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san jose neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
River Glen & The Willows, San Jose Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
Willow Glen's river side: the blocks east of Cottle Ave from Willow Glen Way down to Curtner Ave, part old town of Willow Glen and part late-1940s annexations, with River Glen Park and Lincoln Glen Park.
River Glen & The Willows by the numbers
river glen & the willows by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for River Glen & The Willows: Willow Glen Way to Curtner Ave along the Guadalupe River (approximate). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in river glen & the willows · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in River Glen & The Willows
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in River Glen & The Willows 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 (River Glen & The Willows: Willow Glen Way to Curtner Ave along the Guadalupe River (approximate)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How River Glen & The Willows came to be
Two City-mapped neighborhoods share this guide. River Glen runs from Willow Glen Way and Pine Ave down to Malone Rd, around River Glen Park. The Willows picks up below it and runs to Curtner Ave, around Lincoln Glen Park. Lincoln Ave runs through both, and the Guadalupe River forms the whole east edge.
Willow Glen had its own school district by the 1860s and was a separate city from 1927 until San Jose annexed it in 1936, according to the San Jose Public Library's archive, which also notes local opposition to a Southern Pacific plan to run tracks through the area. City annexation records show the northern half of this guide (Coastland Ave, Byerley Ave, Creek Dr, Harmil Way, Juanita Ave, Kirkland Ave, Laurie Ave and the streets around them) entering San Jose in that 1,258-acre 'Willow Glen' annexation, dated October 1, 1936.
The southern half came later. Four annexations named South Willow Glen No. 2 through No. 5, between May 1948 and July 1949, brought in the blocks around Ardis Dr, Radio Ave, Franquette Ave, Malone Rd, Madrona Ave, Redondo Dr and Terra Bella Ave. City tract maps show 42 separately recorded subdivisions inside the outline, all but one under 80 lots, which is why house styles and street names change every block or two. A few older houses survived the subdividing: the City's Historic Resources Inventory lists houses on Pine Ave dated about 1900 to 1912 and a 1952 International Style house on Franquette Ave.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
In River Glen, the residential streets are Coastland Ave, Byerley Ave, Creek Dr, Arbor Dr, Harmil Way, Juanita Ave, Kirkland Ave, Laurie Ave, Ellis Ave, Johnston Ave, Glen Una Ave, Lovoi Way and Parkside Ave, with Pine Ave and Bird Ave as the through streets. In The Willows, look for Ardis Dr, Radio Ave, Lincoln Ct, Franquette Ave, Madrona Ave, Redondo Dr, Hermosa Way, Roycott Way, Lennon Way, Clark Way, Marlyn Way, Norval Way and Terra Bella Ave, with Malone Rd cutting across from Cottle Ave to the river.
Lincoln Ave is the spine and the one place the zoning changes. Between Malone Rd and Curtner Ave its frontage is zoned commercial (CP), and farther north toward Willow Glen Way several Lincoln Ave blocks are zoned R-2, which allows duplexes. Bird Ave and Creek Dr have R-2 pockets as well, and small planned-development zones sit near Coastland Ct and on Malone Rd by the river. Everywhere else it is R-1-8 single-family zoning: about 1,920 of the roughly 2,170 parcels, with a median lot near 6,400 sq ft (City parcel and zoning maps).
Expect mixed eras on the same block. Census estimates for the tract covering most of this area put about 18 percent of homes before 1940, 23 percent in the 1940s, 23 percent in the 1950s and 15 percent in the 1960s, with about 85 percent single-family detached. When you compare two houses here, the year built and the permit history tell you more than the street name does.
streets in river glen & the willows
- Lincoln Ave
- Bird Ave
- Pine Ave
- Malone Rd
- Cottle Ave
- Curtner Ave
- Willow Glen Way
- Coastland Ave
- Byerley Ave
- Creek Dr
- Harmil Way
- Juanita Ave
- Kirkland Ave
- Laurie Ave
- Newport Ave
- Parkside Ave
- Radio Ave
- Ardis Dr
- Franquette Ave
- Madrona Ave
- Redondo Dr
- Lennon Way
- Roycott Way
- Terra Bella Ave
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near River Glen & The Willows
- park
River Glen Park
A 9.5-acre City park at 1600 Parkside Ave. The City's park inventory lists two tennis courts, a pickleball court, softball and baseball fields, a soccer field, basketball and volleyball courts, two play areas and three picnic areas.
- park
Lincoln Glen Park
A 6.5-acre City park at 2180 Radio Ave, just north of Curtner Ave, with three play areas, two picnic areas, exercise equipment and parking (City park inventory).
