meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Bay Curious

A Ford Factory Changed Milpitas, Then it Became a Mall

Bay Curious

KQED

History, Society & Culture, Places & Travel

4.9999 Ratings

🗓️ 15 May 2025

⏱️ 17 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The Great Mall of Milpitas wasn't always a mall; it used to be a massive Ford factory. Bay Curious listener Brandon Choy wanted to know more about its history. The San Jose Assembly Plant opened in 1955 after relocating from Ford's outdated Richmond location. The new factory put Milpitas on the map, transforming a sleepy agricultural town into a thriving city. The factory’s opening also sparked historic social change: the construction of one of the first planned integrated neighborhoods in America. Additional Resources: How a Ford Factory in Milpitas Changed the Face of a Town Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Gabriela Glueck. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Olivia Allen-Price, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Alana Walker, Holly Kernan and everyone on Team KQED.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hey, it's Glenn Washington, the host of the Snap Judgment podcast.

0:05.3

At Snap, we tell cinematic stories that let you feel what it's like inside someone else's skin,

0:11.8

stories that let you walk in someone else's footsteps, storytelling like you've never heard.

0:17.6

The highs, the lows, the joys, the pain, the twist, the turns, the laugh, the life.

0:22.6

Snap judgment drops each and every week. Listen, wherever you get your podcast.

0:30.0

Hey, I'm Jorge Andreas Olivares and I'm hosting a new show, hyphenation. I'm like many other

0:35.1

hyphenated Latinos in the U.S., our cultures and our communities,

0:38.7

and form our choices, like with money.

0:40.6

We had that pressure to be the breadwinner.

0:43.2

Religion.

0:43.8

I just think Jesus was what we would now define as queer.

0:46.8

And family.

0:47.5

We're not physically close and we're not like that emotionally close either.

0:50.7

So join me and some amigas as we have easy conversations about hard things.

0:55.2

Catch hyphenation from KQEDD studios wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube.

1:02.7

From KQED. Post-World War to America was a time of economic opportunity, and people wanted cars.

1:12.1

Mustang, the original, America's favorite sports car, with three new models.

1:19.8

390 cubic inch V8.

1:21.9

Imagine the open road, cruising with the windows down, radio blaring, the epitome of freedom.

1:28.5

That's the image Ford was selling.

1:31.0

Falcon has a low, lean, long-hooded look.

1:35.0

At the start of the 1960s, Ford had cornered nearly a third of the U.S. car market.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from KQED, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of KQED and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.