Berryessa is a district of

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...

, located in

North San Jose North San Jose (abbreviated as NSJ) is the northern region of the city of San Jose, California. North San Jose is made up of numerous neighborhoods grouped into three districts: Alviso, Berryessa, and Rincon / Golden Triangle. North San Jose ...

. The district is named after the Berryessa family, a prominent

Californio Californio (plural Californios) is a term used to designate a Hispanic Californian, especially those descended from Spanish and Mexican settlers of the 17th through 19th centuries. California's Spanish-speaking community has resided there sin ...

family of the

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...

which historically owned most of the area.

History

In the late 19th century, Berryessa was a small farming community, well-known across

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

for its high-quality fruit. Hostetter Road, Capitol Avenue, Piedmont Road, and Lundy Avenue were formerly surrounded by

apricot An apricot (, ) is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus '' Prunus''. Usually, an apricot is from the species '' P. armeniaca'', but the fruits of the other species in ''Prunus'' sect. ''Armeniaca'' are al ...

and

prune A prune is a dried plum, most commonly from the European plum (''Prunus domestica''). Not all plum species or varieties can be dried into prunes. A prune is the firm-fleshed fruit (plum) of '' Prunus domestica'' varieties that have a high so ...

orchards. The J. F. Flickinger Fruit Packing Company, one of the largest fruit packing companies in the

Santa Clara Valley The Santa Clara Valley is a geologic trough in Northern California that extends 90 miles (145 km) south–southeast from San Francisco to Hollister. The longitudinal valley is bordered on the west by the Santa Cruz Mountains and on the east ...

, was located around present-day Hostetter Road. In the 1960s and 70s, the land where the orchards stood was developed into suburban residential neighborhoods and businesses. Today, tiny remnants of the orchards remain, including the Orlando Farm. In 2013 it, too, was developed into housing on Capitol Avenue and the Mattos' apricot orchard off Piedmont Road. Today, Berryessa is distinguished as a fast-growing bedroom community of San Jose. It is served by VTA light rail and (in 2019), an extension of the Bay Area Rapid Transit

BART Bart is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive of Bartholomew, sometimes of Barton, Bartolomeo, etc. Bart is a Dutch and Ashkenazi Jewish surname, and derives from the name ''Bartholomäus'', a German form of the biblical name ''Bartho ...

system. The old Berryessa Elementary School building, built in 1927, is a

Spanish Colonial Revival style The Spanish Colonial Revival Style ( es, Arquitectura neocolonial española) is an architectural stylistic movement arising in the early 20th century based on the Spanish Colonial architecture of the Spanish colonization of the Americas. In the ...

, designed by noted Northern California architect W.H. Weeks. The building has served as a commercial space since 1983.

Geography

The district borders

Milpitas Milpitas (Spanish for "little milpas") is a city in Santa Clara County, California, in Silicon Valley. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 80,273. The city's origins lie in Rancho Milpitas, granted to Californio ranchero José Mar� ...

along Landess Avenue to the north and the Alum Rock neighborhood of

East San Jose East San Jose (abbreviated as ESJ), commonly called The East Side and less commonly as the East Valley, is the eastern region of the city of San Jose, California. The East Side is made up of numerous neighborhoods grouped into two larger distric ...

along Mabury Road to the

south South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

. The residential neighborhood is part of the Fourth City Council District, along with Alviso. It was represented by

Chuck Reed Charles Rufus Reed (born August 15, 1948) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 64th Mayor of San Jose, California from 2007 to 2014. Biography Early life Reed was born in Garden City, Kansas. Reed attended Garden City Hi ...

, prior to his election as

Mayor of San Jose The Mayor of San Jose, officially the Mayor of the City of San José, is executive of the Government of the City of San Jose, California in the United States. The mayor presides over the San Jose City Council, which is composed of 11 voting ...

. The current district representative is David Cohen.

Parks

Berryessa Creek __NOTOC__ Berryessa Creek is a seasonal creek in northeastern San Jose and Milpitas. Its main source is located in the Los Buellis Hills slightly west of Felter Road. Berryessa Creek has many tributaries, including Piedmont Creek, Calera Creek, ...

