Welcome to South Bay
Innovative tech hubs and suburban areas around San Jose
The South Bay area includes San Jose and the surrounding cities of Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Cupertino, Saratoga, Campbell, and Los Gatos. These communities are characterized by welcoming suburban neighborhoods, tech campuses with a spirit of innovation, and the distinct downtown San Jose.
Varied real estate can be found throughout the South Bay’s communities, from stylish contemporary condominium complexes and peaceful neighborhoods of single-family housing to lavish resort-like private estates.
What to love
People & Lifestyle
San Jose is often considered the capital city of Silicon Valley thanks to its concentration of hi-tech firms. Major tech firms can be found in the neighboring South Bay communities and their economies are closely linked together. This affluent and forward-thinking region enjoys fantastic year-round weather, being insulated from the famous fog that often blankets San Francisco and other communities further north. The friendly family-focused communities of the South Bay offer an attractive lifestyle with much to see and do in the vicinity, from world-class cultural venues to sprawling open space preserves.
Dining, Entertainment & Shopping
Downtown San Jose is the South Bay region’s biggest commercial hub, with hundreds of shops and restaurants.
Santana Row is an upscale retail and dining destination with trend-setting boutiques, recognizable brands, and restaurants ranging from quick casual spots to gourmet international dining. High-end brands and restaurants can also be found in the
Westfield Valley Fair mall, just north of Santa Row on the boundary between San Jose and Santa Clara.
San Jose’s
San Pedro Square Market features a great selection of global food stalls along with close to 300 varieties of beer at
Market Beer Company. There are more than 20 Michelin Guide-featured restaurants within San Jose and the communities surrounding it. San Jose’s highly-recommended restaurants include Caribbean-style cooking at
Back A Yard, artisanal takes on rustic Portuguese cuisine at
Adega, and sublime Ethiopian dishes at
Walia.
Outside of San Jose, standouts include nightly tasting menus at three Michelin-starred
Manresa in Los Gatos, Asian-influenced European fine dining at the Michelin-starred
Plumed Horse in Saratoga, and a menu touching on wide-ranging international inspirations at
Orchard City Kitchen in Campbell’s
Pruneyard Center.
The Pruneyard Center’s other businesses include dozens of stores and restaurants, along with gourmet in-theater dining at the luxurious
Pruneyard Cinemas. Other vibrant South Bay commercial districts and shopping centers include Sunnyvale’s lively
Murphy Avenue, Cuperino’s Stevens Creek Boulevard, and
The Village in Saratoga.
Things to Do
San Jose features a range of cultural attractions, with a large collection of ancient artifacts at
Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum and inspirational educational experiences at
Children’s Discovery Museum and
The Tech Interactive. Saratoga’s beautiful
Hakone Estate and Gardens feature an exquisite recreation of Kyoto-style gardens.
The opulent 1927
California Theater features regular operatic and orchestral performances, while Broadway musicals and ballet performances often take place at the
San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. Other venues offering high-quality plays and performances include
City Lights,
The Theatre on San Pedro Square, and the elegant 1936
Montgomery Theater.
As far as other entertainment goes, The
SAP Center is home to the NHL’s San Jose Sharks and also frequently stages concerts from big-name touring acts. The 100-acre
California’s Great America theme park in Santa Clara has more than 40 rides and attractions.
Large parks and open space preserves extend for miles into the mountains surrounding the South Bay’s communities. Miles of trails wind through the natural expanses of the 10,882-acre
Joseph D. Grant Country Park to San Jose’s east, 4,163-acre
Almaden Quicksilver County Park to San Jose’s south, 3,453-acre
Sanborn County Park and 5,242-acre
Castle Rock State Park southwest of Saratoga, and 3,113-acre
Monte Bello Preserve and 3,988-acre
Rancho San Antonio Preserve east of Cupertino.
Schools
The South Bay is a large area with many school districts, including the Cupertino Union, San Jose Unified, Evergreen Elementary, Campbell Union, Santa Clara County Office of Education, and Fremont Union High School Districts.
