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Adobe Meadow & Meadow Park, Palo Alto Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
Two mid-1950s neighborhoods east of Middlefield Road, on either side of the Adobe Creek flood channel: Adobe Meadow to the north, Meadow Park and its Eichlers to the south.
Adobe Meadow & Meadow Park by the numbers
adobe meadow & meadow park by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Adobe Meadow & Meadow Park: Middlefield Rd east, E. Meadow Dr to E. Charleston Rd (approximate). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in adobe meadow & meadow park · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Adobe Meadow & Meadow Park
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Adobe Meadow & Meadow Park from the MLS, updated automatically, with a map of the neighborhood outline.
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Listings come from MLSListings and other MLSs through IDX and show their listing brokerage; confirm details with the listing agent. The map outline is the neighborhood boundary used by our listing search (Adobe Meadow & Meadow Park: Middlefield Rd east, E. Meadow Dr to E. Charleston Rd (approximate)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Adobe Meadow & Meadow Park came to be
This was dairy land into the 1950s. Adobe Meadow Neighborhood Association history, as reported by Palo Alto Online, says the area was rural lots, and in the late 1940s neighbors on Charleston Road and Grove Avenue crossed over to Piers Dairy on Louis Road. In December 1955 a rainstorm turned the land east of Middlefield Road into a lake, leaving the dairy cows knee-deep in water. That spring, developers started building on the dairy site.
The houses went up on both sides of a new Adobe Creek flood channel. Most were built by Brown and Kauffman, and county assessor data dates about 280 of the roughly 445 houses to 1955-59. South of the creek, Joseph Eichler added 44 homes among the Brown and Kauffman houses, the tract the city's Eichler map calls Meadow Park and dates to 1957-58. The park on East Meadow Drive opened in 1958 under the name Meadow Park, after the tract. Today it is Ramos Park, named for Don Jesus Ramos, who reached the Mayfield area in 1851.
Later decades filled the gaps. Charleston Court and Ensign Way came in the 1960s and 1970s. Ortega Elementary School once stood where Ortega Court is now, and county records date most of those houses to 1985-89. After a few second stories went up in Meadow Park, a single-story overlay followed; the city zoning map shows it over the tract today. In 2021 the Adobe Reach Trail and a bike and pedestrian bridge over US 101 opened at the east end of East Meadow Drive.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
North of the creek, Adobe Meadow is Corina Way, Nathan Way, Ross Road, Mayview Avenue, May Court, Ortega Court and the upper part of Grove Avenue, with Louis Road running through. Palo Alto Online notes two details you can still spot. City-owned street trees stand in the front lawns rather than at the curb, and some houses sit behind others on flag lots, about 30 of them in city parcel data. Most houses are mid-1950s Brown and Kauffman designs, with a few Eichlers. Common remodels are a garage turned into a room with a carport added, or a second story over the garage. Ortega Court's late-1980s houses are larger. At the East Meadow Drive end, near the creek, a 2007-08 cluster of attached homes sits on private lanes named for birds: Quail Drive, Mallard Lane, Egret Lane, Curlew Lane and Sandpiper Lane.
South of the creek, Meadow Park is Gailen Avenue, Gailen Court, the lower part of Grove Avenue, Bibbits Drive and the last block of Louis Road, along with Charleston Court and Ensign Way. The streets don't go through, so traffic stays local. The city zoning map shows R-1(8000)(S), the single-story overlay, over Meadow Park Tract 1722 and parts of Tract 1977. Charleston Court and Ensign Way are outside it. Lots south of the creek run a little larger, with a median of about 7,800 square feet.
Zoning north of the creek is mostly R-1(8000), with no overlay, so two-story rebuilds are possible there under the city's review. About 41 of the roughly 315 houses in Adobe Meadow date from 2000 or later, compared with just one in Meadow Park.
streets in adobe meadow & meadow park
- East Meadow Drive
- Middlefield Road
- East Charleston Road
- Louis Road
- Corina Way
- Nathan Way
- Ross Road
- Grove Avenue
- Grove Court
- Mayview Avenue
- May Court
- Ortega Court
- Gailen Avenue
- Gailen Court
- Bibbits Drive
- Charleston Court
- Ensign Way
- Quail Drive
- Mallard Lane
- Egret Lane
- Curlew Lane
- Sandpiper Lane
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Adobe Meadow & Meadow Park
- park
Ramos Park
A 4.4-acre park at 800 E. Meadow Dr. with playgrounds, basketball courts, soccer fields, picnic tables and grills, and walking and bike paths. It opened in 1958 as Meadow Park.
- park
Mitchell Park and library
Across Middlefield Road, a 21.4-acre district park at 600 E. Meadow Dr. with the Magical Bridge inclusive playground (opened 2015), tennis and pickleball courts, a dog park and water play. The Mitchell Park branch library is at 3700 Middlefield Rd.
