Menlo Park The Willows

smaller post-World War II tract homes, usually entry-level, with a significant number of pre-war homes

The Willows overview

The Willows is a catch-all name for a number of distinct tracts along both sides of Willow Road, between Middlefield Road and Highway 101. This large area is bounded on the north by Santa Monica and Coleman, and on the south by San Francisquito Creek and East Palo Alto.

For clarity I've divided The Willows into five areas (see below).

But first, all five Willows areas share these characteristics:

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.

Something that confuses both buyers and agents is that the three elementary schools located in The Willows belong to a district, Ravenswood, which serves only an infinitesimal part of The Willows. Two of these schools are attended by children of the Ravenswood District, who live largely east of 101, while the third is leased to the German-American School. Note that a handful of Menlo Park houses along O'Connor are still in the Ravenswood District, and there may be other Willows homes still in this district that I’m not aware of. Contact the Menlo Park City district to verify eligibility.

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: Willow Oaks Park, Willow Road (open play field, tot-lot playground, children's playground, public art, tennis courts).

Shopping: Both downtown Menlo Park and Palo Alto are within walking distance of many parts of The Willows. There are also a few old strip centers along Willow Road.

Flood zone: Many parts of The Willows are in hundred-year flood zones, which may complicate remodeling and expansion and make flood insurance mandatory. Check with the city Building Department at (650) 858-3390.

History corner: There’s a persistent rumor that the Willows (and sections of East Palo Alto) were once part of Palo Alto. The Palo Alto Daily recently gave this credence when it reported that the former superintendent of the Ravenswood school district, who lives in East Palo Alto, has Palo Alto on her checks because “the area used to be part of Palo Alto”. I’ve found nothing in the local histories to substantiate this and, in fact, it’s unlikely that one city would spread over two counties. Probably this started when people looked at their title reports and found that their Willows or East Palo Alto house was part of a tract called North Palo Alto or Palo Alto Park or Palo Alto Gardens, not realizing that a developer had simply appropriated the Palo Alto name for some quick cachet.

But it is a little-known fact that The Willows, East Palo Alto and east Menlo Park (Belle Haven) were once part of a large unincorporated bayside district named Ravenswood by its first known Anglo settler, Isiah Woods. When Woods traveled from San Francisco in 1848 to inspect the 3674 acres his company had acquired in payment for a debt, he noticed ravens in the area and combined that with his last name to coin Ravenswood. It’s possible that Ravenswood may have been part of the first city of Menlo Park incorporated in 1874—one of Ravenswood’s leading citizens, Lester Cooley, was the city’s second mayor—but incorporation soon lapsed and The Willows was outside any city limits until incorporated again by Menlo Park in the ‘40s and ‘50s.

Some of the Willows’ street names pay homage to Ravenswood’s early landowners. Haight is named after Henry Haight, mayor of San Francisco and a very early investor in Ravenswood real estate. McKendry takes its name from Archibald McKendry, a former Confederate colonel who settled in the area after the Civil War. His heirs sold the land to the company that developed the North Palo Alto tract. Cornelius O’Connor was an associate of financier James Flood and speculated in Ravenswood land from 1856 to 1882. Blackburn acknowledges John Blackburn, a wheat farmer there in the early 1900s.

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smaller post-World War II tract homes, usually entry-level

"lower" Willows

Look here if you want excellent schools, a Menlo Park address and (often) a big back yard, all at a discount.

Boundaries: Highway 101, Willow, O'Keefe, East Palo Alto.

Overview: You won't find "Lower" Willows on any maps but it's agent shorthand for the affordable part of the Willows, itself an affordable part of Menlo Park.

Housing stock: Similar to most of the neighborhoods along Bay Road, these are small 2- and 3-bedroom tract homes (often with just one bath) built in the late '40s. Many have been updated with second bath and sometimes more bedrooms. There’s little new construction and no condos. A very few apartment buildings off Willow.

Lot sizes: Varies but most are 6500-7500 sq.ft., narrow and deep.

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.)

Affordability in this part of the Willows is great for Menlo Park, fair for the mid-Peninsula. In 2002 Lower Willows homes sold in the 7th through 37th percentiles compared to other Menlo Park homes, with 80% clustering in the 15th through 26th percentiles. Like Bay Road, price depends much on the home’s proximity to 101. Approximately 10% of mid-Peninsula neighborhoods are less expensive than Lower Willows homes very close to 101, but the number jumps to 30% for better Lower Willows locations. Cut-through traffic on the east-west streets (note the speed bumps) and 101 traffic noise keep prices affordable. Neighborhoods are pleasant but don't quite have the charm of "Upper" Willows.

