OtterKnow Kids Encyclopedia

San Jose has lots of fun places to visit. The Tech Interactive is a science museum where kids can build robots, design roller coasters, and learn about technology. The Children’s Discovery Museum has exhibits where you can play, climb, and explore. Happy Hollow Park & Zoo is a small zoo and amusement park with rides and animals that is perfect for younger kids.

The Ohlone people lived in the San Jose area for thousands of years before Spanish settlers arrived. In 1777, Spanish colonists founded the Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe, making it California’s very first town. When California became a state in 1850, San Jose was its first state capital! The city grew slowly for many years as a farming community, but after World War II, it grew very fast as technology companies moved in.

• San Jose was California’s first state capital before the government moved to Sacramento.
• The city is home to the San Jose Sharks hockey team and the San Jose Earthquakes soccer team.
• San Jose gets about 300 days of sunshine every year, making it one of the sunniest big cities in the country.
• The first city founded in California, San Jose is older than the United States itself!