Almaden Valley, San Jose facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Almaden Spanish: Almadén
Neighborhood of San Jose
Almaden Valley Spanish: Valle de Almadén
Clockwise: panorama of Almaden Valley; the Old Almaden Winery; Almaden Lake Park; New Almaden Historic District; Almaden Lake Park.
Almaden Location in San Jose, California
Country	United States
State	California
County	Santa Clara
City	San Jose
Zip Code	95120

Almaden Valley (which means Valley of Almadén in Spanish), often just called Almaden, is a neighborhood in San Jose, California. It is located in the southern part of San Jose. This valley is surrounded by the Santa Cruz Mountains to the west and the Santa Teresa Hills to the east.

Almaden gets its name from an old Spanish mining town called Almadén. Its history goes back to the 1820s. At that time, Mexican miners found mercury here. This discovery led to the creation of the New Almaden mines. Almaden Valley is known for its many parks. It is also one of the most expensive places to live in San Jose and even in the whole country.

History

Almaden was first home to the Tamien nation, a group of Ohlone people. They lived here before the Spanish arrived. The Ohlone people used a red mineral called cinnabar from this area. They used it to make paint.

During the time when Mexico controlled California, the Almaden area was split into two large land grants. These were called Rancho San Vicente and Rancho Los Capitancillos. Later, two more ranchos, Rancho Cañada de los Capitancillos and Rancho Cañada de Oro, were created from these original lands.

Nueva Almadén: The Mercury Mines

The Hacienda de Beneficio in New Almaden in 1852.

A view of Almaden Valley around 1847–1852.

Almaden Valley's story began in the early 1800s in its southernmost part, now called New Almaden. In the 1820s, people tried to mine for silver here. For example, Don Antonio Suñol and Luis Chaboya tried in 1824.

However, it was in 1845 that quicksilver (mercury) was successfully found. A Mexican cavalry captain named Andrés Castillero found it. He got permission to mine the area. Castillero later sold his mining rights to Alexander Forbes. Forbes was the British Consul to Mexican California. The area was named after the ancient Spanish mining town of Almadén. Mercury had been mined there since Roman times.

Mercury was taken from the New Almaden mines for a very long time. This happened from the California Gold Rush until 1975. Many street names in Almaden still remind us of these mines. Examples are Silver Lode Lane and Silver Mine Drive. You can also find "Quicksilver" in many local names.

After the American Takeover

The Old Almaden Winery, started in 1852, was California's first commercial winery.

After the United States took control of California, many people moved to Almaden Valley. They came from the East Coast and Europe.

In 1852, Charles LeFranc started Almaden Vineyards. This was California's first commercial winery. He used grape cuttings from France. After the time of Prohibition (when alcohol was illegal), the winery became very successful. They made popular pink wines like blush wine and White Grenache Rosé. Almaden Vineyards later moved its winery to Madera, California. The original site is now the Old Almaden Winery. It is a public park and a California Historical Landmark.

In the late 1800s, Almaden also had the Graystone Quarry. This was a very important quarry in the Bay Area. Stone from here was used to build famous places. These include San Francisco City Hall and Stanford University. Today, the area where the quarry was is a neighborhood called Pfeiffer. It is named after the quarry's stone master, Jacob Pfeiffer.

The 20th Century

A community picnic in 1908 at the Casa Grande in New Almaden.

In 1959, the Regents of the University of California chose Almaden Valley for a new university campus. But property prices went up so fast that they could not afford the land. So, they chose a different location. This new campus opened in 1965 as the University of California, Santa Cruz.

In 1968, Calero County Park was created. It is around Calero Lake in southern Almaden. Calero Lake itself was made in 1935 by damming Arroyo Calero.

The New Almaden mines closed in 1975 after 135 years. Santa Clara County Parks bought the land around the mines. They turned it into a regional park. Almaden Quicksilver County Park opened a few years later. The area was cleaned up first. It is now a National Historic Landmark and a California Historical Landmark.

Geography

Almaden Lake Park.

