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san jose neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Branham–Kirk, San Jose Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
Cambrian's southeast corner between Camden Ave and Meridian Ave, from Hillsdale Ave down to Highway 85, along Branham Ln, Kirk Rd and Ross Ave. Three school districts meet here.
Branham-Kirk by the numbers
branham-kirk by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Branham-Kirk: Hillsdale Ave to Hwy 85, Camden Ave to Meridian Ave (approximate). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in branham-kirk · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Branham-Kirk
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Branham-Kirk 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 (Branham-Kirk: Hillsdale Ave to Hwy 85, Camden Ave to Meridian Ave (approximate)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Branham-Kirk came to be
Like the rest of Cambrian, this was farm and orchard country until the post-war building boom. San Jose annexed it in small bites: City records show about 43 annexations touching these blocks, starting with 'Cambrian No. 1' in 1954, mostly a run of 'Ross' and 'Hillsdale' annexations between 1955 and 1967, and a string of small 'Kooser' annexations near Highway 85 that ran to 1984. The houses came the same way, on about 55 separately recorded subdivision maps.
The name pairs two of the area's long roads. Branham Ln crosses the south half past Branham Park and Branham High School, and Kirk Rd runs north-south through the middle from Hillsdale Ave toward Branham Ln. The MLS uses the names 'Branham - Kirk', 'Branham' and 'Glen Crest' for areas here.
Three elementary school districts meet here. County tax-rate areas put about 57% of parcels in the Union School District, about 20% (the north end near Hillsdale Ave) in the Cambrian School District, and about 24% (the blocks nearest Meridian Ave) in San Jose Unified. One public campus changed recently: Cambrian closed Sartorette Elementary on Woodford Dr in June 2026.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
The grid is mostly long north-south streets (Ross Ave, Kirk Rd, Woodford Dr, Jan Way, Samson Way, Hallmark Ln) between Hillsdale Ave and Branham Ln, with Camden Ave on the diagonal along the west side. Near Meridian Ave, the street names read like an opera program: Calle De Aida, Calle De Tosca, Calle De Stuarda, Calle De Lucia, Calle De Farrar, Casa De Ponselle, Corte De Callas, Corte De Tebaldi, Corte De Moffo and Corte De Medea. Next to them is a Hawaiian set (Ilikai Ave, Lahaina Way, Waimea Ct, Hanalei Pl), and off Kirk Rd a cluster of '-gate' streets (Tawnygate Way, Swangate Way, Hollowgate Ln, Abbeygate Ct).
Those themed clusters are zoned as planned developments (R-1-8(PD)) on the City's zoning map, so a tract-specific planned development permit, not just the standard district rules, governs what you can build. Check it before planning an addition or ADU. The rest of the single-family blocks are standard R-1-8. Lots are unusually uniform: single-address lots mostly run about 6,000 to 7,000 sq ft on the county parcel map. Multifamily housing clusters on Bradford Way, Dent Ave, Ross Cir, Lancaster Dr, Donna Ln and Pine Forest Pl and along Branham Ln.
East of Meridian Ave, the lobe between Jacob Ave and Branham Ln is split. The blocks around Reed Elementary near Jacob Ave (Glencrest Dr, Hastings Ave, Reedhurst Ave) are San Jose Unified, while the opera and Hawaiian streets to the south are Union. The 95118 ZIP code covers the blocks near and east of Meridian Ave and the east end of Branham Ln; most of the rest is 95124. Ross Creek crosses the area, and FEMA maps a few lots on Cresthaven Ln in a shallow-flooding AO zone. The rest is Zone D (undetermined).
streets in branham-kirk
- Branham Ln
- Kirk Rd
- Ross Ave
- Hillsdale Ave
- Camden Ave
- Meridian Ave
- Hallbrook Dr
- Woodford Dr
- Noreen Dr
- Jan Way
- Samson Way
- Hallmark Ln
- Ewer Dr
- Tupolo Dr
- Sherbourne Dr
- Calle De Aida
- Calle De Tosca
- Calle De Stuarda
- Ilikai Ave
- Tawnygate Way
- Glencrest Dr
- Jacob Ave
- Jarvis Ave
- Lancaster Dr
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Branham-Kirk
- park
Butcher Park and Roy M. Butcher Dog Park
About 8 acres at 1782 Lancaster Dr with a soccer field, a softball field, basketball, playgrounds and picnic areas, plus a fenced dog park of about 0.8 acre at Camden Ave and Lancaster Dr (City park records).
