san jose neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Blackford, San Jose Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
The San Jose blocks between Saratoga Ave and San Tomas Expwy from I-280 south to Williams Rd: flower-named streets, townhome and condo communities, and a large high school campus on Boynton Ave.
Blackford by the numbers
blackford by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Blackford (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in blackford · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Blackford
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Blackford 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 (Blackford (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Blackford came to be
Blackford is the name the City of San Jose's neighborhood map gives to the land on both sides of Saratoga Ave between I-280 and Williams Rd. This guide takes the part east of Saratoga Ave, out to San Tomas Expwy; the blocks west of Saratoga Ave are in the Strawberry Park guide. Blackford Ave, Blackford Cir and Blackford Ct run through the middle, and the MLS files many sales here under the area name Blackford.
San Jose took this land in pieces. The city's annexation records show about 23 separate annexations, starting with 'Moreland No. 1' in November 1954 and continuing through a string of 'Boynton' annexations in 1957-1961, with the last sizable pieces ('Boynton No. 62' and 'No. 66') added on August 1, 1980. The name Moreland on those records is the old school district, which the state's landmark record dates to 1851 and which still serves these blocks.
The result is a mix that changes block by block. The city's tract map shows about two dozen recorded tracts with roughly 560 lots, ranging from single-family subdivisions to small recent tracts of five to fifteen lots. A school campus of about 45 acres on Boynton Ave (city school layer) takes up much of the middle, and about a quarter of the guide's area is zoned PQP (public/quasi-public), mostly school land.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
The single-family blocks sit mainly in the west half. Daffodil Way, Camellia Way, Orchid Way and Hibiscus Ln carry flower names (the MLS calls these blocks Primrose Lane), and Hamann Dr, Manzanita Dr, Olga Dr, Lindenwood Dr and Debra Way fill in around them. About 280 parcels are zoned R-1, with a median lot of about 6,100 sq ft and the middle half between about 6,050 and 6,650 sq ft, so lot sizes vary little from block to block.
Attached homes are the other half of the story. County parcel data shows about 240 small parcels (under 2,500 sq ft), mostly in planned-development communities: Blackford Cir and Blackford Ct (about 80), Panda Ln, Pl and Ct (about 60; the MLS calls them Williams Commons Condominiums), Cabernet Vineyards Cir and Ct (about 40) and Hibiscus Pl. Underwood Dr, Barker Dr, Temple Dr and Sturnella Pl are zoned R-M(PD) multifamily, and Desert Isle Dr and Gretchen Ln are R-2.
Moorpark Ave runs along the freeway side with a separated (Class 4) bikeway on the city's bikeway map and MUN (mixed-use neighborhood) and CO (commercial office) zoning on parts of its frontage, as on Rebecca Way, Blackford Ave and Boynton Ave. The Saratoga Ave frontage is inside the General Plan's 'Saratoga Av' urban village, which the city's growth-area layer lists as a commercial corridor without an approved village plan; check for pending applications near the address.
streets in blackford
- Moorpark Ave
- Boynton Ave
- Blackford Ave
- Blackford Cir
- Williams Rd
- Daffodil Way
- Camellia Way
- Orchid Way
- Hibiscus Ln
- Hibiscus Pl
- Hamann Dr
- Manzanita Dr
- Olga Dr
- Lindenwood Dr
- Debra Way
- Underwood Dr
- Barker Dr
- Temple Dr
- Desert Isle Dr
- Gretchen Ln
- Rebecca Way
- Panda Ln
- Cabernet Vineyards Cir
- Larkmead Ct
- Sturnella Pl
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Blackford
- park
Starbird Park
The nearest city park, about 0.4 mile straight-line south across Williams Rd at 1050 Boynton Ave: 9.4 acres with two soccer fields, a softball field, basketball, a playground and picnic areas on the city's amenity layer.
- landmark
West San Jose Community Center
A two-story city building at 3707 Williams Rd near San Tomas Expwy. The city's community-center layer currently lists it as closed, so check the city's site before planning on it.
- school
Boynton Ave school campus
A school campus of about 45 acres on Boynton Ave (city school layer) that includes the Campbell Union High School District's Boynton High School.
- library
West Valley Branch Library
About 0.8 mile straight-line southwest at Saratoga Ave and San Tomas Aquino Rd. The San Jose Public Library dates the branch to March 8, 1964, and its expanded building to 2003.
