Menlo Park

Home to windswept waterfront parks in the heart of Silicon Valley, Belle Haven is a suburb for community-minded individuals who want to be as close to nature as they are to regional hot spots. This residential enclave’s quiet drives are minutes from the corporate headquarters of Meta, formerly Facebook, and just a few miles from downtown Menlo Park. “It’s a family-oriented neighborhood,” says Realtor Leah Fowler of Sterling Royal Real Estate, who grew up in Belle Haven. Tree canopies shade the sidewalk-lined streets, often filled with dog walkers and stroller-led locals. “It’s very peaceful,” Fowler says. With an active community association, walkable parks, a senior center and a neighborhood library, it’s an area that welcomes people from all walks of life looking for a little fresh air and distance from the city. Located in laidback Menlo Park, a small city between Palo Alto and Atherton, Belle Haven is a tight-knit suburb bordering the San Francisco Bay. Residential development began during the Great Depression as affordable housing, and although prices in the Bay Area have skyrocketed in recent years, it’s remained a relatively accessible landing place. “It’s mostly smaller, ranch-style houses, although some families are adding on and creating new, modern homes,” Fowler says of the community’s architectural mix of midcentury and Craftsman designs. The neighborhood is eminently walkable, with thoughtfully landscaped green spaces and very little traffic. Properties typically range between $1 million and $1.5 million for the neighborhood’s ubiquitous ranch homes, while newer builds can sell for over $2 million. Comparable homes in nearby neighborhoods often go for double those prices. Belle Haven has unmatched access to some of the best parks and outdoor spaces the area has to offer. For hilltop views of the Bay, homeowners can pay a visit to Bedwell Bayfront Park, a meadowy open space with plenty of room to roam the water’s edge. Many ride their bikes to Dumbarton Bridge Vista Point and Trail to explore the winding bayside pathway with views of the marshy shoreline at Ravenswood Open Space Preserve. It’s also known as a great place for birdwatching. Belle Haven’s many neighborhood parks are walkable, including Kelly Park, the largest and most popular. The community gathers here for youth soccer on the turf fields and for the occasional cookout. Locals tend the Belle Haven Community Garden year-round and take the kids to the playground at Hamilton Park. Belle Haven Action is a community organization that provides outreach and support to locals. The team coordinates events, including the Belle Haven Farmers Market held at the neighborhood library on Saturday mornings and health-focused gatherings complete with crafts like quilt making, refreshments and shared medical resources. The group also gets together for “Kitchen Table Chats,” less formal meetings to discuss topics ranging from construction progress to neighborhood visioning and commissioner interviews. For their elementary and middle years, students attend schools in the Ravenswood City School District, including the walkable Belle Haven Elementary School, a K-8 facility with a D-plus rating on Niche. Many older kids attend the stellar Menlo-Atherton High School with an A-plus rating. It’s known as one of California's premier college prep schools and is less than a 10-minute drive from home. Belle Haven is also home to the Belle Haven Branch Library, a popular community hangout where the kids can tackle homework assignments after school. It’s conveniently next door to the neighborhood elementary school. There’s a small shopping center tucked into the neighborhood’s eastern corner, with several awninged restaurants, shops and a Starbucks, convenient for morning pick-me-ups. It’s also an easy stop-off to fill up the gas tank. Soleska Market is the community grocer, a family-run spot with a taqueria inside, known for flautas and homemade sour cream. For everything else, Belle Haven homeowners head into downtown Menlo Park, less than 2 miles south. The small-town business district is home to a Trader Joe’s, Draeger’s Market, upscale dining and coffee shops. Meta Headquarters, then known as Facebook, moved to Menlo Park in 2011 and has since expanded along the shore with a sprawling, contemporary campus that includes a public park. It's Menlo Park’s largest employer with over 18,000 employees and is bordered by several newly built apartment complexes. Belle Haven is traversed by the Bayfront Expressway and the Bayshore Freeway, meaning seamless drives around the region. City buses also make frequent stops throughout Belle Haven for those who use public transportation. Located about 30 miles south of downtown San Francisco and 20 miles from San Jose, it's a popular location for commuters.

