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east palo alto neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Palo Alto Park, East Palo Alto Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
The triangle of East Palo Alto between Bay Road, University Avenue and US 101: mostly detached houses on Menalto, Ralmar, Oakwood, Dumbarton and Glen Way, with Bell Street Park at the University Avenue end.
Palo Alto Park by the numbers
palo alto park by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Palo Alto Park (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in palo alto park · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Palo Alto Park
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Palo Alto 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 (Palo Alto Park (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Palo Alto Park came to be
Before Palo Alto Park was a neighborhood, it was mostly open land. A local history column describes the area in 1924 as a tract called Ravenswood Park, bounded by Menalto Avenue, Bay Road, Donohoe Street and Orchard Avenue (today's Glen Way), and used mostly as pasture, with oak trees on the eastern side. The same column places the land within the old Rancho de las Pulgas land grant and says Palo Verde Avenue was the only street in 1924; it ties the street's winding line to a horse-and-mule camp attached to Camp Fremont in Menlo Park.
The name survives in more than real estate listings. The Palo Alto Park Mutual Water Company, a private water system drawing on five deep wells, still serves small areas of East Palo Alto and fewer than ten addresses on Menalto Avenue in Menlo Park, per Menlo Park's water-provider page. The area was unincorporated San Mateo County until East Palo Alto incorporated in 1983 (city history page).
US 101 now forms the southwest edge, and the street grid shows it: Ralmar, Poplar, Oakwood, Addison, Dumbarton and Euclid continue as short blocks on the far side of the freeway, in the Westside. Census estimates for the block group covering the western half of the neighborhood put roughly three in five homes in the 1940s and 1950s, with older houses and some from the last few decades mixed in.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
Most streets run roughly north-south from the East Bayshore Road frontage up to Bay Road: Menalto, Laurel, Poplar, Ralmar, Addison, Oakwood, Dumbarton, Lincoln and Glen Way, with Euclid Avenue near the University Avenue side. Garden, Bell and Green Streets cross them east-west, Holland Street angles in at the Willow Road end with Bradley Way beside it. Palo Verde Avenue breaks the pattern, curving northeast from Oakwood Drive to Bay Road, with Lilac Lane and Oakdale off it.
Near University Avenue, Runnymede and Weeks Streets start on this side and continue east across the avenue, and short Sacramento Street ends at it. Bell Street Park sits at the University Avenue end, and the Ravenswood City School District office is on Euclid Avenue.
The housing is mostly detached houses: about 1,070 housing units in the 2020 Census, and in the western block group about nine in ten homes are detached (Census estimates). Expect a mix of original houses, add-ons and newer two-story infill; the block groups that reach University Avenue show more homes built since 2000 and a few apartment buildings, including one 2020 Census block near Bay Road and University Avenue with about 140 units.
streets in palo alto park
- Menalto Ave
- Laurel Ave
- Holland St
- Bradley Way
- Poplar Ave
- Ralmar Ave
- Addison Ave
- Oakwood Dr
- Dumbarton Ave
- Lincoln St
- Glen Way
- Palo Verde Ave
- Lilac Ln
- Oakdale Ave
- Garden St
- Bell St
- Green St
- Euclid Ave
- Runnymede St
- Weeks St
- Sacramento St
- Bay Rd
- E. Bayshore Rd
- University Ave
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Palo Alto Park
- park
Bell Street Park
At 2159 University Avenue, on the neighborhood's east side: a jump-house area, a large lawn and a skate park, with no restrooms (city park list).
- park
Pocket Park at East Bayshore
A small city pocket park at East Bayshore Road and Bay Road, at the Willow Road end (city park list; no features listed).
- landmark
Palo Verde Avenue
The one street that doesn't follow the grid. A local history column says it was the only street here in 1924 and links its curve to a horse-and-mule camp attached to Camp Fremont.
- landmark
Four Corners civic center
City Hall is at 2415 University Avenue at Bay Road, about half a mile straight-line from the middle of the neighborhood; public maps show the county library branch at the same address.
- shopping
University Avenue and US 101
A shopping center sits on the east side of the University Avenue interchange, about 0.7 mile straight-line from the middle of the neighborhood (public maps).
