140-640: The VTA light rail system serves San Jose and nearby cities in Santa Clara County, California . It is operated by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and has 42.2 miles (67.9 km) of network comprising three main lines on standard gauge tracks. Originally opened on December 11, 1987, the light rail system has expanded since then, and currently has 60 stations in operation. The light rail system has been criticized for being one of
280-673: A 1975 law established the San Diego Metropolitan Transit Development Board (MTDB) with a clear mission: design, construct and operate a guideway transit system. The entire process was assigned to MTDB to assure accountability. The legislation was written and supported by State Senator James R. Mills , the President Pro Tem during this period and a strong transit advocate. The MTDB formally started operations on January 1, 1976. The MTDB's enabling legislation and principles adopted by
420-553: A cause for the accident. An investigation indicated human error ("the train traveling southbound stopped over the switch and reversed, which are violations of operating rules"). On May 26, 2021, a mass shooting occurred at a VTA rail yard in San Jose, California . Ten people, including the gunman, were killed during the shooting. It is the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the San Francisco Bay Area . As
560-487: A center of innovation for the mechanization and industrialization of agricultural and food processing equipment. Though not affected as severely as San Francisco, San Jose also suffered significant damage from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake . Over 100 people died at the Agnews Asylum (later Agnews State Hospital) after its walls and roof collapsed, and San Jose High School's three-story stone-and-brick building
700-529: A large administrative division created by José de Gálvez , Spanish Minister of the Indies , in order to provide greater autonomy for the Spanish Empire 's borderlands. That year, King Carlos III of Spain approved an expedition by Juan Bautista de Anza to survey the San Francisco Bay Area , in order to choose the sites for two future settlements and their accompanying mission . De Anza initially chose
840-628: A line that traveled between downtown San Diego, San Ysidro, northern Baja California (in Mexico), and Imperial County before connecting with the rest of the SP system in Plaster City, California . The hurricane caused $ 1.3 million worth of damage to the line ($ 6.96 million adjusted for inflation), primarily in Imperial County, east of San Diego. Freight service was suspended, and in light of
980-493: A mass shooting occurred at the VTA light rail yard (Guadalupe Division) . Ten people, including the gunman, were killed during the shooting, the deadliest in the history of the San Francisco Bay Area . As a result of the shooting, the entire light rail system was shut down for months. The system partially restarted on August 30, 2021, and fully restarted on September 18, 2021. VTA's light rail system has been criticized for being one of
1120-481: A national land conservation organization, reported that San Jose was tied with Albuquerque and Omaha for having the 11th best park system among the 50 most populous U.S. cities. A 2011 study by Walk Score ranked San Jose the nineteenth most walkable of 50 largest cities in the United States. San Jose's trail network of 60 mi (100 km) of recreational and active transportation trails throughout
1260-518: A new signalling system that would allow two freight trains to operate at night, rather than one. To enable the switch to a low-floor light rail vehicle (LRV) fleet, platforms at 35 stations would need to be raised from either ground level or sidewalk level (4-inch (102 mm)) to 6-inch (152 mm). Stations also needed a new "safety edge tile" with a smooth surface in the center to allow wheelchair ramps to deploy (the existing safety tile would stop ramps from fully deploying). The other complication of
1400-612: A political propensity toward Smart Growth planning principles. San Jose is located at 37°20′10″N 121°53′26″W / 37.33611°N 121.89056°W / 37.33611; -121.89056 . San Jose is located within the Santa Clara Valley , in the southern part of the Bay Area in Northern California. The northernmost portion of San Jose touches San Francisco Bay at Alviso , though most of
1540-440: A rapid population growth and aggressive annexation of nearby cities and communities carried out in the 1950s and 1960s. The rapid growth of the high-technology and electronics industries further accelerated the transition from an agricultural center to an urbanized metropolitan area. Results of the 1990 U.S. census indicated that San Jose had officially surpassed San Francisco as the most populous city in Northern California. By
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#17327651956021680-424: A result of the shooting, service was suspended indefinitely across the light rail system and returned in stages throughout August and September. The system was initially envisioned as a loop and spoke system, with commuters riding a circular outer route before transferring to radial lines to reach their destinations. With about 40% of the original plans realized as of 2023, future developments are expected to complete
1820-696: A seasonal vintage trolley service called the Holly Trolley . This trolley, a joint project of the VTA and the California Trolley and Railroad Corporation , began operations in December 2012. As of December 2018, it operated between Civic Center and the San Jose Caltrain stations. However, for the 2019 season, it only operated between Civic Center and Convention Center station (VTA) stations. Unusually for light rail systems in
1960-745: A second line on March 23, 1986, that shared the same downtown tracks and traveled east to Euclid Avenue on the La Mesa Branch of the SD&;AE. The new route was then called the Euclid Line (part of today's Orange Line ). This line was extended to El Cajon by June 23, 1989, at which time it was renamed the East Line. Service was expanded beyond the old SD&AE right-of-way when the line was extended further, north, to Santee on August 26, 1995. The East Line's Bayside Connection extension to
2100-506: A southbound 2-car light rail train derailed just north of the Virginia station. Four people, including the train operator, were injured, and the train was heavily damaged. At the time of the accident, trains were operating on a single track through the area because of construction at three nearby light rail stations. The train involved was attempting to switch between tracks when it derailed. VTA ruled out mechanical or equipment failure as
2240-532: A week. Limited service on particular segments is provided before 5 am and after 11:30 pm. There is no rail service between 2 am and 4 am. During these hours when there is no passenger service, freight trains of the San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad operate on the trolley's right of way. Generally, trains operate every 15 minutes, seven days a week, with less frequent service during early morning and late evening hours. Additional service on
2380-565: Is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The trolley operates as a critical component of MTS, with connections to and integrated travel tickets with the local bus systems. The trolley system serves 62 stations , over about 67.9 miles (109.3 km) of route, using four primary lines ( Blue , Green , Orange , and Copper ) that operate daily, and a "downtown loop" heritage streetcar line ( Silver ) that operates on holidays. There
2520-569: Is home to one of the world's largest overseas Vietnamese populations, a Hispanic community that makes up over 40% of the city's residents, and historic ethnic enclaves such as Japantown and Little Portugal . Before the arrival of the Spanish , the area around San Jose was long inhabited by the Tamien nation of the Ohlone peoples of California . San Jose was founded on November 29, 1777, as
