Meadow Park

Meadow Park, also known as Adobe Meadow, is a flat and very traditional-looking neighborhood nestled at the eastern end of Palo Alto. Many residents choose to move here because of the city’s excellent public school system, while others leave for greener pastures (or at least a more modern ambiance). For the perspective resident, the district offers a variety of overpriced homes which are under stringent maximum floor plan. As a result, this has inhibited its recent growth and prosperity as it relates to closer Mountain View communities.

Although a little less desirable than most Palo Alto neighborhoods, Meadow Parks does have a 1950‘s charm that hasn’t been lost on some. The area is saturated with mid-century ranch homes and two-story Eichlers. Some are plotted on some small, drab and uninteresting properties with those old, self-pull garage doors or long driveways that lead into side lots. Other properties can be shallow, but usually provide well-kept front yards that might keep retirees busy. In either case, don’t expect much bang for your buck here. Median house listings in the area are priced at around $1.1 million, while some have sold north of $2 million. The richer homes tend to congregate around Ortega Court, where a new housing development has originated.

All in all, there is nothing too glamorous about Meadow Park. Its common spaces remind you of an outdated, mid-century design, but offer clean and orderly streets. The district has a couple neighborhood perks as well, all of which are due to its location. First, the neighborhood is within minutes of the vast San Francisco Bay. Second, US Route 101 skirts the northern corner and gives quick access to commuters traveling up and down the San Francisco peninsula. And finally, the heavily-touted Google campus is just down the road from the neighborhood’s limits.

If you are a fan of Eichler style homes, Palo Alto is certainly the place to get your fix. You will find them throughout, with a good portion of them located right here in Meadow Park. Eichler homes, as my architecture friend has confirmed for me, are those squat, flat roofed houses with the exposed beams and usually with windows just beneath the roof line.

On the western end of Meadow Park, however you mostly get Ranch homes.

This is pretty expensive territory and it is just a hop, skip and a jump from the Googleplex, so it is perfect for those Googlers who don’t want to brave long distance travel to get to work.

In addition to Ramos Park (the park at the center of Meadow Park—the neighborhood is actually sometimes called Ramos Park), you can also find Mitchell Park and the Mitchell Park Tennis courts.

The Mitchell Park library is currently under construction there and looks like it will be one of those ultra-modern facilities that in no way makes you think of dusty tomes and shushing librarians.

Overall, this is just another really nice Palo Alto neighborhood. Great for families with kids.