Blog > Gilroy Neighborhoods by Their Houses: Age, Size, Lots, Stories and Fire Zones
Gilroy Neighborhoods by Their Houses: Age, Size, Lots, Stories and Fire Zones
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County assessor records list the year built, living area, lot size and stories for nearly every house in Gilroy. We took the 12,471 single-family houses in the City of Gilroy’s public parcel records, one record per parcel, placed each in our neighborhood guide outlines, checked each lot against CAL FIRE’s fire hazard severity zone maps and checked its center against FEMA’s flood map. The figures come from county assessor records in the City of Gilroy parcel layer, October 2026. There are no addresses or owner details here.
The short answer
- Gilroy’s median house was built in 1996 and has 2,030 sq ft on a 6,820 sq ft lot. 39% were built in 2000 or later, and 55% have two or more stories.
- Oldest medians: Downtown Gilroy (1951) and Miller Avenue & Castlewood (1976). Newest: Eagle Ridge & Hecker Pass (2006) and Sunrise Park (2001).
- Built 2000 or later: the highest shares are in Eagle Ridge & Hecker Pass (96%) and Sunrise Park (57%); the lowest in Downtown Gilroy (5%) and Miller Avenue & Castlewood (13%).
- Largest houses: Eagle Ridge & Hecker Pass (3,030 sq ft) and Sunrise Park (2,490 sq ft). Biggest lots: Eagle Ridge & Hecker Pass (7,380 sq ft) and Miller Avenue & Castlewood (7,280 sq ft).
- Fire zones: 2,941 houses (24%) have part of the lot in a CAL FIRE fire hazard severity zone, 799 High and 2,142 Moderate; none are Very High. The most are in Glen Loma & Christmas Hill (1,003) and Lions Creek & Country Estates (610).
- Flood zones: 103 houses (1%) have their parcel center in a FEMA high-risk zone, 101 of them in Glen Loma & Christmas Hill.
Next steps in Gilroy
- What’s my Gilroy home worth? Request an estimate, and ask us for the recent sales on your street.
- See Gilroy homes for sale, then use Save Search to get new listings by email.
- Book a strategy call with a Property Nerd.
Neighborhood by neighborhood
Oldest first, by the median year built. Each name opens its guide.
| Neighborhood | Houses | Median year built | Built 2000 or later | Median size | Median lot | Two or more stories | In a fire hazard zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown Gilroy | 1,318 | 1951 | 5% | 1,340 sq ft | 7,000 sq ft | 10% | — |
| Miller Avenue & Castlewood | 1,591 | 1976 | 13% | 1,650 sq ft | 7,280 sq ft | 21% | 196 |
| Lions Creek & Country Estates | 1,707 | 1995 | 22% | 2,170 sq ft | 7,000 sq ft | 62% | 610 |
| Las Animas & Crestwood | 2,706 | 1996 | 36% | 1,630 sq ft | 6,090 sq ft | 53% | 85 |
| Glen Loma & Christmas Hill | 2,672 | 2000 | 51% | 2,260 sq ft | 6,530 sq ft | 73% | 1,003 |
| Sunrise Park | 1,188 | 2001 | 57% | 2,490 sq ft | 6,610 sq ft | 70% | 457 |
| Eagle Ridge & Hecker Pass | 1,280 | 2006 | 96% | 3,030 sq ft | 7,380 sq ft | 83% | 590 |
| All of Gilroy | 12,471 | 1996 | 39% | 2,030 sq ft | 6,820 sq ft | 55% | 2,941 |
The “All of Gilroy” row also counts the 9 houses outside the neighborhoods above.
What stands out
- Both ends of the range. Downtown Gilroy has the oldest houses (median built 1951) and the fewest with two or more stories (10%). Eagle Ridge & Hecker Pass is the newest (median 2006): 96% were built in 2000 or later, and its median house has 3,030 sq ft, with 83% two or more stories.
- Houses vary more than lots. Neighborhood median houses run from 1,340 sq ft to 3,030 sq ft, while median lots stay between 6,090 sq ft and 7,380 sq ft.
