General Contractor Reviews the Highlights
As a general contractor in Willow Glen, J Nord Wolfe has learned a thing or two about the area. If you have just moved to Willow Glen – Welcome! Looking to renovate your newly purchased home or the one you have loved for years? We’d be happy to talk – please be in touch. In the meantime…
Willow Glen – Everything You Need to Know
The neighborhood began in the mid-1800s as an unincorporated community adjacent to San Jose, California. By the 1860s the small community needed its first school, and that is when Willow Glen Elementary was founded, in 1863. Willow Glen Elementary is still in existence and is at the corner of Lincoln and Minnesota Avenue.
Willow Glen is notable for their downtown shopping area on Lincoln Avenue and their “Charlie Brown Tree” tradition, where hundreds of the residents all buy a small Christmas tree, place them 10 feet from the sidewalk and then decorate them with lights. You can see this tradition on over 200 of the neighborhood streets in Willow Glen. People and businesses in the neighborhood generally decorate pretty extensively which brings in people from all over the South Bay Area during the holidays.
Just the Facts – Willow Glen
Nearby – Adjacent to Campbell and Los Gatos. Willow Glen is a neighborhood of San Jose. Willow Glen is not it’s own town or city.
Fun Facts – “The Wave” was invented by Crazy George who also is a graduate of San Jose State University. Crazy George was a cheerleader at SJSU. Dustin Diamond, also known as Screech from the T.V. show “Saved by the Bell” is from Willow Glen.
Bit of History – Willow Glen began as a marshy area with numerous Willow trees surrounding the Los Gatos Creek and Guadalupe River. It was drained in the early 1900’s and planted with orchards. There are still remnants of the Del Monte Orchard Packing Plant scattered all over WG. Pre-1700’s, Willow Glen was the home to the nomadic Ohlone Indians.
Willow Glen use to be known as “Garden City” at one time and as “Goosetown” at another point in history. Geese use to roam the avenues in Willow Glen. In modern times, you can still see turkeys roaming the streets.
Also, the Garden Theatre was constructed on Lincoln Avenue and is still the star of the business district in Willow Glen. The Garden Theatre was originally built in 1949. 40 years later, in 1989, the theatre was gutted and is now home to lots of retailers, hair salons and eateries.
Education in Willow Glen
Academic Awards – Willow Glen High School has a 94% graduation rate and a student to teacher ratio of 23:1.
Academic Achievements – Willow Glen High School ranks in the top 25% of all College Prep Public High Schools and does offer AP classes.
School Testing Performance – Willow Glen High School students average 1160 on their SAT tests and a 28 on their ACT’s.
NOTE – These education-related stats are based on information published online in 2018 for Willow Glen. Please visit Niche.com for additional information.
Life in Willow Glen
Doing Business in Willow Glen – If you would like to open or register a new business in Willow Glen, you can utilize the San Jose City website for business permits and sales taxes.
Remodeling or Building a Home in Willow Glen – For all tear downs or remodels, you would need to contact the permit department at the City of San Jose permit center. Better yet, if quality matters to you, give us a call. J Nord Wolfe is recognized by their clients as a rare find and often-referred resource.
“We started with an old and tired kitchen, circa 1928. It had the most inadequate storage imaginable and very little counter space. We were always banging into things or having to hold cabinet doors open with our heads. We wanted to open things up into one long room, widen the opening from dining room to kitchen, and create more open-space for gatherings… We had a general idea of what we wanted, and Jim took things back to the studs. He created a beautiful and workable new kitchen – brought everything to life in wood, tile, and granite… All his contractors are very responsive, very professional, and respectful too. We found him to be a good-natured guy.
Jim is a good communicator and things were done on time. He is on top of everything and things flowed one contractor to the next. Working with Jim, everything was delivered as promised and all was cleaned up at the end of the day – even the backyard.”– Bryan & Bernadette in Willow Glen – View details of this project.
Wine Tasting Rooms – Coterie Wine Cellars in on Julian Avenue very close to the SAP Center. Their tasting room is open Thursday thru Sunday. Check their website for hours and other events.
Festival and Events Calendar – Fabulous festivals all summer long in Willow Glen. They host Dancing on the Avenue, Paws on the Avenue, BBQ in the Glen, Wine Walks and some years they have a Founders Day festival. At Halloween there is a parade for the trick or treaters and lots of the businesses give out candy and goodies to the kids in costume.
Activities – Hicklebee’s Bookstore an award-winning bookstore and is known for their extraordinary book selection for kids and young adults. (Though they do have a section for adults, too.) Hicklebee’s has been a part of Lincoln Avenue since 1975.
Weather – The average temperature in the summertime is 79 degrees. In the winter months, the temperature is typically in the 50’s. It has not snowed since 1976 and at that time, some people in Willow Glen reported getting up to 3” on their lawn and homes.
Farmers Market – May through October, the Willow Glen Farmers Market is open on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm. Be sure to check the Urban Village website for details and dates.
Parks – Bramhall is one of the largest parks in the Willow Glen area and where most of the area Little League games are played. For reserving sports or more info about Little League, check out the Bramhall Park link on the San Jose City website.