Palo Verde

Palo Verde is the kind of neighborhood that people who live there describe as hard to find. Its streets curve, end in cul-de-sacs and rarely connect straight through, so very little traffic passes that is not going home. Low-slung Eichler houses with closed fronts and glass-walled backs line many of the blocks. An elementary school and a neighborhood swim club sit at the center.

This guide explains where Palo Verde is, how it was built, what the houses look like, the parks and schools nearby, getting around and what day-to-day life is like.

Where Palo Verde is

Palo Verde is in south Palo Alto on the bay side of Middlefield Road. Palo Alto Online's neighborhood guide puts its edges at Loma Verde Avenue to the north, East Meadow Drive to the south, Middlefield Road to the west and West Bayshore Road to the east. West Bayshore runs along US 101, so the freeway forms the practical eastern edge.

To the north is Midtown and its shopping area. Across East Meadow Drive to the south are Mitchell Park and the Fairmeadow Eichler tract. Louis Road runs north and south through the middle of Palo Verde and is the street most residents use to get in and out. Ross Road runs parallel to it further west.

How Palo Verde was built

Like the rest of south Palo Alto, this was farmland until after World War II. When the postwar housing boom reached the Santa Clara Valley, builders bought orchards and put up hundreds of homes at a time. Joseph Eichler was the most important of them in Palo Alto. Palo Alto Online reports that he built Palo Verde's homes in the 1950s and that they originally sold for about $15,000.

The Eichler Network, a publication for Eichler owners, describes a 202-home tract that Eichler built in 1957 and 1958. Eichler reportedly marketed it as Faircourt, but the name never stuck. Residents use Palo Verde, the name of the elementary school at the neighborhood's center. A later attempt to call it Royal Manor did not catch on either.

The Eichler Network also notes some well-known past residents. Doug Engelbart, the SRI researcher whose team developed the computer mouse, lived in a Palo Verde Eichler. Astronaut Sally Ride once lived in a home there too. Our Silicon Valley history explains why so many engineers settled in these tracts.

Homes and streets

Palo Verde is best known for its Eichlers. Palo Alto Online describes them as California modern, with low-sloping roofs, few windows facing the street, skylights, floor-to-ceiling glass facing the yard and open floor plans. Conventional ranch houses from the same era and newer two-story rebuilds fill out the rest of the neighborhood.

The street plan matters as much as the houses. A 2019 Palo Alto Weekly profile pointed to narrow roads and cul-de-sacs that limit cut-through traffic, which residents credit for the neighborhood's quiet. Children ride bikes in the street and neighbors know each other by sight.

Owners of original Eichlers face the same questions as owners across south Palo Alto. Radiant floor heating, single-pane glass and flat roofs need specialized upkeep. Remodels and second stories can change the look of a block. In 2018 the City Council adopted voluntary Eichler design guidelines. Some tracts also have a Single Story Overlay limiting new homes to one floor. Ask the city's planning department whether a particular street is covered. Our guide to Palo Alto architecture explains the Eichler style and our real estate guide covers the market.

The Eichler Swim and Tennis Club

The Eichler Swim and Tennis Club at 3539 Louis Road is Palo Verde's social center in summer. According to Palo Alto Online, it opened in 1958 with Joseph Eichler cutting the ribbon. It has a large pool, tennis courts and the Eichler Gators youth swim team. It has also hosted Friday evening barbecues for members. The club renovated its pool deck and added an accessible wading pool in a project reported in the 2010s.

It is a private membership club rather than a city facility. Check its own website for membership terms and hours. The city's public pool is at Rinconada Park in north Palo Alto. Greenmeadow, a short ride southwest, has its own separate community pool.

Parks and recreation

Palo Verde has several parks within a short walk:

Mitchell Park is the main draw. Its Magical Bridge Playground was designed so people of all abilities can play together. Read our Mitchell Park guide before you go. The Mitchell Park Library and community center at 3700 Middlefield Road are next door.

The bay shore is close too. Since November 2021 a bike and pedestrian bridge has crossed US 101 near Adobe Creek, linking south Palo Alto to the shoreline trails. From there you can ride to the Baylands Nature Preserve or along the Bay Trail.

Shopping and food

Palo Verde is almost entirely residential. For groceries and errands most residents go north to the Midtown shopping area around Middlefield Road and Colorado Avenue, where a Safeway anchors the stores. A second small cluster sits at Middlefield Road and Loma Verde Avenue. For a bigger selection of restaurants, California Avenue and El Camino Real are a short drive west. The San Antonio shopping area in Mountain View is a short drive south.

Getting around

Palo Verde is a neighborhood for bikes and cars more than trains. The nearest Caltrain stations are California Avenue in Palo Alto and San Antonio in Mountain View. Both are across Alma Street and a longer ride than from neighborhoods closer to the tracks.

Ross Road is part of the city's bicycle boulevard network, with traffic circles and signs that slow cars and favor bikes. A roundabout at Ross Road and East Meadow Drive opened in 2017. Many students bike along these routes to school. US 101 is minutes away for drivers, via the Oregon Expressway and San Antonio Road interchanges. See our getting around guide for transit options.

Schools

Palo Verde Elementary on Louis Road is the neighborhood's namesake school. Palo Alto Online neighborhood guides have listed Palo Verde Elementary, Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School and Gunn High School for the area. Assignments are made by address and boundaries can change, so confirm any home with the PAUSD school finder. Our schools guide explains the district.

What living here is like

Residents describe Palo Verde as quiet and close-knit. Palo Alto Online profiles have mentioned a Fourth of July parade on Kenneth Road, summer block parties, a Thanksgiving season fun run and regular dog playgroups at the school and in Ramos Park. Newcomers often get a welcome from neighbors before they finish unpacking.

There are no hotels in Palo Verde. Families visiting relatives often stay along El Camino Real or downtown. For a longer visit with kids, a house rental nearby can make more sense. You can browse vacation rentals in Palo Alto or compare Palo Alto hotels. To see how Palo Verde compares with its neighbors, read our guide to south Palo Alto.

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