Palo Alto Neighborhoods
Palo Alto's residential neighborhoods are organized around roughly three dozen neighborhood associations, with older homes from the 1890s through the 1930s concentrated north of Oregon Expressway and most areas to the south built in the two decades after World War II. The city's 2018 Eichler Design Guidelines document 31 single-family Eichler tracts, concentrated in central and south Palo Alto, while large-lot foothill neighborhoods sit west of Foothill Expressway.
36 neighborhoods across 6 areas. For current market data, schools and buying strategy, see the Palo Alto real estate guide. Browse other cities on the Silicon Valley neighborhoods page.
Downtown & North Palo Alto
Downtown North
Palo Alto's northernmost neighborhood, between San Francisquito Creek and University Avenue and between Alma Street and Middlefield Road, with small houses, Arts and Crafts homes, garden apartments and duplexes. Johnson Park is the neighborhood gathering spot, and the University Avenue shops and Caltrain station are within walking distance.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Addison Elementary, Greene Middle, Palo Alto High
University South
Mostly residential area on the edge of downtown between University Avenue and Embarcadero Road and between Alma Street and Middlefield Road, mixing early houses with newer apartments and condominiums. Landmarks include the Addison Avenue garage where Hewlett-Packard began, the Museum of American Heritage and 2-acre Heritage Park.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Addison Elementary, Greene Middle, Palo Alto High
Professorville
National Register historic district settled by many of Stanford University's first faculty, bounded by Kingsley, Lincoln and Addison avenues and Ramona, Bryant and Waverley streets, with well-preserved homes from the 1890s in Craftsman, Shingle and Colonial Revival styles. Exterior changes are subject to the city's historic review process.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Addison Elementary, Greene Middle, Palo Alto High · National Register historic district
Crescent Park
Residential neighborhood bounded by San Francisquito Creek, Newell Road, Channing Avenue and Middlefield Road, with wide, tree-shaded streets, spacious lots and many older homes in a mix of styles. Eleanor Pardee Park (9.6 acres) and Hopkins Creekside Park serve the area.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Duveneck Elementary, Greene Middle, Palo Alto High
Community Center
Area bounded by Middlefield Road, Channing Avenue, Newell Road and Embarcadero Road that mixes 1920s Craftsman bungalows and other early homes with mid-century Eichlers, including a 1973 Eichler tract designed by Claude Oakland. Rinconada Park and Eleanor Pardee Park are nearby.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Addison, Duveneck or Walter Hays Elementary; Greene Middle; Palo Alto High · Eichler homes
Old Palo Alto
Neighborhood bounded by Alma Street, Embarcadero Road, Middlefield Road and Oregon Expressway, with wide streets and diverse architectural styles, including many older homes replaced by larger new houses. It contains Gamble Garden, Bowden, Bowling Green and Kellogg parks and the private Castilleja School, and residents can walk to Caltrain.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Addison or Walter Hays Elementary, Greene Middle, Palo Alto High
Duveneck/St. Francis
Neighborhood of mostly early-1950s tract homes, once known as Green Gables; the Green Gables Eichler tract (1950-51, Anshen & Allen) is one of two National Register historic districts of Eichler homes in Palo Alto. Edgewood Plaza shopping center sits at its center, with Rinconada and Eleanor Pardee parks nearby.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Duveneck Elementary, Greene Middle, Palo Alto High · Eichler homes · Includes the Green Gables Eichler tract (National Register historic district)
Triple El
Small Eichler neighborhood named for Elsinore Drive, Elsinore Court and El Cajon Way, bordered by Louis and Greer roads and North California and Oregon avenues. Its single-story Eichlers date to a 1955 Jones & Emmons tract and are protected by a city ordinance.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Duveneck Elementary, Greene Middle, Palo Alto High · Eichler homes
Embarcadero Oaks
Northernmost of three adjoining neighborhoods inside Oregon Expressway, Middlefield Road, Embarcadero Road and Louis Road; former hay fields built up from the 1930s with Tudor Revival to Monterey Colonial homes, some designed by Palo Alto architect Birge Clark. Fulton Street's holiday tree lights have been a tradition since 1940.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Walter Hays Elementary, Greene Middle, Palo Alto High
Leland Manor
California ranch-style homes on 9,000-10,000 sq ft lots between Embarcadero Oaks and Garland Drive, including a Newell Road model home from the 1939 San Francisco exposition. A circle formed by Northampton and Southampton drives hosts a Fourth of July bike parade.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Walter Hays Elementary, Greene Middle, Palo Alto High
Garland Drive
Original California ranch-style houses of about 1,500-2,000 sq ft on 6,000-7,000 sq ft lots, many since expanded with second stories, along a magnolia-lined street with four cul-de-sacs. Greene Middle School is adjacent.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Walter Hays Elementary, Greene Middle, Palo Alto High · Listed with Leland Manor and Embarcadero Oaks as one neighborhood area
Midtown
Midtown
