MLS San Antonio, Real Estate in Mountain View, CA
“Mountain View’s San Antonio neighborhood includes two very distinct and diverse residential sub-boroughs, one unplanned and organic and the other, a ‘smart growth’ community.”
The relatively small neighborhood of San Antonio (MLS #206) offers residents exceptional convenience and affordable, diverse housing options. Dating back to the 1940s, it is also considered one of the newest boroughs in Mountain View. A significant portion of San Antonio is dedicated to multi-family living with apartment complexes of all shapes and sizes and townhouses and condominiums in Whisman Station.
The Crossings and Castro City, two extremely unique sub-districts that make up this borough, provide many similarities as well as many differences. Both are ‘entry-level’ by Silicon Valley standards, are within proximity of freeways and public transit options as well as services and shopping and include multi and single-family dwellings. Where they differ is in their residential planning or lack thereof.
The older of the two areas, Castro City is an ‘organic’, unplanned community whose homes and duplexes sprouted up as needed. Most are smaller homes built from the 1940s through the 1970s. Here homebuyers will find the ever-present ranch homes alongside cottages and duplexes. There has been some remodeling and expansion but generally, homes in Castro City are on the compact side. Castro City is making significant strides in the process of restoring its residential image from one dominated by apartment buildings and light industrial complexes. With its accessibility to commute corridors, proximity to the San Antonio Shopping Center and Rengstorff Park, and a median sale price of $675,000, Castro City is a viable entry-level location for homebuyers.
On the flip side, The Crossings is a planned ‘smart growth’ community, focusing on that concentration of urban growth in walkable, centralized locations close to public transit. The Crossing’s 18-acres of housing emphasize compact homes including 540 condominiums, townhomes, and single-family dwellings. Built upon the site of the Old Mill Speciality Center, this vibrant, tree-lined community includes a variety of retail shops and a pedestrian and bicycle-friendly environment. The Crossings was endowed with the Outstanding Planning Award in 2002.
San Antonio is an affordable and accessible neighborhood, offering up diversity and convenience to buyers looking to live in a centralized, reasonably priced location.
Favorable Attributes
- Two very diverse sub0boroughs offer differing ‘residential planning’ atmospheres
- Generally an affordable and accessible neighborhood in a central location
- Significant number of multi-family dwelling options
- Accessible to freeways as well as parks and shopping
History of San Antonio, Mountain View
Just as the two areas differ today, Castro City and The Crossings have very singular histories.
Castro City, once widespread pastures, began as a small assemblage of cottages called “University Park”. Developers’ hope for it to become a summer retreat for Stanford University faculty never took hold, instead, it was used to house local cannery and farmworkers. In the 1940s, residents renamed it “Castro City”.
The Crossings was also once open fields but a gentleman named Jack Reilly envisioned a one-of-a-kind shopping center on its land. Completed in 1975, Reilly’s Old Mill Specialty Center was a huge tourist draw, at least for a while. This indoor mall included an award-winning interior design with shops and eateries centered around a two-story atrium that enclosed man-made ponds, creeks, and a working mill wheel. The mall’s decline began within a decade and by the 1990s, only its movie theaters remained operational. Demolished in 1994, it provided the perfect location for The Crossing’s sustainable ‘smart growth’ residential community.