home / east palo alto / university village & ravenswood
east palo alto neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
University Village & Ravenswood, East Palo Alto Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
East Palo Alto's grid of college-name streets north of Bay Road, plus the Ravenswood bay lands along Bay Road out to Cooley Landing, the Bay Trail and Midpen's Ravenswood preserve.
University Village & Ravenswood by the numbers
university village & ravenswood by the numbers · live from the mls
- for sale now…
- median list price…
- homes sold, last 12 months…
- median sale price, 12 mo…
- median price per sq ft, sold…
- sale price vs. list…
Calculated in your browser from MLS data for University Village & Ravenswood (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in university village & ravenswood · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in University Village & Ravenswood
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in University Village & Ravenswood from the MLS, updated automatically, with a map of the neighborhood outline.
Loading listings…
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 (University Village & Ravenswood (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How University Village & Ravenswood came to be
Ravenswood is the old name for this stretch of shoreline. Midpen says its Ravenswood preserve takes its name from a gold rush-era town near present-day East Palo Alto, and the county's history of the city notes that the area was once known as Ravenswood. At the bay end of Bay Road, Cooley Landing, named for Lester Cooley, was once the site of a brick factory, and the city's history page lists brick making, shipping, farming and flower growing among the area's early land uses.
The twentieth century filled in the bay edge. The city says the county dump at what is now Cooley Landing burned trash from across the county until 1963. In the 1950s, Midpen says, a salt company built levees around the Ravenswood marsh and turned it into a salt production pond; Midpen bought the land in 1981, opened it to the public in 1989 and began breaching the old levees to restore the marsh in 2000. Inland, the University Village grid now fills the land between University Avenue and the business lots toward Pulgas Avenue.
East Palo Alto incorporated on July 1, 1983. Cooley Landing opened as a city park in 2012 after the old burn dump was capped, and later phases added an education center (2015) and an outdoor classroom, picnic areas and trails (2019). In December 2024 the city council approved an update to the Ravenswood/4 Corners specific plan, which covers the Four Corners and the business district along Bay Road; the update allows up to 3.3 million more square feet of office and R&D space and 1,600 housing units across the plan area, and the plan's zoning list includes a University Village district (state CEQA records).
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
The homes in this guide sit on one compact grid east of University Avenue. Fordham Street and Illinois Street run its full length, about 0.7 mile from Bay Road north toward the rail corridor (public maps), with Gonzaga Street between them. Short blocks of Annapolis, Baylor, Xavier and Georgetown Streets fill in near University Avenue, and the cross streets are Michigan, Notre Dame, Purdue, Tulane and Stevens Avenues, with Hunter Street, Rutgers Street and Temple and Drew Courts at the north end. The names match colleges and universities, which makes the grid easy to spot on a map.
County parcel records put the typical lot on these streets at about 5,000 to 6,300 square feet, with a median of about 5,800. Listing records show the sales here are single-family houses. Expect a mix of original houses and expanded or rebuilt ones on the same block; the permit history, not the street, tells you which is which, so pull it from the city's building division before comparing houses.
East of Illinois Street the land changes to business and light-industrial lots along Demeter Street and Bay Road, the core of the Ravenswood business district, and then to open bay land: Cooley Landing at the end of Bay Road and the Ravenswood preserve to the north. The 2020 census counted about 635 housing units inside this outline, nearly all of them on the grid.
streets in university village & ravenswood
- University Avenue
- Bay Road
- Fordham Street
- Illinois Street
- Gonzaga Street
- Annapolis Street
- Baylor Street
- Xavier Street
- Georgetown Street
- Michigan Avenue
- Notre Dame Avenue
- Purdue Avenue
- Tulane Avenue
- Stevens Avenue
- Rutgers Street
- Hunter Street
- Temple Court
- Drew Court
- Demeter Street
- Pulgas Avenue (north of Bay Road)
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near University Village & Ravenswood
- park
Jack Farrell Park
On the grid at 2509 Fordham St. The city lists a baseball and softball field, restrooms, a playground, lawns and picnic tables.
- park
Cooley Landing Park
At the end of Bay Road (2100 Bay Rd), on a bay peninsula about 1 mile straight-line from the Four Corners. The city-run park added about 9 acres of open space when it opened in 2012; its 3,900 sq ft education center was designed by Fog Studio, and the 2019 phases added an outdoor classroom, picnic areas, signs and trails.
- open space
Ravenswood Open Space Preserve
Midpen's 376-acre salt-marsh preserve, with 2.1 miles of mostly paved Bay Trail on a levee beside Cooley Marsh and a boardwalk to University Avenue. Dogs are not allowed; parking is at the end of Bay Road and in the city's Cooley Landing lot.
- civic
City Hall and the East Palo Alto Library
Both are in the Municipal Services Building at 2415 University Ave, on the northwest corner of the Four Corners, just across University Avenue from the grid. The county library branch has been there since 1975.
- shopping
University Avenue shops
Small markets sit along University Avenue near Bay Road; the larger shopping center is on East Bayshore Road at the University Avenue / US 101 interchange, about 1.2 miles straight-line south of the middle of the grid.
