home / palo alto / barron park
palo alto neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Barron Park, Palo Alto Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
A semi-rural corner of south Palo Alto that stayed unincorporated until 1975: winding streets without sidewalks, two creeks, Bol Park and its donkeys, and zoning that runs from Eichler tracts to one-acre estate lots.
Barron Park by the numbers
barron park by the numbers · live from the mls
- for sale now…
- median list price…
- homes sold, last 12 months…
- median sale price, 12 mo…
- median price per sq ft, sold…
- sale price vs. list…
Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Barron Park: southwest of El Camino Real, Stanford Research Park to Maybell Ave (city neighborhood outline). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in barron park · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Barron Park
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Barron Park from the MLS, updated automatically, with a map of the neighborhood outline.
Loading listings…
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 (Barron Park: southwest of El Camino Real, Stanford Research Park to Maybell Ave (city neighborhood outline)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Barron Park came to be
Barron Park's paper trail starts with a rancho. In 1841 Governor Alvarado granted Rancho Rincon de San Francisquito to Jose Pena; in 1847 the Robles brothers took over the land and renamed it Rancho Santa Rita. In 1878 mining magnate Edward Barron bought a farm here and planted elaborate gardens, according to the Barron Park Association's history timeline. In the 1920s the 330-acre Barron estate was subdivided into what the association's historian called a summer colony for San Franciscans weary of fog and wind.
For half a century the area stayed unincorporated county land, an island surrounded by Palo Alto, served at times by a private water company and a volunteer fire department. Stanford physicist Cornelis Bol, inventor of a high-intensity mercury vapor lamp, bought a donkey pasture here in the 1930s, and donkeys have lived on that land since 1934. In the late 1960s his family offered about 5 acres to the community at half of market value; the county bought the land in 1971, and Bol Park was dedicated in April 1974, the same month Southern Pacific donated an 80-foot-wide strip of its abandoned rail line. With that second phase built, the park reached 13.8 acres in 1980.
On November 4, 1975, residents voted 936 to 478 to join Palo Alto, which the association's history says ended nearly 40 years of political antagonism. The neighborhood kept much of its county-era form; in Palo Alto Weekly's 2017 profile, residents credited the rural feel to sidewalk-less streets and native plants, with Matadero and Barron creeks running through. The Barron Park Association, which traces its roots to the 1920s, still runs neighborhood events such as the May Fete, first held as a large event in 1978.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
There's no grid here. Streets bend with the creeks and the old estate lines: Matadero Creek runs through Bol Park, Barron Creek crosses the south end, and roads such as Laguna, Matadero, Barron, La Donna, Los Robles, Kendall and Josina avenues, La Selva and Magnolia drives, Military Way, Roble Ridge and Chimalus Drive connect through a web of lanes, courts and cul-de-sacs. Many streets have no sidewalks.
Housing ranges from small cottages to large new two-story homes, with the 4.5-acre Buena Vista Mobile Home Park on El Camino Real in between. Barron Park also holds three of Palo Alto's earliest Eichler tracts on the city's list: University Gardens (1949-1950), El Centro Gardens (1950) and Maybell Gardens (1952). In 1998 the city put a 20-lot single-story overlay on Tract 714 and part of Tract 4738, a pocket of about 5 acres around La Jennifer Way and El Centro Street. Inside that R-1(S) zone a house is limited to one story and 17 feet.
Zoning varies a lot here, which is the key thing to understand before you buy or build. Most of Barron Park, about 228 acres on the city's GIS layer, is R-1, with a 6,000-square-foot minimum for new lots. About 48 acres in the south, around Los Robles Avenue, El Cerrito Road, Cerrito Way, Orme Street and Amaranta Avenue, are R-1(10,000), which raises the minimum for new lots to 10,000 square feet. About 32 acres along Matadero Avenue, Roble Ridge and Matadero Court are RE (Residential Estate): new lots need an acre, site coverage is capped at 25 percent, front and rear setbacks are 30 feet, and livestock is allowed as an accessory use with half an acre per horse or donkey. Multifamily and planned-community zones line El Camino Real, Los Robles Avenue and Maybell Avenue.
streets in barron park
- Barron Avenue
- Laguna Avenue
- La Donna Avenue
- Matadero Avenue
- Los Robles Avenue
- Kendall Avenue
- Josina Avenue
- La Selva Drive
- Magnolia Drive
- Chimalus Drive
- Military Way
- Roble Ridge
- Georgia Avenue
- Amaranta Avenue
- El Centro Street
- La Jennifer Way
- Orme Street
- El Cerrito Road
- Cerrito Way
- Tippawingo Avenue
- Maybell Avenue
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Barron Park
- park
Bol Park
A 13.8-acre city park at 3590 Laguna Avenue. A long lower meadow runs between Matadero Creek and a paved path, with playgrounds, picnic tables and a native plant garden at Matadero and Laguna; the upper meadow is left undeveloped at neighbors' request.