From its lively commercial strip brimming with local shops to the almost pastoral roads of the Allied Arts district, Downtown Menlo Park is a thriving local community with laid-back suburban ambiance and excellent public schools. A small city of around 32,000 residents, Menlo Park is a longstanding college town and harbor for tech titans like Meta and, once upon a time, Google. Downtown Menlo Park is the city’s centerpiece bordered by prestigious Stanford University. The six-block downtown commercial district is packed with mom-and-pop shops, cafes and restaurants. It sees plenty of foot traffic on the weekends. Small multi-family buildings and houses start to appear about two blocks away as you head into the surrounding suburban area. The neighborhood also encompasses the coveted Allied Arts residential district, named for the Allied Arts Guild, a nearby historic garden. Nearest the downtown strip, streets are lined with small apartments, cottages and bungalows spruced up leafy landscaping. Further away, there are mostly single-family homes that come in a wide variety of styles. Most were constructed in between the 1950s and 70s and have been remodeled with fresh décor, open floor plans and contemporary amenities. The Allied Arts district, located to the southeast of downtown, has a quiet, country feel with lots of trees and a nearby creek that winds across the edge of the neighborhood. “There’s a lot of architectural charm. No two houses look the same, and people love that. And it’s walking distance to two great parks,” says Realtor Jennifer Bitter of Compass Real Estate and partner at LeMieux Associates, who grew up in Menlo Park and has worked in real estate in Silicon Valley for more than a decade. Older homes in the area typically sell for between $2.5 million to $4 million, while the occasional new build, typically larger in size, can sell for as much as $8 million. Menlo Park's downtown district is located on Santa Cruz Avenue, a lively street with plenty of options for shopping and dining. “There are classy restaurants and a farmer’s market on the weekends. It’s got a bucolic, small-town feel. It’s the type of street you’d take your kids for ice cream and pizza,” Bitter says. Locals can pick up a box of flaky, buttery pastries at Mademoiselle Colette, a French patisserie that transports its customers to the streets of Champs-Elysees. Or, for a night out with friends, residents and visitors dine at Camper, a Michelin Guide-approved eatery with lantern-lit ambiance, large windows and landscape paintings hanging from the walls. Its seasoned chefs serve up premium cuts of locally sourced meats alongside handmade pasta and contemporary California cuisine. There are plenty of options for grocery shopping, including Trader Joe’s, Safeway or Draeger’s Market, a high-end, family-owned supermarket with an appetizing assortment of meats, cheese and wine. Several parks are tucked away in the neighborhood that offer residents a great place to relax and enjoy the outdoors. Pet owners can take their pups on an adventure to Nealon Park, a picturesque, community space with a dog park, playground and tennis courts. Camp Fremont Park, a tranquil, tree-filled park with benches, is great for an afternoon stroll. For scenic forest exploration, the redwood preserves and rugged hiking trails at Teague Hill Open Space Preserve and Jasper Ridge are about 5 miles west. Students in the neighborhood can attend schools in the coveted Menlo Park School District, including Encinal Elementary School, Hillview Middle School and Menlo-Atherton High School, all of which hold A ratings from Niche, an online school review site. Each of these schools have been recognized at the state and national level for their academic excellence and boast some of the highest test scores in California. Commuters will find Downtown Menlo Park a convenient launching point to get around the region: it’s home to a Caltrain station that runs north to San Francisco, about 30 miles away, and south to San Jose. For those who prefer to drive, the neighborhood is just 3 miles from Interstate 280. With great schools, shops and restaurants and a lively, suburban feel, Downtown Menlo Park might be an ideal place to put down roots in the Bay Area.

Location is widely considered the most important asset in real estate, and in a neighborhood like Linfield Oaks, the adage rings true in particular. This Silicon Valley-area enclave is filled with well-kept and updated midcentury homes and is conveniently located near highly rated public schools. And, though it’s primarily residential, Linfield Oaks is close to bustling commercial corridors and just about 30 miles south of San Francisco. “You’ve got great schools and it's close to downtown Menlo Park and downtown Palo Alto. That goes a long way,” says Menlo Park-based Realtor Cindy Liebsch of Compass Real Estate. The Linfield Oaks area sprouted as a post-World War II planned community. So much of the housing in this area still dates back to the 1950s through the 1970s. Many homes here are spacious ranch-style options — the average square footage is 1,965. Though many of the houses here are established, many of them have updated interiors. “They may look ranch-y on the outside, but they’re very modern on the inside,” Liebsch says. “Some people are taking them down entirely and replacing them.” Homes around Linfield Oaks fill well-kept, compact lots along sidewalk-lined residential streets. “It’s very friendly. It’s got a real community feel. It’s where neighbors are friends,” Liebsch says. Single-family homes here sell for prices anywhere from about $2.5 million to $4 million. Kids in Linfield Oaks can enter schools in the Menlo Park City School District to start. Many here can go to Encinal Elementary for kindergarten through fifth grade, a school with an A-plus overall grade on Niche. Encinal offers students a range of afterschool programs to take part in, from piano instruction to martial arts. From Encinal, students can progress to the A-rated Hillview Middle, where elective options include classes like media literacy, jazz band and yoga. Next up is the A-plus-rated Menlo-Atherton High, part of the Sequoia Union High School District. Menlo-Atherton’s Career Technical Education department offers