Berryessa, San Jose

History

In the late 19th century, Berryessa was a small farming community, well-known across California for its high-quality fruit. Hostetter Road, Capitol Avenue, Piedmont Road, and Lundy Avenue were formerly surrounded by apricot and prune orchards. The J. F. Flickinger Fruit Packing Company, one of the largest fruit packing companies in the Santa Clara Valley, was located around present-day Hostetter Road. In the 1960s and 70s, the land where the orchards stood was developed into suburban residential neighborhoods and businesses. Today, tiny remnants of the orchards remain, including the Orlando Farm. In 2013 it, too, was developed into housing on Capitol Avenue and the Mattos' apricot orchard off Piedmont Road.{{cite web

Today, Berryessa is distinguished as a fast-growing bedroom community of San Jose. It is served by VTA light rail and (in 2019), an extension of the Bay Area Rapid Transit BART system.

The old Berryessa Elementary School building, built in 1927, is a Spanish Colonial Revival style, designed by noted Northern California architect W.H. Weeks. The building has served as a commercial space since 1983.

Geography

The district borders Milpitas along Landess Avenue to the north and the Alum Rock neighborhood of East San Jose along Mabury Road to the south (needs citation). The County Assessor lists Golf Drive as the southern boundary east of White Road.

The large majority of the primarily residential community is part of the Fourth City Council District, along with Alviso and North San Jose. It was represented by Chuck Reed, prior to his election as Mayor of San Jose. The current district representative is David Cohen. Part of the southern portion of Berryessa, below Penitencia Creek Road, is represented by Councilmember David Ortiz, District 5. This includes the neighborhood around Toyon Elementary School, but not the school itself. Toyon Elementary was part of the Berryessa Union School District prior to it being closed following the 2024/25 school year. There is also a small unincorporated County area of Berryessa that is represented by District 2 County Supervisor Betty Duong.

Parks

• Berryessa Creek Park
• Penitencia Creek Park
• Alum Rock Park
• Boccardo Loop Trail
• Cataldi Park

Community

San Jose Public Library operates the Berryessa Branch Library and the Educational Park Branch Library.

Berryessa is home to the long-established San Jose Flea Market.

Berryessa Art & Wine Festival

The annual Berryessa Art & Wine Festival, one of the best-known local events in the area, has been a tradition for over 40 years.

The festival is typically held in May. It includes 120-150 artist booths and 14 food booths, run by Berryessa non-profit groups. Community Row features booths from various service groups and non-profits that offer information to the festival-goers. Business Row has representatives from the Berryessa community and other local San Jose businesses. A stage area features local amateur and professional entertainment, and there are booths from several local radio stations.

The festival is held on the grounds of Penitencia Creek Park.

Transportation

Berryessa is well-served by two regional transit systems: VTA light rail and BART.

• VTA light rail:
  • Berryessa (VTA)
  • Cropley (VTA)
  • Hostetter (VTA)
  • Penitencia Creek (VTA)
• BART:
  • Berryessa/North San Jose station

Education

Berryessa Union School District operates public schools. Saint Victor Catholic School and Milpitas Christian School (founded in Milpitas but now located in Berryessa) are the only private schools in the area.

Public schools in Berryessa include:

High schools

• Independence High School
• Piedmont Hills High School

Middle schools

• Morrill Middle School
• Piedmont Middle School
• Sierramont Middle School

Elementary schools

• Brooktree Elementary School
• Cherrywood Elementary School
• Laneview Elementary School
• Majestic Way Elementary School
• Noble Elementary School
• Northwood Elementary School
• Ruskin Elementary School
• Summerdale Elementary School
• Toyon Elementary School
• Vinci Park Elementary School

Gallery

File:King's Crossing at Newbury Park in Berryessa 1 (cropped).jpg|King's Crossing at Newbury Park File:Townhomes in Berryessa 0734 (cropped).jpg|Townhomes on Mabury File:Berryessa Flea Market from new BART station (cropped).jpg|San Jose Flea Market File:Starbucks in Berryessa 0702.jpg|Café on N. Capitol Ave File:Berryessa, San Jose 432325 (cropped).jpg|Townhomes on Mercado Way

Notable residents

The following people either grew up in Berryessa or are current residents:

• Peanut Butter Wolf, DJ and music producer
• Chuck Reed, former mayor of San Jose
• Rex Walters, former NBA player and head basketball coach at USF from 2008 to 2016
• Jerry Yang, internet entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and co-founder of Yahoo!

References

References

2. "San Jose". McCormack's Guides.
3. "VTA's BART Silicon Valley Extension".
4. [https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/52152112/spring-2010-preservation-action-council-of-san-jose Preservation Action Council of San Jose - Spring 2010 Report]
5. "2011 Berryessa Region Neighborhoods Map".
6. [https://www.sanjosedistrict4.com/ "San Jose District 4 website". Retrieved 10 May 2025.]
7. [https://www.sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments-offices/mayor-and-city-council/district-5 "Mayor and City Council, District 5". Retrieved 10 May 2025.]
8. [https://gis.sanjoseca.gov/maps/pdf/CouncilDistrict5_A.pdf "City of San Jose District 5 map". Retrieved 10 May 2025.]
9. [https://www.berryessa.k12.ca.us/documents/Schools%20Contact%20Information/district_map.pdf "Berryessa Union School District 2024 Map". Retrieved 23 May 2025.]
10. [https://d2.santaclaracounty.gov/about-betty/betty-duong "County Supervisor Betty Duong, District 2". Retrieved 23 May 2025.]
11. "[http://www.sjlibrary.org/about/locations/berryessa/index.htm Berryessa Branch Library] {{webarchive. link. (March 16, 2010 ." [[San José Public Library]]. Retrieved on March 27, 2010.)
12. https://www.milpitaschristian.org/ Milpitas Christian School