San Jose kicks off year-long celebration leading up to its 250th anniversary

The city of San Jose began the year-long runup to its 250th anniversary celebration Saturday, taking pride in the hundreds of years of culture that the city has developed and revealing the imagery it plans to use to honor its legacy. California has a rich and varied history — and San Jose is the oldest civilian community in the state.  It was founded just 18 months after America declared its independence. For thousands of years the San Jose area was the home of indigenous people.  But on November 29, 1777, a small group of Spanish settlers moved into the area to establish a civilian agricultural town, called El Pueblo de San Jose, to provide food for the missions and presidios. "They felt, because of the convergence of the Coyote River and the Guadalupe River, that it was a perfect spot to build a farming community," said Bill Schroh, president and CEO of History San Jose. From those humble roots, San Jose has grown to become the largest and most populous city in the Bay Area. "250 years later, we gather today to honor that full story at this place," Schroh told a group of civic supporters at San Pedro Square.  "From its deepest roots to its extraordinary diversity of the city that we've become." The history of the city is symbolized by the Gonzalez-Peralta Adobe, the only remaining structure of the original settlement. The building spent roughly the last 100 years being used mainly as a storage shed for various businesses — which may have helped it survive multiple centuries. Schroh said it was pure luck that the city purchased the building in 1976, turning it into a museum to tell the history of the city. The city is planning a year-long set of events to honor the various aspects of its diverse tapestry, starting with a new "San Jose 250" logo, featuring stylized images of the various groups that make up its past. From the Santana Row shopping complex to low-rider car culture, to the invention of the floppy disk — the city is even the home of the Eggo Waffle, all of which will be represented in the branding. The designs are just the start of the process.  The city will soon be holding advisory meetings to develop the list of events and festivals that will occur in the next 12 months. Important this year is the image of the brilliant yellow daffodil, of which the city plans to plant 250,000 bulbs in the coming months. Mayor Matt Mahan told the crowd that the flower is the perfect symbol for a city with a beautiful past and a bright future. "We've spent 250 years growing, building, creating and changing," he said. "Now it's time to celebrate those stories as we live through the next ones that we're creating together, as we plant the seeds for the future.  Happy birthday, San Jose!" In: San Jose Silicon Valley Featured Local Savings