Central Palo Alto area roughly between Oregon Expressway and Loma Verde Avenue and between West Bayshore Road and Alma Street, home to about 5,000 households in a mix of styles including Eichler and Craftsman. It has its own shopping district around Middlefield Road and Colorado Avenue and parks including Hoover, Seale, Greer and Bowden.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: El Carmelo, Fairmeadow, Hoover, Ohlone or Palo Verde Elementary (by address); JLS Middle; Gunn or Palo Alto High · Eichler homes
Palo Verde
Neighborhood between Loma Verde Avenue and East Meadow Drive and between Middlefield and West Bayshore roads, built largely with 1950s Eichler homes. The Eichler Swim and Tennis Club opened there in 1958, and Ramos, Mitchell and Seale parks are nearby.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Palo Verde Elementary, JLS Middle, Gunn High · Eichler homes
St. Claire Gardens
Small enclave off Cowper Street and Middlefield Road (St. Claire Drive, St. Michael Drive and St. Michael Court) developed in the 1950s by the San Francisco Roman Catholic Archdiocese with larger two-story homes of three to five bedrooms. Hoover and Mitchell parks and the Midtown Shopping Center are nearby.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: El Carmelo Elementary, JLS Middle, Gunn High
South of Midtown
Area bounded by Loma Verde Avenue, East Meadow Drive, Middlefield Road and Alma Street, built mostly with single-story post-war tract homes, many since remodeled or replaced with larger two- and three-story houses. It borders 21.4-acre Mitchell Park and the Mitchell Park library and community center.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: El Carmelo or Fairmeadow Elementary, JLS Middle, Gunn High
California Avenue & El Camino Corridor
College Terrace
Neighborhood bounded by Stanford Avenue, El Camino Real, California Avenue and Amherst Street, on land once part of Peter Coutts's Ayrshire Farm, with streets bearing college names such as Wellesley, Dartmouth and Amherst. Houses vary widely in style and size, and the College Terrace Library and four small parks serve the area.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Escondido Elementary, Greene Middle, Palo Alto High
Evergreen Park
Neighborhood between California Avenue, Park Boulevard and El Camino Real, bordering the California Avenue business district and Caltrain station, with about 206 single-family homes and 178 multifamily units of varied size and style. Peers Park serves the area.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Escondido Elementary, Greene Middle, Palo Alto High
Mayfield
Area between Oregon Expressway and College Avenue and between Park Boulevard and El Camino Real, part of the former town of Mayfield annexed in 1925, with condominiums, apartments and homes near the California Avenue shopping district and Caltrain station. Sarah Wallis Park is the local park.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Escondido Elementary, Greene Middle, Palo Alto High
Southgate
Neighborhood bounded by El Camino Real, Park Boulevard, the Caltrain tracks and Churchill Avenue, with homes dating to the 1920s in Spanish, Craftsman and cottage styles alongside newer construction. Peers Park is adjacent.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Escondido or Walter Hays Elementary, Greene Middle, Palo Alto High
Ventura
Neighborhood within walking distance of California Avenue and El Camino Real, made up mostly of one-story homes built after World War II, with some larger replacements. The Ventura Community Center, housed in the former Ventura Elementary School (closed 1978), and Boulware Park serve the area.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Barron Park or Juana Briones Elementary, Fletcher Middle, Gunn High
South Palo Alto - West of Alma
Barron Park
Neighborhood annexed to Palo Alto in 1975, roughly between El Camino Real and the Gunn High School fields, where many streets lack sidewalks and housing ranges from small cottages to large two-story homes and the Buena Vista mobile home park. Bol Park has been home to the neighborhood's donkeys since the 1930s.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Barron Park or Juana Briones Elementary, Fletcher Middle, Gunn High
Green Acres
Purely residential area of single-family homes in two sections: Green Acres I (Arastradero Road to Glenbrook Drive) and Green Acres II (Maybell Avenue to Arastradero Road). Juana Briones and Terman parks are nearby.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Juana Briones Elementary, Fletcher Middle, Gunn High
Palo Alto Orchards
Small enclave near Arastradero Road and El Camino Real formed by a closed network of streets including McKellar Lane, Suzanne Drive, Kelly Way and Lorabelle Court. Typical homes are modest single-story houses set among redwood trees.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Juana Briones Elementary, Fletcher Middle, Gunn High
Charleston Meadows
Predominantly Eichler neighborhood bounded by West Meadow Drive, Alma Street, Adobe Creek and El Camino Real, with cul-de-sacs that limit through traffic; its Eichler tract dates to 1950-51 (Anshen & Allen). Robles Park, reached via the Wilkie Way bridge, and the Ventura Community Center park are nearby.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Juana Briones Elementary, Fletcher Middle, Gunn High · Eichler homes
Monroe Park
Small area bounded by Adobe Creek, El Camino Real and the Mountain View border, with Palo Alto addresses but public schools in the Los Altos districts. Monroe Mini Park and the Monroe Drive loop are local features, and the San Antonio Caltrain station is nearby.
