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A Brief History of San Jose - California's First City

California's First Civilian Settlement

San Jose was founded on Nov. 29, 1777, by Spanish colonizers who named the settlement Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe in honor of Saint Joseph and after the Guadalupe River on which the pueblo (town) was situated. San Jose was the first civilian settlement to be established in California

California's First State Capital

After California became a U.S. territory in 1847, San Jose was the state capital from 1849 to 1852. It developed commercially as a supply base for gold prospectors and, when the railroad connected it with San Francisco in 1864, it became the distribution point for agricultural products from the Santa Clara Valley.

California's First Incorporated City

The city of San Jose was incorporated on March 27, 1850.

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