2660-403: Is one downtown station where all the lines connect, and 13 other stations that provide transfers to a second line (two of these also provide connections to commuter rail systems). The trolley began service on July 26, 1981, making it the oldest of the second-generation light rail systems in the United States, and the success of the system helped spark a nationwide revival of light rail. In 2023,
2800-626: Is seen in the Central Valley . "Rain year" precipitation has ranged from 4.83 in (122.7 mm) between July 1876 and June 1877 to 30.30 in (769.6 mm) between July 1889 and June 1890, although at the current site since 1893 the range is from 5.33 in (135.4 mm) in "rain year" 2020–21 to 30.25 in (768.3 mm) in "rain year" 1982–83. 2020-2021 was the lowest precipitation year ever, in 127 years of precipitation records in San Jose. The most precipitation in one month
2940-561: Is shaken by moderate earthquakes on average one or two times a year. These quakes originate just east of the city on the creeping section of the Calaveras Fault, which is a major source of earthquake activity in Northern California. On April 14, 1984, at 1:15 pm local time, a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck the Calaveras Fault near San Jose's Mount Hamilton. The most serious earthquake, in 1906, damaged many buildings in San Jose as described earlier. Earlier significant quakes rocked
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#17327651956023080-608: Is the Washington-Guadalupe neighborhood, immediately south of the SoFA District ; this neighborhood is home to a community of Hispanics , centered on Willow Street. San Jose possesses about 15,950 acres (6,455 ha) of parkland in its city limits, including a part of the expansive Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge . The city's oldest park is Alum Rock Park , established in 1872. In its 2013 ParkScore ranking, The Trust for Public Land ,
3220-561: Is the county seat of Santa Clara County and the main component of the San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara Metropolitan Statistical Area, with an estimated population of around two million residents in 2018. San Jose is notable for its innovation , cultural diversity, affluence , and sunny and mild Mediterranean climate . Its connection to the booming high tech industry phenomenon known as Silicon Valley prompted Mayor Tom McEnery to adopt
3360-785: The Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe , the first city founded in the Californias . It became a part of Mexico in 1821 after the Mexican War of Independence . Following the American Conquest of California during the Mexican–American War , the territory was ceded to the United States in 1848. After California achieved statehood two years later, San Jose was designated as the state's first capital. Following World War II , San Jose experienced an economic boom, with
3500-610: The Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe by José Joaquín Moraga , under orders of Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa , Viceroy of New Spain . San Jose served as a strategic settlement along El Camino Real , connecting the military fortifications at the Monterey Presidio and the San Francisco Presidio , as well as the California mission network . In 1791, due to the severe flooding which characterized
3640-492: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and federal formula funds. The "Trolley Renewal Project" would entail several improvements. Each station would get larger shelters to provide more protection from sun and rain, new benches, and digital "next arrival" signs. Worn-out infrastructure was replaced as needed, including rails, ties, catenary wires, power lines and electrical substations. The project also included
3780-623: The Bay Area and the San Jose–San Francisco–Oakland Combined Statistical Area —which in 2022 had a population of 7.5 million and 9.0 million respectively —the third-most populous city in California after Los Angeles and San Diego , and the 13th-most populous in the United States . Located in the center of the Santa Clara Valley on the southern shore of San Francisco Bay , San Jose covers an area of 179.97 sq mi (466.1 km ). San Jose
3920-685: The California Trail as part of the Bartleson Party and later acquired a fortune, was the city's first mayor. San Jose was briefly California's first state capital, and legislators met in the city from 1849 to 1851. ( Monterey was the capital during the period of Spanish California and Mexican California ). The first capitol no longer exists; the Plaza de César Chávez now lies on the site, which has two historical markers indicating where California's state legislature first met. In
4060-771: The Californian coast . During this time Alta California and the Baja California peninsula were administered together as Province of the Californias (Spanish: Provincia de las Californias ). For nearly 200 years, the Californias remained a distant frontier region largely controlled by the numerous Native Nations and largely ignored by the government of the Viceroyalty of New Spain in Mexico City . Shifting power dynamics in North America—including
4200-615: The Capitol Corridor trains; Milpitas station offers a connection to the BART system; and Metro/Airport station offers a connection to the San Jose International Airport via VTA Bus route 60 . The system is mostly double-tracked with overhead catenary wires. It variously runs along the medians of former railroad rights of way, freeways and surface streets, and pedestrian malls. The Almaden shuttle
4340-806: The First Mexican Empire in 1821, after Mexico's War of Independence was won against the Spanish Crown , and in 1824, part of the First Mexican Republic . With its newfound independence, and the triumph of the republican movement, Mexico set out to diminish the Catholic Church 's power within Alta California by secularizing the California missions in 1833. In 1824, in order to promote settlement and economic activity within sparsely populated California,
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4480-635: The Green Line . The line also featured the first low-floor trolley vehicles, that allow passengers to board without climbing stairs and allowed passengers using wheelchairs to use a small bridge plate instead of the slower lifts on the older trains. But, the new vehicles could only operate on the Green Line, forcing passengers heading between Mission Valley and downtown San Diego to change trains in Old Town. (This restriction no longer applies.) In
4620-677: The M113 Armored Personnel Carrier , the Bradley Fighting Vehicle , and various subsystems of the M1 Abrams battle tank. IBM established its first West Coast operations in San Jose in 1943 with a downtown punch card plant, and opened an IBM Research lab in 1952. Reynold B. Johnson and his team developed direct access storage for computers, inventing the RAMAC 305 and the hard disk drive ;
4760-566: The Ohlone people since around 4,000 BC . The Tamien spoke Tamyen language of the Ohlone language family . During the era of Spanish colonization and the subsequent building of Spanish missions in California , the Tamien people's lives changed dramatically. From 1777 onward, most of the Tamien people were forcibly enslaved at Mission Santa Clara de Asís or Mission San José where they were baptized and educated to be Catholic neophytes , also known as Mission Indians . This continued until
4900-670: The San Diego Convention Center and Gaslamp Quarter opened on June 30, 1990. Later in the decade, the South Line was extended to the north, reaching Little Italy on July 2, 1992, and Old Town on June 16, 1996. The system was further expanded east from the Old Town station as the Mission Valley Line, which opened on November 23, 1997. It proceeded eastward from Old Town to Fashion Valley Mall , Mission Valley Mall, and San Diego Stadium . At
