Moving to Buena Vista
This is a great place to call home.
Conveniently located between downtown and Santana Row, the Buena Vista neighborhood sits in mid-town San Jose and getting from here to most other places is easy. Check out why Buena Vista is an amazing neighborhood to call home:
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Historic Neighborhood with Character
Buena Vista is an older residential area that consists largely of homes between 60 and 110 years of age; of course some houses which are younger, and many have been fully remodeled inside and out, but the majority of homes are older, modest (2-3 bedroom), single family houses. Many of these were built in the early days of San Jose and housed workers at many of the canning plants that dominated San Jose at the time.
Classic architecture from the late 1880s through modern times give the neighborhood charm, character, and personality and they exude charm. Many historic homes have features that aren’t seen in many modern constructions including the abundant use of moldings (especially real wood moulding), hardwood floors, and in many instances, built in bookshelves. Furthermore, many homes have basements or cellars, something that isn't common in most of California.
Don't worry, you'll be hard pressed to find any house that doesn't have the modern conveniences of indoor plumbing (sewer, not septic), and electricity (though some homes still have knob-and-tube).
Primary Education
Buena Vista is part of the San Jose Unified School District which consisted of 45 public schools in San Jose Unified School District, serving 31,660 students during the 2020 academic year. San José Unified an innovative urban school district that is reinventing the education system by bringing together teachers and staff with parents and students, inspiring each to discover their own greatness
The elementary, middle, and high schools are conveniently located about 1 mile North of Buena Vista, and are clustered next to each-other which can is convenient for families with children of different ages attending the different schools.
Additionally, students attending Abraham Lincoln Academic, Visual and Performing Arts Magnet will experience the challenge of pursuing excellence in academics while gaining an appreciation for the visual and performing arts, as well as acquiring and refining the talents and skills that will maximize their career and educational options.
Trace Elementary (1 mile)
[Serving grades K-5]
651 Dana Avenue San Jose
408-535-6257
Hoover Middle (1 mile)
[Serving grades 6-8]
1635 Park Avenue San Jose
408-535-6274
Lincoln High (1 mile)
[Serving grades 9-12]
555 Dana Avenue San Jose
408-535-6300
San Jose City College (1 mile)
2100 Moorpark Ave, San Jose
San Jose State University (3 miles)
1 Washington Sq, San Jose,
Getting Around
Located in Mid-Town San Jose, Buena Vista is just a hop-skip-and-a-jump to anywhere you want to be. With convenient access to the 280, 87, and 101 freeways, the Race Street VTA light rail station (it's just a mile away), as well as convenient access to multiple bus stops for the 524, 24, 64b, and 61 lines; your options are plentiful.
If bike sharing is your thing, the Bay Wheels station at Meridian and W San Carlos is just a few minutes walk from home.
Need to get to San Francisco or Sacramento? Diridon Station is serviced by Greyhound, CalTrain and Amtrack as well as VTA and is just a mile to the northwest, easily accessible by walking, light rail, bike share, or the bus.
Traveling further for work or vacation, San Jose International Airport is about 4 miles north and offers non-stop service to domestic hubs in the US as well as to Canada, Japan, and Mexico.
Amenities
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Grocery Stores
Safeway, FoodMax, Smart & Final Extra, and Smart Food Services are all surrounding the neighborhood making walking to the grocery store a reality when you forget to buy eggs!
Restaurants
Buena Vista has everything from Sliders to Kategna Ethiopian, to the Breakfast Club at Midtown; but if you're in a hurry you can still grab your old faithful McDonalds, Jack in the Box, Subway, or Popeyes Fried Chicken to name a few of the place to eat around here. If Vietnamese is more your style, swing by Pho Lynn, want to spice it up, check out Tacos Al Pastor just to the east or Tostadas to the north! Don't worry theres plenty more places to eat, just not enough space to list them all!
Banks
While lots of banks are in the area, Chase and Wells Fargo have local branches.
Pharmacies
Walgreens has both a full service store as well as a Community Pharmacy here and Safeway has a full service pharmacy in their grocery store as well.
Post Office
If you have packages to send, the local post office is just a short walk away.
Parks
Buena Vista Park sits in the center of the Buena Vista Neighborhood offering a place for younger children to make friends and play. O'Connor Park is larger and lies just to the east.
More...
Want to get your hair cut, we got it, need to get your tires rotated, we got it, need to work out at the gym, we got it.
Things To Do
There's plenty to do around Buena Vista, from learning about local history at the Winchester Mystery House, to getting lost in the woods at Big Basin State Park.
If sports are you thing, the Shark Tank will sate your needs for hockey, and Levi's stadium is your go to place for football.
Is shopping more your thing? Valley Fair Mall and Santana Row are both just 2 miles away.
Love the thrill of rollercoasters? California's Great America is 6 miles away and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is just over the hills in Santa Cruz, 35 miles away.
Museums, theres the Tech Museum, the Intel Museum, the Children's Discovery Museum, and the San Jose Museum of Art to name a few.
Public Safety
Buena Vista is fortunate to be within 2 miles of two of San Jose hospitals; when an emergency happens, two things are of the utmost importance, how fast you recognize the emergency and how fast treatment and intervention take place. Living near a hospital can literally save lives due to proximity.
O'Connor Hospital was founded in 1889, and was the first hospital in Santa Clara County. O'Connor Hospital was built by Judge Myles P. O'Connor and his wife, Amanda. The original hospital was built on the corner of Race Street and West San Carlos Street before it moved to its current location.
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center is one of five adult level one trauma centers in Northern California, along with Stanford University Medical Center in northwestern Santa Clara County and is both a research and teaching hospital.
Police and fire services are provided by the San Jose Police and Fire departments respectively. The San Jose Fire Department is an “all risk” department meaning that it has the trained personnel and equipment to mitigate a variety of emergencies, and provides a wide array of services throughout the city including but not limited to fire response, medical (advanced Life Support), urban search and rescue, Haz-Mat, aircraft rescue, and arson investigation.
The Buena Vista Neighborhood Association
You'r home is as much about your neighbors as it is about what's inside your walls. The Buena Vista Neighborhood Association is a welcoming community that embraces everyone.
We strive to look out for our neighbors and spend the time it takes to care for our community as a whole. We work with neighbors to address problems they may experience and work the local government to make sure our neighborhoods, our city, our home continues to be a safe place for all.
Join your neighbors for monthly meetings, community service projects, and social events throughout the year. Be it the annual holiday party, to our adopt-a-highway program we work hard to make San Jose a great place for everyone to live.