A charming mixture of old and new, Palo Alto’s tree-lined streets and historic buildings reflect its California heritage. While Palo Alto is recognized worldwide as a leader in cutting-edge technological development, it has sought to make tradition a centerpiece of its communal spirit.

Located 35 miles south of San Francisco and 14 miles north of San Jose, Palo Alto is a community of approximately 61,200 residents. Since incorporation in 1894, Palo Alto has expanded to encompass the area stretching from San Francisquito Creek to the north to San Antonio Road to the south, from the San Francisco Bay to the Skyline Ridge. The weekday population swells to nearly 140,000.

Complementing its exciting and innovative business community, Palo Alto’s residents are highly educated, politically aware and culturally sophisticated. An abundance of local pride and numerous neighborhood organizations contribute to Palo Alto’s charming historic and upscale commercial and residential areas.

Proximity to Stanford University, with its cultural and educational offerings, adds to the vibrancy and charm of the city.

Palo Alto gained the reputation as the “Birthplace of the Silicon Valley” for its ground breaking research centers and its concentration of high-tech companies. In 1994, Palo Alto became the first U.S. city to have an Internet home page and more recently, the City developed a 31-mile dark fiber ring for ultra-fast Internet access.

In Palo Alto, technological innovation is matched by care for the environment. The city maintains more than 38,600 street trees that keep streets and neighborhoods in harmony with nature. Palo Alto has 34 parks and nearly one-third of its 26 square miles is open space.

Old Palo Alto

Walking around the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, you can’t escape the feeling that you’ve seen it all before. It’s as if that image of an idyllic neighborhood in your head was used as the blueprints to construct the gentle tree-lined streets and warm, inviting homes.

Located between Middlefield Road and Alma Street, Embarcadero Road and the Oregon Expressway, Old Palo Alto is one of the rare neighborhoods that has grown without losing its sense of pride. Kids still bike around the streets, couples and families still take evening strolls and neighbors know each other by name.

This section of Palo Alto dates back to the early 1900s and has wonderful architectural diversity, from Spanish mission style homes to Tudor, Mediterranean and California bungalows.

The Elizabeth Gamble Garden Center is a focal point of the neighborhood; giving young and old alike a place to come together and test their horticultural skills. However, beautiful flowing gardens are not restricted to the center – a casual glance around the neighborhood shows the pride residents have for their yards and gardens.

Centrally located near commercial areas, civic services and schools, residents of Old Palo Alto do not have to give up convenience for charm. Proximity to private and public schools makes Old Palo Alto the ideal place to raise a family.
Despite a median household income of $117,574 in 2000, many are challenged to keep up with the ever-rising median home price – $1,600,000 (from December 2007 through November 2008).

But people continue to flock to Palo Alto, taking pride in its environmental consciousness, city-owned utilities, support of social services and some firsts, including opening a public Children’s Library in 1940 and becoming the first U.S. city to have an Internet home page in 1994.