- landmark
Willow Glen Community and Senior Center
A City community center at 2175 Lincoln Ave, next to Lincoln Glen Park.
- shopping
Lincoln Ave
Commercial frontage on Lincoln Ave between Malone Rd and Curtner Ave; the downtown Willow Glen shopping blocks begin just north of Willow Glen Way, and a supermarket sits at 1489 Bird Ave, about 0.7 mile straight-line from the middle of the area.
- library
Willow Glen Branch Library
The San Jose Public Library branch at 1157 Minnesota Ave is about 0.8 mile straight-line north of the middle of the area.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
The whole area is in San Jose Unified School District for elementary, middle and high school (City and Census district maps, checked at several points). Galarza Elementary (1610 Bird Ave) is just outside the north edge, and Willow Glen Middle (2105 Cottle Ave) and Willow Glen High (2001 Cottle Ave) are across Cottle Ave on the west side. Attendance boundaries change, so check the exact address with the district.
Getting around
- VTA light rail: Curtner station (Blue Line, 602 Curtner Ave) is about 0.9 mile straight-line east, across the river and SR 87.
- Caltrain: Tamien station, also a light rail stop, is about 1.1 miles straight-line north.
- Driving: SR 87 has an interchange at Curtner Ave just east of the river, and Bird Ave and Lincoln Ave lead north toward I-280, roughly 1.5 to 2 miles away.
- Bikes: the City's bikeway map shows painted bike lanes on Bird Ave and Curtner Ave and signed shared routes on Pine Ave and Malone Rd.
- Trails: the paved Three Creeks Trail runs about 0.9 mile north near Willow St; the Guadalupe River Trail along this stretch of the river is shown as planned, not built, on the City's trail map.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in River Glen & The Willows: what we check
Buying here
- Flood zone: the City's FEMA layer maps roughly 30 percent of the outline as Zone AO (shallow flooding, 1-foot depth), including stretches of Lincoln Ave, Pine Ave, Newport Ave, Juanita Ave, Radio Ave, Parkside Ave and Malone Rd; most of the rest is Zone D (possible but undetermined hazard). Check the current FIRM panel, any letter of map amendment, and your lender's determination.
- Zoning changes block to block: R-1-8 on most lots, R-2 and commercial along parts of Lincoln Ave and Bird Ave, and a few planned-development zones. Check the parcel's zoning before you plan an ADU, an SB 9 split or a second story.
- Historic review: a handful of houses here are on the City's Historic Resources Inventory (Pine Ave, Franquette Ave). Check whether the address is listed, since exterior changes may then need historic review.
- Pre-1950 houses: ask about foundation type, knob-and-tube or other original wiring, and the condition of the sewer lateral.
- What may be built nearby: the City's General Plan marks the Curtner Light Rail/Caltrain area across the river as an urban village, with planned capacity of about 496 homes and 500 jobs; its village plan is not yet approved per the City's growth-areas layer.
Selling here
- Have permit history ready for additions, garage conversions and second units; on mixed-era blocks buyers compare permits closely.
- If the lot is in Zone AO, gather flood insurance quotes and any elevation certificate before listing.
- For R-2 lots, document the legal number of units and any rent history.
- Give straight-line distances to River Glen Park, Lincoln Glen Park and the Lincoln Ave shops rather than drive times.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
River Glen & The Willows questions, answered
Where are River Glen and The Willows in San Jose?
In Willow Glen, between Cottle Ave and the Guadalupe River from Willow Glen Way south to Curtner Ave. On the City's neighborhood map, River Glen is the part above Malone Rd and Pine Ave and The Willows is the part below it.
Was this part of the old City of Willow Glen?
The northern half was. City annexation records show those blocks joining San Jose in the 1936 'Willow Glen' annexation, when the separate city was annexed. The southern half came in through South Willow Glen annexations in 1948 and 1949.
Is River Glen in a flood zone?
Parts of it. About 30 percent of the outline is FEMA Zone AO on the City's flood layer, mostly the blocks nearer the river and along Lincoln Ave; the rest is mainly Zone D. Check each address.
What school district serves River Glen and The Willows?
San Jose Unified School District. Galarza Elementary, Willow Glen Middle and Willow Glen High are at the edges of the area; check the exact address with the district because attendance boundaries change.
How far is light rail?
Curtner station on the VTA Blue Line is about 0.9 mile straight-line east of the middle of the area, and Tamien station (Caltrain and light rail) is about 1.1 miles north.
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