The Horace Mann neighborhood is located to the north and west of campus, bordered by 4th Street, 11th Street, San Fernando Street, and Julian Street. This section is home to San Jose's City Hall and other crucial city buildings. Westwood Properties is an apartment complex located in Horace Mann and is within walking distance of campus.

Sun is another neighborhood that borders the SJSU campus. It is bordered by 3rd Street, 11th Street, Sinclair Freeway, and San Salvador Street. Students have a wider selection of apartment complexes to choose from in this neighborhood than in other nearby neighborhoods. These properties include Metro Station Apartments, Metro Gardens Apartments, Fourth Street Apartments, Plaza Maria Apartments, Village Apartments, Casa Feliz Studios, and several others.

Paseo also directly borders the campus of San Jose State University. This neighborhood is bordered by 2nd Street, 4th Street, San Carlos Street, and San Fernando Street. Apartments and condos within this neighborhood include The 88 Condos of San Jose, 101 San Fernando, and Paseo Plaza. The San Fernando apartments are extremely popular among students. The Grad is also a common place for students to live, and it is not only for grad students.

Aside from these neighborhoods, there are several other neighborhoods within San Jose that are a bit farther from campus. Other neighborhoods that are near campus but do not directly border it include Naglee Park, Hensley, and Markey Almaden. Like the other neighborhoods, these neighborhoods have a variety of apartment complexes for students to choose from.

While many students may opt to live in San Jose, others may choose to live in a nearby town and commute in. Towns that many SJSU students live in include Fremont, Campbell, Santa Clara, Los Gatos, Mountain View, Menlo Park, Milpitas, Morgan Hill, and Hayward.

Dining

When moving off-campus, it is important to consider food options. Chennai Kings is an Indian restaurant located within the East Campus neighborhood. This neighborhood is also home to pizza places like Sammy G's Pizzeria and San Carlos Italian Pizza. Other restaurants within East Campus include Buddy Teahouse and Subway sandwich shop.

Students living in the Horace Mann neighborhood are likely to be focused on the area closest to SJSU and directly around Westwood Properties when looking for food. Even is this smaller section, there are several dining options, including Banh Mi Oven sandwich shop, Osheyo Asian restaurant, and Peanuts Deluxe Café.

There are a variety of pubs, bars, and grills around SJSU's campus as well. SmokeEaters is known for its pub food, especially their spicy wings. The Loft Bar and Bistro is a popular “hip” spot to eat. Flames eatery and bar is a popular place to get food and cocktails.

Transportation

For students who decide to live in another section of San Jose, there are bus routes in the city that have stops on the perimeter of campus. The transportation association is called VTA and schedules and maps can be found on their website. When using public transportation, including buses, be sure to leave plenty of time in case of delays. If you are planning to use public transportation frequently, you can purchase monthly or annual fares. More information on all fares can be found on the VTA website.

Parking

San Jose State University has an abundance of parking options, including three parking garages, nine parking lots, and perimeter parking. Parking permits are required and come in a variety of price levels depending on what each student needs. Permits are now virtual and are designated for housing or commuter students. Students living in Campus Village can purchase a permit for parking in the Campus Village garage.

Those who are parking at metered parking can pay for their spot using the Parkmobile app. There is no free parking on campus.

Students also have the option to use the SJSU Park and Ride Lot. It is located across from Spartan Stadium and the shuttle ride is free. The shuttle runs from Monday through Thursday from 6:30 a.m. to 10:20 p.m. This service is only available during the fall and spring semesters. Students can purchase a Park and Ride Virtual Permit.

Safety

For many students, safety is a major consideration when deciding where, and if, to move off-campus. Students can text and email anonymous tips to on-duty university police personnel via the TipNow program.

Students can sign up for safety alerts through Alert SJSU. These text, email, and phone alerts provide information about what to do and where to go in a natural disaster or a life-threatening situation.

If there is an event where a student does not feel safe walking on campus, students can receive an escort from the university's police. This service is provided 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Escorts are typically trained student assistants, but if a student is unavailable, an officer will be the escort. Students can request an escort to any location on campus and up to two blocks off-campus. An escort can be requested by using any Bluelight phone or by calling 408-924-2000.

For those wanting an escort off-campus, the University has a Safe Ride program. This service runs Monday through Friday from 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. An escort can be requested by using any Bluelight phone or by calling 408-924-2000. Students will need to present their valid SJSU Tower ID card. People who are not affiliated with SJSU are not allowed in the vehicle.

Shopping

There are many stores around campus. One of the most common is 7-Eleven, which is an ideal store for quick grocery shopping or a quick snack.

Grocery Outlet is a bargain grocery store. While they do not have a student discount or accept manufacturer coupons, they negotiate prices with their manufacturers to get customers the best price. Shoppers are also encouraged to sign up for WOW Alerts to receive information about sales on items.

There are several small grocery and liquor stores around campus, including College Market, S&S Market, and Spartan Market.

There are a few larger stores located nearby but not directly off-campus. These include Wal-Mart and Grand Century Shopping Mall. These are great places to get clothes, groceries, and other essentials.