“The borough of County offers a unique bridge between the sophisticated tradition of Allied Arts and Downtown and the bucolic suburbia of Sharon Heights”
Residents of the district known as County don’t refer to it as such, and may not even know it by this designation. Rather, they call different areas in the borough by a variety of names including West Menlo Park, Menlo Heights and University Heights. But, as this section is governed by San Mateo County rather than the city of Menlo Park, County is the most appropriate label.
This neighborhood receives local services via the County and also has the luxury of less stringent building guidelines and square footage requirements. This allows for simpler remodeling and rebuilding, a huge perk for residents and potential homebuyers.
Largely suburban West Menlo embodies the characteristic look and feel of Menlo Park with its well-ordered lanes, established trees and welcoming atmosphere. Many of the existing homes, though refurbished, sit on smaller, 6,000 square foot lots while the newer streets offer expansive houses on large lots. A handful of older, traditional homes dot this neighborhood, some of which are quite roomy as well.
County enjoys easy access to Menlo Park’s ‘second downtown’, an expanse of the Alameda de las Pulgas, that offers eateries, services and the legendary watering hole, the Dutch Goose, a favorite haunt of Stanford students for upwards of 50 years. It also falls within the Las Lomitas school district, another notch in its belt for potential homebuyers.
One of the city’s larger neighborhoods, County boasts an active real estate market with a wide range of properties. As the borough evolves, more renovation and rebuilding occur and as such, it has made an appearance on the “Best Residential Neighborhoods” lists in recent years.
Neighborhood Price Point
$1,000,000 – $3,900,000
Favorable Attributes
- Considered one of the “Best Residential Neighborhoods”
- More lenient building guidelines and square footage requirements allow for easier remodeling and rebuilding
- Welcoming atmosphere and well-ordered lanes and established trees
- Easy access to Menlo Park’s ‘second downtown’ and its restuarants, shops and services
- A perfect blend of sophisticated tradition and peaceful suburbia
- Active real estate market offering wide variety of home styles and sizes
History of County, Menlo Park
In the 1880’s much of West Menlo Park was dairy and farmland owned by John Murray, an Irish immigrant who’s Stanford Dairy was situated on 70 acres of land straddling the future Alameda de las Pulgas. In 1889, Murray sold his farm to Eugene Avy, who subdivided the land and called it University Heights.
In 1917, the US Army built a 7,200-acre training camp in Menlo Park, which included parts of West Menlo Park and University Heights. Abandoned in 1920, the military base left Menlo Park with its first paved streets and many of its initial utilities.
County can also claim 1960s icons, Grateful Dead member Jerry Garcia and novelist Ken Kesey as residents. Long before the 1967 ‘Summer of Love’ in San Francisco, 11 year-old Garcia came to town. At 19, the novice musician moved to “The Chateau”, a ramshackle Victorian at 2100 Santa Cruz Avenue that served as a “true hangout, with dozens of rooms and a party in all of them,” states a Grateful Dead documentarian. While a student at Stanford in the late 1950s, Kesey lived on Perry Avenue among the century-old collection of cabins. In 1963, after finishing his acclaimed “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, Kesey relocated to La Honda and his cabin at 9 Perry Lane was demolished soon after.