Menlo Park Linfield Oaks

larger post-World War II tract homes, usually mid-range

Linfield Oaks

Look here if you want much of what makes Central Menlo so expensive, but at an east-of-El Camino discount.

Boundaries: Alma, San Francisquito Creek, Middlefield, Ringwood. Map boundaries are approximate due to my limitations as a map maker. Neighborhood boundaries may be subjective. Boundaries and other information on this Web site should be verified before being relied upon.

Overview: Nice ranch-style homes, ample lots, attractive tree-lined streets and well-regarded schools—in other words, what most buyers are looking for, most of the time. Walk to downtown and the city recreation center.

Housing stock: One of Linfield Oaks strong points, with well-built ranchers of from about 1600 sq.ft. to well into the 2000s. Most are conventional ranchers but there’s also a sprinkling of contemporaries. Virtually all have at least two baths, often 2.5 or three. Occasionally a nice, large two-bedroom/one-bath comes on the market. Most homes were built in the mid-'50s but some date from as late as 1963. Homes have a homogeneous appearance, giving the neighborhood the unified look many find attractive. A significant number of homes have been expanded and/or updated but there’s very little new construction. Classics at Burgess Park is the exception, a development built adjacent to SRI in 1999 that’s the only sizeable tract of relatively affordable newer homes in Menlo Park. Classics is comprised of 3- and 4-bedroom/2.50-bath homes. The area also has a handful of condos. Small apartment buildings are numerous but they're confined to one of the nicest, most expensive multi-family areas on the mid-Peninsula.

Lot sizes: Good-sized, starting at around 7500 sq.ft., with many in the 10-12k range. There are even a handful of half-acre lots. Classics lots range from around 4000 to as high as 6000 sq.ft., with most closer to 4000.

Affordability: (Although this section is based on 2002 data, the relative rankings of the mid-Peninsula's midrange and top-end neighborhoods, all of them around for at least fifty years, haven't changed significantly since then. In fact, 2002, a seller's market the first half of the year, a buyer's market the second, and prior to the loose underwriting that pumped up values at the low end, may be the most representative of whatever a normal market looks like in this area.)

Linfield Oaks offers good bang for the buck by Menlo Park standards, for a number of reasons. First there’s the discount automatically applied to neighborhoods east of El Camino throughout the mid-Peninsula (except in Palo Alto). Second, commuters and apartment residents add to traffic through this neighborhood, although the impact is largely confined to a few streets. Third, lots are generous but on average not as large as the typical Central Menlo quarter-acre. Fourth, you're within easy hearing distance of the trains. In 2002 these homes sold in the 61st through 78th percentiles (excluding homes on Willow, one of the busier streets) compared to other Menlo Park homes. Approximately 70% of mid-Peninsula neighborhoods are less expensive.

The affordability factor is 8.4.

Schools: K-8 district: Menlo Park City School District, 181 Encinal Ave., Atherton CA 94027. Administration-Superintendent (650) 321-7140. District attendance map. School evaluations.

9-12 district: Sequoia Union High School District, 480 James Ave., Redwood City 94062. Administration (650) 369-1411. Boundary search. School evaluations.

This information is based on district and other sources but may be obsolete by the time you read this. Verify district boundaries and school availability with district offices.

Amenities: Burgess Park Recreation Center, Burgess and Laurel (children's and adult programs, baseball fields with bleachers, open play field, lighted tennis courts, children's playground, sand volleyball court, swimming and wading pools, shaded picnic areas, gymnasium, gymnastics center, soccer pitch area). Library.

Shopping: Walking distance or short drive to downtown Menlo Park, Stanford Shopping Center. Convenient to downtown Palo Alto.

Neighborhoods with similar ambience: Some of the best South Palo Alto and Midtown neighborhoods including St. Claire Gardens and especially Green Acres. The manicured tracts of South Los Altos with Cupertino schools. The better, "move-up" neighborhoods of Sunnyvale and midrange Cupertino.

Neighborhoods with similar prices (5% +/-): In Menlo Park, lower Allied Arts and some of the better County neighborhoods. In Palo Alto it's St. Claire Gardens, well-tended Greenmeadow with its Swim & Tennis Club, the original Green Gables tract along Heather-Iris-Primrose, downtown north and the more affordable areas of Professorville, Community Center and Old Palo Alto. To the north, two outstanding Redwood City's neighborhoods, Farm Hill Estates south of Farm Hill and Edgewood Park, as well as San Mateo's beautiful pre-war Aragon. To the south, look in parts of Los Altos, Mountain View east of Grant, and some of Cupertino's most attractive neighborhoods. See an important qualification regarding price comparisons.

Interested in buying a home in Linfield Oaks or in a similar area? Please contact me at jfyten@cbnorcal.com.