Prior to the 19th century

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• 1777 – Spanish pueblo San Jose de Guadalupe founded.
• 1797 – San Jose mission founded.

19th century

• 1803 – San Jose de Guadalupe church built.
• 1805 - Mission San Jose's church built in 1805, not 1803, and named La Mission del Gloriosisimo Patriarch San Jose, or just Mission San Jose, but not San Jose de Guadalupe according to San Jose Mission's history page.
• 1809 - Mission San Jose's church completed and dedicated.
• 1822 – Mexicans in power.
• 1840 – Population: 750 (approximate).
• 1846 – Town occupied by U.S. forces.
• 1849 – December: Town becomes capital of the new state of California.
• 1850
  • City chartered.
  • Josiah Belden becomes mayor.
  • San Francisco-San Jose stagecoach begins operating.
• 1851
  • San Jose Weekly Visitor newspaper begins publication.
  • College of Notre Dame established.
• 1852 – San Jose Foundry in business.
• 1853 – Hook and Ladder Company No.1 organized.
• 1855
  • San Jose Telegraph newspaper begins publication.
  • San Jose City Hall built on North Market Street.
• 1856 – Young Men's Literary Association organized.
• 1857 – Minn's Evening School established.
• 1861 – San Jose Daily Mercury newspaper begins publication.
• 1862 - California State Normal School founded.
• 1864 – San Francisco-San Jose Railway in operation.
• 1865 – St. Joseph High School established.
• 1866 – Santa Clara Argus newspaper begins publication.
• 1867 – San Jose YMCA established.
• 1868 – St. Joseph's Church built (approximate date).
• 1870
  • California State Normal School relocated to San Jose.
  • Chinatown fire.
  • Population: 9,089; county 26,246.
• 1871 – University of the Pacific relocated to San Jose vicinity.
• 1875 – San Jose Law Library, San Jose Fruit Packing Company, and California Pioneers of Santa Clara County established.
• 1878 – Home of Benevolence founded.
• 1879 – Daily Morning Times begins publication.
• 1886 – Board of Trade organized.
• 1888 – Lick Observatory established atop Mount Hamilton.
• 1889
  • New San Jose City Hall built in Market Plaza.
  • O'Connor Hospital and Hotel Vendome established.
• 1890 – Population: 18,060.
• 1891 – Heald College established.
• 1892 – First Unitarian Church of San Jose built.
• 1892 – We and Our Neighbors Clubhouse (women's club) founded.
• 1894
  • Associated Charities of San Jose established.
  • Washburn Preparatory School established
• 1895 – Post Office built.
• 1897 – Good Government League organized.
• 1900 – Population: 21,500.

20th century

1900s–1950s

• 1902 – Naglee Park development begins (approximate date).
• 1903
  • Grauman's Theatre and San Jose Public Library building open.
  • Bean Spray Company relocates to San Jose.
• 1905 – Balloon, dirigible, and aeroplane exhibitions.
• 1906 – April 18: San Francisco earthquake.
• 1909
  • KQW radio begins broadcasting.
  • Santa Clara Valley Fruit Growers Association organized.
• 1911 – East San Jose becomes part of San Jose.
• 1921 – San Jose Junior College founded.
• 1926 – Bank of Italy Building constructed.
• 1927 – Fox California Theatre built.
• 1933
  • November 26: Hart killers lynched in St. James Park.
  • Spartan Stadium opens.
• 1936 – Willow Glen becomes part of San Jose.
• 1937 – San Jose Civic Orchestra formed.
• 1943 – IBM west coast headquarters established.
• 1949
  • San Jose Municipal Airport begins operating.
  • Burbank Theatre, Garden Theatre, and Mayfair cinema open.
  • Historical Museum of San José established.
• 1950s – Community Service Organization activity begins in East San Jose.
• 1952 – Population: 95,280.
• 1957 – San Jose Peace & Justice Center founded.
• 1958 – New San Jose City Hall opened at Civic Center.
• 1959 – Santa Clara County United Fund established.

1960s–1990s

• 1960 – Population: 204,196.
• 1961
  • Happy Hollow Zoo opens.
  • IBM Shoebox invented.
• 1964 – San Jose Century 21 cinema built.
• 1967 – Junior League of San Jose and Center for Employment Training established.
• 1968 – Alviso becomes part of city.
• 1969 – Century Theatre cinema opens.
• 1970
  • Regional Metropolitan Transportation Commission established.
  • Population: 447,025.
• 1971
  • Norman Mineta becomes mayor.
  • San José Historical Museum Association and Sourisseau Academy for State and Local History established.
• 1972 – Food Machinery Corporation headquarters relocates from San Jose to Chicago.
• 1973 – Willow Glen Neighborhood Association formed.
• 1974 – Santa Clara County Transportation Agency, San Jose Earthquakes soccer club, and Second Harvest Food Bank established.
• 1975
  • Evergreen Valley College active.
  • Janet Gray Hayes becomes mayor.
• 1977 – San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles founded.
• 1980 – Rotary Club of San Jose and San Jose Repertory Theatre founded.
• 1981 – Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose established.
• 1982 – Adobe in business.
• 1983
  • 1983 San Jose School District California bankruptcy
  • Tom McEnery becomes mayor.
• 1985 – Market Post Tower built.
• 1986
  • First Community Housing and San Jose Cleveland Ballet founded.
  • IBM Almaden Research Center opens.
• 1987
  • Japanese American Museum of San Jose, Chinese Historical and Cultural Project, and Los Fundadores y Amigos de Alta California established.
  • Fairmont Hotel built.
• 1988 – Fairmont Plaza built.
• 1989 – Loma Prieta earthquake.
• 1990
  • Tech Museum of Innovation and San Jose International Airport's new terminal open.
  • Population: 782,248.
• 1991
  • Tathagata Meditation Center, Santa Clara Valley MultiService Center, and Filipino American National Historical Society chapter founded.
  • Susan Hammer becomes mayor.
  • San Jose Sharks begin play.
• 1992
  • Saba Islamic Center active.
  • Chinmaya Mission San Jose founded.
• 1993 – Plaza Park renamed Plaza de César Chávez.
• 1994
  • City government-public computer-enabled communication ("Virtual Valley") in operation.
  • San Jose Clash soccer team formed.
• 1995
  • AuctionWeb (eBay) in business.
  • Zoe Lofgren becomes U.S. representative for California's 16th congressional district.
• 1998
  • City website online (approximate date).
  • History San José nonprofit incorporated.
• 1999 – Ron Gonzales becomes mayor.
• 2000 – Population: 894,943.

21st century

• 2001
  • Bay Area CyberRays soccer team, and Silicon Valley De-Bug collective established.
  • Mike Honda becomes U.S. representative for California's 15th congressional district.
• 2002 – Symphony Silicon Valley founded.
• 2003 – Sobrato Office Tower built.
• 2005 – San Jose City Hall returned downtown.
• 2006 – June: Mayor Gonzales arrested.
• 2007 – Chuck Reed becomes mayor.
• 2008 – The 88 building constructed.
• 2010
  • Three Sixty Residences built.
  • Population: 945,942.
• 2011 – October: Occupy San José begins.
• 2013 – Population: 998,537.
• 2014
  • Population tops 1,000,000.
  • December: Homeless camp cleared.
• 2021 – The San Jose shooting occurs, killing ten people including the gunman.

See also

• History of San Jose, California
• List of mayors of San Jose, California
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Santa Clara County, California
• Timeline of the San Francisco Bay Area
• Timeline of California
• Timelines of other cities in the Northern California area of California: Fresno, Mountain View, Oakland, Sacramento, San Francisco