- park
Flood Park (San Mateo County)
A 21-acre county park at 215 Bay Road in Menlo Park, about a mile straight-line west of the Willow Road tip. Phase 1 of its renovation opened June 7, 2025 with picnic sites, sports courts and a bike pump track; the playground was still under construction in the county's latest update.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
Palo Alto Park is in the Ravenswood City School District, which runs the elementary and middle grades, and the Sequoia Union High School District (Census school-district maps). The Ravenswood district office is in the neighborhood at 2120 Euclid Avenue, and Ravenswood Middle School (grades 6-8) is just north of Bay Road at 2450 Ralmar Avenue, about 0.4 mile straight-line from the middle of the neighborhood. Attendance boundaries change, so check the exact address with each district.
Getting around
- US 101 at both ends: the University Avenue interchange at the southeast corner and the Willow Road (State Route 114) interchange at the west tip.
- Bay Road runs along the north edge east to Four Corners (University Avenue) and on across the city.
- University Avenue runs north to Bayfront Expressway and State Route 84 at the Dumbarton Bridge approach, and south over the freeway and San Francisquito Creek into Palo Alto (Census road data).
- Caltrain: Palo Alto station is about 2 miles straight-line from the middle of the neighborhood; Menlo Park station about 2.2 miles.
- SamTrans Route 296 runs between the Redwood City Transit Center and Bayshore/Donohoe on the neighborhood's freeway edge; routes 280, 281 and the EPX express also serve the city (check samtrans.com for stops).
- On foot or bike, the Clarke Avenue overcrossing east of University Avenue (completed July 2019) crosses US 101 to West Bayshore Road at Newell Road.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Palo Alto Park: what we check
Buying here
- Flood: on FEMA's current map about 97 percent of the street addresses here are in zone X (minimal flood hazard); a few along Bay Road and at the Willow Road end (parts of Holland Street, Bradley Way and Laurel Avenue) are in zone AE. Check the FEMA map for the exact address.
- Seismic: the whole neighborhood is inside a state-mapped liquefaction zone (California Geological Survey, Palo Alto quadrangle, released 2006). Expect it on the natural hazard disclosure, and plan on a geotechnical report for a rebuild or major addition.
- Water: the address may be served by the Palo Alto Park Mutual Water Company or by the city system, so confirm the provider; if an ADU or addition is the plan, ask the city about water supply and connection requirements first.
- Older houses: Census estimates put much of the stock in the 1940s and 1950s. Check the permit history for additions and garage conversions, the electrical panel, the sewer lateral and the foundation.
- Rented house or duplex: the city's rent stabilization program covers many rental units; check whether a property is covered with the city's Rent Stabilization Program before you buy.
Selling here
- Pull the permit history for any additions, ADUs or garage conversions before listing; buyers here ask early.
- Note the water provider on the disclosure package (Palo Alto Park Mutual Water Company or the city system), with a recent bill.
- Print the FEMA zone for the address: zone X covers most of the neighborhood, and saying so up front saves a round of questions.
- Describe the street position plainly (interior block, Bay Road, University Avenue or the freeway frontage), since buyers compare them.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Palo Alto Park questions, answered
Is Palo Alto Park part of Palo Alto?
No. It is a neighborhood of East Palo Alto, which incorporated in 1983. Palo Alto begins across San Francisquito Creek, beyond the Westside. The area does share ZIP code 94303 with part of Palo Alto (Census ZIP code areas).
What was here before the houses?
Mostly pasture. A local history column describes a 1924 tract called Ravenswood Park, bounded by Menalto Avenue, Bay Road, Donohoe Street and Orchard Avenue (now Glen Way), with oaks on the eastern side and Palo Verde Avenue as the only street.
Is Palo Alto Park in a flood zone?
Mostly not. FEMA's current map puts about 97 percent of street addresses in zone X, with a few along Bay Road and at the Willow Road end in zone AE. Check the exact address on the FEMA map.
Who supplies the water?
It depends on the address. The city system serves about 80 percent of East Palo Alto connections; the Palo Alto Park Mutual Water Company and the O'Connor Tract Co-op Water Company serve the rest (city utilities page). Confirm the provider for a specific property.
Where are the edges?
Bay Road on the north, University Avenue on the east and US 101 on the southwest, with the tip at Willow Road. Listing records file most sales here as Palo Alto Park; some Euclid Avenue homes appear under the name Woodland Place.
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