- landmark
Dumbarton rail corridor
The unused Dumbarton freight line runs along the north edge of the city here. SamTrans's 2026 Reimagine Dumbarton study is looking at zero-emission bus service and walking and biking improvements on the corridor between Redwood City and Union City.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
The whole area is in the Ravenswood City School District (K-8) and the Sequoia Union High School District; on the Census school-district maps every county parcel in this outline falls in both. Costaño School of the Arts, a Ravenswood City public elementary school, is on the grid on Fordham Street near University Avenue. Attendance boundaries and programs change, so check the exact address with each district.
Getting around
- University Avenue runs north to Bayfront Expressway (SR 84) and the Dumbarton Bridge approach, about half a mile straight-line from the north end of the grid, and south to the US 101 interchange, about 1.2 miles straight-line from the middle of the grid (public maps).
- Caltrain: Palo Alto station on University Avenue is about 2.8 miles straight-line and Menlo Park station about 2.9 miles straight-line from the middle of the grid.
- SamTrans Route 281 runs from East Palo Alto to the Palo Alto Transit Center, downtown Palo Alto and Stanford, every 20 minutes on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Stanford Transportation); the weekday EPX express, running since February 2024, links East Palo Alto with Redwood City, SFO and San Bruno BART. Check samtrans.com for current stops.
- Bay Trail: the paved segment through Ravenswood preserve runs between University Avenue and Bay Road and is open to through traffic from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. (Midpen).
- On foot or bike across US 101: the pedestrian and bicycle bridge at the University Avenue interchange opened in November 2025, and the Clarke Avenue overcrossing (2019) is farther south.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in University Village & Ravenswood: what we check
Buying here
- Flood zone: by our count of county parcels on FEMA's map (panels effective April 5, 2019), about a quarter of the parcels here are in zone AE with a base flood elevation of 11 feet, mostly on the eastern streets (Tulane, Xavier, Hunter, Purdue, Georgetown and parts of Illinois); about a third are in the shaded 0.2% zone. Check the FEMA map for the exact address and get insurance quotes early.
- Liquefaction: essentially every parcel here is inside a California Geological Survey liquefaction zone (2006 maps). Expect it on the natural hazard disclosure, and budget for a soils report if you plan a major addition.
- Rentals: the city's rent stabilization program covers many rental units; check whether a property is covered with the city's Rent Stabilization Program.
- Water and sewer: about 80% of the city's water connections are on the city system (operated by Veolia, with SFPUC water), and the rest are served by the Palo Alto Park Mutual Water Company or the O'Connor Tract Co-op; sewer is mainly the East Palo Alto Sanitary District, with some areas in West Bay Sanitary District. Confirm the providers for the address.
- Building nearby: the Ravenswood/4 Corners plan allows large office, R&D and housing projects in the business district along Bay Road. Ask the city's planning division what is approved or proposed near the property.
- New units: if you are planning an ADU or a second house, ask the city early about water connections and fees; the city paused new water connections in 2016, has since lifted the pause, and updated its water capital fees in March 2023.
Selling here
- Pull the FEMA zone for the exact parcel before listing: AE and non-AE parcels sit on the same streets here, and an elevation certificate settles a buyer's flood questions early.
- Gather permit records for additions, ADUs and garage conversions so buyers can compare like for like on the 5,000-6,000 sq ft lots.
- If the house has been rented, have the rent-stabilization status and the rent registration records ready.
- Give buyers approximate straight-line distances to Jack Farrell Park, Cooley Landing and the Bay Trail; the bay end of Bay Road is about a mile from the Four Corners.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
University Village & Ravenswood questions, answered
Where is University Village in East Palo Alto?
North of Bay Road and east of University Avenue, from the Four Corners up to the rail corridor at the city line. This guide also takes in the Ravenswood business district along Bay Road and the bay land at Cooley Landing.
Is University Village in a flood zone?
Partly. By our count of county parcels on FEMA's map, about a quarter are in zone AE (base flood elevation 11 feet), mostly on the eastern streets, and about a third are in the shaded 0.2% zone. The planned SAFER Bay levee along the city's shoreline is approved but not yet built. Check the FEMA map for the exact address.
What is the Ravenswood/4 Corners specific plan?
The city's plan for the Four Corners and the Ravenswood business district. The December 2024 update allows up to 3.3 million more square feet of office and R&D space and 1,600 housing units across the plan area, and its zoning list includes a University Village district. Check the plan's zoning map for any address you are considering.
How far is the bay?
Bay Road ends at Cooley Landing, about 1 mile straight-line from the Four Corners, and the Bay Trail runs north from there through Ravenswood preserve to University Avenue.
Which MLS area matches this guide?
University Village, which covers the college-name grid. Sales east of the grid along Bay Road are rare.
Which schools serve University Village?
Ravenswood City School District for K-8 and Sequoia Union High School District for high school. Costaño School of the Arts is on Fordham Street. Check the exact address with each district.
next door
More East Palo Alto neighborhood guides
talk to a property nerd
Thinking about University Village & Ravenswood? Let's run your numbers.
Eric, Janelle and the Boyenga Team have sold more than 2,520 Silicon Valley homes, $2.6+ billion in all, since 1996. Get a value, a plan, or a straight answer about a street.
Questions about University Village & Ravenswood? Send us a note.