The affordability factor is 4.3 to 5.1.

Neighborhoods with similar ambience: The tracts of neighboring Bay Road; Woodside Plaza area of Redwood City; older homes in Sunnyvale’s Cherry Chase; many of Santa Clara’s tract neighborhoods.

Neighborhoods with similar prices (5% +/-): Locally, only Palo Alto's Ventura slips into this price range. Elsewhere, the same money usually gets a slightly newer and larger rancher in a slightly more attractive neighborhood, often with good schools. To the north, there's Redwood City's pleasantly conventional Woodside Plaza tract neighborhoods; downtown San Carlos as well as nearby Lyon & Hoag, Howard Park and San Carlos Park; San Mateo Terrace and Westwood Knolls. To the south, Mountain View's Monta Loma, downtown and Mountain Shadows; Sunnyvale and Santa Clara with excellent Cupertino schools; entry-level Cupertino; West San Jose's many attractive rancher neighborhoods with good schools; parts of Willow Glen including the upscale Dry Creek area; and even San Jose's old-fashioned Naglee Park close to San Jose State. See an important qualification regarding price comparisons.

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a mix of smaller pre-war and post-World War II homes, usually entry-level

Woodland Avenue

Look here if you want a pretty creekside setting with the convenience of suburban living.

Boundaries: Woodland between Middlefield and East Palo Alto

Overview: An eclectic mix of homes strung along San Francisquito Creek, one of the very few local creeks still in its natural setting. There’s cut-through traffic on Woodland between University and Willow but the street is narrow and winding, slowing traffic, and speed bumps have recently been installed. Some of the finest Palo Alto homes can be seen on the other side of the creek. Most Woodland homes are located across the street from the creek but a few sit on the bank. It’s my understanding that owners of creek-side homes are responsible for maintaining their embankments, and this can be a very expensive engineering project. Expansion or remodeling of these homes may also be subject to the restrictions of a number of agencies above and beyond the city's. Check with the city Building Department at (650) 858-3390.

Housing stock: Quite varied, since Woodland runs through a number of different tracts and eras. Earliest houses were built around 1910 but most date from the '20s through the '50s. Styles range from simple cabins to large newer homes.

Lot sizes: Also quite varied, from 5000 sq.ft. up. Many quarter acres and flag lots.

In 2002 homes on Woodland sold in the 44th through 96th percentiles compared to other Menlo Park homes. Older, original homes sold in the 44th through 69th percentiles, newer homes in the 78th through 96th. This suggests that, first, there’s a slight premium for living on Woodland and two, that the area attracts more new construction than is usual for the Willows, drawn by the creek-side ambience and relatively large lots.

I haven’t calculated an affordability factor for this sub-market since it’s difficult to assess, given the variety of housing along the creek, but prices appear to be a bit above average for the area.

Neighborhoods with similar ambience: The south (Palo Alto) side of the creek. Otherwise a unique creek-side setting.

Neighborhoods with similar prices: See affordability, above. Value is on a case-by-case basis.

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pre-World War II homes, usually mid-range

"outer" Willows

Look here if you want quarter-acre lots and interesting neighborhoods.

Boundaries: Menalto, O'Conner, Euclid, San Francisquito Creek

Overview: If there's a “Lower” and “Upper” Willows then there can be an "Outer" Willows, my name for the distinct area between Menalto Avenue and East Palo Alto. The tract name Charles Weeks Poultry Farm suggests an interesting history that goes back to the period 1909 to 1920. An experiment in self-sufficiency, Weeks Poultry Farm left behind some of the largest lots and most interesting old houses in The Willows. Found along O'Connor, a broad attractive street, some of these homes wouldn’t look out of place in Old Palo Alto. A few lots are half an acre although many have been sub-divided. Branching off O’Connor are several streets of mostly tract housing. One block west, Oak Court has mostly '40s ranchers but features many wide quarter-acre lots in a casual, almost country-like setting.