- park
Branham Park
About 4.7 acres at Branham Ln and Tupolo Dr, opened in 1976 per City records, with basketball, volleyball, two pickleball courts, a playground and fitness-course stations.
- library
Cambrian Branch Library
San Jose Public Library's Cambrian branch is at 1780 Hillsdale Ave, on the north edge of the area.
- shopping
Branham Ln and Meridian Ave
Safeway at 1663 Branham Ln and Lunardi's at 4650 Meridian Ave cover groceries; the Target and Smart & Final on Hillsdale Ave are just across the street in the next neighborhood.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
Three elementary districts split this area: Union School District on most blocks, Cambrian School District at the north end near Hillsdale Ave, and San Jose Unified (all grades) on the blocks nearest Meridian Ave, including the blocks around Reed Elementary east of Meridian. High school is the Campbell Union High School District outside the San Jose Unified blocks. Public schools inside the area are Reed Elementary (San Jose Unified, 1524 Jacob Ave) and Branham High School (Campbell Union High, 1570 Branham Ln); Union's Oster Elementary (1855 Lencar Way) is just across Camden Ave. Cambrian's Sartorette Elementary (3850 Woodford Dr) closed in June 2026, and the district is reviewing attendance boundaries, so check the exact address with the district.
Cambrian School District guide · Union School District guide · Campbell Union High guide · Silicon Valley school districts
Getting around
- Highway 85 runs along the south edge, with an interchange at Camden Ave about 0.7 mile straight-line from the center of the area.
- VTA Route 64B runs on Meridian Ave to downtown San Jose and Diridon Station; Route 37 runs on Hillsdale Ave and Camden Ave to Winchester and Capitol light-rail stations. Check VTA's current schedules.
- Branham and Ohlone/Chynoweth light-rail stations (Blue Line, along Highway 87) are about 2.5 miles east straight-line.
- Branham Ln, Camden Ave and Hillsdale Ave have bike lanes on City bikeway maps, and Kirk Rd and Ross Ave are marked shared routes.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Branham-Kirk: what we check
Buying here
- Check the school district by exact address. Union, Cambrian and San Jose Unified all serve this area, and Cambrian is redrawing boundaries after closing Sartorette.
- On the opera-named, Hawaiian-named and '-gate' streets, the zoning is planned development: get the PD permit conditions from the City before planning an addition, ADU or second story.
- Near Ross Creek (Cresthaven Ln and nearby), check the FEMA flood zone and the natural hazard disclosure; FEMA maps a few lots as Zone AO.
- The General Plan's Camden Ave/Branham Ln and Branham Ln/Meridian Ave neighborhood villages and the Camden Ave/Hillsdale Ave urban village touch the edges. Look up nearby parcels on the City's General Plan map.
- For condos and townhomes on Bradford Way, Dent Ave, Ross Cir, Lancaster Dr and Pine Forest Pl, read the HOA documents and reserve study.
Selling here
- Put the school districts for your exact address in the listing, using the districts' own lookups. This is a three-district area.
- If your street is in a planned-development tract, have the PD permit and any HOA documents ready; buyers will ask what they can add.
- Use the MLS area that matches your street ('Branham - Kirk', 'Branham' or 'Glen Crest') and describe distances to Branham Park, Butcher Park and the library as measured walks.
- Pull City permits for additions and garage conversions before listing.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Branham-Kirk questions, answered
What school districts serve Branham–Kirk?
Union School District on most blocks, Cambrian School District near Hillsdale Ave and San Jose Unified near Meridian Ave, with Campbell Union High School District for high school outside the San Jose Unified blocks. Check the exact address with the district.
Is Branham–Kirk in San Jose?
Yes. Every block in this outline is in San Jose city limits. ZIP codes are 95124 on the west side and 95118 on the blocks near and east of Meridian Ave.
What happened to Sartorette Elementary?
The Cambrian School District closed Sartorette Elementary on Woodford Dr in June 2026. Check the district's lookup for the school now assigned to your address.
Why are some streets named Calle De Aida and Corte De Callas?
A cluster of streets near Meridian Ave has names that read like a list of operas and opera singers. They're planned-development tracts on the City zoning map, so check the PD permit for what you can build.
How close is the freeway?
Highway 85 forms the south edge, with an interchange at Camden Ave about 0.7 mile straight-line from the center of the area.
next door
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