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menlo park neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Belle Haven, Menlo Park Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
Menlo Park's bay-side neighborhood: a grid of mostly one-story mid-century houses between U.S. 101, Willow Road and the Dumbarton rail line, with a new city community campus at its west end.
Belle Haven by the numbers
belle haven by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Belle Haven: US 101, Willow Rd and the Dumbarton rail line (approximate). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in belle haven · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Belle Haven
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Belle Haven from the MLS, updated automatically, with a map of the neighborhood outline.
Get alerts for new Belle Haven listings: open this neighborhood in our full search and tap Save Search.
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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 (Belle Haven: US 101, Willow Rd and the Dumbarton rail line (approximate)); it may not match every local definition.
sold by the property nerds
Our sales in and near Belle Haven
Since 2012 we’ve handled 1 sale inside the Belle Haven outline that we can match to MLS records: 1 home we listed. The other photos are our closest listings outside it, measured from its edge.
All 15 of our Menlo Park sales, on a map Selling in Belle Haven? Book a strategy call
the story
How Belle Haven came to be
Before it had streets, this stretch of flat land by the bay was grazing land and bay fields. David D. Bohannon's company says it bought the "Bell Haven" land in 1928, and a 2007 local news report said Bohannon sold residential lots in what was then the unincorporated "Belle Haven City." Its timeline lists 1934, which it calls the first year of Peninsula home building after the 1929 crash, for tracts named Menlo Park, Newbridge Park and Bayshore Park; Newbridge Street still runs through the east side. A local neighborhood profile credits Bohannon with building and selling more than 1,300 homes here on what was then unincorporated county land. Building ran well past the Depression: public listing records for two Almanor Avenue houses show 1945 and 1950 build dates.
Industry grew up next door. From the 1940s to the 1970s Bohannon subdivided the land north of the tracks into an industrial park, leasing or selling lots to manufacturers such as Johnson & Johnson, according to a local news report. That ground is now the Bayfront district, where Meta moved its headquarters onto the former Sun Microsystems campus in December 2011.
The neighborhood's public buildings were rebuilt in the 2020s. Meta funded and built the Belle Haven Community Campus, which opened in May 2024, earned LEED Platinum certification in 2025 and put the library, pool and community, youth and senior centers under one roof. Belle Haven Elementary reopened in January 2026 after a renovation. The newest houses are the 47 Clarum Homes in the Hamilton Park tract, sold starting in the summer of 2007 with solar electric systems as standard equipment.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
Belle Haven is a tidy grid wedged into a triangle. Residential avenues run from near the freeway toward the tracks: Carlton, Madera, Sevier, Hollyburne, Henderson, Windermere and Almanor avenues. Newbridge Street, Ivy Drive and Hamilton Avenue cross them, and Pierce Road, Chilco Street and Terminal Avenue lead to the community campus at the west end. Map nerds will spot a run of California county names on the street signs: Alpine, Del Norte, Madera, Modoc and Plumas. Around one-acre Hamilton Park, the 2007 homes sit on short streets named for plants and herbs: Ginger, Hazel, Rosemary, Sage and Sandlewood.
The original houses are compact. Listing records we checked on Almanor Avenue show one-story houses of about 950 to 970 square feet with two or three bedrooms and one bath, on lots of about 5,700 to 6,900 square feet, one on a slab with a wall furnace and one on a perimeter foundation with a crawl space. Remodels, additions and two-story replacements are mixed in, along with some duplexes and small apartment buildings. The 2020 Census counted about 1,700 housing units inside this outline; the blocks with 100 or more units each sit on the Willow Road side.
The 2007 Hamilton Park homes are a different generation, with solar that came standard. When comparing houses here, the build era, the foundation type and the age of the systems are the big variables.