5040-638: The Santa Cruz Mountains flowing north through San Jose, ending in the San Francisco Bay at Alviso . Along the southern part of the river is the neighborhood of Almaden Valley , originally named for the mercury mines which produced mercury needed for gold extraction from quartz during the California Gold Rush as well as mercury fulminate blasting caps and detonators for the U.S. military from 1870 to 1945. East of
5180-776: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo formally ceded California to the United States, as part of the Mexican Cession . On December 15, 1849, San Jose became the capital of the unorganized territory of California . With California's Admission to the Union on September 9, 1850, San Jose became the state's first capital. On March 27, 1850, San Jose was incorporated . It was incorporated on the same day as San Diego and Benicia ; together, these three cities followed Sacramento as California's earliest incorporated cities. Josiah Belden , who had settled in California in 1842 after traversing
5320-583: The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego) campus, three major hospitals on (and adjacent to) the campus, and Westfield UTC mall. Construction began in October 2016, and train testing on the line began in late June 2021. The Mid-Coast extension opened on November 21, 2021. The Blue Line was re-extended north from its original northern terminus at America Plaza to run through five existing stations (up to and including its pre-2012 terminus,
5460-496: The heritage streetcar Silver Line , operates more limited weekday and weekend service, in a clockwise 'circle-loop' around downtown San Diego only (this is an overlay of existing parts of other lines in downtown). The San Diego Trolley system has 62 operational stations serving its three major Trolley lines ( Blue , Green , and Orange ), as well as the Copper Line shuttle and limited-service Silver Line . Thirteen of
5600-593: The 1846 Bear Flag Revolt , Captain Thomas Fallon led nineteen volunteers from Santa Cruz to the pueblo of San Jose, which his forces easily captured. The raising of the flag of the California Republic ended Mexican rule in Alta California on July 14, 1846. By the end of 1847, the Conquest of California by the United States was complete, as the Mexican–American War came to an end. In 1848,
5740-448: The 1960s and 1970s, some residents and officials advocated for returning to the original spelling of "San José", with the acute accent on the "e", to acknowledge the city's Mexican origin and Mexican-American population. On June 2, 1969, the city adopted a flag designed by historian Clyde Arbuckle that prominently featured the inscription "SAN JOSÉ, CALIFORNIA". On June 16, 1970, San Jose State College officially adopted "San José" as
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5880-504: The 1990s, San Jose had become the global center for the high tech and internet industries and was California's fastest-growing economy for 2015–2016. Between April 2020 and July 2022, San Jose lost 42,000 people, 4.1% of its population, dropping to 12th, and then 13th largest city position in largest city ranking. San Jose is named after el Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe ( Spanish for 'the Town of Saint Joseph of Guadalupe '),
6020-459: The 21 sub-leased vehicles at $ 1,000 each. UTA subsequently exercised its purchase option for the 29 sub-leased vehicles in 2017. 28 of the UTA vehicles, renumbered 1042–1069, were sold at auction on December 26, 2017. The UTA cars were withdrawn from service in 2018. In 2002, VTA introduced a fleet of 100 new Kinki Sharyo low-floor LRVs. The Kinki Sharyo LRVs are equipped with a low floor over 70% of
6160-523: The Blue Line between America Plaza and San Ysidro boosts frequency to every 7.5 minutes during weekdays. The San Diego Trolley operates on a proof-of-payment system. Passengers must have proof of fare (ticket or pass) before boarding. Self-serve ticket-vending machines located at each station sell one-way paper tickets and passes (one day and monthly) on the Pronto Card . (An older fare card that
6300-643: The Blue Line) was completed by January 27, 2015, The project, including remaining station and track renovations, was completed in late 2015. In 2011, SANDAG received key approval for the Mid-coast extension of the Blue Line , running from Old Town Transit Center 11 miles (17.7 km) north to the University City community, serving major activity and employment centers such as Mission Bay Park,
6440-536: The Board required the planning give added weight to systems that satisfy a number of criteria: priority consideration for technologies available and in use, a system that is capable of being brought into operation incrementally, and using rights-of-way owned by public entities to minimize construction costs. In December 1976, the MTDB launched its 18-month Guideway Planning Project to be held in two phases. Phase 1 involved
6580-755: The British/American victory and acquisition of North America, east of the Mississippi following the 1763 Treaty of Paris , as well as the start of Russian colonization of northwestern North America — prompted Spanish/Mexican authorities to sponsor the Portolá Expedition to survey Northern California in 1769. In 1776, the Californias were included as part of the Captaincy General of the Provincias Internas ,
6720-440: The Grand Jury recommended the VTA board to abandon its plans for an extension of the Orange Line to the Eastridge Transit Center (see: Capitol Expressway extension section ). The US$ 453 million project would attract approximately 611 new riders (after considering the reduction in ridership on the existing parallel bus lines). The board rejected that recommendation saying that the project had been approved by voters. From 1987 when
6860-477: The Green Line, these are Fashion Valley Transit Center , Stadium , Mission San Diego , and Grantville . There is just one trolley station in the system that is underground – SDSU Transit Center – also on the Green Line. About half of San Diego Trolley stations offer free park and ride lots. Most trolley stations offer connections to MTS bus lines . The San Diego Trolley's four main lines operate regular service between 5 am and 11:30 pm, seven days
7000-399: The Guadalupe Line added rails in the median of California State Route 85 (West Valley Freeway) to a terminus at Santa Teresa station just off the freeway in South San Jose . Originally projected to be completed in late 1988, it was delayed for a two-year review and opened on April 25, 1991, with a scaled-down interchange between State Routes 85 and 87 and more sound walls. At the same time,
7140-428: The Guadalupe Line, broke ground in October 1986 and opened for revenue service on time on December 11, 1987, running between Old Ironsides station (near the Great America theme park and Silicon Valley office parks) and a temporary Civic Center station at First and Younger (near the junction to VTA's Guadalupe Division rail yard on Younger). The second phase opened about six months later on June 17, 1988 and extended
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#17327651956027280-422: The Guadalupe River each fall in the 1990s, but have all but vanished in the current decade apparently blocked from access to breeding grounds by impassable culverts, weirs and wide, exposed and flat concrete paved channels installed by the Santa Clara Valley Water District . In 2011 a small number of Chinook salmon were filmed spawning under the Julian Street bridge. Conservationist Roger Castillo, who discovered
7420-640: The Guadalupe River, Coyote Creek also flows to south San Francisco Bay and originates on Mount Sizer near Henry W. Coe State Park and the surrounding hills in the Diablo Range , northeast of Morgan Hill, California . The lowest point in San Jose is 13 ft (4.0 m) below sea level at the San Francisco Bay in Alviso; the highest is 2,125 ft (648 m). Because of the proximity to Lick Observatory atop Mount Hamilton, San Jose has taken several steps to reduce light pollution , including replacing all street lamps and outdoor lighting in private developments with low pressure sodium lamps . To recognize
