Almaden Valley - San Jose, California

Located in the rolling foothills in the southernmost valley of the San Jose metro area, Almaden Valley is an upscale, executive community featuring numerous parks, open space and a rural atmosphere. It is a family-oriented community with excellent schools, plenty of recreational opportunities and magnificent views. The community is located southwest of Blossom Valley, separated by the Los Capitancillos Ridge.

Running along the ridge is Almaden Quicksilver County Park, one of the jewels of the Santa Clara County Park system. In terms of size, historical significance, and natural beauty, it rivals any state park. At the base of the ridge is Almaden Lake Park, San Jose's only park featuring a sand beach and swim area for fishing, boating, hiking, wind surfing, picnicking and playing volleyball or horseshoes. The park is also the site of the annual San Jose International Triathlon. Connected to the park is the Los Alamitos Creek Trail, a 3.9-mile trail featuring a fitness course. To the southeast is the historic mining town of New Almaden. To the southwest is the soaring forested wall of the Sierra Azuls, topped by Mt. Umunhum. The upscale community of some 40,000 residents is also home to Almaden Country Club, a private golf club that has hosted numerous tournaments. The real estate market features a mix of contemporary homes and executive properties.

Almaden is primarily a self-contained residential community that values its remote location. There are only two roads leading into and out of the valley, allowing residents to maintain a small-town feel. However, all of the amenities of a major metropolitan area are close at hand thanks to an excellent road system. The Almaden Expressway gives residents access to I-85, Highway 87, the Capital Expressway and Highway 101. Light rail transportation is located throughout the I-87 corridor.

Residents have access to a wide variety of local recreation programs thanks to the Almaden Recreation and Community Center -- senior, youth and adult activities are coordinated offering arts and crafts, dance, exercise, music, drama, self defense, personal improvement, and pre-school age activities and classes.

The four elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school located in the Almaden Valley. The schools are part of District 5 of the San Jose Unified School District. The district includes students from both Almaden and Blossom valleys. Almaden Valley schools are known for excellent scores in national testing.

One of the major employers in the area is the Almaden Research Center, one of eight IBM Research Division facilities worldwide and a premier industrial research laboratory. At Almaden, some of the finest minds in the industry focus on basic and applied research in computer science, magnetic and optical storage technology, physical and materials science and technology, and scientific and technical application software. Of course, the Silicon Valley is also home to many other high-tech firms.

With nearly 4,000 acres of steep hillsides, cool forests, open meadows and deep valleys, many residents find Quicksilver County Park an ideal location for sporting, camping, hiking, fishing, horse-back riding, and many other activities. It borders two long reservoirs and contains several small ponds. It is crisscrossed by trails, including 33 miles for hiking, 25 miles for equestrians and 10 miles for bicycling.

The history of Quicksilver County Park includes intense mercury mining operations that date back to the Gold Rush Era. The mercury mined from here was used in gold and silver mines in the Sierras to extract the precious metals from the ore. The hills here are honeycombed with tunnels that run for thousands of feet, some below sea level. All mining has ceased, and most of the tunnels have been sealed up. However, remnants of the park's mining history can be seen scattered throughout the park and in the Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum in nearby New Almaden.

The original site of the Almaden Mining Museum was in the Carson-Perham Adobe. The house was built around 1848 and was the home of George Carson, who held a number of jobs, including postmaster and bookkeeper for the mines. The house later became the home of Constance Perham and her husband Douglas. They collected mining artifacts and ran the original New Almaden Mining Museum, which opened in 1949.

One of the most significant buildings in New Almaden is La Casa Grande. It was built in 1954 as a hotel and later became the home of the mine manager. It was purchased by the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department in 1981. Today it houses the Quicksilver Mining Museum. The museum has exhibits on quicksilver mining as well as historical photographs and artifacts showing what life was like in the quicksilver mining towns.

Almaden Quicksilver is near several other large parks including the 2,241-acre Calero County Park to the south and the 1,688-acre Santa Teresa County Park, across the Almaden Valley to the east. The towering Sierra Azul range is to the west with some 14,000 acres of parkland in the Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve.