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east palo alto neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
The Gardens, East Palo Alto Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
East Palo Alto's flower-name streets east of Pulgas Avenue, between Bay Road and San Francisquito Creek, with the creek levee and the Bay Trail at the end of the block.
The Gardens by the numbers
the gardens by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for The Gardens (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in the gardens · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in The Gardens
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in The Gardens 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 (The Gardens (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How The Gardens came to be
The Gardens is the low corner of East Palo Alto where San Francisquito Creek meets the bay. The city's history page lists flower growing among East Palo Alto's early land uses, and the streets here carry flower and shrub names: Aster, Daphne, Abelia, Camellia, Jasmine, Verbena, Gardenia, Gaillardia, Wisteria, Lotus, Azalia, Hibiscus, Larkspur and Daisy. The MLS still files sales here as Palo Alto Gardens.
The creek forms the south edge and the Palo Alto line. Between US 101 and the bay, the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority widened the channel, built larger levees, added floodwalls where the channel could not be widened and created more than 22 acres of marsh, with trails on the new levees connecting to the Bay Trail. The JPA lists the work as complete in 2019 and says it protects over 1,700 properties from a 100-year creek flood during a king tide, with three feet of sea-level rise built in.
The bay side is next. SAFER Bay, which the JPA is carrying out for the city, would run a levee continuously along the East Palo Alto shoreline from the O'Connor Street storm drain pump station to the city limits near University Avenue. The JPA board certified the project's final environmental impact report and approved it on May 28, 2026, which moves it into permits, final design and construction. Until FEMA changes its maps, the current flood map (panels effective April 5, 2019) still governs here.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
The flower-name streets form one compact grid between Pulgas Avenue and the levee. Wisteria Drive, Azalia Drive, Verbena Drive and Camellia Drive are the long streets; Aster, Daphne, Abelia, Jasmine, Gardenia, Gaillardia and Lotus Ways, Larkspur Drive, Daisy Lane and the Camellia, Daphne, Gardenia and Hibiscus Courts fill in between. County parcel records put the typical lot at about 5,000 to 6,100 square feet, with a median of about 5,250, and listing records show the sales are single-family houses.
North of the flower grid, the blocks between Pulgas Avenue and the baylands are a mix. Cypress, Sage, Garden, Beech, Weeks and Runnymede Streets run east from Pulgas Avenue, with small courts such as Shorebreeze Court, Mandela Court, Veronica Court, Vance Lane and Runnymede Court, and the Bay Road frontage at the north end. Cypress Street lots are larger (median about 6,950 square feet in county records); the courts run about 4,000 to 5,300.
The 2020 census counted about 1,070 housing units inside this outline. Because nearly every lot here is in FEMA zone AE, the elevation certificate matters as much as the floor plan: it records the floor height that insurers use to price flood coverage.
streets in the gardens
- Pulgas Avenue
- Bay Road
- O'Connor Street
- East Bayshore Road
- Wisteria Drive
- Azalia Drive
- Verbena Drive
- Camellia Drive
- Larkspur Drive
- Daphne Way
- Aster Way
- Abelia Way
- Jasmine Way
- Gardenia Way
- Gaillardia Way
- Lotus Way
- Daisy Lane
- Cypress Street
- Sage Street
- Shorebreeze Court
- Mandela Court
- Veronica Court
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near The Gardens
- park
Martin Luther King Jr. Park
At 435 Daisy Lane in the middle of the grid. The city lists a baseball and softball field, a soccer field, BBQ pits, picnic areas and parking.
- trail
Creek levee trails and the Bay Trail
The creek project put trails on top of the new levees along the south and east edges, connecting to the San Francisco Bay Trail; from there the shoreline trail runs north to Cooley Landing and Ravenswood preserve.
- open space
Cooley Landing Park
The city's bayfront park at the end of Bay Road (2100 Bay Rd), about 1.25 miles straight-line from the middle of the Gardens, with an education center, picnic areas and trails.
- open space
Palo Alto Baylands
Across the creek to the south, the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve is part of the same marsh shoreline (Midpen notes it as Cooley Landing's neighbor). It is in Palo Alto, not East Palo Alto.
