Evergreen

Evergreen covers a large stretch of eastern San Jose, running from the Alum Rock area south toward Silver Creek and east into the foothills of the Diablo Range, across the 95148, 95135 and parts of the 95121 and 95138 zip codes. It is one of the bigger districts in the city, and the feel changes a lot between the older flatland streets near Capitol Expressway and the newer neighborhoods climbing toward the hills.

Evergreen History and Montgomery Hill

The land was originally Rancho Yerba Buena, a Mexican grant to Antonio Chaboya, whose family name lives on in Chaboya Middle School, Chaboya Park and Chaboya Road. It stayed agricultural far longer than most of the valley before suburban development arrived in earnest in the 1960s and 1970s.

There is a notable piece of aviation history here too. Montgomery Hill, near Evergreen Valley College, is where John J. Montgomery conducted glider experiments in 1911, and the site is California Historical Landmark No. 813, commemorating fifty five successful flights. Montgomery Hill Park preserves the ground, and it is one of the few places in San Jose where you can stand somewhere that mattered to the history of flight.

Evergreen Homes and Housing

Most of Evergreen is 1970s through 1990s suburban development, detached single family homes on regular lots with newer construction toward the hills, plus a fair number of townhome communities. Some of it is flat and some of it climbs, and that difference matters for anyone planning the next twenty years rather than the next five. Toward the south the area runs into nearby Silver Creek, and to the north it meets the older east side neighborhoods of Alum Rock.

Evergreen Schools and Evergreen Valley College

Most elementary and middle schools here run through the Evergreen School District, and high schools through the East Side Union High School District, with Evergreen Valley High and Silver Creek High serving the area. Evergreen Valley College on Yerba Buena Road gives the neighborhood its own community college campus, which is handy for adult education as well as for students. Some edges of Evergreen fall into other elementary districts, so assignment depends on the parcel and I verify it on every listing.

Parks, Shopping and Getting Around Evergreen

Lake Cunningham Regional Park, with its lake, walking paths and big skate park, is the main recreational draw on the north side, and Montgomery Hill Park, Groesbeck Hill Park and Fowler Creek Park add trails and views across the valley. Eastridge Center covers big shopping, Evergreen Village Square handles everyday errands and is home to the Village Square branch library, and the Gurdwara Sahib of San Jose off Quimby Road is one of the area’s best known landmarks.

Highway 101 is a few minutes west, Capitol Expressway runs through the area, and VTA buses connect to the Eastridge Transit Center. Like most of the east side, this is a part of the city where daily life assumes a car.

Is Evergreen a Good Fit for Downsizers?

For the clients I work with, the most important thing in Evergreen is The Villages Golf and Country Club, the gated 55 and over community in the foothills with roughly two and a half thousand homes, mostly attached, built between 1967 and 2000. It is one of the only age restricted communities of that scale in the county, most of its homes are single level, and it solves the stairs and maintenance problem outright for the people it suits, though HOA dues and rules are part of the package. My overview of 55+ community real estate in Silicon Valley compares it with the other options.

Outside The Villages, single-story ranch homes on the flatter streets are the most practical choice, since many of the 1980s and 1990s tracts are two stories and the hillside streets can be steep. The city’s Programs for Older Adults 50+ run at the Evergreen Community Center on San Felipe Road, the San Jose Public Library has both the Evergreen and Village Square branches, and Regional Medical Center of San Jose is the closest full hospital, with Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, the county trauma center, across town on Bascom Avenue. If you are 55 or older, Proposition 19 lets you carry your property tax base to a replacement home anywhere in California, which makes a move far more affordable than most people assume.

The Evergreen Housing Market

For the three months ending September 2026, the median sale price in Evergreen was about $1.34 million, down 7.7 percent from a year earlier, with homes taking a median of 30 days to sell compared with 19 days the year before, according to Redfin’s Evergreen market data. That puts Evergreen right around the San Jose citywide median of about $1.35 million, with detached hillside homes well above it and the attached inventory at The Villages well below. My guide to living in San Jose covers the rest of the city.

Frequently Asked Questions About Evergreen

If you are in an Evergreen house that has become more than you want to manage, the good news is that one of the best answers in the entire county is a few minutes up the hill rather than out of the area entirely. Walking older adults and their families through exactly that is my full time practice. Book a call with me to talk it through.