- landmark
Barron Park donkey pasture
Next to Bol Park, donkeys have lived on the old Bol pasture since 1934. Buddy and April live there now; Perry, the donkey credited as an inspiration for Donkey in the 2001 film Shrek, died in January 2025 at age 30.
- trail
Bol Park Bike Path
A paved path along the old Southern Pacific right-of-way past Bol Park, used to reach Gunn High School and Stanford Research Park without riding on major roads.
- park
Juana Briones Park
A city park at 609 Maybell Avenue on the neighborhood's southern edge.
- shopping
El Camino Real
Shops, restaurants and services line El Camino Real on the east edge; the California Avenue district is about a mile north (straight-line, approximate).
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
Barron Park is in the Palo Alto Unified School District. Barron Park Elementary School is inside the neighborhood, Juana Briones Elementary sits at its southern edge on Orme Street, and Gunn High School's campus borders it on the south. PAUSD assigns schools by address and attendance boundaries change, so check the exact address with the district before you rely on a particular school.
Getting around
- VTA Route 22 and Rapid 522 run along El Camino Real on the east edge.
- California Avenue Caltrain is about 0.7 mile from the north end and 1.3 miles from the center; San Antonio station in Mountain View is about 1.1 to 1.5 miles away (straight-line, approximate).
- The Bol Park Bike Path gives an off-street route toward Gunn High School and Arastradero Road in one direction and Stanford Research Park in the other.
- Arastradero Road and Page Mill Road lead to Foothill Expressway and I-280; Oregon Expressway, across El Camino, leads to US-101.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Barron Park: what we check
Buying here
- Pin down the zone first: R-1, R-1(10,000), RE or the R-1(S) single-story overlay change lot-split, SB 9, height and floor-area math, sometimes from one side of a street to the other.
- Check the FEMA flood zone for the exact address and ask for an elevation certificate; the city's flood map shows parts of Barron Park near Matadero and Barron creeks and along El Camino Real and Los Robles Avenue in the 100-year flood area.
- Order a survey and read the title report. Irregular lots, private lanes, easements and streets without curbs or sidewalks are common here, and street improvements can differ block by block.
- In the Eichler tracts, check the radiant-heat slab, roof and original glass, and read the city's Eichler design guidelines and its SB 9 objective design standards for mapped Eichler tracts before planning changes.
- Ask about trees and creeks before you draw plans: large trees and creek-side setbacks can limit where an addition or ADU can go.
Selling here
- Lead with the lot: size, zone, overlay and what it allows. In Barron Park the land often matters as much as the house.
- Have flood zone documents and any elevation certificate ready for buyers.
- Provide a recent survey or explain known easements and shared lanes; it heads off questions on irregular parcels.
- For an Eichler, document the condition of the radiant heating, roof and any original features.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Barron Park questions, answered
When did Barron Park become part of Palo Alto?
Residents voted 936 to 478 on November 4, 1975, to annex to Palo Alto. Before that, Barron Park was unincorporated county land surrounded by the city.
Where can I see the Barron Park donkeys?
In the pasture next to Bol Park, at 3590 Laguna Avenue. The city's park page says Buddy and April live there now.
Why don't many Barron Park streets have sidewalks?
Much of Barron Park was laid out from the 1920s as a summer colony and stayed outside city limits until 1975. Many streets still have no sidewalks, which gives the area much of its semi-rural look.
What zoning applies to Barron Park lots?
Mostly R-1, with R-1(10,000) areas in the south, RE (Residential Estate) along Matadero Avenue and Roble Ridge, a small single-story overlay near La Jennifer Way, and multifamily and commercial zones along El Camino Real. Check the exact parcel on the city's zoning map.
Are there Eichlers in Barron Park?
Yes. The city's Eichler list includes three early tracts here: University Gardens (1949-1950), El Centro Gardens (1950) and Maybell Gardens (1952). Many of those homes have since been remodeled.
Is Barron Park in a flood zone?
Parts of it. The city's flood map shows 100-year flood areas near Matadero and Barron creeks and along El Camino Real and Los Robles Avenue. Check the current FEMA map for a specific address.
next door
More Palo Alto neighborhood guides
talk to a property nerd
Thinking about Barron Park? Let's run your numbers.
Eric, Janelle and the Boyenga Team have sold more than 2,520 Silicon Valley homes, $2.6+ billion in all, since 1996. Get a value, a plan, or a straight answer about a street.
Questions about Barron Park? Send us a note.
