Rose Garden, San Jose, California

The Rose Garden neighborhood in San Jose, California, is a gentrified residential area, with significant commercial presence along its major streets. Located west of Sunol-Midtown, north of Burbank, northeast of Winchester, and east of Cory neighborhood, and southeast of the City of Santa Clara, the Rose Garden can be considered either the easternmost neighborhood of West San Jose, or the westernmost of the central neighborhoods, although being in City Council District 6 and San Jose Unified School District politically ties the area with central San Jose. The basic boundaries are Interstate 880 to the northwest, the Alameda (SR 82) to the northeast, and Forest Avenue to the south, although there are variations. The neighborhood surrounds and is named for the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden, a 5½ acre (22,000 m²) park with thousands of rose bushes. The Rose Garden is served by the zip code 95126.

In 1927, what is now the Rose Garden neighborhood was primarily pear and prune orchards, many owned by Food Machinery Corporation (FMC). The area was also home to farm houses and a few mansions. In that year, the City purchased an 11 acre (45,000 m²) prune garden and converted part of it into the Municipal Rose Garden. In 1937, John Crummey, the chairman of FMC, subdivided his 25 acre (100,000 m²) pear orchard into residential lots sold for $5,00 each. This initial development established the core of the neighborhood.

The neighborhood has preserved it's residential housing. The original architecture of the 1920's and 1930's borrowed bits from the English Cotswold Cottage, Norman and Tudor design. Many of the original bungalows have been extensively remodeled or torn down and replaced with newer architecture styles. Almost all of the homes feature detached garages in the back of the property. This allows the front yards to feature large green spaces with a small long driveway to the back for the garage. The neighborhood is popular with walkers and joggers as the sidewalks are tree lined and bordered with large front yards.

In addition to the Municipal Rose Garden, the neighborhood is home to the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, Rosicrucian Park, and O'Connor Hospital.

Schools

• Trace Elementary - Public
• Burbank Elementary - Public (County)
• Hoover Middle School - Public (historic building)
• Lincoln High School - Public
• St Martin de Tours - Catholic

Notable Streets

• The Alameda Boulevard - Part of State Route 82, this is the historic El Camin Highway that connects the California Missions from San Diego to San Rafael. The Alameda was the first road that connected the Mission Santa Clara (Ohlone Indians) with the settlement of San Jose (Spanish settlers).
• Morse Street - Named after Santa Clara resident C.C. Morse who founded the "Ferry-Morse" seed company in 1884.
• University Street - Named for the street that was the main entrance to the University of the Pacific (before it moved to Stockton, California and later purchased for Bellarmine * College Prep High School). San Jose State keeps their president's home on this street as well.
• Naglee Avenue - Named after General Henry Morris Naglee [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Morris_Naglee
• Bascom Avenue - Named after Lewis Hazelton Bascom

Nearby Neighborhoods

The Rose Garden Area is a catch name for the many neighborhoods in the area. Rose Garden, Garden Alameda, and Shasta Hanchett.

References

• Rose Garden Neighborhood Preservation Association

External links

• San Jose Rose Garden

Rose Garden Neighborhood Preservation Association (RGNPA) http://www.rgnpa.org