Winter is typically mild with days in the 60’s and nights in the 40’s, with occasional lows in the 30’s or upper 20’s. Hot, desert winds sometimes blow in late summer and fall, but temperatures seldom reach 100. The valley location and stable, summer air produce some hazy or smoggy days. Light jackets are usually required in summer. In the evening, marine air often delivers low, stratus clouds, known locally as “fog,” which typically burns off by mid-morning the next day. Summers are clear, dry, and sunny, with normal daytime highs in the low 80’s. The sheltered, coastal, Mediterranean climate is ideal. The broad, flat valley narrows considerably but continues south toward Gilroy. Neighborhoods such as Los Gatos, Los Altos, and Palo Alto at the western edges adjacent to Coastal Range foothills feature exceptional housing and appealing, small downtowns, but homes under $1 million are rare. In fact, neighborhoods cover buildable land in all directions and traffic along main commute corridors is very bad. Like many recent-growth places in California, San Jose suffers from overcrowding and sprawl. Entertainment assets and cultural activities are abundant and varied, but some of the better activities fill quickly and hard to get into. Many settle in the area because of career opportunity and the excellent climate, and are rewarded so long as they are tolerant of crowding and high prices. The area has a distinct high-tech culture with its own lingo and architectural style of endless long, low, glass-fronted buildings in some way mimicking the circuit boards they produce. Several defense technology suppliers are also present. Major high-tech manufacturers, research facilities and an enormous array of supporting small- and medium-size businesses fill the valley. Urban Studies 29: 737–754.The small towns, which include the likes of Sunnyvale and Santa Clara, have completely grown together into a vast sprawl of residential and commercial spaces. Methodological issues in the determination of the quality of life in urban areas. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. In Current issues in urban economics, ed. Wage-based indexes of urban quality of life.

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Quarterly Journal of Economics 95: 293–308. The regional distribution of population, migration, and climate. Journal of Political Economy 99: 774–806. The structure of local public finance and the quality of life. Migration, regional equilibrium, and the estimation of compensating differentials. Journal of Political Economy 113: 345–375. Quality of the business environment versus quality of life: Do firms and households like the same cities? Review of Economics and Statistics 86: 438–444.

Population growth in European cities: Weather matters – But only nationally. Local amenities and life-cycle migration: Do people move for jobs or fun? Journal of Urban Economics 64: 519–537.Ĭheshire, P., and S. Journal of Political Economy 109: 584–616.Ĭhen, Y., and S.S. structural transformation and regional convergence. American Economic Review 78: 89–107.Ĭaselli, F., and W.J. New estimates of quality of life in urban areas. New York: McGraw Hill.īlomquist, G.C., M.C. Journal of Political Economy 100: 223–251.īarro, R., and X. Brooking Papers on Economic Activity 1: 107–182.īarro, R.J., and X.

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