neighborhood guide - Best of Willow Glen

neighborhood guide
Willow
Glen
This guide has over 100 links to additional information about Willow Glen.
A Brief History
Willow Glen began as a marshy
area surrounding the
Los Gatos Creek and Guadalupe
River. In the early 1900s the
marsh was drained, it’s willow
trees removed and the area was
re-planted with orchards.
Later the farmland was taken
over with houses and roads and
continued to grow into the
urban neighborhood it is today.
Lincoln Ave, the main street
through downtown Willow
Glen, was renamed shortly after
the assassination of President
Abraham Lincoln in 1865. It was
originally Willow Glen Road.
Willow Glen was an
unincorporated community until
it became a city in 1927. In 1936
the people voted to annex into
the city of San Jose. The vote
was 978 to 871.
A Very
Special
Neighborhood
The streets are lined with
architecturally historic and
stunning, single family
homes and are shaded with
huge, lush trees.
Willow Glen is right in the
heart of Silicon Valley. In an
area where technology is
always on the leading edge,
this neighborhood is a
charming oasis. It has an
honest to goodness
old
downtown, where families
sit in the square and eat ice
cream, couples walk their
dogs and singles meet for
coffee or wine.
People get to know each
other in Willow Glen. They
chat over the produce at
the farmers market. They
attend high school football
games. They make friends
while walking to defeat
cancer or working in the
community gardens.
A stroll downtown will take
you by sidewalk cafes, cute,
locally owned boutiques,
coffee shops, bookstores,
beauty salons, bakeries, a
bank, travel agent, and so
much more.
Willow Glen
All of that small town
goodness plus we’re only
30 minutes from the
beach, a part of the San
Jose metropolitan area, up
the highway from both Palo
Alto and Berkeley and an
hours
drive
to
San
Francisco. And for a day
trip there is always the
Monterey Bay Aquarium
and the California Wine
Country. Willow Glen is just
about the perfect place to
live.
2/11
friendly
Our Community
Willow Glen is a community that works hard, plays hard and makes a difference. The
population is 72,891.The median age is 37 and the average commute time is 28 minutes. The
population is well educated and works in the high tech, financial and medical fields. 54% of the
people are married. 29% have children.
Parks
Fun with Kids
Making a Difference
Biebrach Park
Children’s Discovery Museum
Cucina Bambini
Happy Hollow Park & Zoo
Petroglyph
Raging Waters
Rosicrucian Museum
The Tech Museum
Willow Glen Children’s Theatre
Willow Glen Little League
Willow Glen Soccer
American Heart Association
Our City Forest
Second Harvest Food Bank
The Thrift Box
Willow Glen Athletic Boosters
Willow Glen Foundation
Willow Glen Relay for Life
Willow Glen Run/Walk 5K
Delmas St. at Virginia St.
Bramhall Park
Willow St.
Hummingbird Park
Bird Ave and Fisk Ave.
Lincoln Glen Park
Radio Ave at Curtner
River Glen Park
Pine Ave and Bird Ave.
Wallenberg Park
Lansford Ave at Curtner
Wilcox Park
Wilcox Way
3/11
Willow Glen’s
Booksin Elementary
School...is among the few
public elementary schools
in California to receive a
distinguished GreatSchools
Rating of 10 out of 10.
(From GreatSchools.com)
“Booksin School is a
supportive, safe, and
caring learning community
where challenging and
enriched instruction
considers diverse student
needs resulting in
academic success and the
fulfillment of every
student's potential.
Our goal at Booksin is to
create an environment
where the children are
intellectually challenged in
ways appropriate to their
individual strengths,
needs, and experiences.
We strive to develop
thriving individuals,
responsible citizens, and
lifelong learners who will
be active participants in
their local and global
communities.”
Debbie Baccino, principal
ELEMENTARY
SCHOOLS
MIDDLE
SCHOOLS
Booksin Elementary
Willow Glen Middle
API 918
(408) 535-6213
1590 Dry Creek Rd.
Willow Glen Elementary
API 771
(408) 535 6277
2105 Cottle Ave.
API 856
(408) 535-6265
1425 Lincoln Ave.
HIGH
SCHOOL
Schallenberger Elementary
Willow Glen High School
API 854
(408) 535-6253
1280 Koch Lane
API 745
(408 535-6330
2001 Cottle Ave.
API 816
(408) 535-6240
1088 Broadway
Private
Schools
Ernesto Galarza Elementary
Bellarmine College Prep
API 767
(408) 535-6671
1610 Bird Ave.
(408) 294-9224
960 West Hedding St.
Gardner Elementary
(408) 264-1664
2281 Plummer Ave
River Glen Elementary
API 748
(408) 535-6225
502 Illinois Ave.
Presentation HS
API scores for 2011
Source: California
Department of Education
Schools
4/11
Photo
Placeholder
Architecture
Willow Glen is an architectural delight. Within a small area you find historic
Victorians, Bungalows, Farmhouses, Prairie Styles, Mission and Colonial Revivals,
Eichlers, Craftsmen,Tudors, Storybook and Queen Ann homes. People take care of
and have pride in their homes here. Driving up and down the shaded, well kept
streets is a visual treat.
Type to enter text
Willow Glen has a walkability score of 79 (from
walkscore.com).
Walking Willow Glen
6/11
a walk through the
neighborhood
Begin your five mile walk of
Willow Glen by grabbing a cup
of coffee and a pastry at The
Top Nosh Cafe. (A) (My
favorite is the Almond Cherry
Bread Pudding!)
Walk up Lincoln Ave and turn
right on Coe. (B) Coe Ave was
named for Henry Willard Coe,
who was the first to use sulfur
to bleach tried fruit. Henry
Coe State Park was named for
his son.
Turn left on Plaza Drive and
right on Palm Haven. (C) Be
sure to stop and read the
plaque about the historic
Palm Haven neighborhood,
known for its 100 year old
palm trees and fabulous old
Mission Revival homes.
Continue on Palm Haven to
the dead in. The sidewalk
continues between the bushes
to Bird Ave. Turn right. Walk
until you reach the corner of
Bird and Fisk. You now have
walked a mile and might be
ready for a rest on the bench
in Hummingbird Park (D).
After our rest, stay on Bird
Ave. Just past Brooks Ave you
will see the George A. Fleming
house, (E) a Queen Ann
Victorian. Fleming pioneered
a fruit drying process which
employed
thousands
and
brought wealth to the valley.
Keep walking along Bird Ave.
until you get to Willow Street.
Turn right. Are you ready for
a snack? Across the street at
the corner of Willow and
Curtiss is the Flower Flour
Patisserie. (F) You can get
something to drink and a
yummy treat at this little
bakery/flower shop.
At the next corner turn left on
Kotenburg Ave. Turn left on
Minnesota, right on Curtiss,
right on Nevada, left on Hill
Ave, left on Willow Glen Way
and right on Juanita. These
shaded streets have gorgeous
homes, in the variety of
architectural styles that are
characteristic of Willow Glen.
Be sure to check out the two
homes on Juanita (one on the
corner of Juanita and Pine)
with the waved pattern of
shingles that mimic an old
world thatched roof. (G)
Turn left on Pine Ave. A little
ways down you will see the
9.2 acre River Glen Park. (H)
There are public restrooms,
picnic tables, a BBQ, tennis
and basketball courts, soccer
and baseball fields and an
exercise court. This is a
perfect place to rest, and have
a picnic lunch. It also is
known to be the very best
place to watch Fourth of July
fireworks.
Next, cross the street and
head down Jonathan Ave.
Turn right on Byerley St. When
you reach Lincoln cross the
street and make a quick left,
then a right onto Clark Way.
At the corner you will see the
Stone Church (I), which was
built in 1946.
You have now walked over 3
miles. Turn right on Cottle,
then right on Glenwood Ave.
Take a left at Newport Ave.