Housing stock: Extremely diverse. Many of O’Connor’s homes, large and small, date from the '20s and '30s, while others were built in the late '40s and '50s. Oak Court just east of Menalto is a short private street with tiny '20s bungalows but east of the traffic barrier becomes a city street with ranchers. There are a handful of townhouses and apartments. Just across Menalto is a small market and a few office buildings.

Lot sizes: Along O'Connor quarter-acres are common, with a few half-acres. Side streets often have relatively generous lots. Quarter-acres are common along the eastern half of Oak Court.

Approximately 40% of mid-Peninsula neighborhoods are less expensive than homes on O’Connor or its side streets; for Oak Court it's approximately 60%. In 2002 O’Connor homes sold in the 22nd through 38th percentiles compared to other Menlo Park homes, Oak Court homes in the 27th through 30th. Big lots usually command big prices, but the area's proximity to East Palo Alto's apartment district has kept prices somewhat reasonable. However, values may go up as EPA's Whiskey Gulch transitions to the upscale office buildings of University Circle, although this may in turn increase traffic through the area. There’s already cut-through traffic along O’Connor (note the speed bumps). Homes along the north side of O'Connor back onto O’Keefe’s large apartment buildings, built on the back half of what were once Poultry Farm acre lots.

The affordability factor is 4.4 to 6.5.

Neighborhoods with similar ambience: O’Connor is somewhat similar to the Barney Park area of Fair Oaks, with it large old houses located not far from tired commercial and apartment buildings.

Neighborhoods with similar prices (5% +/-): Somewhat difficult to generalize, given the wide range of housing and lot sizes. Prices along O’Connor and it side streets are much like "lower" Willows and Bay Road, but add considerably for large homes on large lots.

Oak Court is fairly pricey for The Willows, especially the nicer ranchers on quarter acres, although some of the homes that come up for sale are humble. Locally, Oak Court sells like some of the other midrange Willows neighborhoods and the lesser parts of the County. Palo Alto's comparables are midrange South Palo Alto including the smaller contemporaries of "The Circles", Green Gables, Charleston Meadows and east of Midtown, as well as parts of Barron Park and College Terrace. To the north, Redwood City's midrange Emerald Hills, the semi-rural area between Stockbridge and Selby, and pre-war Mt. Carmel; a number of interesting Belmont neighborhoods; and the Eichlers of the San Mateo Highlands, as well as the conventional ranchers of San Mateo's Enchanted Hills and Baywood Park. See an important qualification regarding price comparisons.

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smaller post-World War II tract homes, usually entry-level

Nash-Alcorn tract

Look here if you want an (often) generously-sized lot in an affordable area close to downtown.

Boundaries: Santa Monica, Middlefield, Coleman, Willow

Overview: Not always considered part of The Willows but just across Willow Road and with similar homes and prices. Santa Monica and its numerous cul-de-sacs look out onto either the grounds of St. Patrick's Seminary or a new upscale development called Vintage Oaks. One street over, Santa Margarita has generally small houses on narrow, very deep lots.

Housing stock: Mostly small ranchers, 2/1s and 3/2s, from the '40s to mid-'50s but houses along Nash and the north side of Willow often date from the late '20s and '30s. A few condos on Gilbert, lots of large apartment buildings along the east side of Coleman. There’s been much updating and expansion, and some new construction.

Lot sizes: Usually ample on the east-west streets, with quarter acres common, mostly as narrow deep lots. On the other hand, lots on north-south streets are generally of average size.

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.)

Pleasant cul-de-sacs and generally large lots keep prices up in this neighborhood, although most homes are small if they're still original. In 2002 these homes sold in the 46th through 69th percentiles compared to other Menlo Park homes. Approximately 50% of mid-Peninsula neighborhoods are less expensive.

The affordability factor is 5.9 to 7.

Neighborhoods with similar ambience: Similar to the County area of Menlo Park and to Palo Alto’s Barron Park.

Neighborhoods with similar prices (5% +/-): There's not much activity in this area and the difference in housing stock makes it hard to generalize, but prices are similar to many of Palo Alto’s more affordable neighborhoods such as The Orchards, Charleston Meadows, Fairmeadow, South Palo Alto east of Midtown and the more affordable parts of Green Gables. To the north, nice ranchers in the San Carlos hills and in San Mateo's Baywood Park. To the south, plenty of prosperous rancher neighborhoods in Sunnyvale and Cupertino with good schools. See an important qualification regarding price comparisons.

