Willow Glen

Willow Glen is often called San Jose’s local treasure.  Not only does it have a historic downtown full of fabulous shops and restaurants, but also the most enchanting storybook homes.  I had already checked out San Jose’s storybook homes near the Municipal Rose Garden.  I was so excited to discover more in Willow Glen.

Storybook Homes

What is a storybook home?   Storybook architecture was created in the Los Angeles area during the 1920s. Storybook homes often have deeply sloped or thatched roofs.  They may also have turrets and dovecotes, arched doors and windows, and eyebrow dormers.  They are often made of stucco, brick and half-timbering.

Often featuring crooked walls, rustic chimneys, and sometimes cartoonish features, storybook homes soon became the rage across the country.

While most of the homes near the Municipal Rose Garden are from the same period, I found that in Willow Glen, the storybook homes are interspersed with both older and newer homes.

I just love the quaint chimney and the asymmetrical gable on the entryway of this home!

I never tire of seeing the lovely gardens and especially the roses in the San Jose area!

Fun facts about Willow Glen

• During the 1800s there was a marshy area between the Guadalupe River and Los Gatos Creek.  Filled with willows and cattails, it inspired the name Willow Glen.
• Before becoming a town, Willow Glen was one of the most prized and valuable farming areas in the Sant Clara Valley.
• Willow Glen Road was renamed Lincoln Avenue in 1865, shortly after President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.
• The area became incorporated as a city in 1927 to avoid the rerouting of the Southern Pacific Railroad down Lincoln Avenue.  (Caltrain uses the track rerouted to a different area today.)
• Willow Glen residents voted to be annexed to San Jose in 1936 primarily to join the bigger city’s stage system and avoid having to build their own.
• During the Christmas season, many locals display small, multi-colored light Christmas trees in their front yards, a tradition that started in 1950.
• Today, Willow Glen is one of the most expensive places to live in Silicon Valley.  According to trulia.com, the typical home value here is over one million dollars.

For more information, see Willow Glen.  Thank you for visiting my blog!  You may also enjoy Cottage Love in Carmel-by-the-Sea and 12 Storybook Cottages to Enchant You!  Wishing you peace, love, happiness, and beautiful vistas!