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los altos neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
North Los Altos Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
The informal name for Los Altos north of El Monte Avenue, ZIP 94022: mostly single-family streets between downtown and El Camino Real, along the Palo Alto and Mountain View city lines.
North Los Altos by the numbers
north los altos by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for North Los Altos: city land north of El Monte Ave and Foothill Expwy, up to El Camino Real (approximate). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in north los altos · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in North Los Altos
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in North Los Altos 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 (North Los Altos: city land north of El Monte Ave and Foothill Expwy, up to El Camino Real (approximate)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How North Los Altos came to be
No city map draws North Los Altos, and no sign welcomes you to it. Ask three locals and you'll get three outlines, though most of them stop at El Monte Avenue. That line is also where ZIP 94022 gives way to 94024, and at least one local brokerage guide uses it as the southern edge too. Some people fold in downtown and the older streets across Foothill Expressway; this guide covers those separately and focuses on the residential blocks between downtown and El Camino Real.
Before the 1907 town site, this was ranch and orchard land. An 1895 house mixing Queen Anne and Stick styles, once the centerpiece of Farnsworth Farms, is at 439 Rinconada Court; the farm was later subdivided into Rinconada Court and Dracena Lane. An 1898 farmhouse on a 15-acre orchard at 39 Pine Lane became a gathering place for north Los Altos through the Music and Literary Club, later the San Antonio Club. Almond Avenue was home to the Formway Machine Shop, which invented a walnut huller in the early 1930s and which the Town Crier believed to be the only manufacturing business in the town's history.
Most of what you see today came after the war. Los Altos incorporated on December 1, 1952, and most of the city's growth happened between 1950 and 1980; the largest share of its homes was built between 1940 and 1959. The city bought land on San Antonio Road at Main and Edith in 1954 for a civic center, and City Hall was completed there in 1959. Along El Camino Real, the city's northern edge, offices, hotels and shops came first, and multifamily housing has followed (see the El Camino Real corridor guide).
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
North San Antonio Road and Los Altos Avenue are the two long spines running from downtown to El Camino Real, with El Monte Avenue along the southeast side. Cross streets include Almond Avenue, Portola Avenue, Pine Lane, Yerba Buena Avenue, Mariposa Avenue, Alvarado Avenue, Valencia Drive, Jordan Avenue and Jardin Drive, with plenty of short courts in between. Many residential streets in Los Altos have no sidewalks, and the city's General Plan has a policy of keeping residential streets semi-rural where appropriate, so walk your route to school or downtown before you assume.
Most lots are zoned R1-10. New lots must be at least 10,000 square feet (11,000 on a corner), but many existing lots were drawn before today's rules and vary in size. On a lot of 11,000 square feet or less, floor area is capped at 35 percent of the net lot area; above that, it's 3,850 square feet plus 10 percent of the area over 11,000. Houses can go to two stories and 27 feet, with 17.5-foot side setbacks for the second story. The daylight plane starts 11 feet up at the side property lines on lots 70 feet or wider, and 19 feet up at the second-story setback line on narrower lots.
A common pattern: a one-story house from the 1940s or 1950s that has been remodeled, expanded or replaced with a two-story house. A new one-story house under 20 feet gets staff-level design review; a new two-story house goes to the Zoning Administrator after a noticed public meeting. The code also provides a single-story overlay, which caps houses at one story and 20 feet where a neighborhood asks for it and the council agrees, so check the zoning map for the specific street.
streets in north los altos
- North San Antonio Road
- Los Altos Avenue
- El Monte Avenue
- Almond Avenue
- Portola Avenue
- Pine Lane
- Yerba Buena Avenue
- Mariposa Avenue
- Alvarado Avenue
- Valencia Drive
- Jordan Avenue
- Distel Drive
- Jardin Drive
- Hillview Avenue
- Lockhart Lane
- Alta Vista Avenue
- Santa Rita Avenue
- Loucks Avenue
- Rinconada Court
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near North Los Altos
- park
Hillview Park and Los Altos Community Center
At 97 Hillview Avenue, a 6.63-acre park with baseball and soccer fields shares its site with the 24,500-square-foot community center that opened in October 2021, with a playground and bocce courts.
- park
Village Park
A 0.78-acre sitting park with benches, paths and a sculpture at West Edith Avenue and North San Antonio Road, at the downtown corner.
- park
Lincoln Park, Shoup Park and Redwood Grove
Just across Foothill Expressway in Old Los Altos: Lincoln Park (4.44 acres), Shoup Park (3.95 acres) and the Redwood Grove Nature Preserve along Adobe Creek.
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Rosita Park
Just south of El Monte Avenue at 401 Rosita Avenue, a 5-acre park with baseball and soccer fields, three tennis courts, a walking track and a playground.
- shopping
Downtown and El Camino Real
Downtown's Main and State streets are at the south end of the area. At the north end, Whole Foods Market at 4800 El Camino Real (opened 2006) and the Village Court center at San Antonio Road cover everyday errands.