Almaden is southeast of Los Gatos. It is southwest of Blossom Valley. It is also west of Santa Teresa.

The Santa Teresa Hills are to Almaden's east. They separate it from Santa Teresa. The Capitancillos Hills of the Sierra Azul are to Almaden's west and south.

Important neighborhoods inside Almaden Valley include New Almaden and Calero.

Mount Umunhum, in the Sierra Azul, used to be the site of the Almaden Air Force Station.

Almaden Valley includes all areas within the 95120 zip code. A zip code is a postal code used by the United States Post Office.

Parks

Almaden Quicksilver County Park seen from the Guadalupe Reservoir.

A view of the Calero neighborhood in Almaden Valley. In the center are Calero Lake and Calero County Park.

Almaden Valley has more than 15 parks. This includes 3 county parks, 3 lakes, 1 regional park, and several neighborhood parks.

Trails

Almaden Valley has many trails for hiking and exploring:

• Los Alamitos Creek Trail is 9.4 miles long. It goes out and back.
• Almaden Lake Loop Trail is a 1.4-mile loop around the lake.
• Almaden Quicksilver County Park has 4163 acres with many trails.
• Calero Creek Trail and Mine Trail offer 18 miles of unpaved hiking trails.
• Guadalupe Creek Trail is 1.7 miles long.
• Mount Umunhum trail is 7.7 miles long. It goes to the top of the mountain in the Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve.
• Senador Mine Trail, Mine Hill Trail, and Castillero Trail form a 12.7-mile path.
• Webb Canyon, New Almaden, Cinnabar, Mine Hill, Randol and Prospect #3 Loop Trail is 5.4 miles long.
• New Almaden, Mine Hill and Guadalupe Trail Loop is a 13.6-mile loop trail.

The Bay Area Ridge Trail also passes through Almaden Valley. This is a very long trail, 550 miles, for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. It goes around the ridgelines of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Economy

Almaden is an important part of Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley is a region in California known for its many high-tech companies. Almaden is home to the IBM Almaden Research Center. This center has helped discover and develop many new technologies.

Demographics

Saint Basil the Great Church.

Almaden is mostly a wealthy residential area. This means many people live in homes here. The average income for a household in Almaden Valley is $235,212 per year.

In 2019, Almaden Valley had a population of 38,122 people. There were 12,877 homes.

The population was made up of different groups:

• 54.4% White
• 36.4% Asian
• 7.1% Hispanic or Latino
• 1.9% African American
• 0.3% Native American
• 5.7% from two or more races
• 1.2% of some other race

About 24.7% of the people were children under 18. About 55.7% were adults aged 18 to 64. And 19.5% were adults aged 65 or older. The average age was 46.3 years.

Education

Leland High School.

Almaden Branch Library of the San José Public Library.

Students in Almaden Valley go to schools in three different school districts. These are the San José Unified School District, Campbell Union School District, and Los Gatos Union School District. Most neighborhoods are in the San José Unified School District. Some parts are in the Campbell Union School District or the Los Gatos Union School District.

The Almaden Branch Library of the San José Public Library serves Almaden Valley.

Schools in Almaden include:

Public schools

• Leland High School
• Pioneer High School
• Bret Harte Middle School
• Castillero Middle School
• Dartmouth Middle School

Private schools

• Almaden Country Day School (Kindergarten to 8th grade)
• Holy Spirit School (Kindergarten to 8th grade)

Culture

Almaden hosts several fun events each year. These include the Almaden Art & Wine Festival and the Almaden Harvest Festival. There is also the San Jose Water Lantern Festival.

Sporting events held here include the Quicksilver Endurance Runs and the Quicksilver Trail Challenge.

Landmarks

Casa Grande

Casa Grande, home of the New Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum.

Casa Grande was built in 1854. Henry Halleck, the mine's manager, lived and worked here until 1920. John McLaren, who helped design Golden Gate Park, designed the five acres of gardens around the house.

In 1997, Santa Clara County bought the building. They wanted to open the Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum there. The museum had started as a private collection by Constance Perham. The new museum opened in 1998. The building was renovated from 2009 to 2010. It was restored to look like it did when it was the mine manager's home. It reopened in 2011. It now has exhibits about the history of the New Almaden mines. It also shows what life was like for the miners and their families.

Hacienda Hotel

The historic Hacienda Hotel, now home to La Forêt, a famous French restaurant.

In the mid-1800s, Andres Castillera found cinnabar (quicksilver) in New Almaden. This made him very rich. Many miners came to New Almaden to find quicksilver too.

In 1848, a boarding house was built by the creek in New Almaden. It was a place for miners to stay. Hot meals were served downstairs. This was the first two-story lodging in California. A fire destroyed the building in 1875. But it was rebuilt and stayed open until the 1930s.

It then became Cafe Del Rio. This cafe served New Almaden for almost 40 years.

In 1992, a fancy French restaurant called La Foret opened in the building. The restaurant is still open today. It is a well-known landmark in San Jose. It is famous across the Bay Area for its fine dining.

New Almaden Historic District

Old Watchtower of New Almaden.

A school with two teachers was built in the 1860s near Casa Grande. Most students came from the Hacienda area and nearby farms. One of the oldest buildings is the Carson-Perham Adobe. Mexican miners built it between 1848 and 1850. It later became the home of George Carson, who worked for the mine company. Constance Perham lived in the adobe house for many years. She started a private museum there in 1949. Her collections were bought by Santa Clara County in 1983.

Transportation

Roads

Almaden Expressway is the main road that goes through Almaden Valley. It connects Almaden to the rest of Santa Clara Valley. You can get to the West Valley Freeway (CA 85) and the Guadalupe Freeway (CA 87) from it.

Blossom Hill Road is another important road. It goes through Almaden and connects to South San Jose and Los Gatos.

Rail

The Almaden Station of the VTA Light Rail.

Until 2019, the Almaden station was the main light rail connection. Light rail is a type of public transport. Since it closed, the closest station is Ohlone/Chynoweth station. This station is on the VTA blue line.

Media

• Almaden Times is a weekly newspaper. It has been serving Almaden Valley since 1986.
• Almaden Resident is also a weekly newspaper. It has been serving Almaden Valley since 2004.

Popular culture

• Angle of Repose is a 1971 novel that won a big award, the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Part of the story takes place in New Almaden.
• Aparajita Tumi is an Indian movie from 2012. It is a drama film set in Almaden Valley.
• The Tillman Story is a 2010 documentary. It is about Pat Tillman, who grew up in Almaden Valley. He was a football player who left his career to join the Army.

Notable Residents

Pat Tillman, a famous NFL player and Army Ranger.

Evan Low, a California State Assemblyman.

Here are some famous people who have lived in Almaden Valley:

• Alan Chang — A talented pianist and songwriter.
• Brent Jones – A former American football player for the San Francisco 49ers.
• Count Five — A rock band from the 1960s.
• Dave Hoffmann - A professional football player.
• Dave Righetti — A professional baseball player and coach.
• David E. Osborne — An author and advisor to the Clinton administration.
• Evan Low – A member of the California State Assembly and former Mayor of Campbell, California.
• Jason Hardtke – A former professional baseball player.
• Jerry Hsu – A professional skateboarder.
• Joe Murray – The creator of TV shows like Rocko's Modern Life.
• Kevin Pollak — An actor, impressionist, and comedian.
• Yubin – A singer and actress, formerly in the group Wonder Girls.
• Pat Tillman – A former American football player. He famously left a multi-million dollar contract to join the United States Army after the September 11, 2001 attacks. He was killed in Afghanistan. The football stadium at Leland High School is named Tillman Stadium after him.
• Reggie Smith – A former NBA basketball player.
• Rob Becker — A playwright.
• Steven Beitashour – A Major League Soccer player.
• Steve Finn — A philanthropist and former mayor.
• Steve Smith – An astronaut who has spent a lot of time on spacewalks.

See Also

• New Almaden