streets in belle haven
- Hamilton Avenue
- Ivy Drive
- Newbridge Street
- Pierce Road
- Carlton Avenue
- Madera Avenue
- Sevier Avenue
- Hollyburne Avenue
- Henderson Avenue
- Henderson Place
- Windermere Avenue
- Almanor Avenue
- Terminal Avenue
- Chilco Street
- Market Place
- Hill Avenue
- Modoc Avenue
- Plumas Avenue
- Del Norte Avenue
- Alpine Avenue
- Bieber Avenue
- Howard Street
- Adams Street
- Rosemary Street
- Sage Street
- Hazel Street
- Ginger Street
- Sandlewood Street
house sales by street, 2021–2026
| Street | Sales | Median price | Per sq ft | Typical lot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sevier Avenue | 11 | $1.43M | $987 | 5,750 sq ft |
| Madera Avenue | 12 | $1.38M | $1,194 | 5,750 sq ft |
| Newbridge Street | 4 | $1.35M | $1,157 | 5,750 sq ft |
| Berkeley Avenue | 6 | $1.3M | $977 | 5,750 sq ft |
| Ivy Drive | 6 | $1.27M | $909 | 5,750 sq ft |
| Hamilton Avenue | 10 | $1.25M | $1,234 | 6,150 sq ft |
| Henderson Avenue | 7 | $1.24M | $1,094 | 5,750 sq ft |
| Hollyburne Avenue | 10 | $1.2M | $1,125 | 5,750 sq ft |
| Almanor Avenue | 5 | $1.19M | $1,144 | 5,750 sq ft |
| Carlton Avenue | 15 | $1.15M | $1,077 | 6,000 sq ft |
| Terminal Avenue | 7 | $1.15M | $1,008 | 5,850 sq ft |
| Windermere Avenue | 4 | $1.14M | $963 | 5,750 sq ft |
| Modoc Avenue | 3 | $1.13M | $1,225 | 4,870 sq ft |
Single-family house sales inside this guide’s outline, Oct. 1, 2021 to Oct. 21, 2026, from MLS records, with each sale counted once. Streets with at least 3 sales; prices, price per square foot and lots are medians. The whole city, ranked: The most expensive streets in Menlo Park & Atherton.
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Belle Haven
- community
Belle Haven Community Campus
A 37,000-square-foot city campus at 100 Terminal Avenue, opened in May 2024, with the branch library and makerspace, a fitness center, the youth and senior centers, the Onetta Harris Community Center and a year-round pool with a performance pool, an instructional pool and a splash pad. It is all-electric, with on-site solar, a battery microgrid and a structure built to serve as an emergency shelter.
- park
Kelly Park
An 8.3-acre city park directly behind the community campus with a lighted synthetic-turf field, a full-size track, tennis, pickleball and basketball courts and outdoor exercise equipment.
- park
Hamilton Park
A one-acre park at 531 Hamilton Avenue, built with the 47-home Hamilton Avenue development, with a playground, a rope climber, open lawn and picnic tables.
- park
Karl E. Clark Park
A one-acre park at 313 Market Place, next to the Boys and Girls Club, with a playground, picnic tables, a lawn and paved paths. Dedicated in 2018 to Karl E. Clark, a World War II Navy steward credited with fighting fires and rescuing shipmates aboard the USS Aaron Ward in 1945, and a founder of the Onetta Harris Community Center.
- park
Bedwell Bayfront Park
Menlo Park's largest park, 160 acres at 1600 Marsh Road, about a mile northwest (approximate), with a 2.3-mile Bay Trail loop and the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge on three sides.
- shopping
Belle Haven Shopping Center
A small center at 1401 Willow Road, at Hamilton Avenue. The approved Willow Village project across Willow Road includes a grocery store, but the city reports the project was paused by Meta as of May 1, 2026.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
Belle Haven is in the Ravenswood City School District for elementary and middle school and the Sequoia Union High School District for high school, based on the Census Bureau's school-district maps. Belle Haven Elementary, a Ravenswood school at 415 Ivy Drive, is in the middle of the neighborhood; its rebuilt campus reopened in January 2026, with a new gym and field scheduled for fall 2026. One listing record we checked on Almanor Avenue named a different elementary district, so confirm the exact address with the districts. Attendance boundaries change.
Getting around
- U.S. 101 has an interchange at Willow Road on the neighborhood's southeast corner; the Marsh Road interchange is just beyond the west tip.
- Willow Road (State Route 114) runs northeast to Bayfront Expressway (State Route 84), which leads east to the Dumbarton Bridge, roughly 3 miles from the middle of the neighborhood (approximate).
- Menlo Park's Caltrain station on Merrill Street is about 2 miles southwest in a straight line, roughly a 10-minute drive via Willow or Marsh Road (approximate).
