Palm Haven

In 1917, it was not San Jose, California, but a small residential subdivision at its southern edge called Palm Haven that incorporated itself as an independent city. Patterned after the popular residence parks of the day, it boasted palm tree–lined streets, entrances marked by decorative pillars, its own trolley stop, and a grassy central plaza planted with trees. But it was Palm Haven’s independence that attracted a remarkable mix of business and government leaders, entrepreneurs and inventors, and artists and independent thinkers. They advised US presidents, introduced broccoli to the American diet, and left a mark on local, regional, and national history that resonates today.