7560-423: The Japantown/Ayer stop northward (with wooden ramps provided for the lead car's front door elsewhere), VTA replaced the entire fleet in 2003 with low-floor LRVs. Currently, all stations provide level boarding at all doors. Trains are usually coupled in two LRV consists, which was reduced to one during the COVID-19 pandemic , but has since been restored to two cars. On March 21, 2008, at approximately 7:10 p.m.,
7700-438: The MTDB established San Diego Trolley, Inc. to operate and maintain the new light rail system and on July 26, 1981, service began. Trains operated every 20 minutes (timed to meet at four passing tracks on the single track sections) between 5 am and 9 pm and carried approximately 10,000 passengers a day. In light of the strong ridership, construction of the second phase was started almost immediately, which involved double-tracking
7840-771: The Mexican government began an initiative, for Mexican and foreign citizens alike, to settle unoccupied lands in California. Between 1833 and 1845, thirty-eight rancho land grants were issued in the Santa Clara Valley , 15 of which were located within modern-day San Jose's borders. Numerous prominent historical figures were among those granted rancho lands in the Santa Valley, including James A. Forbes , founder of Los Gatos, California (granted Rancho Potrero de Santa Clara ), Antonio Suñol , Alcalde of San Jose (granted Rancho Los Coches ), and José María Alviso , Alcalde of San Jose (granted Rancho Milpitas ). In 1835, San Jose's population of approximately 700 people included 40 foreigners, primarily Americans and Englishmen . By 1845,
7980-404: The Old Town Transit Center), and continuing to nine new trolley stations: Tecolote Road, Clairemont Drive, Balboa Avenue, Nobel Drive, VA Medical Center, UCSD West/Pepper Canyon, UCSD East/Voigt Drive, Executive Drive, and UTC. The northern terminal station, UTC, is part of the UTC Transit Center, at Westfield UTC in the University City/UC San Diego area. In early 2024, the MTS proposed truncating
8120-419: The Orange Line was truncated to Santa Fe Depot and the Blue Line to America Plaza . The new alignment meant all lines now passed through downtown and created a universal transfer point for all lines at 12th & Imperial Transit Center. By January 9, 2013, all stations on the Orange Line had been rebuilt, allowing low-floor LRVs to begin service on a second line. Rebuilding of the remaining stations (all on
8260-706: The Pacific Ocean like San Francisco. As a result, the city is somewhat more sheltered from rain, barely avoiding a cold semi-arid ( BSk ) climate. Like most of the Bay Area, San Jose is made up of dozens of microclimates . Because of a more prominent rain shadow from the Santa Cruz Mountains, Downtown San Jose experiences the lightest rainfall in the city, while South San Jose, only 10 mi (16 km) distant, experiences more rainfall, and somewhat more extreme temperatures. The monthly daily average temperature ranges from around 50 °F (10 °C) in December and January to around 70 °F (21 °C) in July and August. The highest temperature ever recorded in San Jose
8400-465: The S70 US ("Ultra Short") which retains the low-floor design, but would be the same length as the older high-floor vehicles (80 feet (24 m)). The MTS and SANDAG agreed to purchase a total of 65 vehicles, which would arrive between September 2011 and January 27, 2015. However, there was not enough funding to replace all 123 high-floor cars at once. The decision was made to retire the original Siemens-Duewag U2 LRVs, and operate three-car trains with
8540-412: The SD&AE La Mesa Branch from downtown San Diego to El Cajon. With all the planning in place, construction of the 15.9-mile (25.6 km) "South Line" transit corridor (the southern portion of today's Blue Line ) was able to begin just one month after acquisition in December 1979 and would be accomplished in two phases. The first phase of the project cost $ 86 million, which included the purchase of
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#17327651956028680-421: The SD&AE corridor and purchasing 10 additional vehicles. Upon completion of double-tracking in February 1983, the total cost of the project was $ 116.6 million. The success of the San Diego Trolley would also spark a nationwide revival of light rail in the late 1980s, with lines built in several other mid-sized cities ( Buffalo , Denver , Portland , Sacramento and San Jose ). The San Diego Trolley added
8820-402: The SD&AE, 14 light rail vehicles, construction of a single-tracked electrified light rail line along the 14.2-mile (22.9 km) SD&AE Main Line and construction of a 1.7-mile (2.7 km) section of new street running tracks in downtown San Diego. To control costs, only minor rehabilitation was conducted on the SD&AE corridor, with the MTDB replacing about 40% of the ties, welding
8960-406: The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system, then under construction. Ultimately, the early studies went nowhere due to disagreements between stakeholders and a lack of funding. In 1975, the CPO published the Regional Transportation Plan which included a 58-mile (93 km) intermediate capacity fixed guideway system (an untested technology at the time) at a cost of $ 1.5 billion. In
9100-525: The Santa Clara Valley and, in turn, walling off the expansion of adjacent communities. During his reign, it was said the City Council would vote according to Hamann's nod. In 1963, the State of California imposed Local Agency Formation Commissions statewide, but largely to try to maintain order with San Jose's aggressive growth. Eventually the political forces against growth grew as local neighborhoods bonded together to elect their own candidates, ending Hamann's influence and leading to his resignation. While
9240-451: The Story station will include a pedestrian bridge. The US$ 453 million project was criticized in a 2019 report by the Civil Grand Jury of Santa Clara County (see: Criticism section ). The Grand Jury recommended the VTA board to abandon the extension because the project would attract approximately 611 new riders (after considering the reduction in ridership on the existing parallel bus lines). The board rejected that recommendation saying that
9380-444: The Tasman East and the Capitol extension, completed in 2004, brought service east to the Great Mall of the Bay Area and the Alum Rock Transit Center . On October 1, 2005, the first phase of the Vasona extension was completed, extending the system from downtown San Jose through San Jose Diridon station to the Winchester Transit Center along a former Union Pacific Railroad right of way. The agency had ambitious plans to expand
9520-427: The UTDC LRVs to other light rail operators for an initial 13-year term, with a renewal term of 9 years; VTA retains responsibility for LRV operation, maintenance, and insurance. 29 were sent to the Utah Transit Authority (UTA, $ 5.2 million rental payments), and 21 were sent to the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT, $ 4.1 million rental payments). In September 2013, RT exercised its option to purchase
9660-476: The United States, most VTA Light Rail stops are made by request . Similar to VTA's bus network, passengers must be visible to the operator while waiting at stations and must notify the operator using the bell before the train arrives at their destination. Trains will typically skip stops (other than line termini) if no one is waiting on the platform and no one requests to disembark. Lines run for 19 hours per day on weekdays, with headways of 15 minutes for most of
9800-417: The United States: San Jose, California San Jose , officially the City of San José ( Spanish for ' Saint Joseph ' / ˌ s æ n h oʊ ˈ z eɪ , - ˈ s eɪ / SAN hoh- ZAY , - SAY ; Spanish: [saŋ xoˈse] ), is the largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2022 population of 971,233, it is the most populous city in both