- SamTrans route 281 links the community campus area with East Palo Alto, Palo Alto and Stanford; the EPX express runs weekdays to Redwood City, SFO and San Bruno BART; and Ride Plus offers on-demand trips within a Belle Haven and East Palo Alto zone.
- Bedwell Bayfront Park's 2.3-mile perimeter loop is part of the San Francisco Bay Trail, about a mile from the west end of the neighborhood (approximate).
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Belle Haven: what we check
Buying here
- Check the FEMA flood map for the exact parcel and get a flood insurance quote early. FEMA's current maps put Menlo Park's bay shoreline in the 100-year coastal flood hazard area; the city says much of Belle Haven could be eligible for removal from those maps once the SAFER Bay levee project is built, but construction waits on full funding.
- Compare the permit history with the house. On 1940s and 1950s houses, look closely at additions, garage conversions, wall furnaces, older electrical panels, the foundation type (slab or crawl space) and the sewer lateral.
- In the 2007 Hamilton Park homes, ask whether the solar system is owned or leased, how old the inverter is, and which warranties transfer.
- If you plan a second story, a rebuild, an ADU or an SB 9 split, ask the Menlo Park planning division what the parcel's zoning allows and whether the lot meets the district's minimum width and area before you write an offer.
- Menlo Park has four water providers, so confirm the provider for the address on the city's water providers map. Also read the city's Willow Village page, since the timing of the paused project across Willow Road is open.
Selling here
- Pull permits for every addition, ADU, garage conversion and system upgrade. Buyers here compare the house against the record early.
- Have your flood zone determination and flood insurance history ready; it is one of the first questions buyers ask on the bay side of 101.
- For Hamilton Park homes, gather solar ownership papers, production history and any warranty transfer forms.
- Lead with measurable location facts: the walk to the community campus, Kelly Park and Belle Haven Elementary, and the drive to 101, the Dumbarton Bridge and Caltrain.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Belle Haven questions, answered
Where exactly is Belle Haven?
It is the Menlo Park neighborhood on the bay side of U.S. 101, between the freeway, Willow Road and the Dumbarton rail line. North of the tracks is the Bayfront business district along Bayfront Expressway, and across Willow Road are the Willow Village site and East Palo Alto.
When were the houses in Belle Haven built?
Bohannon's company bought the land in 1928 and lists 1934 for its first tracts. Many existing houses date from the 1940s and early 1950s (listing records for two Almanor Avenue houses show 1945 and 1950), and the 47 Hamilton Park homes from 2007.
Is Belle Haven in a flood zone?
FEMA's current maps place Menlo Park's bay shoreline in the 100-year coastal flood hazard area, and the city says much of Belle Haven could come off those maps once the SAFER Bay project is built. Check the map for the specific address and price insurance early.
What is the Belle Haven Community Campus?
The city's 37,000-square-foot community building at 100 Terminal Avenue, funded and built by Meta and opened in May 2024, with the branch library, a pool and the community, youth and senior centers. Kelly Park is right behind it.
Which school districts serve Belle Haven?
Ravenswood City School District for elementary and middle school and Sequoia Union High School District for high school, based on Census Bureau district maps. Belle Haven Elementary is at 415 Ivy Drive. Boundaries change, so check the exact address with the districts.
What is happening with Willow Village?
Willow Village is an approved mixed-use project on the former Menlo Science and Technology Park across Willow Road, with up to 1,730 homes, a grocery store and parks in the approved plan. The city reports that Meta paused the project as of May 1, 2026; the development agreement remains in effect.
next door
More Menlo Park neighborhood guides
From the blog: Best Menlo Park Neighborhoods
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Thinking about Belle Haven? 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.
on the home styles field guide
Home styles in Belle Haven
Belle Haven shows up on this plate in our home styles field guide. Each plate shows how to spot the style from the sidewalk, with live listings opened to Menlo Park.
live market · menlo park
Menlo Park right now
City-wide numbers read from the MLS each time this page loads. A neighborhood can trade differently from its city, so ask us for the sales on your street.
- homes for sale…houses, condos, townhomes
- new this week…by days on market
- median list price…of homes for sale
- median days on market…of homes for sale
- 12 months of sales…median sale price
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Listing data comes from the MLS through our IDX feeds and is shown as reported; it isn’t guaranteed. Repeat listings from overlapping feeds are removed, and land and mobile homes are left out.
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