The cost of Palo Alto real estate is increasing, but with all the city has to offer, is it any wonder why?

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Palo Alto Real Estate

Since its start in 1894, Palo Alto has grown to include the area from Sanfrancisquito Creek to all the way to San Antonio Road going south, and from San Francisco Bay to the Skyline Ridge. Some 86,238 residents call Palo Alto home, although the population grows to around 140,000 on weekdays when commuters bustle through the area.

There is never a shortage of things to do in Palo Alto, which boasts mountain views, the Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, Stanford Lively Arts and the Stanford University Campus. The Visitor’s Guide to the Midpensinsula calls Palo Alto, one of the most varied environments in the world.

Palo Alto offers hiking, bird watching and horseback rides along the bay or through groves of redwoods. Spend the evening dancing to salsa or swing, or catch a movie in French or a vintage film at the restored Stanford Theatre.

An array of restaurants reflects the area’s diversity. Choose from Mexican, Middle Eastern, Indian, Vietnamese, Singaporean, Thai or California-style cuisine.

City firsts include opening The Children’s Library, the first stand-alone public library of its kind, in 1940, and becoming the first U.S. city to have an Internet home page in 1994, the same year the city celebrated its Centennial.

The city is 25.98 square miles and contains 34 parks and 51 tennis courts, and 22 homes are fueled by solar energy as of the 2000 census.

Palo Alto began as a blue-collar city with a small community of Stanford University Professors and has evolved into a diverse, well-educated, stable society.

Palo Alto is a welcoming place for any family and offers a wide array of activities for teens. The school district operates 12 elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools.

Palo Alto Airport is open 24 hours a day, and there are an abundance of public transportation options for traveling within the city and beyond. Many residents however prefer to travel by bicycle.

Arastradero Preserve offers open grasslands, bay views and a small lake, where mountain bike enthusiasts can enjoy a single track, a fire road and a bowl with steep sides. Alpine Road sits in the Santa Cruz Mountains above Los Altos Hills and proves ideal trails for mountain biking.

The city contains several hospitals, clinics, recycling centers, and offers a wide variety of places to worship, catering to everyone from Catholics to Quakers to Soto Zen Buddhists.

The median household income is $49,164, and the median household net worth is $83,045. The median home price grew from $33,900 in 1970 to $1,065,000 in 2003, to $1.36 million in September 2005, which means Palo Alto real estate prices are on the rise.

CURRENT NEWS

A five-year dispute continues to grow regarding the proposed expansion of the Alpine Road sidewalk to create a 16-foot wide nature trail. Stanford wishes to complete two trail connections to the foothills above Stanford Campus. If the plan goes through, this might mean major construction in the area and closure of some main roads for a six-month period.

Palo Alto’s wide array of activities and its eclectic environment makes Palo Alto real estate very attractive. Unfortunately for buyers, as the city continues to flourish, housing prices are increasing. Palo Alto real estate’s proximity to Stanford can act as a plus or a minus depending on the person. With the proposed expansion of Alpine Roads, construction threatens to cause problems in the area, but once the construction is finished the area can boast yet another nature trail, which will only further increase the appeal of Palo Alto real estate.

By: Erin Rigik

A REALTOR® is a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS®