi.
• #17 - Despite its large size, San Jose is the third safest large city in America with low crime rates and low criminal activity.
• #23 - San Jose recycles the most among large American cities.
• #28 - The Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph in San Jose is the oldest parish in California.
• #34 - There are over 50 miles of commuting trails throughout San Jose.
• #35 - Alum Rock Park is the oldest municipal park in the entire state of California.
• #36 - More patents come out of San Jose than any other city in the country.
• #40 - San Jose is often called the most bike-friendly city in California, with bicycle clubs dating back to 1884.
• #49 - San Jose's Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum is the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts in the West.
• #51 - According to Glassdoor's Employment Satisfaction Report, San Jose employees are the most satisfied in the nation.
• #52 - Boasting a presence of close to 7,000 tech companies, San Jose is the most concentrated tech center in the entire world.

Source: Movoto

Skyy Vodka is Bottled in San Jose?

Someone mentioned to me a while back that they thought Skyy was manufactured in San Jose. I finally made it over to their Wiki page, and it looks like this is true! Production and bottling for Skyy Vodka is handled by Frank-Lin Distillers in San Jose. Ethanol is delivered using the railroad system, then the ethanol is mixed with filtered and deionized water and flavoring is added (for certain Vodkas).

Now you know that when you order a martini or mixed drink, if you pick Skyy vodka you are benefiting a San Jose company and the local economy. Speaking of which, I have a whole Google Doc filled with local companies that can help you prioritize your holiday shopping selections. You can access it right over here.

Source: Wiki