Los Altos

Los Altos is the town many Palo Alto residents drive through on Foothill Expressway without stopping. That is a mistake. Its downtown is one of the most pleasant small shopping streets on the Peninsula, its history museum is free and well done and its quiet residential streets, many without sidewalks, still hint at the orchard country it replaced.

The city is mostly homes. Shops are limited by design to the downtown triangle and a handful of small districts along El Camino Real and Foothill Expressway. That keeps the pace slow. This guide explains where Los Altos is, how it grew, what to see and what everyday life looks like.

Where Los Altos is

Los Altos is in Santa Clara County. It borders Palo Alto to the northwest, Los Altos Hills to the west, Mountain View to the north and east, Sunnyvale to the east and Cupertino to the southeast. Three creeks run through it toward the bay: Adobe Creek on the western side, Permanente Creek through the middle and Stevens Creek near the eastern edge. The city covers about seven square miles.

Downtown Los Altos is roughly five miles from downtown Palo Alto. From south Palo Alto it is closer still. Many people cross into Los Altos without noticing, since the street grid and the leafy residential character carry straight across the line.

A short history

Ranchos and orchards

Ohlone people lived along these creeks for thousands of years. In the Mexican era the land fell within two big ranchos, Rancho San Antonio and Rancho La Purísima Concepción. After statehood it was carved into farms. By the early 1900s the area was covered in apricot, prune and cherry orchards, part of what boosters called the Valley of Heart's Delight.

A town built for the railroad

Los Altos was a planned town. According to the city, Paul Shoup, a Southern Pacific Railroad executive, formed the Altos Land Company with friends in 1906. The group bought 140 acres between Palo Alto and Mountain View from Sarah Winchester. In March 1907 the company held an outdoor land sale with a barbecue and sold the first town lots near what is now the corner of Foothill Expressway and Main Street.

The Southern Pacific built a new line from Mayfield, now part of Palo Alto, to Los Gatos. The town grew around its depot. Trains ran until 1964, when cars had taken over. The old right of way became Foothill Expressway. That history explains the odd shape of downtown, which sits in a triangle formed by the former rail line and the streets around it.

Incorporation and growth

By the late 1940s residents were frustrated with county zoning and worried about annexation by Palo Alto or Mountain View. They voted to incorporate and Los Altos became the eleventh city in Santa Clara County on December 1, 1952. Most of its growth came between 1950 and 1980, as orchards gave way to ranch houses.

Los Altos has a place in tech history too. In 1976 Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak assembled early Apple I computers at the Jobs family home in a Los Altos neighborhood. The house is a private residence, so please do not visit. For the wider story see our Silicon Valley history.

Downtown: Main Street and State Street

Downtown Los Altos is a small triangle of blocks centered on Main Street and State Street, between Foothill Expressway, San Antonio Road and Edith Avenue. It has independent shops, cafes, restaurants, salons and galleries in mostly one and two story buildings. Arterial roads wrap around the triangle, so through traffic mostly bypasses Main Street. Parking is in public lots behind the storefronts.

The atmosphere is calm. On a weekday morning you will see strollers, dog walkers and people working on laptops at sidewalk tables. It is a good place for a slow lunch after a hike at Rancho San Antonio or a morning at the history museum.

The History Museum and Civic Center

The Los Altos History Museum at 51 S. San Antonio Road is the best stop in town for visitors. The museum complex is free. Its website lists hours of Thursday to Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. It runs changing exhibitions on local history alongside a permanent agricultural exhibit and gardens.

Next to it is the J. Gilbert Smith House, a Craftsman farmhouse built between 1901 and 1905 by an Oregon native who grew prize-winning apricots on about 14 acres. The museum says the city bought the property in 1954, including more than 10 acres of orchard, as the site for its Civic Center. The Smiths kept a lifetime right to live in the house. It is decorated in 1930s style and was named a local landmark and a California Point of Historical Interest in 1987.

The Civic Center still sits in a working apricot orchard, one of the last remnants of the trees that once covered the valley. The Los Altos Library, part of the Santa Clara County Library District, is on the same campus.

Parks, trails and culture

• Redwood Grove Nature Preserve: A small city preserve along Adobe Creek off University Avenue, bought by the city in 1974. Redwoods planted by the Halsey family stand beside oaks and creekside plants. The Spanish Revival Halsey House sits on the grounds. It has been closed since 2008. The city is studying a plan to demolish it. Shoup Park lies next door.
• Rancho San Antonio: Just south of town on Cristo Rey Drive, the county park and Midpeninsula open space preserve together cover more than 2,400 acres with over 25 miles of trail, according to the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. Deer Hollow Farm, a working farm, is a popular stop with kids. Parking fills early on weekends.
• Bus Barn Theater: Home of Los Altos Stage Company at 97 Hillview Avenue, a small community theater in a former school bus barn.
• Nearby Palo Alto: Pearson-Arastradero Preserve and Foothills Nature Preserve are a short drive northwest.

Our hiking guide compares Rancho San Antonio with the other big trail networks in the area.

Getting there from Palo Alto

• Car: Foothill Expressway is the fastest route from the Stanford side. From downtown Palo Alto, Alma Street to San Antonio Road also works. Expect 10 to 15 minutes outside rush hour.
• Caltrain: Los Altos has no station. San Antonio station in Mountain View is a couple of miles from downtown Los Altos, so you would still need a bus, bike or rideshare. Our getting around guide covers the local options.
• Bus: VTA buses run along El Camino Real at the northern edge of Los Altos. Service into the residential areas is limited.
• Bike: Foothill Expressway has wide shoulders that local cyclists use heavily. Arastradero Road links south Palo Alto to the Los Altos and Los Altos Hills area.

Where to eat and stay

Downtown is the place to eat, with a mix of cafes, bakeries, casual lunch spots and a few dinner restaurants on Main and State streets. A short drive takes you to the much larger restaurant rows on Castro Street in Mountain View and California Avenue in Palo Alto.

Los Altos has very few hotels. Most visitors stay in Palo Alto or Mountain View, where El Camino Real and the Caltrain stations offer far more choice. You can compare hotels near Los Altos across the neighboring cities.

Living in Los Altos

Los Altos is a quiet, mostly single-family city. A few practical points:

• Lots and streets: Most residential lots are at least a quarter acre. Many streets have dirt shoulders, few sidewalks and no streetlights, which residents tend to see as part of the semi-rural character.
• Schools: Most of the city is in the Los Altos School District for elementary and middle school and the Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District for high school. A smaller part is in the Cupertino and Fremont Union districts. Bullis Charter School also serves local families.
• Government: A five-member City Council serves four-year terms. The city says it has about 130 employees.
• Libraries: The main Los Altos Library and the Woodland Branch, both run by the county library district.
• Housing: Homes are among the most expensive in the country and multifamily housing is limited, though state housing laws are slowly adding more.

Frequently asked questions