Living in Los Altos
I live and work up the Peninsula in Burlingame, but Los Altos is a city I love helping clients explore. It pairs a walkable downtown village with orchard era streets and quiet hillside lots near 280. Here is a neighborhood by neighborhood look to help you find your fit.
Los Altos incorporated on December 1, 1952, as the eleventh city in Santa Clara County. About 31,600 people live here according to the 2020 census, in a city of about 6.5 square miles bordered by Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Cupertino and Los Altos Hills.
The name means the heights, chosen because the town sat at the highest point on the Southern Pacific cutoff between Mayfield and Los Gatos. Apricot orchards once covered much of the area, and a remnant orchard still surrounds City Hall at the Civic Center. In 1976 Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak built the first Apple I computers in a Los Altos garage.
Los Altos Neighborhood Map
Los Altos neighborhoods by approximate location. Tap a number to jump to its description.
Note: Los Altos has no official neighborhood boundaries, so each neighborhood is shown as an approximate location rather than an outlined area. City limits come from City of Los Altos GIS and roads from City of Palo Alto GIS. Please confirm the neighborhood, school assignment and jurisdiction for any specific address. Tap a number to jump to its description below.
Neighborhood by Neighborhood
Numbers match the map above.
Downtown (The Village)
The town center laid out around the Southern Pacific station, where the first lots sold at a barbecue in March 1907; the triangle of Main, State and First streets is still called The Village. Historic stops include the 1910 Shoup Building, the 1913 depot at 288 First Street, the J. Gilbert Smith House and the Los Altos History Museum.
Old Los Altos
The oldest residential streets in town, west of Foothill Expressway along University Avenue, with a few homes over 100 years old on larger lots. Shoup Park, the city's first park, dedicated in 1955, and the Redwood Grove Nature Preserve sit along Adobe Creek here.
North Los Altos
The area between Foothill Expressway and El Camino Real from El Monte Avenue to Adobe Creek, once prune and avocado orchards, grew mostly in the early 1950s. Original ranch homes are being replaced with Craftsman and Mediterranean designs, near Lincoln Park, Hillview Park and the Hillview community center.
Central Los Altos
Ranch homes south of El Monte Avenue, many remodeled or rebuilt, including the larger lots on Parma Way and Echo Drive. Rosita Park and the Rancho Shopping Center are close by.
Rancho
Single story ranch homes, mostly on quarter acre lots, around the Rancho Shopping Center, which opened in 1951 with 30 shops at Foothill Expressway and Springer Road. Grant Park and Rosita Park are nearby.
Loyola Corners
Named for a Southern Pacific stop that served a planned Jesuit college named for St. Ignatius of Loyola, this small business district sits where Fremont Avenue, Miramonte Avenue and Foothill Expressway meet. Single story ranch homes on quarter acre lots surround it, with McKenzie Park and Marymeade Park nearby.
Country Club
Land the Jesuits bought for a college in 1904 was sold in 1923, with 155 acres set aside for the Los Altos Golf and Country Club and the rest subdivided for homes. Lots run from about a quarter acre to an acre under a mature tree canopy, and much of the area lies in Loyola, an unincorporated census designated place with a Los Altos address.
South Los Altos
Mid century ranch homes alongside Eichlers, Mediterranean and Craftsman houses, in an area split between the Los Altos and Cupertino elementary districts. Grant Park, which hosts summer concerts, is a neighborhood hub.
Woodland Acres/The Highlands
About 1,000 homes on curving, tree lined streets and cul de sacs; Woodland Acres began as farmland and is mostly single story ranch homes on quarter to half acre lots, while The Highlands has more two story homes. Montclaire Park and Montclaire Elementary, in the Cupertino Union district, and the Woodland Branch Library on Grant Road serve the area.
A Short History of Los Altos
The Ohlone lived along the area's creeks, and the land was farmed for decades before the railroad arrived. In 1906 Southern Pacific executive Paul Shoup and his partners formed the Altos Land Company and bought 140 acres from Sarah Winchester, and the first town lots sold at an outdoor barbecue in March 1907 near today's Main Street and Foothill Expressway. Trains began running on the Mayfield cutoff in 1908, and the Craftsman style depot at 288 First Street followed in 1913. After World War II, orchards gave way to subdivisions, Los Altos incorporated in 1952, and when rail service ended in 1964 the right of way became Foothill Expressway.
Schools
Most of Los Altos is served by the Los Altos School District for elementary and junior high grades and the Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District, which includes Los Altos High School and Mountain View High School. Some southern neighborhoods, including Woodland Acres, fall in the Cupertino Union School District and the Fremont Union High School District. Bullis Charter School, a K through 8 public charter, is also in town.
School assignments depend on the exact address, so please confirm with the district before you buy.
Getting Around
Los Altos is framed by Interstate 280, State Route 85 and El Camino Real, with Foothill Expressway running through the middle of town.
Foothill Expressway, built on the old Southern Pacific right of way, runs through the middle of town, with Interstate 280 along the western edge, State Route 85 to the south and El Camino Real along the northeast side. There is no Caltrain station in Los Altos; San Antonio Road and El Monte Avenue lead to stations in neighboring cities.
Los Altos FAQ
What neighborhoods are in Los Altos?
This guide covers 9 Los Altos neighborhoods, including Downtown (The Village), Old Los Altos, North Los Altos, Rancho, Loyola Corners, Country Club and Woodland Acres/The Highlands. Los Altos has no official neighborhood boundaries, so the map shows approximate locations.
What schools serve Los Altos?
Most of Los Altos is served by the Los Altos School District for elementary and junior high grades and the Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District, which includes Los Altos High School and Mountain View High School. Some southern neighborhoods, including Woodland Acres, fall in the Cupertino Union School District and the Fremont Union High School District. Bullis Charter School, a K through 8 public charter, is also in town.
Is there a Caltrain station in Los Altos?
No. The nearest Caltrain stations are in neighboring Mountain View and Palo Alto, reached by San Antonio Road and El Monte Avenue.
What is my Los Altos home worth?
Every Los Altos street prices a little differently. Request a free home valuation and Joseph will send a local estimate based on recent nearby sales. Request a free home valuation
How can I hear about Los Altos homes before they hit the market?
Join Joseph's off-market list. You'll hear about coming-soon and off-market homes that match what you want before they're listed publicly. Join the off-market list
Sources
The facts on this page come from the public sources below. Neighborhood names and borders vary by source, and details like school assignments change, so please confirm anything important for a specific address.
- Wikipedia: Los Altos, California
- City of Los Altos
- City of Los Altos
- DeLeon Realty neighborhood guides
- www.walkscore.com
- raw.githubusercontent.com
- City of Los Altos
- DeLeon Realty neighborhood guides
- DeLeon Realty neighborhood guides
- Los Altos Town Crier
- USGS place names (via TopoZone)
- USGS place names (via MyTopo)
- Wikipedia: Loyola, California
- DeLeon Realty neighborhood guides
- USGS place names (via TopoZone)
- DeLeon Realty neighborhood guides
- USGS place names (via MyTopo)
- USGS place names (via MyTopo)
Header photo: Redwood Grove Nature Preserve, Los Altos by Fastily, Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Los Altos Market Trends
Market Trends are calculated using MLS® sold listing data