- shopping
University Avenue / US 101 shopping center
The nearest shopping center is on East Bayshore Road at the University Avenue interchange, about 0.8 mile straight-line from the middle of the grid.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
The whole area is in the Ravenswood City School District (K-8) and the Sequoia Union High School District; on the Census school-district maps every county parcel in this outline falls in both. Two public schools sit just across Pulgas Avenue near Myrtle Street: Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy (Ravenswood City School District, 2033 Pulgas Ave) and East Palo Alto Academy (Sequoia Union High School District, 1050 Myrtle St). Attendance rules change, so check the exact address with each district.
Getting around
- East Bayshore Road runs along the south end to US 101: the University Avenue interchange is about 0.8 mile straight-line from the middle of the Gardens, and the Embarcadero Road interchange in Palo Alto about 0.6 mile straight-line (public maps).
- Caltrain: Palo Alto station on University Avenue is about 2.4 miles straight-line, and Menlo Park station about 3.1 miles straight-line.
- SamTrans Route 281 runs from East Palo Alto to the Palo Alto Transit Center, downtown Palo Alto and Stanford, and the weekday EPX express (since February 2024) links East Palo Alto with Redwood City, SFO and San Bruno BART. Check samtrans.com for the stops nearest your street.
- Bay Trail and creek trails on the levees, reached from the ends of the grid streets; the Clarke Avenue bike and pedestrian bridge over US 101 is about half a mile straight-line west.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in The Gardens: what we check
Buying here
- Flood zone: by our count of county parcels on FEMA's map, about 93% of the parcels here are in zone AE with a base flood elevation of 11 feet. Ask your lender early whether flood insurance will be required, get an elevation certificate, and get quotes before you remove contingencies.
- Levee projects: the creek project between US 101 and the bay is complete (2019), and SAFER Bay along the shoreline was approved on May 28, 2026 but is not built. Neither changes the FEMA zone until FEMA revises its map; check the FEMA map for the exact address.
- Liquefaction: essentially every parcel here is inside a California Geological Survey liquefaction zone (2006 maps); plan a soils report for major additions or a second unit.
- Before designing an addition or ADU in zone AE, ask the city's building division which floodplain building rules apply (floor elevation and related standards).
- Rentals: the city's rent stabilization program covers many rental units; check whether a property is covered with the city's Rent Stabilization Program.
- Water and sewer: the city system (operated by Veolia, SFPUC water) serves about 80% of the city's water connections, and two private water companies serve the rest; sewer is mainly the East Palo Alto Sanitary District, with some areas in West Bay Sanitary District. Confirm providers for the address.
Selling here
- Order an elevation certificate if there isn't one on file; it is the document flood insurance quotes are based on.
- If you carry flood insurance, have the policy details ready to share with buyers and their insurance agents.
- Gather permits for additions, raised floors, garage conversions and second units.
- State the levee facts plainly: the creek project is complete, SAFER Bay is approved but not built, and the FEMA zone stands until the map changes.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
The Gardens questions, answered
Is the Gardens in a flood zone?
Yes. By our count of county parcels on FEMA's current map (panels effective April 5, 2019), about 93% of the parcels here are in zone AE with a base flood elevation of 11 feet. Check the FEMA map for the exact address and get an elevation certificate.
What is SAFER Bay, and when will it be built?
It is a shoreline levee project the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority is carrying out for the city, running from the O'Connor Street pump station to the city limits near University Avenue. The JPA board certified the final environmental impact report and approved the project on May 28, 2026; permits, final design and construction come next, and no construction date has been announced.
What did the San Francisquito Creek project change?
Between US 101 and the bay, the JPA widened the creek channel, built larger levees and floodwalls, and added more than 22 acres of marsh and levee-top trails. The JPA says it protects over 1,700 properties from a 100-year creek flood during a king tide, with three feet of sea-level rise built in.
Which MLS area matches the Gardens?
Palo Alto Gardens, which covers the flower-name streets. Mandela Court sales may appear as Mandella Estate, and Cypress Street sales can be filed under Faber.
How close is the Bay Trail?
At the end of the block: trails on the creek and bay levees along the south and east edges connect to the Bay Trail, which runs north to Cooley Landing.
Which schools serve the Gardens?
Ravenswood City School District for K-8 and Sequoia Union High School District for high school. Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy and East Palo Alto Academy are just across Pulgas Avenue. Check the exact address with each district.
next door
More East Palo Alto neighborhood guides
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