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san jose neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Dry Creek & Cherry Ave, San Jose Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
South Willow Glen from Hamilton Ave down to Dry Creek Rd and Koch Ln: big-lot streets near Leigh Ave that joined San Jose in 2008, and 1950s blocks along Cherry and Booksin avenues.
Dry Creek & Cherry Ave by the numbers
dry creek & cherry ave by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Dry Creek & Cherry Ave: Hamilton Ave to Koch Ln, Leigh Ave to Cottle Ave (approximate). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in dry creek & cherry ave · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Dry Creek & Cherry Ave
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Dry Creek & Cherry Ave 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 (Dry Creek & Cherry Ave: Hamilton Ave to Koch Ln, Leigh Ave to Cottle Ave (approximate)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Dry Creek & Cherry Ave came to be
Start with the name, because it is a small puzzle: no creek runs along Dry Creek Rd today, and no mapped waterway follows it. Los Gatos Creek is the nearest one, crossing Leigh Ave about 0.4 mile north of Hamilton Ave, where the paved Los Gatos Creek Trail runs.
This corner of Willow Glen joined San Jose one piece at a time, and City annexation records show the order. The first piece, Cherry Glen No. 1 in January 1947, covered the blocks around Peregrino Way and Cherryhills Ln. The Cherry Ave and Booksin Ave grid followed through South Willow Glen annexations No. 4 to No. 16 between 1949 and 1953, plus Kirkland No. 2 in 1955. The Gaton Dr, Lenn Dr and Whispering Willow Pl blocks followed in 1956 (Meridian No. 2-A), and scattered Dry Creek Rd and Robsheal Dr parcels trickled in through the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The biggest late piece was Meridian No. 73: a 147-acre annexation on October 8, 2008 that brought in Patio Dr, Cabana Dr, McBain Ave, Campbell Ave, Kocher Dr, Mount Vernon Dr, Willowhurst Ave, Marina Way and the San Jose side of Hurst Ave and Montemar Way. Until then those blocks were unincorporated county land.
The city line next door still wanders. The blocks between Leigh Ave and Hurst Ave from Hamilton Ave down to just south of Montemar Way, including Grace Ave, Sheffield Ave, Phantom Ave and Cronwell Dr, are in the City of Campbell (Census places; no San Jose zoning or parcels), so they are outside this guide even though the City of San Jose's neighborhood map draws them in. School districts split along a different line, described below.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
The Dry Creek side is about lot size. R-1-5 zoning, which allows fewer and larger lots than the R-1-8 standard, covers Patio Dr, Cabana Dr, Thunderbird Way, Campbell Ave, McBain Ave and Kocher Dr west of Meridian Ave, and Peregrino Way, Robsheal Dr, Glen Ellen Way, West Creek Dr, Nomark Ct, Duke Way and stretches of Dry Creek Rd to the east. City parcel maps put the median R-1-5 lot near 10,900 sq ft, against about 7,600 sq ft on the R-1-8 lots elsewhere in this guide.
Around Gaton Dr, Lenn Dr and Whispering Willow Pl the zoning changes to planned developments (City rezoning files 73001 and 75036 and others), and Census estimates for the tract covering this western half show more construction in the 1970s than in any other decade. One 13.5-acre planned development along Hamilton Ave is mapped at about 29 units per acre. A short commercial strip sits on Hamilton Ave near Meridian Ave.
East of Hicks Ave and Booksin Ave is the Cherry Ave grid: Plummer Ave, Minardi Ave, Darlene Ave, Jenvey Ave, Marcia Ave, Livingston Ave, Marques Ave, Georgetta Dr, Westgate Ave, Lansford Ave and Shibley Ave, mostly R-1-8 lots, most of them annexed between 1949 and 1955, where about half the houses date from the 1950s by Census estimates. The Willow Glen Middle and High school campus and Wallenberg Park take up much of the corner at Cottle Ave and Curtner Ave.
streets in dry creek & cherry ave
- Dry Creek Rd
- Hamilton Ave
- Meridian Ave
- Cherry Ave
- Booksin Ave
- Leigh Ave
- Hurst Ave
- Cottle Ave
- Curtner Ave
- Hicks Ave
- Patio Dr
- Cabana Dr
- McBain Ave
- Campbell Ave
- Kocher Dr
- Peregrino Way
- Robsheal Dr
- Glen Ellen Way
- Gaton Dr
- Lenn Dr
- Plummer Ave
- Minardi Ave
- Darlene Ave
- Marques Ave
- Westgate Ave
- Lansford Ave
- Koch Ln
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Dry Creek & Cherry Ave
- park
Wallenberg Park
An 8-acre City park at Curtner Ave and Cottle Ave with a tennis court, two play areas, three picnic areas, game tables and public art, plus a 1.2-acre community garden that the City's park inventory dates to 1981.
- park
Wilcox Park
A 2.2-acre City neighborhood park at Wilcox Way and Winona Dr, off Cottle Ave.