- landmark
Cubberley Community Center
Across East Charleston Road at 4000 Middlefield Rd., a 35.5-acre former high school campus (built 1956, a high school until 1979, a community center since 1989). In 2026 the city was advancing a phased rebuild plan tied to a land purchase from the school district.
- shopping
Charleston Center
The neighborhood shopping center on Middlefield Road just south of Charleston Road, in the 3900 block.
- landmark
Adobe Reach Trail and Highway 101 bridge
The trail links East Meadow Drive at Adobe Creek to West Bayshore Road and the bike and pedestrian bridge over US 101, both opened in fall 2021, for a direct ride to the Baylands.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
Adobe Meadow and Meadow Park are in the Palo Alto Unified School District. No public school operates inside the neighborhood today; Ortega Court is on the former Ortega Elementary site, and Cubberley, across Charleston Road, closed as a high school in 1979. Assignments, including elementary, middle and high school (Palo Alto High or Gunn), depend on the exact address, and attendance boundaries change, so check the address with PAUSD.
Getting around
- VTA Route 21 runs on Middlefield Road along the west edge, with stops at Meadow, Mayview and Charleston, and continues to San Antonio Road and Showers Drive near the San Antonio Caltrain station.
- San Antonio Caltrain station (190 Showers Dr., Mountain View, Zone 3) is about 1.1 miles south in a straight line; California Avenue station is about 1.9 miles northwest (approximate).
- By bike, the Adobe Reach Trail starts at East Meadow Drive and Adobe Creek and connects to the US 101 bike and pedestrian bridge, with landings on West and East Bayshore roads.
- US 101 is about a mile east via East Charleston Road and San Antonio Road (approximate).
- East Meadow Drive and Charleston Road lead west across Alma Street to El Camino Real.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Adobe Meadow & Meadow Park: what we check
Buying here
- Flood zone first. City parcel data puts about 300 of the roughly 445 single-family lots, mostly east of Grove Avenue, in FEMA Zone AE, a special flood hazard area. Check the current FEMA map for the address, whether a lender will require flood insurance, and whether an elevation certificate exists.
- Zoning differs by side of the creek. Meadow Park is R-1(8000)(S) (single story only), except Charleston Court and Ensign Way; Adobe Meadow is mostly R-1(8000) without the overlay. Check the exact parcel before planning a second story.
- Many houses have garage conversions, carports or add-on rooms. Ask for permits and final sign-offs, and check whether required parking still works.
- On a flag lot, read the access easement and setbacks closely. For an Eichler, check the radiant floor heating, the low-slope roof and the original glass.
- City-owned street trees often stand in front lawns here. Pruning or removing them goes through the city, so factor that into landscape or driveway plans.
Selling here
- Have flood-zone paperwork ready: the FEMA zone, any elevation certificate, and your flood insurance history.
- Gather permits for garage conversions, carports, second stories and additions; buyers here ask.
- For a Meadow Park Eichler, point out original features and explain the single-story overlay, since it shapes what a buyer can add.
- For a flag lot, include a clear site plan that shows the access easement and the usable yard.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Adobe Meadow & Meadow Park questions, answered
Are Adobe Meadow and Meadow Park the same neighborhood?
They are two neighbors on either side of Adobe Creek. Adobe Meadow runs from East Meadow Drive to the creek; Meadow Park runs from the creek to East Charleston Road, between Grove Avenue and Bibbits Drive. The MLS lists them together as 'Adobe Meadow - Meadow Park.'
Are there Eichlers?
Yes. Palo Alto Online reports that Joseph Eichler built 44 homes in Meadow Park, among Brown and Kauffman houses, plus a few in Adobe Meadow. The city's Eichler map dates the Meadow Park tract to 1957-58.
Is there a single-story overlay?
In Meadow Park, yes: the city zoning map shows R-1(8000)(S) over the tract, except Charleston Court and Ensign Way. Adobe Meadow, north of the creek, is mostly R-1(8000) without the overlay.
Is the neighborhood in a flood zone?
Much of it. City parcel data lists about 300 of the roughly 445 single-family lots in FEMA Zone AE, mainly east of Grove Avenue. Lots near Middlefield and Charleston are mostly Zone X. Check the exact address on the current FEMA map.
How do you get to the Baylands by bike?
Take the Adobe Reach Trail from East Meadow Drive at Adobe Creek to West Bayshore Road and cross US 101 on the bike and pedestrian bridge that opened in November 2021.
Why is the park called Ramos Park and not Meadow Park?
It opened in 1958 as Meadow Park, named for the tract, and now honors Don Jesus Ramos, who arrived in the Mayfield area in 1851 and lived on Page Mill Road until 1912.
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