Santa Teresa - San Jose, California

Located in southeastern San Jose near the junction of state highways 101 and 85, the community of Santa Teresa features tree-lined neighborhoods and well-manicured neighborhoods. Residents enjoy a laid-back lifestyle with easy access to all that San Jose has to offer. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s light rail station is located just a few blocks away near the Santa Teresa hospital.

Santa Teresa County Park is just a short distance away. Shady oak forests with creeks and waterfalls, wildflower-covered hills populated by wildlife and panoramic views of the valley can all be found within this park. Stile Ranch Trail offers outstanding wildflower displays from March through June as well as hiking, picnicking and great views from Coyote Peak (1,155 feet). No other county park offers as much undeveloped green space so close to homes, shopping centers and high-tech businesses.

This community offers resident easy accessibility to the employers in the Silicon Valley as well as the Almaden Research Center, one of eight IBM Research Division facilities worldwide and a premier industrial research laboratory. Among the various beautiful neighborhoods in the city is the one surrounding the Santa Teresa Golf Course.

Children living in Santa Teresa attend excellent schools that are part of Santa Clara Public Schools, such as Oak Grove School District Elementary and Middle Schools and East Side Union High School District. Santa Clara County colleges and universities include De Anza College, Evergreen Valley College, Foothill College, Gavilan College, Mission College, National Hispanic University, Santa Clara University, San Jose City College, San Jose State University, Stanford University, University of Phoenix, and West Valley College.

Santa Teresa is paradise for those who enjoy outdoor activities. In addition to Santa Teresa County Park, there are various other county and city parks offering hiking and biking trails, playgrounds, athletic fields, tennis courts, volleyball courts, basketball courts and handball courts, including John D. Grant County Park, Coyote Creek Park, Alum Rock Park, San Jose County Park County Field Sports Park, and Motorcycle Park.

For those interested in water related activities, Lexington Reservation Water Recreation Area, Anderson Lake County Park, Chesbro Reservoir County Park and Calero Reservoir County Park have lakes for boating, fishing and swimming. Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation and San Jose Parks and Recreation offer classes, activities and sports leagues for all ages. Those interested in wildlife and birds can see many species at the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, just 20 miles north of Santa Teresa in the northern Santa Clara County.

History and culture can be found at the Bernal-Gulnac-Joice Ranch where visitors can experience what life was like on a working ranch 100 years ago. Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum explains the importance of mercury (quicksilver) mining, which began in Santa Clara County in 1845. Mercury was needed to process silver, as well as gold, making the mine very important during the 1849 Gold Rush. It was first discovered by Mexican Cavalry Officer Captain Andres Castillero to be in the cinnabar used by the Ohlone Indians to make red paint. The museum and Casa Grande are part of the New Almaden National Historic Landmark District along with homes along Los Alamitos Creek that belonged to mine workers, and the Cinnabar Hills were where the actual mining took place. The Chitactac Adams Cultural History site is located on four acres in the Uvas Creek and Little Arthur Creek area where Mutsun Ohlone Indians lived nearly 3,000 years ago. They called their village Chitactac, and it is rich in petroglyphs and bedrock mortars used for grinding meal.

Other places of interest for Santa Teresa residents include the Youth Science Institute, Children’s Discover Museum of San Jose, Lick Observatory, the Municipal Rose Gardens, Peralta Adobe and Fallon House Historic Site, San Jose Museum of Art, and the Tech Museum of Innovation. Kelley Park has three sections: Happy Hollow with a playground, riverboat replica, tree house, rides and a zoo, History Park with 28 structures depicting the history of Santa Clara Valley and San Jose and the Japanese Friendship Garden.

Those interested in Egyptology will want to visit Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum and Planetarium to see Egyptian, Babylonian, Sumerian and Assyrian artifacts along with mummies, sculptures, jewelry, everyday objects, and a rock tomb replica. Raging Waters is located in Lake Cunningham Regional Park and features waterslides and pools with a tropical theme. Winchester Mystery House was the home of Sarah Winchester. The odd and puzzling additions to the Victorian mansion were made to baffle the evil spirits who haunted Sarah Winchester, heiress to the Winchester Arms fortune. The house has 160 rooms, 2,000 doors, 13 bathrooms, 10,000 windows, 47 fireplaces, 40 staircases, blind closets and secret passages. Sarah and her servants needed maps to find their way around. Visitors can tour the house, gardens, and museums containing Winchester rifles and other products made by the company and its subsidiaries.