- shopping
Saratoga Ave and Moorpark Ave frontage
Commercial (CP and CO) and mixed-use (MUN) zoning on the Saratoga Ave and Moorpark Ave frontage holds the shops and offices closest to home; Westgate Center is about 1.6 miles straight-line south on Saratoga Ave.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
Census school-district maps put the homes here in the Moreland School District for elementary and middle school and the Campbell Union High School District for high school. Inside the guide, the Campbell Union High School District's Boynton High School (grades 9-12 in the federal school directory) is on Boynton Ave; the city's school layer lists it as a continuation high school. The nearest Moreland district school is Leroy Anderson Elementary on Rhoda Dr, just south of Williams Rd in the Starbird guide. Attendance boundaries change, so check the exact address with the district.
Getting around
- VTA route 57 runs on Saratoga Ave, with stops at Saratoga & Blackford, Manzanita, Williams and Moorpark; route 25 runs on Williams Rd, with stops at Williams & Orchid, Oakmont and Boynton (VTA route pages).
- I-280 runs along the north edge, and the Saratoga Ave interchange is at the guide's northwest corner, about 0.4 mile straight-line from the center. San Tomas Expwy on the east edge runs north into Santa Clara and south toward Campbell.
- Caltrain: Santa Clara station is about 3.3 miles straight-line from the center and Lawrence station about 4.3 miles (county rail-station layer). VTA light rail's Winchester station in Campbell is about 2.6 miles straight-line.
- Bikes: the city's bikeway map shows a separated (Class 4) bikeway on Moorpark Ave, buffered bike lanes on Saratoga Ave and Williams Rd, and shared-lane markings on Boynton Ave.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Blackford: what we check
Buying here
- Flood zone: FEMA maps about a fifth of this guide as Zone AO, a special flood hazard area for shallow flooding (1-foot depth here), mostly toward San Tomas Expwy; addresses on Hamann Dr, Boynton Ave, Underwood Dr, Moorpark Ave, Blackford Ct, Lindenwood Dr, Debra Way, Blackford Ave, Larkmead Ct and Barker Dr fall in it. The rest is Zone D (flood hazard not studied). Check the current FEMA map for the exact address and ask your lender and insurer early, since an AO zone usually brings a flood-insurance requirement on a mortgage.
- HOA homes: for the communities on Blackford Cir, Panda Ln, Cabernet Vineyards Cir and Hibiscus Pl, read the CC&Rs, budget, reserve study and minutes, and check current dues.
- Zoning: single-family lots are R-1-8; a few blocks are R-2, R-M(PD) or mixed-use. Check the parcel's zoning and the city's current ADU and SB 9 rules before planning an addition or a second unit.
- Freeway edge: homes near Moorpark Ave sit next to I-280. Visit at different times of day and check the frontage zoning on Moorpark Ave and Saratoga Ave.
- Age and seismic: only a sliver is in a state liquefaction zone, but read the natural hazard disclosure. Ask for permits and inspect the sewer lateral, roof and electrical panel on the older houses.
Selling here
- MLS naming: sales here appear under Blackford, Primrose Lane (the flower streets), Williams Commons Condominiums (Panda Ln, Pl and Ct) and Cabernet Vineyards, or the umbrella 'West San Jose'. Use the name that matches the street.
- Flood disclosure: if the address is in the AO zone, have the FEMA map panel and any elevation certificate ready, since buyers' lenders will ask early.
- Lot facts: single-family lots here run close to 6,000-6,700 sq ft; state the county parcel area, and for townhomes and condos, have HOA documents and the dues history ready.
- Address: county address records list San Jose 95117 for almost every address, with a few 95129 addresses near Saratoga Ave. Point buyers to the district to confirm schools.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Blackford questions, answered
Where is Blackford in San Jose?
Between Saratoga Ave and San Tomas Expwy, from I-280 south to Williams Rd. The city's 'Blackford' label also covers blocks west of Saratoga Ave, which this site covers in the Strawberry Park guide.
Is any of Blackford in a FEMA flood zone?
Yes. About a fifth of the guide, mostly toward San Tomas Expwy, is Zone AO (shallow flooding, 1-foot depth); the rest is Zone D, where the flood hazard has not been studied. Check the FEMA map for the exact address and ask your lender and insurer.
Which schools serve Blackford?
Census maps put it in the Moreland School District and the Campbell Union High School District. Boundaries change, so check the exact address with the district.
Are there townhomes and condos?
Yes. County parcel data shows about 240 small attached-home parcels, mostly on Blackford Cir and Ct, Panda Ln, Pl and Ct, Cabernet Vineyards Cir and Hibiscus Pl.
How close is the freeway?
I-280 forms the north edge, and the Saratoga Ave interchange is at the northwest corner, about 0.4 mile straight-line from the middle of the guide.
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