Prior to the arrival of European explorers, the Santa Clara Valley was inhabited by the Tamien nation of the Ohlone people, who lived in harmony with the region's rich natural resources. In 1777, San Jose was founded as *El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe* by the Spanish. It was the first civilian settlement (pueblo) in Alta California, established primarily to support the nearby military presidios in San Francisco and Monterey with agricultural goods.
Following the Mexican-American War, California was ceded to the United States. In 1850, when California achieved statehood, San Jose served as its first capital and hosted the state's first legislative sessions. For the next century, the city flourished as an agricultural hub. The fertile Santa Clara Valley became known as the "Valley of Heart's Delight," blanketed in orchards of apricots, plums, and cherries, and became home to a massive fruit-canning industry.
The trajectory of San Jose shifted dramatically following World War II. Returning veterans and the expansion of the aerospace and electronics industries spurred rapid population growth. In the 1950s and 1960s, aggressive annexation policies rapidly expanded the city's borders. The invention of the integrated circuit and the subsequent computing boom in the late 20th century officially transformed the region into Silicon Valley, cementing San Jose's status as a global hub of innovation.
