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palo alto neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Esther Clark Park, Palo Alto Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
The large-lot Palo Alto streets west of Foothill Expressway and south of Arastradero Road, around the city's Esther Clark Park nature preserve, zoned for estate-size and half-acre lots.
Esther Clark Park by the numbers
esther clark park by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Esther Clark Park: west of Foothill Expwy and south of Arastradero Rd to the Los Altos Hills line (drawn around the lots). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in esther clark park · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Esther Clark Park
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Esther Clark Park 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 (Esther Clark Park: west of Foothill Expwy and south of Arastradero Rd to the Los Altos Hills line (drawn around the lots)); it may not match every local definition.
sold by the property nerds
Our sales near Esther Clark Park
None of the Palo Alto-area sales we can match to MLS records since 2012 sit inside the Esther Clark Park outline, so these are our closest listings, measured from its edge.
the story
How Esther Clark Park came to be
Esther Clark Park is a corner of southwest Palo Alto. It sits west of Foothill Expressway and south of Arastradero Road, and its streets run to the Los Altos Hills line. The name comes from the city's Esther Clark Park, a small nature preserve at the end of Old Adobe Road, and the Palo Alto Neighborhoods association list carries Esther Clark Park as one of the city's neighborhoods.
The city's park page describes the preserve as an undeveloped nature preserve of grassland and oaks with no amenities, open from 8 a.m. until sunset. It is named for Dr. Esther Clark, who sold the land to the City of Palo Alto on the condition that it be kept as open space. The city lists a foothill fire mitigation project there, with eucalyptus removal scheduled from September 2024 through December 2027 and native replanting.
The land was divided in several recorded maps rather than one tract. The county's record-map index lists several recorded maps that touch these streets, among them the Oak Hill Tract and the Mesa Tract in the county's early lettered map books, Manuela Acres (Tract 1522), the Clark Subdivision (Tract 4813) and Mockingbird Hill (Tract 5153). City parcel data shows the result: a scatter of build years from the 1920s through the 2020s rather than one postwar wave.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
Manuela Avenue has the most houses, with Manuela Court and Manuela Way near it and Mesa Avenue and Mesa Court on the east side. Old Adobe Road, which ends at the preserve, and Old Trace Road are on the west side, with Mockingbird Lane and Old Trace Court nearby. Oak Hill Avenue is at the north end near Arastradero Road, and Robb Road is at the south end.
Zoning sets the pattern. About two-thirds of the lots are zoned RE, the city's residential estate district, and most of the rest are R-1 (20000), the single-family district with a 20,000 sq ft minimum lot size in the zoning label. The city layer lists 28 lots at 1 acre or more. Many other lots carry the note that the city cannot calculate a size because of a creek, flag-lot or right-of-way configuration, which tells you how irregular the parcels are. Build years in city data run from the 1910s to the 2020s, and about 26 percent of the houses were built in 2000 or later.
FEMA's flood map shows no high-risk flood zone at any parcel center here, and CAL FIRE's 2025 Fire Hazard Severity Zone map shows no hazard zone at any parcel center either (every one is mapped NonWildland in the Local Responsibility Area). The preserve next door is grassland and oaks, and the city lists fire mitigation work there through 2027.
streets in esther clark park
- Arastradero Road
- Manuela Avenue
- Manuela Court
- Manuela Way
- Mesa Avenue
- Mesa Court
- Old Trace Road
- Old Trace Court
- Old Adobe Road
- Mockingbird Lane
- Oak Hill Avenue
- Robb Road
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Esther Clark Park
- park
Esther Clark Park
A city nature preserve of grassland and oaks at the end of Old Adobe Road, off Arastradero Road. No amenities; open daily from 8 a.m. until sunset, dogs on leash.
- landmark
Foothill Expressway
The county expressway runs along the east edge; the Miranda Avenue houses are on its far side.
- landmark
Arastradero Road
The north edge of the area.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
The California Department of Education's 2025-26 district map places every house here in the Palo Alto Unified School District. PAUSD assigns elementary, middle and high schools by address, and attendance areas change, so check the exact address with the district before relying on a school assignment.
Getting around
- Foothill Expressway runs along the east edge.
- I-280 at Arastradero Road is about 0.7 mile (straight-line) from the middle of the area.
- California Avenue Caltrain is about 2.4 miles (straight-line) northeast; San Antonio Caltrain is about 1.8 miles (straight-line).
- El Camino Real at Arastradero Road is about 1.5 miles (straight-line) northeast.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Esther Clark Park: what we check
Buying here
- Check the zoning on the parcel. Most lots are RE and many are R-1 (20000); read the city's zoning rules for the district on the exact lot before planning changes.
- Many lots here have no calculated size in city data because of creek, flag-lot or right-of-way configuration. Get a survey or the recorded map and the title report to see the real lot lines and easements.
- The preserve next door is grassland and oaks. Even though CAL FIRE's 2025 map puts the parcel centers outside any hazard zone, ask about defensible space and vegetation near the lot line.
- Find out which recorded map the lot is on. The area was divided in many small maps over decades, and older maps can carry access and utility easements.
- About 28 houses were built before 1960. Ask for permit history and check the sewer lateral, electrical panel and foundation.
Selling here
- State the lot size from county records and explain any irregular shape or easement; buyers will compare usable land, not just acreage.
- Name the zoning (RE or R-1 (20000)) in the listing so buyers can check what can be built or added.
- If the lot backs onto the preserve or the Los Altos Hills line, show where the property line is.
- Document updates and permits; with build years from the 1920s to the 2020s, buyers compare each house with new construction nearby.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Esther Clark Park questions, answered
Is Esther Clark Park an official Palo Alto neighborhood?
It is listed as a neighborhood by Palo Alto Neighborhoods, the citywide group of neighborhood associations, and it is named for the city's Esther Clark Park preserve. The city's GIS neighborhood map does not draw a separate Esther Clark Park area.
Is this Palo Alto or Los Altos Hills?
The streets in this guide are in the City of Palo Alto, ZIP 94306. Los Altos Hills is across the south and west edges, and some nearby addresses are in the town, so check the parcel.
How big are the lots?
Large for Palo Alto. Most lots are zoned RE or R-1 (20000), the city layer lists 28 lots at 1 acre or more, and the median of the lots it lists in square feet is about 21,300 sq ft.
Is the area in a fire hazard zone?
CAL FIRE's 2025 Fire Hazard Severity Zone map shows no hazard zone at any house's parcel center here. Check the exact parcel and the city's current maps before you buy.
Which school district serves it?
The Palo Alto Unified School District, per the state's 2025-26 district map. Check the exact address with PAUSD for school assignments.
next door
More Palo Alto neighborhood guides
From the blog: Palo Alto Neighborhoods by Their Houses
talk to a property nerd
Thinking about Esther Clark Park? 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 Esther Clark Park
Esther Clark Park 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 Palo Alto.
live market · palo alto
Palo Alto 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.
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- 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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