MLS North Los Altos, Real Estate in Los Altos, CA
“Upscale and comfortable, the area of North Los Altos attracts homebuyers with its sense of community and location in the ‘heart of Los Altos.”
The most sought-after neighborhood in town and with a population density of 1,000 people per square mile, North Los Altos (MLS #211) has a high level of appeal to homebuyers. With exceptional schools, proximity to shopping, restaurants, and entertainment as well as convenient access to many of the Bay Area’s top employers, both young families and professionals find their sweet spot in North Los Altos.
Within its borders are many of the city’s top attractions, including its picturesque downtown brimming with boutiques, cafes, and restaurants, the Civic Center, Los Altos High School, and the city’s history museum. Comprised primarily of many of the town’s well-known residential areas, the area of North Los Altos includes spacious single-family homes built between the 1950s and 1970s along with apartments, condominiums, and, since 2000, many newer custom homes.
Pedestrian-friendly and with easy access to school, work, and after-hours activities, North Los Altos inspires an upscale and comfortable tight-knit community in the very ‘heart of Los Altos’.
Favorable Attributes
- Most desirable neighborhood in Los Altos
- Proximity to shopping, dining and top employers
- Pedestrian friendly with an established sense of community
- In the heart of Los Altos, it offers many top city attractions within its boundaries
- The ‘birthplace’ of Los Altos, this district is brimming with history
- Access to highly acclaimed schools
History of North Los Altos, Los Altos
The orchards and farmlands that once blanketed the area now known as North Los Altos began their transformation into an upscale suburb in the 1960s. It is here that the city itself was born.
In 1906, along with some colleagues, Southern Pacific Railroad executive Paul Shoup formed the Los Altos Land Company after acquiring 140 acres of land from Sarah Winchester. By 1908, the Los Altos Land Company was touting the area as the “Jewel of the Peninsula,” shuttling prospective homebuyers to the area from San Francisco via steam train. The original train tracks followed what is now Foothill Expressway.
Despite these early efforts to populate the town, Los Altos grew slowly until after World War II, with much expansion limited to the borough of North Los Altos. By the 1960s, this once sleepy agricultural municipality began its metamorphosis into a high-class community. The final ranch to be subdivided was 60 acres owned by Herbert Coloff in 1890 and sold to Isaac Strassburger in 1915. Sold to developers in 1962, it became the affluent Dos Palos tract.
North Los Altos is brimming with the city’s history. From the Shoup house at 500 University Avenue (listed on the National Register of Historic Places) to the Los Altos Land Company’s Copeland Building at 396-399 Main Street, this borough offers a glimpse into the time capsule of the town’s origins.