Alum Rock Movers, From King Road to the Canyon

Alum Rock is about 4 miles northeast of downtown San Jose, and the route could hardly be simpler. East Santa Clara Street crosses US 101 and turns into Alum Rock Avenue, which then runs straight on toward the hills. Interstate 680 crosses the avenue partway along. You are not charged for the time it takes us to reach you.

Most of the neighborhood sits in ZIP 95127, with the blocks nearest the freeway in 95116. King Road, Jackson Avenue, White Road and Capitol Avenue cut north to south across the avenue, and the Mexican Heritage Plaza near King Road is the landmark most people give for directions. East of White Road the ground starts to tilt. By the time the avenue reaches Alum Rock Park, a canyon park along Penitencia Creek, you are in the Diablo Range foothills, and the unincorporated East Foothills continue above the city line.

Post-war single-story houses

The grid west of White Road is mostly modest houses with an attached garage and a short driveway. These are quick carries with no stairs at the front door.

Duplexes and two-story walk-ups

Two-unit buildings and garden apartment complexes line many of the main streets. Upper units usually mean an outside staircase, so the floor number matters on the quote.

Full houses

Some Alum Rock homes hold several generations, and the furniture count runs higher than the bedroom count suggests. A room-by-room walk-through gives a truer estimate.

Houses on the slope

Near the park, some lots sit above or below the road with entry steps or a steep drive.

Alum Rock Avenue itself carries heavy bus and car traffic, so a truck cannot simply idle in a travel lane in front of a storefront apartment. When the address fronts the avenue, the better spot is usually around the corner on a side street. On the residential blocks, cars parked on both sides are the main squeeze. If curb space has to be reserved on a city street, San Jose's Department of Transportation issues a Tow-Away Permit, and the city suggests applying about two weeks ahead. Double-parking tickets, if the crew has to use the lane, are added to the bill as stated in our quote and policy, which is one more reason to plan the spot early.

1. Two weeks out: decide where the truck will stand and whether you need the city permit.
2. One week out: if you rent an upstairs unit, ask the owner or manager about move hours and stairwell rules.
3. A few days out: label anything that belongs to other relatives in the house so it does not end up on our truck.
4. Night before: clear the driveway and move cars off the curb in front.
5. Move morning: the crew arrives between 8 and 10 AM and calls about 30 minutes before.

Quote requests from 95127 alone were too few this season to report, so here is the citywide picture instead: between mid-July and late October 2026 we received 39 quote requests from San Jose, not counting account work, and 24 of them booked or completed. One-bedroom homes were the most common size, with three-bedroom homes close behind.

A one- or two-bedroom house off King Road usually needs 3 movers at $175 an hour. Two movers at $145 an hour suits a very small load. A big family home, three bedrooms over 1,800 square feet or four bedrooms or more, gets 4 movers at $235 an hour. Every job has a 3-hour minimum and then bills in 15-minute steps. We take cash, money order, Visa and Mastercard, with a 3% fee on cards, and we do not accept checks.

How long an Alum Rock move takes, and what it costs

To put our rates in Alum Rock terms, we pulled the real hours from moves our crews completed between July and October 2026, then applied the standard crew rate for each size. Easy access and packed boxes pull a move toward the low end; you are billed by the hour, so the clock on move day sets the total.

Figures use the middle half of billed hours from local moves we completed for direct customers July through October 2026, drive time between homes included, account and full-pack jobs left out. Boxes and other supplies are extra, and no job bills under 3 hours.

A single-story house west of White Road with a short driveway tends to finish near the low end, while a lot near the park with entry steps or a steep drive adds carrying time.

• East Foothills is the hillside directly above, outside the city limits, with longer driveways.
• Berryessa to the north has more townhome complexes and the BART station.
• Naglee Park across 101 is older bungalows and Victorians near San Jose State.
• Japantown is a tight grid of flats and condos north of Downtown.
• San Jose is our citywide page.
• Need help with boxes first? Read about local moving.