Schools: Los Altos School District (Santa Rita Elementary, Egan Junior High); Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District (Los Altos High) · Palo Alto address served by Los Altos-area school districts
Greater Miranda
Enclave of about 55 homes on three cul-de-sacs (Moana Court, Arroyo Court and Miranda Green) east of Miranda Avenue, bounded by Alta Mesa Memorial Park, Adobe Creek and Foothill Expressway. Miranda Avenue is the only way in or out.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Juana Briones Elementary, Fletcher Middle, Gunn High
South Palo Alto - East of Alma
Fairmeadow
Early-1950s Eichler neighborhood known as "the Circles" for its concentric circular streets, bounded by East Charleston Road, East Meadow Drive and Alma Street; the city's Eichler survey dates the Fairmeadow tract to 1951-54 (A. Quincy Jones) with about 300 lots. Mitchell Park adjoins it.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Fairmeadow or Hoover Elementary, JLS Middle, Gunn High · Eichler homes
Greenmeadow
Eichler community south of Matadero Creek between Alma Street and Cubberley Community Center, built 1954-55 to Jones & Emmons designs with a 1961-62 addition, featuring single-story flat-roofed homes and a residents' private park, pool and community building. It is one of two National Register historic districts of Eichler homes in Palo Alto.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Fairmeadow Elementary, JLS Middle, Gunn High · Eichler homes · National Register historic district
Charleston Gardens
Neighborhood off Middlefield and East Charleston roads near San Antonio Road with ranch-style, Eichler and newer homes; the Charleston Gardens Eichler tract dates to 1954 (Jones & Emmons). Cubberley Community Center, Charleston Shopping Center and the Oshman Family JCC are nearby.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Fairmeadow or Hoover Elementary, JLS Middle, Gunn High · Eichler homes
Greendell
Area between Ferne Avenue, San Antonio Avenue and Mackay Drive that combines ranch-style homes of the earlier Fairfield Estates with mid-1950s Eichlers (a 1956 tract). Mitchell Park is the nearby park.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Fairmeadow Elementary, JLS Middle, Gunn High · Eichler homes
Walnut Grove
Former walnut orchard bounded by East Charleston Road, Alma Street and Adobe Creek, developed from the 1950s with roughly half mid-century modern homes (Eichler and Burke & Wyatt) and half ranch homes. Much of it is under a single-story overlay.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Fairmeadow Elementary, JLS Middle, Gunn High · Eichler homes
Adobe Meadow/Meadow Park
Adobe Meadow (Middlefield Road, East Meadow Drive, Louis Road and Adobe Creek) was mostly built in the mid-1950s by Brown & Kauffman with a few Eichlers; adjoining Meadow Park began as a Brown & Kauffman enclave where Joseph Eichler later built homes, and it has a single-story overlay. Ramos Park and Mitchell Park serve the area.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Fairmeadow Elementary, JLS Middle, Gunn High · Eichler homes
The Greenhouse
Condominium community at Palo Alto's southern end near San Antonio Road, built by Alpha Land Company as Greenhouse I (1975, about 140 units) and Greenhouse II (1978, 88 units) on a 15-acre former nursery site. Each complex has its own clubhouse and pool, and Shoreline Park is close by.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Fairmeadow Elementary, JLS Middle, Gunn High · Condominium community
San Alma
Townhome complex built in 1974 east of Alma Street off San Antonio Avenue (Ponce Drive and Hemlock Court), with 26 townhomes and eight below-market-rate condominiums designed by architect John Brooks Boyd. The site is historically tied to the 1840 Don Secundino Robles adobe.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Fairmeadow Elementary, JLS Middle, Gunn High · Townhome community
Foothills
Palo Alto Hills
Hillside neighborhood off Page Mill Road (Alexis Drive, Country Club Court, Bandera Drive and Laurel Glen Drive) of about 78 homes, mostly built in the 1960s on lots of about 1 acre around the Palo Alto Hills Golf & Country Club. Arastradero Preserve and Foothills Park are nearby.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Nixon Elementary, Fletcher Middle, Gunn High
Esther Clark Park
Foothill neighborhood off Arastradero Road (Old Adobe Road to Manuela Avenue, plus Old Trace Road) with one-acre minimum lots and Spanish-style villas and ranch homes among oaks. It surrounds the 21-acre Esther Clark Park open space, on land sold by Palo Alto Medical Clinic founder Esther Clark.
Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District: Nixon Elementary, Fletcher Middle, Gunn High
Neighborhood names follow city sources where they exist; informal names are noted. School assignments can change, so confirm by address with the district. Source: City of Palo Alto.
Questions about a street or tract in Palo Alto? Call 408.373.1660 or email homes@boyenga.com.