1700s

• 1777 - Spanish pueblo San Jose de Guadalupe founded. First civic settlement
• 1777 - population 68
• 1797 - San Jose mission founded

1800-1849

• 1803 - San Jose de Guadalupe church built
• 1822 - Mexico in power
• 1835 - Population: 700 (approximate)
• 1845 - Population: 900 (approximate)
• 1846 - Town occupied by U.S. forces
• 1848 - Gold Rush - 1855
• 1849 - Town becomes first capitol of the new State of California, November 13 - May 1, 1851

1850s

• 1850 - California Statehood
• 1850 - City chartered
• 1850 - Josiah Belden becomes mayor
• 1850 - San Francisco to San Jose stagecoach begins operating
• 1851 - San Jose Weekly Visitor newspaper begins publication
• 1851 - College of Notre Dame established
• 1851 - Thomas White becomes mayor -1854
• 1852 - San Jose Foundry in business
• 1852 - Vallejo becomes capitol of the State of California - February 4, 1853
• 1853 - First honeybee imported to the west coast
• 1853 - Hook and Ladder Company No.1 organized
• 1853 - Benicia becomes third site of California State Capitol - February 25, 1854
• 1854 - O.H. Allen becomes mayor
• 1854 - Sacramento becomes California State Capitol - present
• 1855 - San Jose Telegraph newspaper begins publication
• 1855 - Sherman Otis Houghton becomes mayor
• 1856 - Young Men's Literary Association organized
• 1856 - John M. Murphy becomes mayor
• 1856 - George Givens becomes mayor - 1857
• 1857 - Minn's Evening Normal School established
• 1857 - Ranson G. Moody becomes mayor
• 1858 - Peter O. Minor becomes mayor
• 1859 - Thomas Fallon becomes mayor

1860s

• 1860 - Richard B. Buckner becomes mayor
• 1860 - population 3,420
• 1861 - U.S. Civil War - 1865
• 1861 - San Jose Daily Mercury newspaper begins publication
• 1861 - Joseph W. Johnson becomes mayor - 1863
• 1863 - John Alonzo Quinby becomes mayor - 1868
• 1864 - San Francisco-San Jose Railway in operation
• 1865 - St. Joseph High School established
• 1866 - Santa Clara Argus newspaper begins publication
• 1867 - San Jose YMCA established
• 1868 - Courthouse built
• 1868 - Mark Leavenworth becomes mayor - 1870

1870s

• 1870 - California State Normal School relocated to San Jose
• 1870 - Chinatown fire (1st, Market Street and San Fernando Chinatown)
• 1870 - Vine Street Chinatown adjacent to Guadalupe River
• 1870 - Adolph Pfister becomes mayor - 1873
• 1870 - Population: 9,089; county 26,246
• 1871 - University of the Pacific relocated to San Jose vicinity
• 1873 - Bernard D. Murphy becomes mayor - 1877
• 1875 - San Jose Law Library
• 1875 - San Jose Fruit Packing Company
• 1875 - California Pioneers of Santa Clara County established
• 1877 - George B. McKee becomes mayor
• 1878 - Home of Benevolence founded
• 1878 - Lawrence Archer becomes mayor - 1880
• 1879 - Daily Morning Times begins publication

1880s

• 1880 - Bernard D. Murphy becomes mayor - 1882
• 1880 - population 12,567
• 1881 - Electric Light Tower built, first electrified city west of the Rocky Mountains, largest single source of electric light in the country - 1915
• 1882 - Charles J. Martin becomes mayor - 1884
• 1882 - Chinese Exclusion Act
• 1884 - Campbell Thompson Settle becomes mayor - 1886
• 1886 - Board of Trade organized
• 1886 - Charles W. Breyfogle becomes mayor
• 1887 - Samuel Watson Boring becomes mayor - 1890
• 1887 - May 4, Chinatown fire (2nd, Market Street Chinatown)
• 1887 - Woolen Mills Chinatown - 1902
• 1887 - Heinlenville Chinatown Fifth and Taylor Street
• 1887 - City Hall built - demolished June 1958
• 1887-1888 - First electrical streetcar line in America, built by Samuel Bishop between San Jose and Santa Clara
• 1888 - Lick Observatory established atop Mount Hamilton
• 1889 - O'Connor Hospital established
• 1889 - Hotel Vendome established

1890s

• 1890 - Samuel N. Rucker becomes mayor - 1894
• 1890 - Population: 18,060
• 1891 - Heald College established
• 1892 - First Unitarian Church of San Jose built
• 1892 - Geary act - extends Chinese Exclusion Act
• 1893 - Hall of Records built - demolished 1966
• 1894 - Associated Charities of San Jose established
• 1894 - Paul P. Austin becomes mayor - 1896
• 1895 - Post Office built
• 1896 - Valentine Koch becomes mayor - 1898
• 1897 - Good Government League organized
• 1898 - Charles J. Martin becomes mayor - 1902

1900s

• 1900 - Population: 21,500
• 1900 - First “garage” in the west opened by Clarence Letcher
• 1900 - First automobile factories opened in California including Osen and Hunt
• 1902 - First service station in the west opened by Clarence Letcher
• 1902 - George D. Worswick becomes mayor - 1906
• 1902 - Chinatown fire (Woolen Mills, Heinlenville still standing)
• 1903 - Grauman's theatre opens
• 1903 - San Jose Public Library Carnegie building open
• 1903 - Bean Spray Company relocates to San Jose
• 1906 - April 18 earthquake
• 1906 - Henry D. Mathews becomes mayor - 1908
• 1908 - Charles W. Davison becomes mayor - 1910
• 1909 - First American commercial radio station in San Jose pioneered by Charles Herrold
• 1909 - Santa Clara Valley Fruit Growers Association organized

