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menlo park neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
West Menlo Park Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
An unincorporated San Mateo County neighborhood with Menlo Park addresses, strung along Alameda de las Pulgas between Atherton, Sharon Heights and Sand Hill Road, with a small business strip around Avy Avenue.
West Menlo Park by the numbers
west menlo park by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for West Menlo Park (unincorporated): the Census-defined area along Alameda de las Pulgas (approximate). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in west menlo park · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in West Menlo Park
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in West Menlo 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 (West Menlo Park (unincorporated): the Census-defined area along Alameda de las Pulgas (approximate)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How West Menlo Park came to be
West Menlo Park sits on the southern end of the old Rancho de las Pulgas, the 1795 Spanish land grant to José Darío Argüello that ran from San Mateo Creek south to San Francisquito Creek. Its main street, Alameda de las Pulgas, runs almost 10 miles across the old grant from San Mateo to Menlo Park. The name means roughly "tree-lined road of the fleas," which is a lot of history to carry for a neighborhood main street.
The neighborhood never joined a city. It is an unincorporated part of San Mateo County, so the county Board of Supervisors is its local government and the county's planning and building staff handle permits, while special districts supply the rest: the Menlo Park Fire Protection District (station at 3322 Alameda de las Pulgas), California Water Service's Bear Gulch district for water, and the Las Lomitas and Menlo Park City elementary school districts. The Census Bureau tracks it as the West Menlo Park census-designated place, about half a square mile.
That could change for one corner. After a request from within the area to join Menlo Park, the City Council on January 13, 2026 waived city processing fees and directed staff to start work on annexing the West Menlo Triangle, about 14 acres and roughly 60 single-family homes bounded by Santa Cruz Avenue, Alameda de las Pulgas and Sharon Road, which sits inside the city's sphere of influence. The city and the county's Local Agency Formation Commission were still sorting out next steps when we checked.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
The Alameda runs through the middle, and residential streets branch off it on both sides. East of the Alameda, long straight avenues such as Cloud, Sherman, Stanford, Leland, Gordon, Ashton, Sterling and Oakley run toward Santa Cruz Avenue; west of it, Avy Avenue, Camino a los Cerros, Camino de los Robles and Barney Avenue climb toward Altschul Avenue and Sharon Heights. Stanford Avenue and Leland Avenue share the name of the university just south.
Many lots are narrow and deep, and the Almanac's profile describes new two-story homes in a range of styles going up next to small older cottages and single-story ranch houses. The same profile notes streets without sidewalks, where some owners have added paths along their frontage. The 2020 Census counted 1,468 housing units in the census area, and no block in our outline held more than about 60 units.
What you can build is set by county zoning. The county code includes a combining district written for West Menlo Park, S-72 (adopted 1991, amended 1994), which as published allows up to two stories and 28 to 30 feet depending on the design option chosen, caps lot coverage at 50 percent, sets daylight planes, and limits floor area to 2,800 sq ft on a 5,000 sq ft site plus 0.26 sq ft for each additional square foot of lot. Detached accessory buildings are limited to one story. Confirm which district applies to a given parcel with the county before you plan around it.
streets in west menlo park
- Alameda de las Pulgas
- Avy Avenue
- Cloud Avenue
- Sherman Avenue
- Stanford Avenue
- Leland Avenue
- Gordon Avenue
- Ashton Avenue
- Sterling Avenue
- Oakley Avenue
- Manzanita Avenue
- Monterey Avenue
- Hillside Avenue
- Cedar Avenue
- Orange Avenue
- Camino a los Cerros
- Camino de los Robles
- Barney Avenue
- Bellair Way
- Palo Alto Way
- Mills Avenue
- Montana Lane
- Lucky Avenue
- American Way
- Vasilakos Way
- Liberty Park Avenue
- Croner Avenue
- Dakin Avenue
- Harkins Avenue
- Sharon Road
- Altschul Avenue
- Valparaiso Avenue
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near West Menlo Park
- shopping
The Alameda business strip
A short commercial stretch on Alameda de las Pulgas in the 3500 and 3600 blocks around Avy Avenue, with a West Menlo Park post office branch, cafes and restaurants including the long-running Dutch Goose at 3567, a gas station and small shops (OpenStreetMap; the Almanac's 2015 profile).
