Aptly named for its proximity to Stanford University as well as its unique street names, College Terrace is populated primarily by professors, graduate students, and other professionals at the various prestigious law and tech firms along Page Mill. Its streets are named in mostly alphabetical after prestigious colleges and universities across America, from Ivy Leagues like Harvard and Cornell to liberal arts schools like Bowdoin and Amherst.

Spanning 120 acres and 24 blocks, College Terrace has a long history of close ties with the university. That’s what propels a strong rental market and high turnover rate in the neighborhood — some parts of the neighborhood even belong to Stanford University and are used for subsidized professor housing (catch them driving golf carts to work in the mornings). And despite its high rental rates, the neighborhood is overseen by a highly active community association that hosts socials and tackles neighborhood issues like traffic and parking.

The neighborhood saw little city planning in its early days, which is why lot and home sizes can vary from cottages on 3,000 sq ft lots to spacious single-family homes upwards of 6,500 sq ft. This makes for an eclectic patchwork of styles, from quaint Spanish Colonial Revival cottages to exuberant Queen Anne two-story homes. Nonetheless, the entire neighborhood is distinctly unified by a beautifully rich historical feel. Ancient oak trees, many hundreds of years old, line the streets.

College Terrace includes the oldest branch of the Palo Alto library and four small parks. Residents have easy walking access to hiking trails at the Stanford Dish, the university’s campus, and dining and shopping along its California Ave border.

To get your questions about living in College Terrace answered and for some personalized information on living in this neighborhood, get in touch with our team at homes@boyenga.com!