- landmark
San Antonio Club
A city-owned building at 647 North San Antonio Road, listed on the city's Historic Resources Inventory, tied to the club that grew out of the 1898 Pine Lane farmhouse.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
Most of North Los Altos is in the Los Altos School District (TK-8) and the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District, which assigns students to Los Altos High or Mountain View High by address. Public schools physically in the area include Almond Elementary (550 Almond Avenue), Santa Rita Elementary (700 Los Altos Avenue), Egan Junior High (100 West Portola Avenue) and Los Altos High School (201 Almond Avenue). Living near a campus doesn't make it your assigned school, and attendance boundaries change, so check the exact address with the LASD school locator and MVLA's street search.
Los Altos School District guide · Mountain View-Los Altos high schools · Silicon Valley school districts
Getting around
- San Antonio Caltrain (190 Showers Drive, Mountain View) is about 0.6 mile from El Camino Real at San Antonio Road, 0.9 mile from Egan Junior High and 1.4 miles from Los Altos High (straight-line map measurements).
- Mountain View's Caltrain and VTA light rail station is about 1.9 to 2.2 miles east (straight line).
- VTA Route 40 runs along San Antonio Road and El Monte Avenue between Foothill College and the Mountain View Transit Center. VTA Route 22 and Rapid 522 run on El Camino Real, with 522 stopping at Showers Drive.
- Foothill Expressway runs along the southwest side toward Palo Alto and Stanford one way and Cupertino the other, and it is a popular bike route. I-280 is reached via El Monte Avenue or Magdalena Avenue.
- US 101 is about 2 miles north of El Camino Real via San Antonio Road through Mountain View (approximate).
nerd notes
Buying or selling in North Los Altos: what we check
Buying here
- Confirm the jurisdiction. ZIP 94022 is shared with the Town of Los Altos Hills, and a Los Altos mailing address does not guarantee City of Los Altos zoning, permits or services. From El Camino Real south to Foothill Expressway near Old Oak Court, the city line follows Adobe Creek; homes across the creek are in Palo Alto or Los Altos Hills.
- Before you budget a rebuild, run the R1-10 numbers: 35 percent floor area on lots up to 11,000 square feet, two stories and 27 feet, 17.5-foot second-story side setbacks and the daylight plane. A new two-story house needs Zoning Administrator review after a noticed meeting, and some streets may be in a single-story overlay.
- If you're counting on an ADU or an SB 9 lot split, read the city's rules first: each new lot must be at least 40 percent of the original and 1,200 square feet, the owner signs an occupancy affidavit, and historic resources are excluded.
- Original 1940s and 1950s houses deserve a full inspection of the sewer lateral, electrical panel, foundation and drainage. If you plan a basement, ask how the city counts it toward floor area and check soils and groundwater.
- Visit at school drop-off and rush hour. Check traffic on San Antonio Road, El Monte Avenue and Los Altos Avenue and around the Almond, Santa Rita, Egan and Los Altos High campuses, and note whether your street has sidewalks.
Selling here
- Lead with the lot: surveyed size, width (70 feet is the daylight plane threshold), corner status and how much floor area remains under R1-10. Buyers planning a rebuild price the dirt as carefully as the house.
- Pull your permit history from the city before listing, including additions and ADUs. Unpermitted work is easier to explain up front than in escrow.
- Give buyers measured distances: to downtown, to El Camino shopping, to San Antonio Caltrain and to the nearest VTA stop.
- For an original house, order pre-inspections (sewer lateral video, roof, pest) so buyers can bid with fewer contingencies.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
North Los Altos questions, answered
Where exactly is North Los Altos?
There is no official boundary. Most people mean the part of the City of Los Altos north of El Monte Avenue, the 94022 side, running up to El Camino Real between Foothill Expressway and the Mountain View line. Some include downtown and the streets across Foothill; this guide treats those separately.
Is all of 94022 in the City of Los Altos?
No. ZIP 94022 also covers much of the Town of Los Altos Hills, which has its own zoning and permits. Check the jurisdiction for any address before you plan work.
How big are the lots?
Most of the area is zoned R1-10, which requires at least 10,000 square feet for a new lot (11,000 on a corner). Existing lots vary because many predate the current rules; check the parcel map for the specific address.
Which schools serve North Los Altos?
Mostly the Los Altos School District (TK-8) and the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District. Boundaries change, so confirm the address with each district.
How far is Caltrain?
San Antonio station in Mountain View is about 0.6 mile from El Camino and San Antonio Road and about 1.4 miles from Los Altos High in a straight line. Mountain View station is about 2 miles east.
Can I build a two-story house here?
On most R1-10 lots, yes, up to two stories and 27 feet, after Zoning Administrator review at a noticed public meeting. Streets in a single-story overlay are limited to one story and 20 feet.
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