morgan hill · santa clara county
Morgan Hill Real Estate & Neighborhood Guide
Morgan Hill sits in the south end of the Santa Clara Valley, where the city says the valley is about 4 miles wide between the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Diablo Range. It grew around a Southern Pacific stop, built in 1898, that travelers called "Morgan Hill's Ranch," and incorporated on November 10, 1906. By the 1920s the valley was planted in prunes, apricots, peaches, pears, apples, walnuts and almonds, with vineyards until Prohibition; around the 1950s the city turned from farming to suburban homes. Today it covers about 12.9 square miles of land: a railroad-era downtown on Monterey Road, tract neighborhoods on the valley floor on both sides of US 101, and hillside lots under El Toro and in the eastern foothills.
population, 2020 census
land area
zip codes
incorporated
neighborhoods
Morgan Hill neighborhoods
The city's six guides follow the lay of the valley. In the middle, Downtown Morgan Hill covers the railroad-era core on Monterey Rd and the 115-acre Downtown Specific Plan area, plus the townhome and tract streets east to US 101. West of downtown, El Toro takes in the Civic Center, the foothill tracts off Hale Ave and Llagas Rd and the large hillside lots under the peak. North, Capriano & Madrone covers the Capriano tracts, the old Madrone district north of Cochrane Rd and the Central Park and Madrone Plaza streets. East of US 101, Jackson Meadows & Mission Ranch covers the valley-floor tracts, and Jackson Oaks & Holiday Lake the eastern foothills, where city streets sit beside the unincorporated Holiday Lake Estates island. South, Paradise Valley & Hidden Creek runs from W Edmundson Ave and San Pedro Ave to the city's south edge. Lot sizes range from townhome parcels downtown to acre-plus hillside lots, and several edges are county land.
Downtown Morgan Hill
The Monterey Road core around the Caltrain depot, Villa Mira Monte and the Community & Cultural Center, plus the townhome and tract streets that fill in east to US 101.
Capriano & Madrone
North Morgan Hill west of US 101: the Capriano tracts between Hale Ave and Monterey Rd, the old Madrone district north of Cochrane Rd, the Central Park and Madrone Plaza streets, and Sobrato High.
El Toro
Morgan Hill's west side under El Toro peak: the Civic Center and library, foothill tracts off Hale Ave and Llagas Rd, and big hillside lots in the state's Very High fire map.
Jackson Meadows & Mission Ranch
East Morgan Hill on the valley floor across US 101: Mission Ranch and the Cochrane Road streets below Anderson Lake, plus the Jackson Meadows, Morgan Village and Kelly Park streets around East Dunne Avenue.
Jackson Oaks & Holiday Lake
Morgan Hill's eastern foothills: the Jackson Oaks hillside streets, The Hill and Holiday Lake streets below Anderson Lake, and a county island of about 200 parcels inside the city's service area.
Paradise Valley & Hidden Creek
South Morgan Hill from West Edmundson and San Pedro avenues to the city's south edge: the Paradise Valley and Hidden Creek streets off Watsonville Road, Mill Creek, Amberwood and the Barrett Avenue blocks.
schools
Morgan Hill public schools
Elementary and middle
- Morgan Hill Unified School District. TK-12 for all of Morgan Hill, San Martin and a small part of south San Jose; the district says it covers nearly 300 square miles. Elementary schools in the city include Barrett (895 Barrett Ave), El Toro Health Science Academy (455 E Main Ave), Nordstrom (1425 E Dunne Ave), P.A. Walsh STEAM Academy (353 W Main Ave) and Paradise Valley Engineering Academy (1400 La Crosse Dr); Jackson Academy of Math & Music (K-8) is at 2700 Fountain Oaks Dr, and Lewis H. Britton Middle School at 80 W Central Ave. The district also runs Los Paseos Elementary, Martin Murphy Middle and San Martin/Gwinn Environmental Science Academy (K-8) outside the city.
High school
- Morgan Hill Unified School District. Live Oak High (1505 E Main Ave) and Ann Sobrato High (401 Burnett Ave), plus Central High, the continuation school (85 Tilton Ave), and a Community Adult School.
property nerd note
Census school-district maps put every part of the city in Morgan Hill Unified, so the district question is easy; the school question is not. Attendance areas inside the district change, so run the exact address through the district's Find Your School tool before you write an offer, and don't rely on a listing's school line. Start with our Silicon Valley schools guide.
zip codes
Morgan Hill ZIP codes
Census ZIP-code areas put about 97% of the city's land in 95037; small pieces on the south and east edges fall in 95046, San Martin's ZIP. The city is only about a tenth of the 95037 area. County land with Morgan Hill addresses: most of the rest is unincorporated Santa Clara County land, including the Coyote Valley edge north of the city (San Bruno Ave, Kalana Ave, Monterey Rd north), the western foothills (Oak Glen Ave, Willow Springs Rd, the Catherine Dunne Ranch area), the eastern foothills beyond Holiday Lake Estates and the Southeast Quadrant farmland (Carey Ave, Maple Ave). A Morgan Hill address there means county planning and permits, and wells, septic systems and private roads may apply.
getting around
Getting around Morgan Hill
Caltrain
Morgan Hill station is on Depot St downtown, in fare zone 6. Caltrain's South County Connector runs four diesel round trips on weekdays between Gilroy and San Jose Diridon: northbound in the morning, southbound in the evening, with no service on weekends, holidays or modified-schedule days. At Diridon, riders change to electric trains with a three-minute cross-platform transfer. Caltrain says the tracks south of Tamien belong to Union Pacific, which is why service here is not electrified.