9940-417: The board selected light rail as the lone guideway transit technology to be studied (it would also be compared to several all-bus alternatives). In making the decision to pursue light rail, the MTBD board said it best followed the principles it laid out as light rail can offer high-speed travel, the right-of-way is flexible, and construction costs can be low when at-grade construction is maximized. The technology
10080-709: The busy Santa Clara Street. Of these, only the Capitol Expressway extension (currently known as the Eastridge to BART Regional Connector) has gone forward, with construction on the 2.5 mile (4.0 km) extension beginning in June 2024. Phase 2 of the Vasona Extension has been cancelled, and the Santa Clara / Alum Rock extension became a bus rapid transit line, Rapid 522. No new lines have been added to
10220-513: The city from 17 to 149 sq mi (44 to 386 km ), absorbing the communities named above, changing their status to "neighborhoods." They say San José is going to become another Los Angeles. Believe me, I'm going to do everything in my power to make that come true. Sales taxes were a chief source of revenue. Hamann would determine where major shopping areas would be, and then annex narrow bands of land along major roadways leading to those locations, pushing "tentacles" or "finger areas" across
10360-492: The city in 1839, 1851, 1858, 1864, 1865, 1868 , and 1891. The Daly City Earthquake of 1957 caused some damage. The Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 also did some damage to parts of the city. San Jose's expansion was made by the design of "Dutch" Hamann , the City Manager from 1950 to 1969. During his administration, with his staff referred to as "Dutch's Panzer Division ", the city annexed property 1,389 times, growing
10500-610: The city lies away from the bayshore. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 180.0 sq mi (466 km ), making the fourth-largest city in California by land area (after Los Angeles, San Diego and California City ). San Jose lies between the San Andreas Fault , the source of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake , and the Calaveras Fault . San Jose
10640-462: The city logo. The accent reflects the Spanish version of the name, and the dropping of accents in all-capital writing was once typical in Spanish. While San José is commonly spelled both with and without the acute accent over the "e", the city's official guidelines indicate that it should be spelled with the accent most of the time and sets forth narrow exceptions, such as when the spelling is in URLs, when
10780-399: The city motto of "Capital of Silicon Valley" in 1988 to promote the city. Major global tech companies including Cisco Systems , eBay , Adobe Inc. , PayPal , Broadcom , and Zoom maintain their headquarters in San Jose. One of the wealthiest major cities in the world, San Jose has the third-highest GDP per capita (after Zurich and Oslo ) and the fifth-most expensive housing market. It
10920-440: The city seal, official stationery, office titles and department names. As late as 2010, the 1965 city charter stated the name of the municipal corporation as City of San Jose , without the accent mark, but later editions have added the accent mark. By convention, the spelling San José is only used when the name is spelled in mixed upper- and lowercase letters, but not when the name is spelled only in uppercase letters, as on
11060-542: The city's efforts, the asteroid 6216 San Jose was named after the city. There are four distinct valleys in the city of San Jose: Almaden Valley, situated on the southwest fringe of the city; Evergreen Valley to the southeast, which is hilly all throughout its interior; Santa Clara Valley, which includes the flat, main urban expanse of the South Bay; and the rural Coyote Valley , to the city's extreme southern fringe. The extensive droughts in California , coupled with
11200-484: The city's name, including in the college's own name. On August 20, 1974, the San Jose City Council approved a proposal by Catherine Linquist to rename the city "San José" but reversed itself a week later under pressure from residents concerned with the cost of changing typewriters, documents, and signs. On April 3, 1979, the city council once again adopted "San José" as the spelling of the city name on
11340-482: The city's predecessor, which was eventually located in the area of what is now the Plaza de César Chávez . In the 19th century, print publications used the spelling "San José" for both the city and its eponymous township . On December 11, 1943, the United States Board on Geographic Names ruled that the city's name should be spelled "San Jose" based on local usage and the formal incorporated name. In
11480-514: The city. Besides those mentioned above, some well-known communities within San Jose include Japantown , Rose Garden , Midtown San Jose , Willow Glen , Naglee Park , Burbank , Winchester , Alviso , East Foothills , Alum Rock , Communications Hill , Little Portugal , Blossom Valley , Cambrian , Almaden Valley , Little Saigon , Silver Creek Valley , Evergreen Valley , Mayfair , Edenvale , Santa Teresa , Seven Trees , Coyote Valley , and Berryessa . A distinct ethnic enclave in San Jose
11620-631: The city. The major trails in the network include: This large urban trail network, recognized by Prevention Magazine as the nation's largest, is linked to trails in surrounding jurisdictions and many rural trails in surrounding open space and foothills. Several trail systems within the network are designated as part of the National Recreation Trail, as well as regional trails such as the San Francisco Bay Trail and Bay Area Ridge Trail. Early written documents record
11760-597: The day. On weekends, the train runs at 30-minute headways throughout the day. After around 8 pm on both weekdays and weekends, trains run at 30 to 60-minute headways. The light rail frequency does not meet VTA's definition of "frequent service." Santa Clara County began planning for a light rail system in the mid-1970s, after the successful development of the San Diego Trolley and amid a surge in light rail construction in mid-sized cities nationwide ( Buffalo , Denver , Portland and Sacramento also built systems at
11900-662: The drainage of the reservoir at Anderson Lake for seismic repairs, have strained the city's water security . San Jose has suffered from lack of precipitation and water scarcity to the extent that some residents may run out of household water by the summer of 2022. San Jose, like most of the Bay Area, has a Mediterranean climate ( Köppen : Csb ), with warm to hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. San Jose has an average of 298 days of sunshine and an annual mean temperature of 61.4 °F (16.3 °C). It lies inland, surrounded on three sides by mountains, and does not front
12040-611: The early 1970s, three state legislative acts would set the stage for the construction of mass transit in the San Diego region. Transportation Development Act, signed by Gov. Ronald Reagan in 1971, earmarked 25% of the state sales tax for funding transportation projects, including mass transit. A 1974 amendment to Article 19 of the Constitution of California permitted the use of gas tax revenues, previously reserved for highway construction, for construction of rail systems. Finally,
12180-628: The eastern terminus of both the Green and Orange lines to El Cajon Transit Center , replacing the easternmost sections of both lines with a Copper Line between El Cajon and Santee station . The Copper Line was scheduled begin operations on September 29, 2024. The line would later begin operating that day. As of 2024 , trolley service operates on four daily lines: the Blue, Green, Orange, and Copper lines, and traveling through 65 total miles of mostly double-track rail and serving 62 stations. A fifth line,
12320-526: The end of the extension. The project is a truncated segment of the original plan to run rails for the full length of Capitol Expressway to interchange with the original Guadalupe Line. The extension will include two new stations: an elevated station at Story Road and a street-level station at the Eastridge Transit Center. (A third station, Ocala, was proposed, but was dropped from the final plans.) Both stations will feature public art, and