instruction in the sectors of arts, media and entertainment; building trades and construction; education, child development and family services; engineering and design; hospitality, tourism and recreation; and information technology. The private Stanford University, which Niche ranks No. 2 on its list of the best colleges in the country, is also just a couple of miles outside of Linfield Oaks. Linfield Oaks is surrounded by recreational space to enjoy. Options include the 9-acre Burgess Park, which has multiple athletic fields, basketball and tennis courts, a playground and even a skatepark. There’s also a sizable public lap pool here. The opposite side of the neighborhood is close to both El Palo Alto Park and Timothy Hopkins Creekside Park, which are peaceful spots for a stroll along the San Francisquito Creek. Many Linfield Oaks residents can make the quick stroll up to The Willows Market for the popular tri-tip sandwich and robust selection of craft beer. Downtown Menlo Park and Downtown Palo Alto are just a quick drive away, too, and both corridors are packed with eateries, from fast casual to fine dining. Zola is one of the Downtown Palo Alto standouts, a restaurant featured in the MICHELIN Guide and renowned for its French-inspired cuisine. Linfield Oaks features several stops in the SamTrans bus system, which runs across San Mateo County. SamTrans is made up of 76 routes total, trekking around the county. Drivers have U.S. Route 101, which cuts by just to the north of Linfield Oaks, at their disposal. Route 101 can take commuters north into San Francisco, a trip of just about 30 miles. Route 101 also connects drivers to San Jose, which is about 20 miles south. Linfield Oaks residents can join others in Menlo Park for various annual community events. The city organizes celebrations including a Spring festival and egg hunt in April, a Juneteenth Celebration, a Fourth of July celebration, a summer concert series, the Halloween Hoopla parade and carnival and the Light up the Season tree lighting in December.

Menlo Oaks is tucked away in the leafy Silicon Valley suburbs, enfolded in the crooked branches of its namesake trees. There are no sidewalks, but these narrow streets see very little traffic, mostly occupied by slow strollers keeping cool under the shady centuries-old canopy. The serene neighborhood is home to two beautiful private school campuses, a university and a medical center – but its residential corridors remain well hidden within the lush foliage. Homeowners here also enjoy convenient access to downtown destinations like Menlo Park and Palo Alto, providing a comfortable home base for work commuters. Menlo Oaks is known for its oversized lots and spacious five-bedroom homes. These lofty residences date from the early 1900s to today in a wide breadth of architectural motifs, from cozy cottages to wideset ranch homes and luxury new builds. These highly desirable communities don’t come cheap, with home prices typically ranging from $2.5 million for older, smaller homes to upwards of $9 million for grand estates. “Around here, the cost of land is really the major part of the purchase,” says Elaine White, an Associate Broker at Coldwell Banker and area native. Students can attend the Menlo Park City Elementary School and Sequoia Union High School districts. The neighborhood’s stellar public schools include Laurel Elementary, Hillview Middle and Menlo-Atherton High, all of which have received accolades like the California Distinguished Schools award and the National Blue-Ribbon award. Each also holds an A rating from Niche. The Peninsula School sits at the center of town, a private K-8 school that operates from the historic Coleman Mansion, a Victorian estate built in 1882. The school’s fairs and fundraisers are open to Menlo Parks community members. This is also the location of St. Patrick’s Seminary & University, a Roman Catholic seminary with a library and gardens that are open to the public. Menlo Oaks is a short walk or drive away from central Menlo Park and Palo Alto, both of which offer upscale and casual dining and a wide range of shopping destinations. “People go out a lot and rely on local restaurants as a way of life,” White says. Homeowners head to downtown Menlo Park, a commercial strip that has a small-town vibe, to dine at eateries like Camper, a laidback Michelin-rated restaurant with a modern ambiance. It’s also a convenient stop to pick up groceries at Trader Joe’s or Draeger’s Market. Downtown Palo Alto feels more like a big city destination with a vibrant retail and hospitality scene featuring big brands that fill stacked storefronts. The Willows Market is the neighborhood go-to for weekly errands. “I’ve had clients relocate from other parts of the country, and they ask where the kids play,” White says of the comparably small yards. She emphasizes the abundance of parks and outdoor gathering places in town. Menlo Oaks’ lush surroundings have a park-like quality, but homeowners can also get outside at nearby natural pockets like Seminary Oaks Park, where kids can let off steam at the playground, or Willow Oaks, known for its enclosed, off-leash dog park. “What’s different in our area versus other parts of the country is that, because the lots tend to be smaller, the activities that kids do are organized, like team sports,” White says. For a full day outdoors, locals head to Bedwell Bayfront Park, a meadowy open space overlooking the San Francisco Bay. From its grassy, hilltop vistas, visitors soak up panoramic views of the scenic waterfront. “A lot of the big companies like Meta are having people come into the office a few days a week, so the accessibility is something people like,” White says. Menlo Oaks is traversed by the Bayshore Freeway, a major Peninsula travel corridor. From the highway, it’s about 30 miles to downtown San Francisco and 20 miles into San Jose. The neighborhood is also just a few minutes from the Dumbarton Bridge, an easy local connection to the East Bay. Most residents are drivers, but SamTrans buses also serve the community with several stops along the main roads for a car-free commute around the region. Many also take advantage of the walkable Caltrain stop at the Menlo Park Station, shuttling riders into major neighboring metros.

