Santa Clara

Santa Clara’s northern district places residents near the heart of the city’s action while offering quality home-buying options of all shapes and sizes. “North Santa Clara has a lot more of the specific communities with condos and HOA-type surroundings, but what people like about it is being closer to the town’s major attractions and business centers,” says local property manager Lauren Mendez. “Lots of employment opportunities and tons of fun things to do.” North Santa Clara is packed with a wide range of subdivisions, from townhome communities to classic Silicon Valley suburbs just north of Highway 101. “A popular neighborhood developed a while back is called Rivermark,” says Brett Weitzmann, a Silicon Valley native and Realtor with The Agency. “It’s right off of Montague Expressway, really nice properties with tree-lined streets.” Rivermark is in high demand for its Colonial Revival and Mediterranean-influenced builds ranging in price between $1 million and $3 million. Surrounding neighborhoods offer ranch-style homes, California bungalows and the occasional luxury build ranging in price from $1 million to $2 million. Townhomes and condos are priced similarly, occupying ornate strips of Mediterranean-style buildings with additional association fees for amenities like landscaping, pools and spas. Altogether, homebuyers can expect to find well-maintained properties extending to wide sidewalks with ample street parking. “Rivermark was developed with its own shopping center called Rivermark Village,” Weitzmann explains. There, locals can grab the essentials from Safeway or browse various casual dining spots like Cold Stone Creamery or Egghead Sando Café. “And on the other side of 101, Santa Clara Square has a Whole Foods, restaurants, yoga,” Weitzmann continues. “It’s nice to have those additional options to explore,” like Barebottle Brewing Company, serving a laundry list of craft beer, wine and coffee creations. Other eats include bubble tea from Gong Cha, seafood from Pacific Catch and classic American grub from Floodcraft Taproom, all walkable within the square’s perimeter. Locals will also find a Walmart, TJ Maxx and HomeGoods at Mercado, a shopping hub next door to Mission College. Residents are positioned less than a mile from a handful of Santa Clara’s busiest hubs. “Levi’s Stadium is famously where the San Francisco 49ers play,” Weitzmann says. “Obviously, they hold a lot of concerts there and things like that, but there’s also the amusement park—California’s Great America.” Home to South Bay Shores Waterpark, this amusement park features more than 60 rides, live entertainment and restaurants. The stadium down the street has hosted internationally recognized events, from The Rolling Stones to the Superbowl. Further, residents can look forward to Santa Clara’s annual events like the Art & Wine Festival or Holiday Tree Lighting in Central Park. Students are zoned for the Santa Clara Unified School District and divided between two catchment areas. Rivermark families can expect their children to begin at the walkable Don Callejon School, a kindergarten through eighth-grade institution with an A on Niche. Others begin at Hughes Elementary, scoring a B-plus on Niche. These students continue on to Dolores Huerta Middle School, while all complete their education at Kathleen MacDonald High, both of which are currently unrated on Niche. Not only does MacDonald High School have its own theater department, but it also offers a wide variety of extracurricular clubs, from cultural groups to chess, dance and cheer. Homes in Rivermark surround Live Oak Park, a popular green space for both community residents and guests alike. The park borders the Northside Branch Library with its volleyball court, playground and tree-lined field. “There’s a trail right along the perimeter of Rivermark called the Guadalupe River Trail,” Weitzmann says. “A lot of people go there for walks, runs and bike rides. They take their dogs out, too. It’s popular because it runs right along the river.” The trail passes through nearby recreation areas like Thamien Park and Lick Mill Park. Farther north, Baylands Park holds more than 70 acres of preserved shorelines and green spaces, ideal for an impromptu picnic or birdwatching trip. San Jose Mineta International Airport is less than 4 miles from most residences in North Santa Clara. “Flight noise can be an issue, it depends on the flight path,” Weitzmann explains. “But proximity to the airport is a selling point for many people.” Situated amidst Silicon Valley, “you’re only a few miles or less from all of the high-tech company campuses,” he continues. “There’s Highway 101, Montague Expressway, Route 237—all with traffic during commute hours.” Residents will find bus stops along several nearby thoroughfares, particularly surrounding Mission College. Tasman Station is the closest light rail stop, situated of North First Street. Meanwhile, the closest emergency room is Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center, about 6 miles southwest.