12460-595: The evaluation of potential corridors based on the CPO's 1975 Regional Transportation Plan and was guided by principles set by the MTDB board: the corridor should extend a long-distance and offer high-speed operation, the system should be at grade in a mostly exclusive right-of-way , capital costs should be low, and operating deficits should be minimized. Phase 1 studied over 100 miles of potential corridors with 45 miles of corridor recommended for further evaluation in Phase 2. At about
12600-674: The extensive damages, SP petitioned the Interstate Commerce Commission to abandon the SD&AE on August 9, 1977. The MTDB immediately began studying the SD&AE corridor between downtown San Diego and the San Ysidro Port of Entry for joint use by electric light rail and freight trains. In June 1978, the MTDB found the entire joint-use project feasible. At the same time, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors became concerned about
12740-509: The group. In terms of efficiency, VTA had the highest cost per passenger trip ($ 9.30) and the second-highest increase in costs (65%). Comparing the light rail systems alone, VTA had the lowest farebox recovery (9.3%) in the peer group. The Grand Jury also found that VTA had failed to “accurately estimate the ongoing operating and capital costs of maintaining the light-rail system,” concluding that that failure, “has led, in part, to (the agency's) recurring financial deficits.” The VTA has said that
12880-471: The hurricane-damaged line. The deal closed on August 20, 1979, with the final acquisition occurring on November 1, 1979. The MTDB quickly secured a deal with the San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad to continue freight service along the line. The purchase gave MTDB ownership of two sections of right-of-way that could be used for mass transit: the SD&AE Main Line from downtown San Diego to San Ysidro, and
13020-489: The incorporations of Campbell and Cupertino , development was not slowed, but rather directed into already-incorporated areas. San Jose's position in Silicon Valley triggered further economic and population growth. Results from the 1990 U.S. Census indicated that San Jose surpassed San Francisco as the most populous city in the Bay Area for the first time. This growth led to the highest housing-cost increase in
13160-599: The job was not complete, the trend was set. The city had defined its sphere of influence in all directions, sometimes chaotically leaving unincorporated pockets to be swallowed up by the behemoth, sometimes even at the objection of the residents. Major thoroughfares in the city include Monterey Road , the Stevens Creek Boulevard / San Carlos Street corridor, Santa Clara Street / Alum Rock Avenue corridor, Almaden Expressway , Capitol Expressway , and 1st Street (San Jose) . The Guadalupe River runs from
13300-428: The jointed rail, constructing electric catenaries, and installing an absolute block signal system. Funding for the project came entirely from Transportation Development Act state sales tax and local gas tax revenues. Federal funds were not actively sought due to the locally perceived notion that San Diego would not qualify due to low population densities, uncongested highways, and undefined corridors. In August 1980,
13440-653: The late 2000s, as parts of the San Diego Trolley approached 30 years old, the system was in need of an overhaul of its oldest facilities. Also, after the success of the low-floor trolley cars on the Green Line, the MTS wanted to operate similar vehicles on all lines. Officials secured $ 660 million in funding after the 2008 election as voters passed the TransNet half-cent local sales tax and two statewide transportation bond measures. The project also received funding from
13580-474: The least used in the United States (an average of 370 boardings per mile on weekdays, Q3 2024) and the most heavily subsidized ($ 9.30 per passenger trip). VTA leaders have admitted that building light rail was a poor match with adjoining land uses. The system's average weekday daily ridership as of the third quarter of 2024 is 15,600 passengers and saw a total of 4,464,500 trips in 2023. VTA operates 42.2 miles (67.9 km) of light rail route on 3 lines. All
13720-469: The least used in the United States, and consequently one of the most heavily subsidized. A 2019 report by the Civil Grand Jury of Santa Clara County compared VTA and its light rail system to other transit operators with light rail systems that served comparably sized areas. They found that the VTA served 24.3 passenger trips per revenue hour, making it the second least effective transit system of
13860-504: The light rail system, which have mostly been canceled. The Capitol Expressway extension would have extended the system 8 miles (13 km) south from Alum Rock station to Capitol station, the second phase of the Vasona extension would have extended the system 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south from Winchester station to the line's namesake Vasona Junction, and the Santa Clara / Alum Rock extension would have added 4 miles (6.4 km) of track along
14000-607: The lines and the corridors they run through are designed to move passengers from the suburban areas of Santa Clara Valley into the major business areas in Downtown , the Santa Clara County Civic Center, and northern Silicon Valley , site of many high-tech company offices. Light Rail also serves to connect travelers to other transportation systems at several key points: Diridon station offers connections to Caltrain , ACE , Amtrak's Coast Starlight ,
14140-565: The local presence of migrating salmon in the Rio Guadalupe dating as far back as the 18th century. Both steelhead ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) and King salmon are extant in the Guadalupe River , making San Jose the southernmost major U. S. city with known salmon spawning runs, the other cities being Anchorage ; Seattle ; Portland and Sacramento . Runs of up to 1,000 Chinook or King Salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ) swam up
14280-510: The mission was secularized by the Mexican Government in 1833. A large majority of the Tamien died either from disease in the missions, or as a result of the state sponsored genocide . Some surviving families remained intact, migrating to Santa Cruz after their ancestral lands were granted to Spanish and Mexican Immigrants. California was claimed as part of the Spanish Empire in 1542, when explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo charted
14420-581: The most recent snow to remain on the ground was on February 5, 1976, when many residents around the city saw as much as 3 in (0.076 m) on car and roof tops. The official observation station measured only 0.5 in (0.013 m) of snow. The city is generally divided into the following areas: Central San Jose (centered on Downtown San Jose ), West San Jose , North San Jose , East San Jose , and South San Jose . Many of San Jose's districts and neighborhoods were previously unincorporated communities or separate municipalities that were later annexed by
14560-444: The name appears in all-capital letters, when the name is used on social media sites where the diacritical mark does not render properly, and where San Jose is part of the proper name of another organization or business, such as San Jose Chamber of Commerce , that has chosen not to use the accent-marked name. San Jose, along with most of the Santa Clara Valley , has been home to the Tamien group (also spelled as Tamyen, Thamien) of
14700-430: The nation, 936% between 1976 and 2001. Efforts to increase density continued into the 1990s when an update of the 1974 urban plan kept the urban growth boundaries intact and voters rejected a ballot measure to ease development restrictions in the foothills. As of 2006, sixty percent of the housing built in San Jose since 1980 and over three-quarters of the housing built since 2000 have been multifamily structures, reflecting
