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San Jose

San Jose was founded on November 29, 1777, as one of the first towns in the Spanish colony of Nueva California, which later became Alta California.[2] The town of San Jose served 1849–1851 as the first state capital, when California gained statehood in 1850.[3] After more than 150 years as an agricultural center, San Jose grew due to demand for housing from soldiers returning from World War II, as well as the city’s aggressive expansion policy during the 1950s and 1960s as it annexed large portions of land area which helped increase its population. By the 1990s, San Jose’s location within the then-booming local technology industry earned the city the nickname Capital of Silicon Valley, and it hosts several prominent technology companies including Adobe Systems and Cisco Systems. San Jose is home to the National Hockey League’s San Jose Sharks in addition to Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes, as well as San Jose State University.