Saturday Stats: San Jose is in the Top 10 Best Cities for Newlyweds List

Rent.com has proclaimed that San Jose is among the best cities for newlyweds and specifies two key metrics. The first is that 55% of households are led by married couples, the highest among the 10 cities. The second is salary. The annual mean income for San Jose is $69,000 a year, which is again the highest among the top 10. The cities were listed in no particular order, but it was pretty clear that San Jose would have very likely taken the #1 spot had it been more empirically ranked. It was also specifically called out in both the Rent.com article and the Forbes article (which also mentioned that San Jose topped the list for 10 Happiest Cities for Young Professionals).

• Houston, Texas – Rent.com says: “The fourth largest U.S. city offers a plethora of neighborhood options for newlyweds to make their own niche and find a community that works for their growing family.  Couples can take advantage of the thriving bar and brunch scenes downtown to socialize and meet other young married couples.”

• Seattle, Wash. – Rent.com says: “With an above average mean income, the highest percentage of any city on our list with children under six years old, and also having recently legalized same-sex marriage, Seattle is definitely a place for all newlyweds to check out. Newly married couples and young parents alike may enjoy browsing the Boeing Museum of Flight or checking out the Ballard Locks.”

• Dallas, Texas – Rent.com says: “The heartland of Texas pulls at the heartstrings of many newlyweds looking for a friendly town with lots of opportunity to both play and settle down.  With everything from amusement parks to pro sports teams, the town offers something for excitable young families–and with a fairly low cost of living, they will actually have the means to be able to get out and have some fun.”

• Raleigh, N.C. – Rent.com says: “Come down South if you want to enjoy the sweet, seductive life that only this unhurried region can offer.  More than 25% of children are under the age of six in Raleigh, for lots of options when it comes to finding friends for play dates and get-togethers. Get to know new families at the Marbles Kids Museum or try out the historic carousel and train at Pullen Park.”

• Washington, D.C. – Rent.com says: “The nation’s capital city offers a wide breadth of romantic opportunities for newlyweds to enjoy depending on what strikes their fancy – everything from cultural excursions (the Smithsonian), to political events, to walking through slices of history at every street corner.  With a high mean annual income, newlyweds are more likely to be able to enjoy all that the city offers.”

• San Jose, Calif. – Rent.com says: “San Jose reigns supreme in the percentage of married households with almost 55% percent of households led by married couples and the highest annual mean income available across our list at $69,000 a year.  As the largest city within Silicon Valley, it is no wonder the young and flexible set up shop for both business and a prospective family.”

• Minneapolis, Minn. – Rent.com says: “The City of Lakes is a great spot for newlyweds to settle down. With an above average mean income rate, newlyweds can take advantage of all that the city has to offer, including the romantic views off Lake Harriet or the Minnesota Fringe Festival.”

• San Diego, Calif. – Rent.com says: “The second largest city in California offers newlyweds a myriad of options for entertainment to enjoy together – everything from a bustling downtown scene to a gorgeous beach life to iconic landmarks such as the San Diego Zoo is sure to keep couples hopping. Not to mention, San Diego is close enough to many other landmarks in California for loads of mini-romantic, weekend getaways.”

• Charlotte, N.C. – Rent.com says: “Don’t let its Southern charm fool you, Charlotte is a hot-bed of activity as the second largest financial center in the U.S. after New York City in terms of assets due to the headquarters of Bank of America and the East coast operations of Wells Fargo. Despite these titans of industry making Charlotte their own, the cost of living is fairly low and newlyweds can enjoy all that the city has to offer.”

• Tulsa, Okla. – Rent.com says: “With the lowest cost of living on our list, Tulsa offers newlyweds a great foothold when it comes to stepping out on their own. As the cultural capital of the state, newlyweds can experience the ballet, the opera, several major museums and even be immersed in nature via the Tulsa Garden Center or the nearby Ozark Mountains.”

Source: Forbes

June 2013 Downtown Dimension Highlights

Here are my notes from the latest edition of Downtown Dimension:

• Summer is going to be filled with several Downtown events:
• Dine Downtown goes from June 21-30
• Starlight Cinemas starts June 12th and ends on August 21st with the 5th annual Zombie-O-Rama.
• Music in the Park returns for one day on July 19th
• The Downtown Farmer's Market is open every Friday from 10am to 2pm through November 15th on San Pedro Street.
• The 33rd annual Fountain Blues Festival kicks off on July 20th at St. James Park.
• San Jose Jazz Summer Fest is scheduled from Aug. 9-11th.
• Three new restaurants are opening soon:
• The Farmers Union gastro-pub and sports lounge is taking a huge corner space at 151 W. Santa Clara St. and will feature a wood-fired oven, 20 HD TVs, and over 50 beers on tap.
• Blackbird Tavern will be coming to 200 S. First St. with a diverse menu of fresh pub food and French bistro favorites. Live music will also be a key attraction here.
• Orchestria Palm Court is opening their doors at 27 E. William next to the San Jose Stage and will have some very unique music machines to entertain diners.
• Chef Mo's Cafe is open at 261 N. Second St. in the Germania Hall and is serving artisan Braunschwiger, German salami and chicken sandwiches, spinach and berry salad with mango chutney, and several other options.
• Downtown Doors is expanding to a total of 80 sites throughout Downtown (21 new sites!)
• Downtown San Jose is getting enhanced security patrols courtesy of the PBID district program (Groundwerx). Two officers are scheduled for 32 hours each week to deter "quality of life" crimes such as trespassing, vandalism, and drinking in public.