14840-479: The new low-floor LRVs in the front and back, and an older high-floor Siemens SD-100 car in the middle. In late 2010, work to rebuild the stations started at Old Town Transit Center and worked south. By September 2, 2012, work was completed on the Old Town and Bayshore lines, allowing for a realignment of service. The Green Line was extended from its former western terminus in Old Town south to 12th & Imperial Transit Center 's Bayside Terminal platform, while
14980-656: The now abandoned Almaden spur line opened. The system's first major expansion, Tasman West , opened in 1999, extending the rails from the northern end of the Guadalupe line to Mountain View . In May 2001, the first phase of the Tasman East extension opened, connecting the Tasman West line to Milpitas . New Kinki Sharyo low-floor light rail vehicles were introduced to this line the following year. Phase two of
15120-735: The operating costs could be cut in half and farebox recovery doubled if a bus-only system were deployed. Two of VTA's former board chairs, Teresa O’Neill and Sam Liccardo said they agreed with many of the report’s criticisms, and placed the blame on poor planning by the agency in the 1980s and poor land-use decisions in the years since the system was built out. Along much of the light rail routes, trains do not serve densely populated areas but instead run past single-story office buildings, single-family homes and empty lots. Both Liccardo and O’Neill have advocated for replacing light rail with alternative technologies, like autonomous electric buses, that could be less expensive to operate. As part of its findings,
15260-470: The other stations are located in the cities of Chula Vista , El Cajon , La Mesa , Lemon Grove , National City , and Santee . Most of the stations in the San Diego Trolley system are 'at-grade' stations. There are 10 aerial stations, mostly on the Blue Line, with some on the Green Line. For the Blue Line, these are Nobel Drive , VA Medical Center , UC San Diego Central Campus , UC San Diego Health La Jolla , Executive Drive , and UTC Transit Center. For
15400-746: The outer loop. Service may be extended along the Mayfield Cutoff and Vasona Industrial Lead to connect the western segments of the system. The Eastridge to Bart Regional Connector (formerly known as the Capitol Expressway extension) light rail extension will extend the Orange Line south of the Alum Rock station to the Eastridge Transit Center along Capitol Expressway . Tracks will lay on an elevated median starting just south of Alum Rock station before becoming at-grade near
15540-469: The passenger area at 14 in (356 mm) above top-of-rail (ATOR), with the remaining high-floor area 35 in (889 mm) ATOR; up to three LRVs may be coupled into a single train. The low-floor LRVs initially operated only on the Tasman West line ( Downtown Mountain View to I-880/Milpitas ), because their floor height only matched the 14-inch (356 mm) platform height along that line. After VTA reconstructed platforms along North First Street from
15680-432: The period 1900 through 1910, San Jose served as a center for pioneering invention, innovation, and impact in both lighter-than-air and heavier-than-air flight. These activities were led principally by John Montgomery and his peers. The City of San Jose has established Montgomery Park, a Monument at San Felipe and Yerba Buena Roads, and John J. Montgomery Elementary School in his honor. During this period, San Jose also became
15820-409: The population of the pueblo had increased to 900, primarily due to American immigration. Foreign settlement in San Jose and California was rapidly changing Californian society, bringing expanding economic opportunities and foreign culture. By 1846, native Californios had long expressed their concern for the overrunning of California society by its growing and wealthy Anglo-American community. During
15960-418: The potential loss of freight service on the SD&AE, which was seen as vital to the county's economic interests and the continued viability of San Diego as a deep-water port. The county commissioned its own study to examine using a portion of the SD&AE tracks for passenger service which would share the track with freight services, the motivation being the transit services could share the costs of maintaining
16100-422: The project had been approved by voters. VTA approved the final environmental impact statement of this segment in June 2019. With the project setbacks and limited funding, the line eventually started pre-construction activities in early 2021. It also got fully funded in early 2023 from a $ 46 million state grant. A groundbreaking was held on June 8th, 2024, with passenger service planned for 2029. Other transit in
16240-601: The pueblo, San Jose's settlement was moved approximately a mile south, centered on the Pueblo Plaza (modern-day Plaza de César Chávez ). In 1800, due to the growing population in the northern part of the Californias, Diego de Borica , Governor of the Californias, officially split the province into two parts: Alta California ( Upper California ), which would eventually become several western U.S. states , and Baja California ( Lower California ), which would eventually become two Mexican states . San Jose became part of
16380-474: The rails south from a permanent Civic Center station (replacing the temporary First and Younger station) through a transit mall in Downtown San Jose to Convention Center station . The third phase opened on August 17, 1990, extending rails into the median of California State Route 87 (Guadalupe Freeway) to Tamien station , adding the first connection to Caltrain . The fourth and final phase of
16520-476: The remains of a mammoth on the banks of the Guadalupe River in 2005, found that a herd of tule elk ( Cervus canadensis ) had recolonized the hills of south San Jose east of Highway 101 in early 2019. San Diego Trolley The San Diego Trolley is a light rail system serving San Diego County, California , United States. The trolley's operator, San Diego Trolley, Inc. ( reporting mark SDTI ),
16660-468: The same route as the current Blue Line between Baypointe and Santa Teresa stations, with nonstop service between Convention Center and Ohlone/Chynoweth stations. This weekday, peak-period service offered three trips in the morning and three trips in the evening. The service was introduced in October 2010 and was eliminated in August 2018 because of low ridership. Sometimes, in the winter, VTA operates
16800-544: The same time). The county received $ 2 million from the federal government in 1982 to fund the preliminary engineering phase for the County’s first light rail line. The operation of the line and some of the construction costs would be funded by a half-cent sales tax for a transit district voters in Santa Clara county had approved in 1976. The light rail proposal was championed by County Supervisor Rod Diridon Sr. and Congressman Norman Mineta . The first phase, then called
16940-551: The same time, a working paper presented an evaluation of four guideway technologies: light rail, two categories of heavy rail, and Automated Small Vehicle Transit . In August 1977, the MTDB board selected the South Bay region for the detailed Phase 2 study. There would be several potential corridors to consider, including along freeways (Interstate highways I-5, I-8 & I-805 and State Routes 94 & 16), along existing railroad rights-of-way, and arterial roads. In October 1977
17080-415: The same time, the South Line (which now traveled north of downtown San Diego to Old Town) and East Line of the system were renamed the Blue Line and the Orange Line, respectively. The Mission Valley East extension, which opened on July 10, 2005, built the only underground station in the system at San Diego State University , as well as its highest elevated station at Grantville. This line was then renamed
