Palo Alto Evergreen Park

pre-World War II homes, usually mid-range

Evergreen Park

Look here if you want old-fashioned charm at a relative discount, as well as easy access to Palo Alto's second downtown, California Avenue.

View Larger Map

Boundaries: Cambridge, Park Blvd., El Camino Real. 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: Another old neighborhood, subdivided in 1904 although most homes date from the 1920s. Evergreen Park was the northern fringe of the old town of Mayfield, absorbed by Palo Alto in 1925. Not an area of grand estates but still a very pleasant reminder of pre-war Palo Alto, especially around Peers Park. High-density, high-traffic uses predominate in the southern area around Cambridge and College, but residents appreciate the "traffic-calming" measures that thwart commuters and other intruders. Just don’t drive through here if you’re in a hurry. California Avenue's shopping district is within easy walking distance.

Housing stock: Although a handful of survivors predate World War I, most Evergreen Park homes are two-bedroom/one-bath bungalows from the mid-1920s ranging in size from small to really small. Some have more than one bath but, aside from the limited amount of new construction, this is an area of very modest homes. There are a number of apartment buildings on College and Cambridge, but virtually no condos.

Lot sizes: Most are around 7500 sq.ft., narrow and deep in the pre-war configuration.

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.)

As is true of many of Palo Alto’s affordable neighborhoods, Evergreen Park is in transition. In Palo Alto, pre-war charm plus relatively large lots usually equals high prices, but entry-level Evergreen often sells for little more than modest land value. At the other end of the price range are a few new homes attracted by the quaint atmosphere. There hasn’t been much new construction here compared to nearby College Terrace and Southgate, a bit odd since Evergreen’s larger lots would seem to encourage it. Perhaps it’s a matter of “branding”—Evergreen Park just doesn’t have the name. If any Palo Alto pre-war neighborhood can be called undiscovered, Evergreen Park is it.

In 2002 Evergreen homes sold in the 2nd through 86th percentiles compared to other Palo Alto homes. Sales were split between two tiers. The lower tier, small and old, sold in the 2nd through 35th percentiles. The upper tier, larger and new or renovated, sold in the 67th through 86th percentiles. On average, approximately 60% of mid-Peninsula neighborhoods are less expensive. The affordability factor 7.1.

Schools: Palo Alto Unified School District, 25 Churchill Ave., Palo Alto CA 94306. Main number (650) 329-3700.

Finding your neighborhood school PAUSD school evaluations

School attendance boundaries are subject to change and schools are subject to availability. Verify enrollment with the Palo Alto Unified School District.

Amenities: Peers Park, 1899 Park Boulevard (4.7 acres): play structure, two tennis courts, basketball court, picnic tables and benches, tot lot, apparatus play area, rest rooms, jogging path. Peers Park Field House (650) 329-2697.

Shopping: Equidistant from California Avenue and Town & Country Village.

Neighborhoods with similar ambience: Palo Alto’s Community Center. Downtown Mountain View; San Mateo’s Homestead, Hayward Park and East San Mateo neighborhoods.

Neighborhoods with similar prices (5% +/-): In Palo Alto, the Monroe tract with Los Altos schools, entry-level Green Gables and Elsinore Eichlers, entry-level Southgate, entry-level and midrange Barron Park, conventional ranchers in Midtown east of Middlefield and south of Matadero Creek, College Terrace, and contemporaries and conventional ranchers east of Midtown. In Menlo Park, entry-level County, Upper Willows, Fair Oaks' newer homes and Barney Park, Nash-Alcorn large lots, and downtown. To the north, midrange Redwood Shores, San Carlos tracts west of Alameda and Brittan Acres, newer homes in Belmont's Country Club, and the hillside ranchers of San Mateo's Baywood Park and Laurelwood. To the south, Mountain View's small ranchers with excellent Los Altos schools and new Whisman Station, the small pre-war homes of Los Altos Park, the pleasant rancher neighborhoods of Sunnyvale with Cupertino schools and midrange Cupertino, the best parts of West San Jose's Rose Garden, the upscale Dry Creek area of West San Jose's Willow Glen, and the newer homes of West San Jose's Almaden Valley.

See an important qualification regarding price comparisons.

Interested in buying in Evergreen Park or in a similar area? Please contact me at jfyten@cbnorcal.com.