Downtown Santa Clara, sometimes called Old Quad by locals, is known for its historic homes, highly rated schools and Santa Clara University, the oldest university in California. “This part of San Jose is just inundated with history,” says Jessica Mills, a local resident and Realtor with Intero Real Estate Services, Inc. “You have that beautiful turn-of-the-century home design. It’s treelined and known for its landscape because it used to be an orchard.” Nearby houses of worship include Masjid Al-Noor and Mission Santa Clara de Asís, a Catholic church on Santa Clara University’s campus that was originally founded in 1777. This area had a central commercial district in the early 20th century, but it was demolished in the 1960s. In 2023, the city council approved a plan to redevelop the original downtown, located around Lafayette and Benton Streets, with new housing and businesses. While there is no central downtown yet, residents have plenty of shopping and dining options throughout the neighborhood, and big tech employers like Nvidia and Intel are within 5 miles. Downtown Santa Clara's sidewalk-lined, gridded streets make it a popular area for dog walks and evening strolls. While the neighborhood isn't an official historic district, many buyers are drawn by the character and history of the neighborhood’s early 20th-century Folk Victorian, Queen Anne and Craftsman homes; these are often painted in bright colors and feature flower-filled gardens, mature trees and lush lawns. Homes here vary widely in size, from two-bedroom, 800-square-foot cottages to seven-bedroom, 3,800-square-foot renovated Queen Anne homes; prices typically range from $780,000 to $2.3 million, depending on size and renovation status. The neighborhood's midcentury ranch-style and minimal traditional homes both have attached garages and a similar price range; a one-bedroom starts at $860,000, while a renovated four-bedroom can go up to $2.3 million. In the north and west, 21st-century two- and three-story townhouses typically have two or three bedrooms and cost between $900,000 and $1.6 million, plus homeowners association fees that go toward maintenance and landscaping. There are several parks throughout the neighborhood. “Santa Clara does their parks really well,” Mills says. “Fremont Park is probably my daughter’s favorite.” Set in the north, this 7-acre park is popular with kids for its playground featuring unicorn and dragon sculptures. A little further north, the 10-acre Reed and Grant Sports Park is one of the area’s newest parks, with 10 soccer fields that host tournaments for kids and adults; next door is the 2-acre Reed Street Dog Park, with two enclosed areas where small and large dogs can run around off-leash. Art lovers can hang out at the Triton Museum of Art’s sculpture garden, attend regular art classes and join an art history-themed book club. Residents can start their day at Voyager Craft Coffee, a bright and airy coffee shop serving locally roasted brews. Crepes Bistro is a popular neighborhood spot known for its large selection of vegetarian and vegan crepes. For dessert, Mills recommends the locally owned Rocko’s Ice Cream Tacos, named for the founder’s dog. “Rocko’s Tacos, if you’re an ice cream fan, is heaven,” Mills says. “They custom make them. You can pick your ice cream, and they put it in a shell and freeze-dry it. They make them for dogs, too.” On Saturdays, the Santa Clara Farmers Market sells fresh produce in Franklin Square, and residents can complete their shopping at Santa Clara Town Centre, a shopping center with Target and Sprouts Farmers Market. Downtown Santa Clara is close to several major sports venues. In the fall, fans of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers can cheer on the team at Levi’s Stadium, located about 6 miles north. PayPal Park, home of Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes, is a 2-mile trip, and the SAP Center, which hosts the San Jose Sharks hockey team and has regular concerts, is 2 miles east. Local kids can start school at Westwood Elementary, which earns an A from Niche, then attend Buchser Middle, which earns an A-minus. “I’ve had a lot of clients wanting to move here because of the high school,” Mills says. “When the 49ers moved to Santa Clara, they put a lot of resources in Santa Clara High, making it more sought after.” Students at the A-rated Santa Clara High can enroll in the 49ers STEM Leadership Institute, where they’ll have additional support and resources in science and math classes. Nearby private options include the A-plus-rated Bellarmine College Preparatory School for boys in Grades 9 through 12. Santa Clara University, a private Jesuit university on the neighborhood’s east side, enrolls over 9,000 students in almost 50 majors, including bioengineering, economics and religious studies. The school has 20 NCAA Division I sports teams, and attending games is a popular local pastime. The university also has kids’ summer camps, including the Bronco Kids All Sports Camp and the Young Scholars Program for high schoolers. Interstate 880 borders the neighborhood’s southeast, while El Camino Real passes through the northeast, leading 6 miles west to Sunnyvale, and 4 miles east to downtown San Jose. Commuters can take Caltrain from the neighborhood's Santa Clara station to San Francisco, 45 miles away. Valley Transportation Authority buses stop throughout the area, and bike lanes and sidewalks make the area friendly for cyclists and pedestrians. O’Connor Hospital is 2 miles south, and San José Mineta International Airport is a 3-mile trip. While most of San Jose and Silicon Valley rely on the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (commonly known as PG&E) for their electricity, residents in Santa Clara can use the city’s municipal electric utility, Silicon Valley Power. “Generally, they tend to be lower in cost compared to other areas where you’d have PG&E,” says Brett Weitzmann, a Realtor with The Agency who’s a lifelong resident of Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley Power is a smaller utility with fewer customers, so its grid isn’t as strained. “A couple of summers ago, when PG&E had rolling blackouts,” Weitzmann says, “Santa Clara residents still had their power on.”