- shopping
Hamilton Ave at Meridian Ave
Neighborhood commercial zoning along Hamilton Ave near Meridian Ave, including a supermarket at 1530 Hamilton Ave. The General Plan marks this corner as the Hamilton Av/Meridian Av urban village, with planned capacity for about 150 homes and 500 jobs.
- trail
Los Gatos Creek Trail
The paved creek trail passes under Leigh Ave about 0.4 mile straight-line north of Hamilton Ave.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
This guide is split between districts, so check carefully. San Jose Unified School District covers the Cherry Ave and Booksin Ave blocks and the Dry Creek Rd blocks east of roughly Gaton Dr (Peregrino Way, Robsheal Dr, Glen Ellen Way). Campbell Union School District, with Campbell Union High School District, covers the blocks west of that line, including Meridian Ave, Patio Dr, Cabana Dr, McBain Ave, Campbell Ave, Hurst Ave and Willowhurst Ave. The City's district map also shows a small Cambrian School District pocket by Leigh Ave and Dry Creek Rd. San Jose Unified's Booksin Elementary (1590 Dry Creek Rd), Willow Glen Middle (2105 Cottle Ave) and Willow Glen High (2001 Cottle Ave) are inside the outline. Attendance boundaries change; check the exact address with the district.
Campbell Union guide · Campbell Union High guide · Silicon Valley school districts
Getting around
- VTA light rail: Bascom station on the Green Line is about 1.4 miles straight-line northwest, and Hamilton station in Campbell about 1.6 miles west.
- Caltrain: Tamien station (also on the light rail Blue Line) is about 2 miles straight-line northeast.
- Driving: Hwy 17 has a Hamilton Ave interchange about 1.6 miles west, and Meridian Ave runs north to I-280, about 1.8 miles away.
- Bikes: the City's bikeway map shows buffered bike lanes on Hamilton Ave and Meridian Ave, painted lanes on Curtner Ave, and buffered and separated lanes on parts of Cherry Ave.
- Trails: the paved Los Gatos Creek Trail crosses Leigh Ave about 0.4 mile north of Hamilton Ave.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Dry Creek & Cherry Ave: what we check
Buying here
- Confirm the city first. The Leigh Ave to Hurst Ave blocks north of the line just south of Montemar Way are City of Campbell, while the blocks right next to them are San Jose; check the county parcel record for jurisdiction.
- If the house is in the 2008 annexation area (Patio Dr, Cabana Dr, McBain Ave, Campbell Ave, Kocher Dr, Mount Vernon Dr, Willowhurst Ave, Marina Way, parts of Hurst Ave and Montemar Way), older permits may be on file with Santa Clara County and newer ones with San Jose; ask for both, and confirm the sewer connection rather than assuming it.
- School districts change within a few blocks here (San Jose Unified, Campbell Union, a Cambrian pocket); confirm the district for the exact address before you rely on it.
- Zoning matters for plans: R-1-5 lots have different setbacks and lot rules than R-1-8, and planned-development lots follow their own PD permit. Read the zoning and any PD permit before you plan an addition, ADU or SB 9 split.
- What may be built nearby: the Hamilton Av/Meridian Av urban village on the north edge has planned capacity for about 150 homes and 500 jobs; the City's growth-areas layer lists its village plan as not yet approved.
Selling here
- State the jurisdiction (San Jose or Campbell) and the school districts with documents, since both change within a few blocks.
- On R-1-5 lots, have the lot dimensions, any survey and any ADU or lot-split feasibility work ready.
- For homes in the 2008 annexation area, collect county-era and city-era permits in one file.
- For planned-development homes, provide the PD permit and any association documents.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Dry Creek & Cherry Ave questions, answered
Is there a creek on Dry Creek Rd?
No creek runs along it today. Los Gatos Creek is the nearest, crossing Leigh Ave about 0.4 mile north of Hamilton Ave.
Which blocks near Dry Creek Rd are in Campbell, not San Jose?
The blocks between Leigh Ave and Hurst Ave from Hamilton Ave down to just south of Montemar Way, including Grace Ave, Sheffield Ave, Phantom Ave and Cronwell Dr. This guide leaves them out.
When did the big-lot streets join San Jose?
Patio Dr, Cabana Dr, McBain Ave, Campbell Ave, Kocher Dr and nearby streets came in with the Meridian No. 73 annexation on October 8, 2008. They were unincorporated county land before that.
What school district serves Dry Creek and Cherry Ave?
It depends on the block: San Jose Unified for the Cherry Ave, Booksin Ave and eastern Dry Creek blocks, Campbell Union and Campbell Union High for the western blocks, and Cambrian in a small pocket by Leigh Ave. Check the exact address with the district.
How big are the lots?
City parcel maps put the median R-1-5 lot near 10,900 sq ft and the median R-1-8 lot near 7,600 sq ft. Check the parcel map for the exact lot.
What ZIP code is it?
95125 for this outline (Census ZIP areas). The Campbell blocks next door and the streets south of Dry Creek Rd use other ZIP codes, so confirm with the address.
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