Park *

Penitencia Creek Upper Penitencia Creek is actually one of two creeks by the name Penitencia Creek in the northeastern Santa Clara Valley of Santa Clara County, California. They are both tributaries of Coyote Creek. The upper creek was diverted southwestward, c ...

Park *Alum Rock Park *Boccardo Look Trail *Cataldi Park

Community

San Jose Public Library The San José Public Library ( es, Biblioteca Pública de San José) is the public library system of San Jose, California, made up of 23 branch libraries spread across the city. Organization Its central library, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Librar ...

operates the Berryessa Branch Library and the Educational Park Branch Library. Berryessa is home to the long-established

San Jose Flea Market The San Jose Flea Market, located in Berryessa district of San Jose, California, was founded by George Bumb Sr. in March 1960. He had the idea to open a flea market while working in the solid waste and landfill business. He witnessed abundant i ...

Berryessa Art & Wine Festival

The annual Berryessa Art & Wine Festival, one of the best-known local events in the area, has been a tradition for over 40 years. The festival is typically held in May. It includes 120-150 artist booths and 14 food booths, run by Berryessa non-profit groups. Community Row features booths from various service groups and non-profits that offer information to the festival-goers. Business Row has representatives from the Berryessa community and other local San Jose businesses. A stage area features local amateur and professional entertainment, and there are booths from several local radio stations. The festival is held on the grounds of Penitencia Creek Park.

Transportation

Berryessa is well-served by two regional transit systems:

VTA light rail VTA Light Rail is a light rail system in San Jose and nearby cities in Santa Clara County, California. It is operated by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, or VTA, and consists of of network comprising three main lines on stand ...

and

. *VTA light rail: ** Berryessa (VTA) ** Cropley (VTA) ** Hostetter (VTA) ** Penitencia Creek (VTA) * BART: ** Berryessa/North San Jose station

Education

San Jose Public Library - Digital Bookmobile (4462461457)

Berryessa VTA Light Rail Station 0695 (cropped)

Berryessa Union School District operates public schools. Saint Victor Catholic School an
Milpitas Christian School
ref>https://www.milpitaschristian.org/ Milpitas Christian School (founded in Milpitas but now located in Berryessa) are the only private schools in the area. Public schools in Berryessa include:

High schools

* Independence High School *

Piedmont Hills High School Piedmont Hills High School is a comprehensive public four-year high school located in the Berryessa neighborhood of San Jose, California, USA. It is part of the East Side Union High School District and in 2019 was ranked in the highest categories ...

Middle schools

* Morrill Middle School * Piedmont Middle School * Sierramont Middle School

Elementary schools

* Brooktree Elementary School * Cherrywood Elementary School * Laneview Elementary School * Majestic Way Elementary School * Noble Elementary School * Northwood Elementary School * Ruskin Elementary School * Summerdale Elementary School * Toyon Elementary School * Vinci Park Elementary School

Gallery

File:King's Crossing at Newbury Park in Berryessa 1 (cropped).jpg, King's Crossing at Newbury Park File:Townhomes in Berryessa 0734 (cropped).jpg, Townhomes on Mabury File:Berryessa Flea Market from new BART station (cropped).jpg,

File:Starbucks in Berryessa 0702.jpg, Café on N. Capitol Ave File:Berryessa, San Jose 432325 (cropped).jpg, Townhomes on Mercado Way

Notable residents

The following people either grew up in Berryessa or are current residents of the area: *

Rex Walters Rex Andrew Walters (born March 12, 1970) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who serves as an assistant coach for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Previously, he was the Associate Hea ...

- former NBA player and Head Basketball Coach at USF * Chris Manak, aka Peanut Butter Wolf - DJ and Music Producer *

- former Mayor of San Jose

References

External links

Berryessa Citizens Advisory Council

City of San Jose, Council District 4

Berryessa branch of San Jose Public Library system
{{Neighborhoods of San Jose Neighborhoods in San Jose, California