- shopping
Sharon Heights Shopping Center
About 0.6 mile south of the Avy Avenue corner (straight line, approximate) at 325 Sharon Park Drive, by Sand Hill Road, with a Safeway supermarket and a CVS pharmacy.
- park
Sharon Hills Park
A 12.5-acre city hillside park at Altschul and Valparaiso avenues, on the west edge of the neighborhood, with paved paths, trails, picnic areas and views toward the bay.
- landmark
Menlo Park Fire Protection District station
The fire district's station at 3322 Alameda de las Pulgas sits in the neighborhood; the district, not a city fire department, covers West Menlo Park.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
Most of West Menlo Park is in the Las Lomitas Elementary School District, and the north end, roughly the blocks near Valparaiso Avenue and the Atherton line, is in the Menlo Park City School District, according to the Census Bureau's district maps; all of it is in the Sequoia Union High School District. Las Lomitas' two schools are Las Lomitas Elementary at 299 Alameda de las Pulgas in Atherton, just northwest, and La Entrada at 2200 Sharon Road, just west in Sharon Heights. Attendance boundaries change, so check the exact address with the districts.
Las Lomitas guide · Menlo Park City Schools guide · Sequoia Union guide · Silicon Valley school districts
Getting around
- Alameda de las Pulgas is the spine: north into Atherton and Redwood City, south to Santa Cruz Avenue and Sand Hill Road.
- Santa Cruz Avenue leads northeast to downtown Menlo Park; the Menlo Park Caltrain station is about 1.9 miles away in a straight line (approximate).
- Sand Hill Road leads west to I-280 (about 1.5 miles, approximate) and east past Stanford to Stanford Shopping Center, about 1.9 miles in a straight line.
- SamTrans has a stop at Alameda de las Pulgas and Avy Avenue (OpenStreetMap); check SamTrans for the current route serving it.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in West Menlo Park: what we check
Buying here
- Pull permit history from San Mateo County Planning and Building, not the City of Menlo Park. Unpermitted additions and ADUs are easier to miss when buyers check the wrong agency.
- Before you plan a remodel, confirm the parcel's county zoning (including any S-72 combining district) and run the floor-area and daylight-plane numbers with a designer who knows county rules.
- Check the school district for the exact address: most of the area is Las Lomitas, but the north end is Menlo Park City School District.
- Confirm utility providers for the parcel: water from California Water Service (Bear Gulch district), fire service from the Menlo Park Fire Protection District, and sewer service, which in this area is typically West Bay Sanitary District. Ask about the age and condition of the sewer lateral.
- If the house is in the West Menlo Triangle (Santa Cruz Avenue, Alameda de las Pulgas and Sharon Road), ask how annexation to Menlo Park would change zoning, permits and services, and check the city's project page for status.
Selling here
- Gather county permits and final inspections for every addition, ADU and system upgrade before you list.
- If your lot has room to grow, a designer's floor-area calculation under the county rules helps buyers picture the next house.
- State the school district carefully and let buyers verify it; the line between Las Lomitas and Menlo Park City runs through the north end.
- Lead with measured walking distances: the Avy Avenue shops, Sharon Hills Park and the Sharon Heights Shopping Center.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
West Menlo Park questions, answered
Is West Menlo Park part of the City of Menlo Park?
No. It is unincorporated San Mateo County. Homes have Menlo Park mailing addresses, but the county is the local government, and planning and building permits come from the county.
Who provides services in West Menlo Park?
The county handles planning, permits and roads; the Menlo Park Fire Protection District provides fire service from a station on Alameda de las Pulgas; California Water Service's Bear Gulch district supplies water. Check sewer and trash service for the specific address.
Is West Menlo Park being annexed to Menlo Park?
Only one corner is under study. In January 2026 the Menlo Park City Council waived fees and directed staff to begin work on annexing the West Menlo Triangle, about 14 acres and 60 homes bounded by Santa Cruz Avenue, Alameda de las Pulgas and Sharon Road. The rest of West Menlo Park is not part of that effort.
Which school districts serve West Menlo Park?
Most of it is in the Las Lomitas Elementary School District; the north end is in the Menlo Park City School District. High school is the Sequoia Union High School District. Boundaries change, so check the exact address with the districts.
What is University Heights?
It is another name for the same area. The City of Menlo Park describes the West Menlo Triangle as part of the University Heights neighborhood, and the Almanac's neighborhood guide uses University Heights for the unincorporated area on both sides of the Alameda.
next door
More Menlo Park neighborhood guides
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