Rose Garden

Rose Garden got its name from simply beautiful San Jose Municipal Rose Garden and half acre lot of romantic rose bushes. But the district has expanded in all directions since its annex into San Jose. It is now home to significant commercial real-estate along major cross streets and preserved historic residential architecture. As a whole, the district stretches about 1 square mile of mixed residential terrain. It hosts a diverse population of about 5,000 residents, of which 65% is white, 25% asian and 10% hispanic.

Bounded by Northwinchester Boulevard, Newhall Street, The Alameda and the Neglee Avenue, Rose Garden has a flat, middle-of-the-road ambiance to it. There is nothing too glamorous about its single-story homes with neat lawns but shallow front yards. Most homes are old and built during or before the 1950’s. More specifically, these homes were preserved from 1920’s and 1930’s architecture with bits of English Cotswold Cottage, Norman and Tudor design. Lots are usually pretty tiny and packed into tight little rows (with thick, bushy trees dotting each block). However, its nicer residences are situated towards the heart of the neighborhood. In fact, if you head towards the eastern side of Highway 880 around Emory Street, you’ll find some larger, two-story homes with deeper front lots and charming house fronts. For prospective residents, there are a wide range of house listings from $500,000 to $1 million (median price is $875,000). Also, median household incomes are around $75,000.

As for your commercial needs, there is an enormous shopping mall situated along Northwinchester Boulevard. Its handful of chain department stores (Nordstroms, Macy’s, etc.), fast food chains, ethnic restaurants and shops of all varieties make for convenient all-you-can-think-of-to-buy options. Shoppers have the convenience of two large parking garages situated on both ends of the mall. Winchester Shopping Plaza is situated adjacent to the mall for your small market items and drug store essentials. For young families, the San Jose Unified School District serves the neighborhood. Schools in the area include Trace Elementary, Burbank Elementary Hoover Middle School, Lincoln High School and St. Martin de Tours Catholic School. There is nothing about these schools that wow the community, but their mediocre scholastic rankings make for okay options.

The Rose Garden Neighborhood in San Jose is just north of the Burbank neighborhood. It is named for being the home of the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden. The homes right around the Rose Garden itself are actually the most expensive in the area.
These classic historic homes are often in the million dollar range, many being crafted with amazing stonework. These are the kinds of homes that have high roofed eves over the entrance, long Roman columns, and stonework fountains or tennis courts in the back yards--really attractive in an old-school moneyed sort of way.

The Bascom-Forrest area/neighborhood just to the north of O’Conner Hospital is similarly attractive though not quite so gaudily rich—smaller, modernist style homes with sleek lines and immaculately kept front yards.

Nowhere near as stunning but still very impressive is the Cory section of the neighborhood to the west of the freeway. Nice low homes with white picket fences or elaborately planned stone gardens or topiary--beautiful and amazingly well-kept. This is clearly a neighborhood where people care for the aesthetics of their lived experience.

To the south of Cory is the West Field Valley mall, one of those large late 80’s style complexes that teenagers love to troll and that gets packed to the gills during the lead up to Christmas.

Just to the south of that is one of those Town House mini neighborhoods where all the homes are constructed in the same style (in this case a modernized version of the Mediterranean style) and where hired crews keep everything clean and green. Very nice as well, in its way.

Now this is not a neighborhood with exciting nightlife in and of itself, but given its proximity to Downtown that is not much of a worry. You are also right by major lines of public transportation so it is definitely possible to not sit in your car for a couple of
hours a day.

Lincoln High is also pretty strong. So overall, this is a very nice spot.