17220-603: The site for a military settlement in San Francisco, for the Royal Presidio of San Francisco , and Mission San Francisco de Asís . On his way back to Mexico from San Francisco, de Anza chose the sites in Santa Clara Valley for a civilian settlement, San Jose, on the eastern bank of the Guadalupe River , and a mission on its western bank, Mission Santa Clara de Asís . San Jose was officially founded as California's first civilian settlement on November 29, 1777, as
17360-506: The surrounding hills. The CZU lightning complex fires took almost 5 months to fully be controlled. Over 86,000 acres were burned and nearly 1500 buildings were destroyed. The snow level drops as low as 4,000 ft (1,220 m) above sea level, or lower, occasionally coating nearby Mount Hamilton and, less frequently, the Santa Cruz Mountains , with snow that normally lasts a few days. Snow will snarl traffic traveling on State Route 17 towards Santa Cruz . Snow rarely falls in San Jose;
17500-480: The switch to low-floor LRVs was that the traditional Siemens S70 , like those ordered for the Green Line, were over 90 feet (27 m) long, so a three-car train would not fit within downtown San Diego's 240 feet (73 m) blocks. The MTS teamed up with the Utah Transit Authority, which faced a similar problem with its system. The solution for both agencies was a specialized design Siemens called
17640-548: The system since 2005. The system received a major reconfiguration in 2019 and 2020, coinciding with the completion of the Silicon Valley BART extension . The Orange Line was established between Mountain View, Milpitas (the new BART station), and Alum Rock, the Blue Line was truncated at Baypointe, and the Almaden Shuttle line was discontinued entirely and replaced with a new bus route. On May 26, 2021,
17780-535: The system was launched until September 2003, the system was served by a fleet of high-floor light rail vehicles (LRVs) built by Urban Transportation Development Corporation and designated as ALRV . The first car arrived in March 1987. Accessibility for disabled riders was provided by wheelchair lifts at each station. The original high-floor fleet was leased to investors (for a 33-year term, starting in 1998), and then subleased back to VTA. In May 2003, VTA sub-subleased
17920-478: The technological side of San Jose's economy grew. During the 1950s and 1960s, City Manager A. P. "Dutch" Hamann led the city in a major growth campaign. The city annexed adjacent areas, such as Alviso and Cambrian Park , providing large areas for suburbs. An anti-growth reaction to the effects of rapid development emerged in the 1970s, championed by mayors Norman Mineta and Janet Gray Hayes . Despite establishing an urban growth boundary , development fees, and
18060-523: The three major lines. Since the opening of the Copper Line, riders bound for Arnele Avenue , Gillespie Field , or Santee must transfer at El Cajon Transit Center . Six trolley stations are end-of-line stations: 12th & Imperial Transit Center, Courthouse, El Cajon Transit Center, Santee, San Ysidro Transit Center , and UTC Transit Center . Thirty-seven stations are within the city limits of San Diego , serving various neighborhoods in San Diego ;
18200-585: The tracks. San Diego County proposed operating either commuter rail trains or self-powered diesel rail cars . In 1978, the Interstate Commerce Commission denied the request to abandon the SD&AE, prompting Southern Pacific to offer the railroad for sale to anyone willing to maintain freight operations on the line. The MTDB stepped in and offered to buy the SD&AE for $ 18.1 million if the Southern Pacific fully repaired
18340-467: The trolley had the highest ridership of any light rail system in the United States, with 38,047,300 annual rides, or about 129,800 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024. 2023 is the 42nd anniversary of the San Diego Trolley, and the MTS has prepared a brief historical review of San Diego trolleys, and in particular the San Diego Trolley. MTS also has a more extensive slideshow and timeline available. The last day of streetcar operation in San Diego
18480-430: The trolley system's stations operate as transfer stations, which allow passengers to transfer between lines. 12th & Imperial Transit Center allows for transferring between the Blue, Green, and Orange lines, serving as a universal transfer point for most riders in the system. The adjacent Santa Fe Depot / America Plaza / Courthouse stations, which are within walking distance of each other, also allow for transfer among
18620-484: Was new for the United States , but was well established in Germany . On September 10, 1976, nature intervened, setting off a chain of events that would help decide the corridor to be used. Hurricane Kathleen destroyed parts of San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway (SD&AE) Desert Line (east of San Diego), which at the time was owned by Southern Pacific (SP) railroad. The SD&AE offered freight service with
18760-414: Was 109 °F (43 °C) on September 6, 2022; the lowest was 18 °F (−7.8 °C) on January 6, 1894. On average, there are 2.7 mornings annually where the temperature drops to, or below, the freezing mark; and sixteen afternoons where the high reaches or exceeds 90 °F or 32.2 °C. Diurnal temperature variation is far wider than along the coast or in San Francisco but still a shadow of what
18900-464: Was 12.38 in (314.5 mm) in January 1911. The maximum 24-hour rainfall was 3.60 in (91.4 mm) on January 30, 1968. On August 16, 2020, one of the most widespread and strong thunderstorm events in recent Bay Area history occurred as an unstable humid air mass moved up from the south and triggered multiple dry thunderstorms which caused many fires to be ignited by 300+ lightning strikes in
19040-503: Was April 23, 1949. On July 19, 1981 electric railcars returned to San Diego streets on the first modern American light rail system integrated with its bus system. Electric rail service in San Diego traces its roots back to 1891 when John D. Spreckels incorporated the San Diego Electric Railway . San Diego's streetcar system had been replaced with buses in 1949, and by 1966 the local bus company, San Diego Transit,
19180-627: Was a 3-stop spur from the Ohlone/Chynoweth station to Almaden station at the Almaden Expressway in the Almaden Valley . The shuttle, which ran a single 1-car train, took about 4 minutes to travel between Ohlone/Chynoweth and Almaden. This line had one track, with sidings at Almaden and Ohlone/Chynoweth. The line was discontinued in December 2019 and replaced by bus service. The Commuter Express service operated along
19320-646: Was also destroyed. The period during World War II was tumultuous; Japanese Americans primarily from Japantown were sent to internment camps , including the future mayor Norman Mineta . Following the Los Angeles zoot suit riots , anti-Mexican violence took place during the summer of 1943. In 1940, the Census Bureau reported San Jose's population as 98% white. As World War II started, the city's economy shifted from agriculture (the Del Monte cannery
19460-676: Was facing a financial crisis and public takeover. Planning for mass transit in the San Diego region began in 1966 under the auspices of the Comprehensive Planning Organization (CPO, now known as the San Diego Association of Governments , SANDAG), an intergovernmental agency of 13 cities and San Diego County. Over the next decade, the CPO researched various technologies including improvements to local buses, express buses, heavy rail, light rail, and advanced technologies. The CPO also closely studied
19600-606: Was the largest employer and closed in 1999 ) to industrial manufacturing with the contracting of the Food Machinery Corporation (later known as FMC Corporation ) by the United States War Department to build 1,000 Landing Vehicle Tracked . After World War II, FMC (later United Defense , and currently BAE Systems ) continued as a defense contractor , with the San Jose facilities designing and manufacturing military platforms such as
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