1910s

• 1910 - Thomas Monahan becomes mayor - 1914
• 1910 - population 28,946
• 1910 - First motorbus line in the State started at Mount Hamilton
• 1911 - East San Jose incorporated into San Jose
• 1914 - Fred R. Husted becomes mayor - 1916
• 1916 - Elmer E. Chase becomes mayor - 1918
• 1918 - Charles M. O'Brian becomes mayor - 1920

1920s

• 1920 - Albert C. Jayet becomes mayor - 1922
• 1920 - population 39,642
• 1921 - San Jose Junior College founded
• 1922 - M. E. Arnerich becomes mayor - 1924
• 1924 - Joseph T. Brooks becomes mayor - 1926
• 1926 - Bank of Italy Building constructed
• 1926 - Dan W. Gray becomes mayor - 1928
• 1927 - Fox California Theater built
• 1928 - Fred Doerr becomes mayor - 1930

1930s

• 1930 - W. L. Biebrach becomes mayor - 1932
• 1930 - population 57,651
• 1932 - A. M. Meyer becomes mayor - 1934
• 1933 - November 26 lynching in St. James Park
• 1933 - Spartan Stadium opens
• 1934 - Charles Bishop becomes mayor - 1936
• 1936 - Willow Glen incorporated into San Jose
• 1936 - Richard French becomes mayor - 1938
• 1937 - San Jose Civic Orchestra formed.
• 1938 - Clyde L. Fischer becomes mayor - 1940

1940s

• 1940 - Harry Young becomes mayor - 1944
• 1940 - population 68,457
• 1943 - IBM west coast headquarters established
• 1944 - Earl Campbell becomes mayor
• 1945 - Ernest E. Renzel becomes mayor
• 1946 - Albert J. Ruffo becomes mayor - 1948
• 1948 - Fred Watson becomes mayor - 1950
• 1949 - San Jose Municipal Airport begins operating
• 1949 - Burbank Theater, Garden Theater, and Mayfair cinema open
• 1949 - Historical Museum of San José established

1950s

• 1950 - Clark L. Bradley becomes mayor - 1952
• 1952 - Parker Hathaway becomes mayor - 1954
• 1952 - Population: 95,280
• 1954 - George Starbird becomes mayor - 1956
• 1956 - Robert Doerr becomes mayor - 1958
• 1957 - San Jose Peace & Justice Center founded
• 1958 - Louis Solari becomes mayor - 1960
• 1959 - Santa Clara County United Fund established

1960s

• 1960 - Paul Moore becomes mayor - 1962
• 1960 - Population: 204,196
• 1961 - Happy Hollow Zoo opens
• 1961 - IBM Shoebox invented
• 1962 - Robert Welch becomes mayor - 1964
• 1964 - San Jose Century 21 cinema built
• 1964 - Joseph L. Pace becomes mayor
• 1967 - Junior League of San Jose
• 1967 - Center for Employment Training established
• 1968 - Alviso incorporated into San Jose
• 1969 - Century Theatre cinema opens

1970s

• 1970 - Population: 447,025
• 1971 - Norman Mineta becomes mayor
• 1971 - San Fernando Earthquake
• 1971 - San José Historical Museum Association
• 1971 - Sourisseau Academy for State and Local History established
• 1972 - Food Machinery Corporation headquarters relocates from San Jose to Chicago
• 1973 - Willow Glen Neighborhood Association formed
• 1974 - Santa Clara County Transportation Agency
• 1974 - San Jose Earthquakes soccer club
• 1974 - Second Harvest Food Bank established
• 1975 - Evergreen Valley College active
• 1975 - Janet Gray Hayes becomes mayor
• 1977 - San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles founded

1980s

• 1980 - Rotary Club and San Jose Repertory Theatre founded
• 1981 - Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose established
• 1983 - San Jose School District California bankruptcy
• 1983 - Tom McEnery becomes mayor
• 1985 - Market Post Tower built
• 1986 - First Community Housing
• 1986 - San Jose Cleveland Ballet founded
• 1986 - IBM Almaden Research Center opens
• 1987 - Japanese American Museum of San Jose
• 1987 - Chinese Historical and Cultural Project
• 1987 - Los Fundadores y Amigos de Alta California established
• 1987 - Fairmont Hotel built
• 1988 - Fairmont Plaza built
• 1989 - Loma Prieta Earthquake

1990s

• 1990 - Tech Museum of Innovation
• 1990 - San Jose International Airport's new terminal open
• 1990 - Population: 782,248
• 1991 - Tathagata Meditation Center
• 1991 - Santa Clara Valley MultiService Center founded
• 1991 - Filipino American National Historical Society chapter founded
• 1991 - Susan Hammer becomes mayor
• 1992 - Saba Islamic Center active
• 1992 - Chinmaya Mission San Jose founded
• 1993 - Plaza Park renamed Plaza de César Chávez
• 1994 - San Jose Clash soccer team formed
• 1998 - History San José nonprofit incorporated
• 1999 - Ron Gonzales becomes mayor

2000s

• 2000 - Population: 894,943
• 2002 - Symphony Silicon Valley established
• 2005 - New SJ City Hall opens downtown at 4th and Santa Clara
• 2007 - Chuck Reed becomes mayor
• 2008 - The 88 Building is constructed

2010s

• 2010 - Population: 945,942
• 2014 - Population: tops 1,000,000
• 2015 - Sam Liccardo becomes mayor
• 2017 - Coyote Creek flood