Area Code 408
Where Is Area Code 408?
Updated: October 22nd 2024
San Jose is known worldwide as the Capital of Silicon Valley, and as a leader in industrial development. Area code 408 covers the entire area covering San Jose, as well as most of Santa Clara County. Created in 1959, the 498 area code has a long history in the region. Originally split from area code 415 through a flash-cut, San Jose residents quickly adopted the new number. In 1998 another split took place, with the 831 area code being used for the Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito Counties. With the large increase of residents in San Jose during the technology boom, the numbers available under the 408 area code are becoming quickly depleted. A proposed change should take effect some time in 2012, and will consist of either a split or an overlay with a new 669 area code.
The 408 area code has a very pleasing male to female ratio for any single lady. With 103.3 males for every 100 females, single women definitely have the upper hand in the dating arena. However, men tend to earn an additional $10,000 on their annual salary when compared to women. The salary discrepancy is substantial, especially considering the median income for families is close to $100,000 a year. Furthermore, this high median income is the highest of any city in the United States! Correspondingly, families in area code 408 also have the largest amount of disposable income of any city in the United States.
With a diverse population, you can find nearly every ethnicity in the San Jose area code. With an influx of immigrants, nearly half of the residents in the 408 area code were born in another country.
The rapid population growth is largely due to high-tech workers who are recruited from East and South Asia. For the most part less affluent and educated Latin American immigrants make up the rest of the foreign born residents in area code 408.
San Jose received its nickname during the tech bubble of the 1990s.In this time period housing prices spiked to unprecedented levels, employment peaked, and traffic became unbearable. With Y2K came major unemployment, which caused a crisis with the high cost of living in the 408 area code. Nevertheless, companies such as Hitachi, IBM, Kaiser, Hewlett-Packard, Cisco Systems, Echelon, TiVo, and eBay still provided the city with many jobs. With all of these big name companies headquartered in San Jose, it is only fitting that residents of the 408 area code produce the most U.S. patents in the United States.
Area code 408 is also home to many notable colleges and universities and located nearby several others. The most notable of these include San Jose State University, Stanford University, Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley, and the University of California, Berkley. These universities undoubtedly attract some of the most brilliant minds in America to the 408 area code.
Besides universities, the San Jose, CA area code has been home to many notable residents. Perhaps the most notable, Amadeo Giannini was born in San Diego and later went on to become the founder of Bank of America. The 408 area code is also the birthplace of Steve Wozniak, who co-founded Apple Inc. with Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne. The astronaut, Steven Smith also calls San Jose home. Other than these brilliant intellectuals, the 408 area code may be credited with producing Noble prize winners, poets, Olympians, authors, singers, and even Norman Mineta who served as the United States Secretary of Transportation and the United States Secretary of Commerce.
Major Cities In Area Code 408
If you are thinking about traveling to the 408 area code, you will be pleasantly surprised to find that there are quite a few tourist attractions within the city’s limits. Alum Rock Park is California’s oldest municipal park and attracts many locals and tourists alike. If you want to see what San Jose was like before the technological boom, visit Emma Prusch Farm Park. The extensive lawns and orchards will make any individual nostalgic for the era before skyscrapers took over the city’s skyline. The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum at the Rosicrucian Park covers a wide area and is also a beautiful place to visit. Bargain hunters often choose to spend their time at the San Jose Flea Market or opt for a spooky tour of the Winchester Mystery House. With 10,000 window panes, the Winchester Mystery House is remarkably creepy. It even attracted Harry Houdini in 1924, a few months after Sarah Winchester passed away.