- Fire zones reach the newer neighborhoods. Glen Loma & Christmas Hill has the most houses in a zone (1,003, 38% of its houses), and Eagle Ridge & Hecker Pass has the most in a High zone (394).
Fire hazard zones
CAL FIRE maps how severe the wildfire hazard is across California, in three classes: Moderate, High and Very High. Houses inside each guide’s outline, by the highest zone that touches any part of the parcel; most High first. No Gilroy house touches a Very High zone, and Downtown Gilroy has none in any zone.
| Neighborhood | Houses | High | Moderate | Not in a zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagle Ridge & Hecker Pass | 1,280 | 394 | 196 | 690 |
| Sunrise Park | 1,188 | 182 | 275 | 731 |
| Glen Loma & Christmas Hill | 2,672 | 123 | 880 | 1,669 |
| Lions Creek & Country Estates | 1,707 | 100 | 510 | 1,097 |
| Miller Avenue & Castlewood | 1,591 | 0 | 196 | 1,395 |
| Las Animas & Crestwood | 2,706 | 0 | 85 | 2,621 |
| All of Gilroy | 12,471 | 799 | 2,142 | 9,530 |
What the fire zones mean
- Hazard, not risk. CAL FIRE’s Office of the State Fire Marshal says the maps describe hazard: the physical conditions, like vegetation, terrain, fire history, embers and typical fire weather, over 30 to 50 years. They don’t count home hardening, defensible space or fuel reduction, which change the risk to a particular home (OSFM).
- Two kinds of map. Inside city limits (Local Responsibility Areas) we used CAL FIRE’s 2025 map; where the state is responsible for wildfire protection (State Responsibility Areas), its State Responsibility Area map. Land outside the three classes is shown as non-wildland or unzoned (OSFM).
- What a zone can bring. Depending on the zone and the kind of area, stricter building standards for new construction and additions, defensible-space rules, and a line on the seller’s natural hazard disclosure. Gilroy’s building department can say which apply to a specific address.
Flood zones
FEMA’s high-risk flood zones barely touch Gilroy’s houses: 103 of 12,471 (1%), 101 of them in Glen Loma & Christmas Hill, all in zone AH; the other two are outside our guides, one in zone AH and one in zone AO. Zone AH is shallow ponding, usually 1 to 3 feet deep, with a 1%-a-year chance of flooding and a base flood elevation; zone AO is shallow flooding, usually sheet flow, with the same 1%-a-year risk. If the house itself is in an A or V zone, lenders on federally backed mortgages require flood insurance; a flood zone determination for the address settles it.
Reading it right
- Source. Year built, living area, lot size and stories are the county assessor’s fields as published in the City of Gilroy’s public parcel layer; single-family means the assessor’s single-family use code.
- “Year built” is the record’s year. A house torn down and rebuilt shows the rebuild year; an older house with an addition keeps its original year.
- Assessor records lag remodels. Living area and stories can miss recent additions. Check permits for any house you’re buying.
- The fire zone describes the land around a house, not how the house is built or how the lot is kept. CAL FIRE’s zone viewer shows any parcel, and a seller’s natural hazard disclosure report states the zones for that property.
- We checked the center of each parcel against FEMA’s National Flood Hazard Layer. Maps change, so check the current FEMA map for the exact address.
- A median isn’t a verdict. It describes the houses, not which neighborhood is right for you.
Go deeper
Gilroy Housing Market by the Numbers covers prices and bidding, The Most Expensive Streets in Gilroy goes street by street, and our Gilroy sales shows the homes we’ve sold there. Flood & Fire Zones by Neighborhood compares every guide we write, and the Gilroy city guide links every neighborhood guide.
The Gilroy data series: housing market by the numbers · neighborhoods ranked by price per sq ft · where homes sell over asking · ten years of prices by neighborhood · condos and townhomes · house prices by bedrooms · houses under $1M · houses at $1.5M and up · the best month to sell · the most expensive streets · our sales map
Thinking about an addition, a second story or a house in a fire zone?
A Property Nerd can pull the zoning, the lot, the fire and flood zones and the recent sales on your street before you plan. Call (408) 373-1660 or (650) 383-8606, or book a strategy call. Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.