To read the full newsletter, click here!

Misora @ Santana Row Set to Open on October 2013

The newest luxury rental home project at Santana Row is just about ready. Phase 1 consists of 212 homes which will range from 456 SQFT studios (a first for Santana Row) all the way up to 2,780 SQFT penthouse suites. There will be high-end outdoor amenities like a 75-foot lap pool, Baja pool, sun lounge, spa, outdoor BBA, al fresco dining, a roof-level pet park, and landscaped gardens. Indoor, they will have a wine cellar with lockers, billiard and gaming tables, a fitness studio, a serenity lunge, a private cinema, cafe, conference center, and a concierge. Construction began in Feb 2012, pre-leasing happens later this month, and move-ins should start in October.

Open Forum: Homelessness in San Jose

Okay, today we're going to do things a little bit differently. There is no real post, just an open topic for discussion on one of the worst problems San Jose faces (especially Downtown) as well as many other Silicon Valley cities... homelessness. There are at least 7,000 homeless people living in the San Jose metro right now. What should we do about it?

Should we follow the San Francisco route and put millions and millions of dollars into programs supporting the homeless, even going so far as to make it fully legal for people to sleep in public places like parks (proposed law), or will that just attract more homeless people? Should we go the New York route and do everything possible to get homeless out of the city, or is that immoral? They even went so far as to ban food donations to homeless shelters, which was also done in several Texas cities. Or perhaps is there some middle ground, such as taking good care of all homeless that were born in the San Jose area, but asking everyone else to leave.

There is no right or wrong answer, this is an open topic and I just want to hear your thoughts.

Downtown San Jose Walking Tours Return this Weekend!

If you haven't been on one of these walking tours yet, I would highly recommend checking this out even if you live Downtown and think you know everything about the area. The tour guides were as entertaining as they were informative, and the whole experience was a lot of fun! This next tour starts and ends at the San Pedro Square Market and is scheduled to begin right before lunch (11am) this Saturday. More info below:

JUNE BLOOMS DOWNTOWN WITH SAN PEDRO SQUARE WALKING TOUR THIS WEEKEND

This weekend enjoy a great opportunity to discover some of the unknown stories of San Jose and also support San Jose Walks & Talks, whose aim is to help students uncover some of their hidden talents as they prepare for their future careers.

This Saturday our one-hour Adobe to Adobe walking tour will start from the Peralta Adobe in San Pedro Square and visit some well known and some unknown downtown sites. Along the way student-guides tell some of the historic, funny, tragic and surprising stories of San Jose. Our guides are local San Jose students who’ve done their homework about the city of San Jose. Our guests are local residents and a few tourists… just about anyone who enjoys a walk and a talk.

If this weekend doesn’t fit into your schedule future tours can be booked in advance for your group, large or small, by contacting us at www.sanjosewalksandtalks.org  Go to our contact page to email us directly and we’ll be back in touch right away.

Our tours start in various neighborhoods downtown and are designed as a circular. Most tours cover somewhere between 2 to 3 miles and the starting location and time is sent to you by email confirmation. Public tours for individuals are currently free of charge but we hope if you enjoy the tour you’ll consider tipping the student guides. For private groups there is a nominal charge – contact us for more details.

Downtown San Jose Courthouse Funded and Breaking Ground Next Month

Santa Clara County is building a brand new $230 million Family Justice Center bordering St. James Park. The building will only be eight-stories tall, but will take up nearly a quarter million square feet on the block bound by West St. James, North First, DeVine, and North Market. The building will contain 20 court rooms and consolidate various courts throughout the San Jose area. This will also open multiple new development opportunities throughout Downtown.

Groundbreaking is scheduled to happen on July 16th!

Source: SJBJ

HP Pavilion will be Renamed SAP Center

Software giant SAP is going to be taking over naming rights for the HP Pavilion, which was previously the Compaq Center and the San Jose Arena before that. The founder of SAP happens to be the majority owner of the Sharks, so it makes sense. The city is going to receive $1.675 million each year for the five year term of the contract and the Sharks will receive an equal amount.

I have to be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the name. Instead of calling it "S-A-P" Center, I can see people calling it the "sap" Center. What is the urban dictionary definition of a sap?  

A fool; someone who is prone to being taken advantage of, or who has been taken advantage of, usually in a situation that is easily perceived by others as foolhardy.

So based on branding implications alone, I prefer the HP Pavilion. I think I'll just continue to call it the Shark Tank or San Jose Arena for now. What do you guys think?

Source: The Merc

Saturday Stats: Santa Clara County is Growing the Fastest in California

There was a substantial population boom in Silicon Valley during 2012. Santa Clara County grew by an astounding 1.6% over the year, more than any other major county in all of California. The state average for population growth was half that at 0.8%. San Mateo, Alameda, and San Francisco also grew by over 1% but nothing matched Santa Clara County. This is great news. Since there is very little room for sprawl left in the Valley, as population grows our cities are becoming more dense. As density rises, the average cost of delivering services to residents should decrease while the market for world-class amenities increases. Congestion will also increase, but that will hopefully push government to improve public transit infrastructure throughout Santa Clara County.

Source: SVBJ