Though not affected as severely as San Francisco , San Jose also suffered significant damage from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake . Over 100 people died at the Agnews Asylum ( later Agnews State Hospital ) after its walls and roof collapsed , and San Jose High School 's three-story stone-and-brick building was also destroyed . The period during World War II was a tumultuous time . Japanese Americans primarily from Japantown were sent to internment camps , including the future mayor Norman Mineta . Following the Los Angeles zoot suit riots , anti-Mexican violence took place during the summer of 1943 . In 1940 , the Census Bureau reported San Jose 's population as 98 % white
1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
San Jose, California