Photo: Payton Chung · CC BY 2.0Living in San Jose, CA: what to set up and who to call
San Jose has its own drop-off, Ranch Town Recycling Center, on 775 Lincoln Avenue. San Jose has a train station, Blossom Hill.
I’m new in town
What to set up in San Jose, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in San Jose.
Power comes from PG&E
PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of San Jose. Its homes paid an average of 37.5¢ per kWh in 2025, about $174 a month (its average across California, for customers on its standard service). California lets you buy power from another supplier; 66% of PG&E’s home customers do, and PG&E still delivers it.
Start or move service: pgecorp.com
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Santa Clara Valley Water District
Santa Clara Valley Water District supplies San Jose: about 50% of residents live in its service area. About 50% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws surface water (EPA lists San Francisco Regional Water System as seller) and serves 0 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 11,392 systems serving <=100 people.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. CA4310027.
10 home internet providers serve San Jose
100% of 221,247 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 40% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable, Fiber | 99% | 2,000/250 |
| Etheric Networks | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 90% | 250/100 |
| AT&T | DSL, Fiber, Fixed wireless | 90% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Sail Internet | Fixed wireless, DSL, Fiber | 51% | 800/160 |
| Sonic Telecom | Fiber | 8% | 10,000/10,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 71% | 1,000/75 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
San Jose has its own drop-off: Ranch Town Recycling Center
Where to take trash and recycling in San Jose, and where the rules are.
Ranch Town Recycling Center
775 Lincoln Avenue, San Jose, CA, 95126
Before you go, check the rules on ranchtownrecycling.com.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026 (last edited May 2022). © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of San Jose (78%) is in East Side Union High School District; parts are in San Jose Unified School District (21%) and Campbell Union High School District (18%) and Morgan Hill Unified School District (15%) and Santa Clara Unified School District (12%) and Evergreen Elementary School District (10%) and Oak Grove Elementary School District (10%) and Berryessa Union Elementary School District (6%) and Franklin-McKinley Elementary School District (6%) and Alum Rock Union Elementary School District (5%) and Fremont Union High School District (3%) and Orchard Elementary School District (3%) and Campbell Union Elementary School District (3%) and Union Elementary School District (3%) and Moreland School District (2%).
B+School gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jul 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
San Jose spans 25 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where San Jose residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of San Jose | ZIP’s residents in San Jose |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95123 | San Jose, CA | 7% | 100% |
| 95112 | San Jose, CA | 6% | 100% |
| 95111 | San Jose, CA | 6% | 100% |
| 95122 | San Jose, CA | 5% | 100% |
| 95125 | San Jose, CA | 5% | 99% |
| 95116 | San Jose, CA | 5% | 100% |
| 95124 | San Jose, CA | 5% | 93% |
| 95136 | San Jose, CA | 5% | 100% |
| 95148 | San Jose, CA | 4% | 98% |
| 95127 | San Jose, CA | 4% | 69% |
| 95129 | San Jose, CA | 4% | 100% |
| 95132 | San Jose, CA | 4% | 99% |
| 95121 | San Jose, CA | 4% | 100% |
| 95126 | San Jose, CA | 4% | 100% |
| 95120 | San Jose, CA | 4% | 95% |
| 95118 | San Jose, CA | 3% | 100% |
| 95131 | San Jose, CA | 3% | 100% |
| 95133 | San Jose, CA | 3% | 100% |
| 95117 | San Jose, CA | 3% | 100% |
| 95134 | San Jose, CA | 3% | 100% |
| 95128 | San Jose, CA | 3% | 80% |
| 95135 | San Jose, CA | 2% | 99% |
| 95110 | San Jose, CA | 2% | 100% |
| 95138 | San Jose, CA | 2% | 99% |
| 95130 | San Jose, CA | 1% | 100% |
A few homes fall in 95119, 95008, 95139, 95113, 95002, 95014, 95070, 95050, 95032, 95037, 95035, 95013, 95051. 95025, 95101, 95103, 95106, 95108, 95109, 95115, 95141, 95150, 95151, 95152, 95153, 95154, 95155, 95156, 95157, 95158, 95159, 95160, 95161, 95164, 95170, 95172, 95173, 95190, 95191, 95192, 95193, 95194, 95196 are P.O. box or single-organization ZIPs with no homes.
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
Train: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in San Jose
Who supplies San Jose’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Santa Clara Valley Water District (EPA ID CA4310027). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 78% of systems its size had none.
Who provides electricity in San Jose?
PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 37.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve San Jose?
Xfinity, Etheric Networks, AT&T, Sail Internet, Sonic Telecom, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in San Jose?
95123 (7%), 95112 (6%), 95111 (6%), 95122 (5%), 95125 (5%), 95116 (5%), 95124 (5%), 95136 (5%), 95148 (4%), 95127 (4%), 95129 (4%), 95132 (4%), 95121 (4%), 95126 (4%), 95120 (4%), 95118 (3%), 95131 (3%), 95133 (3%), 95117 (3%), 95134 (3%), 95128 (3%), 95135 (2%), 95110 (2%), 95138 (2%), 95130 (1%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is San Jose in?
East Side Union High School District. Parts of the city are in San Jose Unified School District and Campbell Union High School District and Morgan Hill Unified School District and Santa Clara Unified School District and Evergreen Elementary School District and Oak Grove Elementary School District and Berryessa Union Elementary School District and Franklin-McKinley Elementary School District and Alum Rock Union Elementary School District and Fremont Union High School District and Orchard Elementary School District and Campbell Union Elementary School District and Union Elementary School District and Moreland School District.
How do I register to vote in San Jose?
In California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before). Elections here are run by the Santa Clara Registrar of Voters. Check your registration at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.