Framed by the Stanford University campus and the western ridges of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Sharon Heights offers a peaceful suburban experience close to the heart of Menlo Park. Diverse housing options keep the neighborhood appealing to a range of buyers, many of whom are drawn here by highly rated National Blue Ribbon Schools such as La Entrada Middle. Local amenities include the Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club, a modest shopping center and proximity to major employers, including a host of venture capital firms along Sand Hill Road and Silicon Valley’s finest less than 20 miles away. Despite a string of burglaries in early 2024, Sharon Heights receives a low crime score of 2 out of 10 from the CAP Index and is traditionally known as a safe, suburban community. Medical centers are only a few miles away on the Stanford University campus, which is home to the highly regarded Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. And with hundreds of miles of mountain trails and Caltrain stations nearby, it’s easy to explore all the Bay Area has to offer from the comfortable setting of Sharon Heights. Ranging from modest midcentury ranch styles to massive contemporary builds, single-family homes in Sharon Heights offer a dynamic suburban experience with landscaped yards bordered by lighted sidewalks. “It's nice because the powerlines are underground, unlike other neighborhoods in the area,” giving the community a clean, welcoming look, says Jennifer Bitter, a Realtor with Golden Gate Sotheby's International Realty and a graduate of Stanford Business School. “A few of the homes have peek-a-boo views of the Bay,” she adds, noting that with a great view comes a great price tag. Whether it’s a detached home on a hill, a small condo or a unit in the golf course-adjacent Sand Hill Townhouses, buyers can expect to shell out at least a million dollars, with the largest properties easily soaring past the $8 million mark. Beautiful homes and a quiet, residential character may seem like the biggest draws for Sharon Heights, but it’s the schools that really push the neighborhood’s desirability over the top. “People are moving to Sharon Heights and Menlo Park in general for the schools. In addition to the desirable location, it’s one of the reasons the housing costs are high,” Bitter says. Students can attend Las Lomitas Elementary, La Entrada Middle and Menlo-Atherton High, which all boast impressive grades of A-plus on Niche and sit within a few miles of the neighborhood. Some students may even be able to walk to elementary and middle school. In high school, students can take center stage performing at the on-site Performing Arts Center, a professional 31,000-square-foot theater that seats nearly 500 people. After graduating, some students may even choose to stay close to home by enrolling at the prestigious Stanford University. With the western band of the Santa Cruz Mountains just a few miles away, there’s no shortage of wilderness to explore near Sharon Heights. A quick trip west leads to scenic redwood preserves like Teague Hill Open Space and Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space, where hundreds of miles of trails offer challenging routes for hikers, bikers and equestrians. Some of the trails even link up with the Bay Area Ridge Trail, a 400-mile stretch that encircles the bay. But staying close to home has its perks, too, as the Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club is a popular spot for members to practice their swing or stay active at the club’s fitness center, tennis courts and pool. Smaller spaces like the 12-acre Sharon Hills Park offer paved trails through the tree-shaded brush — the perfect fodder for a herd of grazing goats that help reduce fire hazards by chowing down on dry grasses. And at Sharon Park, kids can explore the playground or head to the pond to spot turtles and fish. The greater Menlo Park community enjoys a handful of local events throughout the year, including spring East egg hunts, outdoor summer concerts, a Fourth of July celebration and the Light up the Season holiday festival. Just off Sand Hill Road, which is packed with leading venture capital firms, the Sharon Heights Shopping Center offers convenient access to groceries, pharmacy items, salons and banks. Anchored by Safeway, the plaza is home to Woodside Bakery, a cozy confectionery and local business that’s been serving the Bay Area from different locations since 1981. Locals also enjoy upscale dining at the Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club and the neighboring Rosewood Sand Hill Hotel, which features the Madera, a contemporary American restaurant with a grand open kitchen that’s received high praise from critics, including the Michelin Guide. Within The Quad, a contemporary workspace part of the Sand Hill Collection, Sand Hill Kitchen offers a new take on brunch and lunch with locally sourced ingredients. Sharon Heights is best navigated by car, although there are a few local SamTrans bus stops along Sharon Road. The Menlo Park Caltrain station sits a few miles east, and Interstate 280 is just minutes west, providing convenient routes across the Bay Area.