San Jose is the seat of Santa Clara County and the largest city in Northern California, occupying the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area in the region known as the South Bay. With roughly one million residents, it is the third-most populous city in California and the economic and cultural heart of Silicon Valley, the world's preeminent technology hub. Homegrown and relocated tech companies, semiconductor and software firms, and their suppliers and services define the local economy and much of the area's character. The city predates its tech identity by more than two centuries. San Jose was founded in 1777 as the first civilian settlement in Spanish Alta California, and its history survives in the San Pedro Square and downtown's older districts, as well as in landmarks around the valley. A revitalized downtown combines high-rise offices and residences, museums such as The Tech Interactive, the SAP Center arena and a growing food and arts scene. Residentially, San Jose is a collection of distinctive neighborhoods rather than a single uniform suburb. Willow Glen and the Rose Garden offer historic homes, tree-lined streets and walkable commercial strips; Japantown preserves one of the last remaining Japantowns in the United States; and districts like Almaden, Cambrian Park and the Berryessa area add suburban and foothill settings. Housing is overwhelmingly single-family, with townhomes, condos and new higher-density development concentrated near downtown and transit corridors. For homebuyers, San Jose offers proximity to Silicon Valley's employers, a mild climate, strong schools in many districts and a large, diverse housing stock — paired with a cost of living and home values among the highest in the nation. It suits technology professionals, families and anyone whose work or life centers on the Bay Area economy, and it rewards those who value job proximity over affordability.