VTA buses
VTA Route 68 runs every day along Monterey Rd between Gilroy Transit Center and San Jose Diridon, with stops downtown at Monterey & Main, Monterey & 3rd and Monterey & Dunne. Other local and express routes change often; check vta.org for current service.
Freeways and roads
US 101 runs the length of the city with interchanges at Cochrane Rd, Dunne Ave and Tennant Ave; Burnett Ave and E Main Ave cross it without ramps. Monterey Rd is the main street through downtown, and Hale Ave on the west side continues north as Santa Teresa Blvd. San Jose Mineta International Airport is about 22 miles straight-line from City Hall.
Trails
The city lists the West Little Llagas Creek Trail (nearly 4.7 miles), the Madrone Channel Trail (3 miles, paved) and the Edmundson Creek Trail (1.4 miles), and the county's Coyote Creek Trail runs 17.8 paved miles from Morgan Hill to Tully Rd in San Jose. Valley Water lists parts of the West Little Llagas Creek Trail closed for flood-project work through the end of 2026.
living here
Living in Morgan Hill
Downtown and Villa Mira Monte
Monterey Rd between Main Ave and Dunne Ave is the downtown main street. The Community & Cultural Center at 17000 Monterey Rd has an outdoor amphitheater, a rose garden and the Community Playhouse, and Villa Mira Monte at 17860 Monterey Rd keeps the 1884-86 Hiram Morgan Hill House, listed on the National Register in 1978, with the Morgan Hill Museum and the Centennial History Trail.
El Toro
The peak west of downtown (about 393 m on public maps) is the city's landmark. The city owns about 310 acres of its eastern face and the Open Space Authority a 33-acre preserve; on November 5, 2025, the City Council approved an agreement to plan public trail access, which is not open yet.
County and state parks
Anderson Lake County Park (about 3,573 acres, county GIS) lies along the city's northeast side, and Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch County Park (about 7,551 acres, county GIS) is to the southeast, with about 35 miles of trails per the city. To the west are Chesbro Reservoir (about 204 acres), Uvas Reservoir (about 1,017 acres) and Uvas Canyon County Park (about 1,147 acres). Henry W. Coe State Park, east on E Dunne Ave, has about 250 miles of trails across 87,000 acres, per the city.
City parks and recreation
Community Park at 171 W Edmundson Ave has an all-abilities playground, ball fields, tennis and pickleball courts, a skate/BMX park and an off-leash dog park, next to the Centennial Recreation Center (gym, fitness rooms, aquatics and a teen center). The city's Aquatics Center is at 16200 Condit Rd, with the Outdoor Sports Center nearby on Condit Rd (public maps), and Galvan Park, Nob Hill Trail and Railroad Park are close to downtown.
Civic Center and library
City Hall is on Peak Ave in the Civic Center the city dedicated on November 3, 1973, and the Morgan Hill Library is nearby at 660 W Main Ave (county GIS).
Creeks and flood work
West Little Llagas Creek runs through downtown. Valley Water's Upper Llagas Creek project covers about 13.9 miles of channel from Buena Vista Ave to Llagas Rd: Phase 1 finished in April 2022, a 2,300-foot tunnel under downtown in August 2024, and the last phase is due in spring 2027.
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faq
Morgan Hill real estate FAQ
Is every Morgan Hill address inside the city?
No. The 95037 ZIP reaches well beyond the city limits into unincorporated county land: the Coyote Valley edge, both foothills, Holiday Lake Estates and the Southeast Quadrant farmland. Check the parcel on the county's maps; county parcels go through county planning and permits, and some rely on wells and septic systems.
Can you commute by Caltrain from Morgan Hill?
On weekdays, in the peak direction only. Four South County Connector trains run north in the morning and four south in the evening, with a transfer to electric trains at San Jose Diridon. There are no weekend or holiday trains.
What happened to Morgan Hill's growth cap (Measure S)?
The city adopted its Residential Development Control System in 1977. Measure S, approved by voters on November 8, 2016 and in effect March 1, 2017, set a population cap of 58,200 through January 1, 2035 and up to 215 housing allotments a year. The city now lists the program as suspended: it says the state Housing Crisis Act of 2019 (SB 330), extended to 2030, prevents enforcing those parts while it is in effect.
Are there fire hazard or hillside rules?
Yes. CAL FIRE released new local fire hazard severity zone maps on February 24, 2025, with Very High and new High zones in Morgan Hill, and the city said it expected to adopt them by ordinance; sellers must disclose the zone, and Very High zones carry defensible-space and wildland-urban interface building rules. The city also treats any property with 10% or more slope as a Hillside property, which can mean a design permit and a required geotechnical survey. Check the current map and the zoning for the address.
Is Morgan Hill in a flood zone?
Parts of it. FEMA's countywide maps (May 18, 2009 panels) show Zone AE along West Little Llagas Creek through downtown and other creek strips, and much of the valley floor as shaded Zone X. Valley Water expects to finish its Upper Llagas Creek project in spring 2027; don't assume a map change until FEMA issues one, and check any LOMR for the address.
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more morgan hill neighborhood guides
Neighborhood guides in Morgan Hill
See every guide in the Nerd Portal.