moving to San Jose

there are lots of good hospitals in that area. What do you prefer? A community hospital or teaching facility? What is your area of specialty?
These would all make a difference in where you would be happy.

Where are you moving from? Do you have children?
I worked at Santa Clara Valley Med Center for 16 years and lived in San Jose for 26 years. I moved to Orange County a number of years ago and love it here. If you haven't set your mind on one place, you might consider orange county. Living and working here is about as good as it gets(the pay is lower than northern Ca/ different market). San Jose is definately good too.
I would look at Los Gatos Community Hospital and Santa Clara Valley Med (it's a great teaching hospital and has a dynamic ICU. If you go SCVMC I would stay out of Med-Surg unless you enjoy feeling stressed all the time.)

I am not a RN (yet) but am currently doing my med/surg I rotation at Los Gatos. I totally love it. The nurses there are great. Los Gatos Community does pay less (start about $33/hr) than Valley Medical Center (Clinical Nurse I start about $37/hr) but the environment is completly opposite. Valley Med is a large teaching hospital. LARGE and busy. If thats for you, then I have heard nothing but great things from there also. Since its the county hospital, they also have great benefits, especially retirement.
Los Gatos is a small community hospital.
San Jose is a wonderful place to live but it is very expensive. I have lived here all my life and the prices still floor me. Luckily we bought our house before the craziness of the house prices. All in all, San Jose is great. The crime is not high for a large city and you can drive in different directions and end up at either the beach or San Francisco. Or you can get on a plane and be in LA in little over than an hour.