Across the street on the
corner of Minnesota Ave. and
Newport is the W.W. Cozzens
house.
(J)
Cozzens
was
another pioneer in the driedfruit industry.
Continue up Newport and
turn right on Brace. You now
are in the home stretch! At
the corner of Brace and
Lincoln (K) is La Villa Italian
Deli, a great place to finish
the day with something to
eat.
For dessert walk up past
where you started your 5 mile
walk, cross at the corner and
buy an ice cream at the
Willow Glen Creamery. (L) You
then can sit by the Town
Square fountain and watch
the Willow Glen walk by.
7/11
Find
it
Bakery
Dick’s Bakery
Flower Flour
Books
Hicklebee’s
Breakfast
Bill’s Cafe
Pharmacy
CVS
Pets
Gussied Up Dog Boutique
Unleashed by Petco
Pizza
Pizza My Heart
Willow St. Wood Fired Pizza
Restaurants With Patios
Aqui Cal-Mex
John’s of Willow Glen
Le Boulanger
Siena Bistro
Wine
The Grapevine
Yoga
Willow Glen Yoga
New and Mentionable
The Crepevine
The Dry Creek Grill
The Hay Market
The Table
Chocolate
Mariette Chocolates
Coffee
Elva’s
Peet’s
Starbucks
Top Nosh Cafe
Elaine’s Coffee Roasting
Hardware
Willow Glen Ace Hardware
Ice Cream/Yogurt
Willow Glen Creamery
Willow Glen Frozen Yogurt
Yogurt Cove
9/11
Events
Cruise for a Cause
Dancing on the Avenue
Halloween
Holidays on the Avenue
Music in the Glen
Willow Glen Celebrates Earth Day
Willow Glen Farmer’s Market
Willow Glen Wine Walk
I remember shortly after moving to
San Jose and driving through Willow
Glen for the first time. It was near the
holiday season and I was mesmerized
by the holiday decorations on many
homes. Particularly, almost every
street and almost every home, had a
Christmas Tree in the front yard. These
small trees were decorated as if they
were in the home itself. It made the
neighborhood feel open and
presented a community of celebration.
It was on one of those turns down a
Willow Glen street, I decided I wanted
to live here. For nearly 10 years,
Willow Glen has been my home. I
continue to enjoy greeting neighbors
on the sidewalk as we make our way
to "The Avenue" for breakfast. It still
amazes me how neighborly Willow
Glen is when it is surrounded by the
buzzing, high paced technology world
of Silicon Valley. If you come to
Willow Glenn to see for yourself; park
your car. Walk around and let me
know what you think. C J
10/11
Other Willow Glen Resources
Wifi Hot Spots
Contact CJ
Coffee Cantata 1712 Meridian
(408) 406-6035
Grapevine Wine Bar 1389 Lincoln Ave.
CJ@TalkToCJ.com
www.TalkToCJ.com
twitter - @CJBrasiel
CJ on Facebook
CJ on Google+
CJ on YouTube
CJ on Linkedin
Gunther’s Restaurant
1601 Meridian Ave.
Le Boulanger 1351 Lincoln Ave.
Safeway
1530 Hamilton Ave.
Starbucks 1167 Lincoln Ave.
Vin Santo 1346 Lincoln Ave.
Willow Glen Library 1157 Minnesota Ave.
Willow Glen Back Fence eList
Willow Glen Business Association
Willow Glen Community Center
Willow Glen Library
Willow Glen on Facebook
Downtown Willow Glen
Willow Glen Charm
Willow Glen Resident
CJ Brasiel lives in Willow Glen. Each year she rides her bike on the 545 mile trip from San
Francisco to Los Angeles for the Aids Life Cycle Ride. She also enjoys helping
organizations like Second Harvest and towncats.org. Her family loves to fish and go to San
Francisco and Carmel on their days off to spend time together. CJ has been in California
for almost 20 years and can’t imagine living anywhere else. She loves the diversity, the
climate, the foods, the mountains and the ocean.