Alum Rock, CA

Alum Rock's official Census boundary is much smaller than the East San Jose district that shares its name. The CDP is an unincorporated pocket of less than one square mile in Santa Clara County, not the city park or transit center that also use the name. It held 12,042 residents in 2020, a density of nearly 13,900 people per square mile. Estimates for 2020 through 2024 show how common multilingual households are: 66 percent of people age five or older spoke a language other than English at home, and 42 percent of residents were born outside the United States. Household income for the period was $126,705, and workers averaged about 28 minutes of travel to work. Housing was 70 percent owner-occupied; the median owner-occupied value was $909,500, monthly costs for mortgage holders were $3,005, and median gross rent was $2,389.

At White Road and Alum Rock Avenue, the year-round Alum Rock Village Farmers' Market operates on Sunday mornings; its 2026 schedule ran from 8 until noon. VTA Route 71 stops at the same crossing and links it with Eastridge Transit Center and Milpitas BART, providing the CDP's clearest north-south transit connection. The larger area's namesake recreation site belongs to San Jose rather than the CDP: Alum Rock Park opens 720 foothill acres for trails and picnicking. Current conditions matter there. As of March 2026, erosion had closed the Mineral Springs Trail, and damage at the Trestle Bridge required a detour on part of Penitencia Creek Trail. The park also prohibits dogs because it is managed as a wildlife sanctuary.