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pre-World War II homes, usually mid-range to top end

"upper" Willows

Look here if you want some of the most attractive, sought-after Willows neighborhoods.

Boundaries: Willow, San Francisquito Creek, Gilbert, Concord

Overview: Comprised of three tracts. The Willows lends its name to all of Menlo Park between Willow and East Palo Alto, but the tract itself is limited to an attractive area of small ranchers. North Palo Alto, never a part of Palo Alto despite its name, could be mistaken for many of that city's pre-war neighborhoods. There's also a small section near Willow and Middlefield called Middlefield Park with bungalows reminiscent of neighboring Palo Alto north of University.

Housing stock: The Willows tract is entirely small ranchers built from 1944-48, except for a large house on Robin I’m told is Archibald McKendry’s old farmhouse dating from 1870. Most were 3-bedroom/1-bath although many have a second bath addition. There’s been much updating and expansion but little new construction. Although these homes are fairly typical ranchers, somehow the sum is greater than its parts and it’s a particularly pleasant neighborhood, especially along Concord, Lexington and Trenton. Homes are smaller and a bit older between Marmona and Willow Road, and sell for about 15% less. Between these two price tiers lie the small ranchers on Barton and two short streets, Nova and Shirley.

North Palo Alto is an eclectic, engaging mix of architectural eras ranging from the 'teens to the '50s, mostly 2/1s and 3/2s. Garages in back with alley access are one of its old-fashioned touches. This is a genuinely attractive neighborhood that can hold its own with any of the mid-Peninsula's pre-war areas of modest, middle-class homes.

Middlefield Park dates from the late '20s and is mostly bungalows. It's a very small area with little sales activity. No apartments or condos in any of these areas.

Lot sizes: The Willows has mostly 5000 sq.ft. lots but this depends on the street, with 6-8000 sq.ft. lots not uncommon. Back yards can be small, especially if the house has been expanded. Lot configuration is the usual post-war shape, relatively wide and shallow. North Palo Alto lots tend to be larger, usually 6500-9000 sq.ft., with quarter acres not uncommon. They're typical pre-war lots, narrow and deep. Middlefield Park lots tend to fall in the 5-6500 ft. range.

Upper Willows is priced below west Menlo but not cheap by mid-Peninsula standards. In 2002 homes here sold in the 17th through 91st percentiles (including new homes) compared to other Menlo Park homes. 80% of sales were clustered in the 25th through 62nd percentiles. Approximately 60% of mid-Peninsula neighborhoods are less expensive. Demand is high due to quiet, low-traffic neighborhoods, proximity to downtown Menlo Park and Palo Alto and an attractive, homogeneous look within each tract.

The neighborhood on Lexington, Concord and Trenton is quite popular. In 2002 virtually all sales in this neighborhood were in the 50th through 60th percentile compared to other Menlo Park homes.

The affordability factor is 6.2 to 7.5.

Neighborhoods with similar ambience: The Willows reminds me a bit of the White Oaks area of San Carlos, but without the generous sprinkling of pre-war houses that gives White Oaks much of its character. Similar areas include the nicer parts of Palo Alto’s Midtown or Redwood City’s Woodside Plaza neighborhoods and Mountain View’s Varsity Park and Cuesta Park. North Palo Alto has a Palo Alto Community Center feel, or perhaps Mount Carmel in Redwood City or any of the pre-WWII neighborhoods found from Millbrae to San Jose. And as mentioned, Middlefield Park looks like an extension of Palo Alto’s downtown north neighborhood a stone’s throw away across Middlefield.

Neighborhoods with similar prices (5% +/-): In Menlo Park, downtown and some of the more affordable County neighborhoods. In Palo Alto, contemporaries east of Midtown, entry-level Green Gables, the Monroe tract with Los Altos schools, Midtown contemporaries, and much of Barron Park and College Terrace. To the north, Redwood City's newer homes (PUDs) south of Woodside Road and the better parts of Mount Carmel; large ranchers in the San Carlos hills; the hillside ranchers of San Mateo's Baywood Park, Enchanted Hills and Laurelwood. To the south, Sunnyvale with excellent Cupertino schools; the prosperous ranchers of midrange Cupertino; and in San Jose, some of the best Rose Garden and Willow Glen neighborhoods.

See an important qualification on price comparisons.

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