Berryessa is a district of

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

, 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 Jos ...

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

Californio Californios (singular Californio) are Californians of Spaniards, Spanish descent, especially those descended from settlers of the 17th through 19th centuries before California was annexed by the United States. California's Spanish language in C ...

family of the

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. The Association of Bay Area Governments ...

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 U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

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 also ...

and

prune A prune is a dried plum, most commonly from the European plum (''Prunus domestica'') tree. Not all plum species or varieties can be dried into prunes. Use of the term ''prune'' for fresh plums is obsolete except when applied to varieties of ...

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

Santa Clara Valley The Santa Clara Valley (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Valle de Santa Clara'') is a geologic trough in Northern California that extends south–southeast from San Francisco to Hollister, California, Hollister. The longitudinal valley is bordered ...

, 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 A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

of San Jose. It is served by VTA light rail and (in 2019), an extension of the Bay Area Rapid Transit

BART Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area in California. BART serves List of Bay Area Rapid Transit stations, 50 stations along six routes and of track, including eBART, a spur line running t ...

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

Spanish Colonial Revival style The Spanish Colonial Revival architecture (), often known simply as Spanish Revival, is a term used to encompass a number of Revivalism (architecture), revivalist architectural styles based in both Spanish colonial architecture and Spanish archi ...

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

Geography

The district borders Milpitas along Landess Avenue to the north and the Alum Rock neighborhood of

East San Jose East Side San Jose (abbreviated as ESSJ), 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 ...

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 west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

(needs citation). The County Assessor lists Golf Drive as the southern boundary east of White Road. The large majority of the primarily residential community is part of the Fourth City Council District, along with Alviso and

. It was represented by Chuck Reed, prior to his election as

Mayor of San Jose In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

. The current district representative is David Cohen. Part of the southern portion of Berryessa, below Penitencia Creek Road, is represented by Councilmember David Ortiz, District 5. This includes the neighborhood around Toyon Elementary School, but not the school itself. Toyon Elementary was part of the Berryessa Union School District prior to it being closed following the 2024/25 school year. There is also a small unincorporated County area of Berryessa that is represented by District 2 County Supervisor Betty Duong.

Parks

* Berryessa Creek Park * Penitencia Creek Park *Alum Rock Park *Boccardo Loop Trail *Cataldi Park

Community

San Jose Public Library operates the Berryessa Branch Library and the Educational Park Branch Library. Berryessa is home to the long-established San Jose Flea Market.

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 The VTA light rail system serves San Jose, California, San Jose and nearby cities in Santa Clara County, California. It is operated by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and has of network comprising three main lines on stan ...

and

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

Education

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

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, San Jose Flea Market 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: * Peanut Butter Wolf, DJ and music producer * Chuck Reed, former mayor of San Jose *

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

, former NBA player and head basketball coach at

USF USF may refer to: Universities * University of Saint Francis (Indiana), Ft. Wayne, Indiana * University of San Francisco, California * University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida * University of St. Francis, Joliet, Illinois * University of Sioux ...

from 2008 to 2016 * Jerry Yang, internet entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and co-founder of

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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