Triple El

Triple El is a tiny, but safe middle to upper middle-class neighborhood nestled deep into the Palo Alto suburbs. It encompasses about three blocks or 0.1 square miles of flat residential terrain, from Oregon Expressway to Embarcadero Road. For the prospective resident, the area is dominated by Eichler homes and sizable properties, which tend to be larger than the Palo Alto norm. The community also boasts a very diverse community, in which children can assimilate with other cultures at a very young age.

Although somewhat boring, Triple El’s residential ambiance evokes a comfortable living environment. If you drive through the neighborhood, you’ll notice the picturesque tree-lined streets, quiet cul-de-sacs, nicely paved roads and lush green community spaces. Newer, two-story homes (of which I would prefer) are concentrated towards the northwestern half of the community. These typically have a greater appeal and are situated on larger lots with much more room for children to roam. The other end of the neighborhood is saturated with older, mid 20th-century homes that are coined “California Modern.” These properties are lessor in size, tend to have thick bushes lining the perimeter and have those self-pull garage doors that I thought didn’t exist anymore. On average, homes sell for around an affordable $1.5 million for Palo Alto standards.

For young families, Triple El is served by the highly esteemed Palo Alto Union High School. Children attend, in order, Duveneck Elementary, Jordan Middle School and Palo Alto High School, all of which have garnered positive reviews on greatschools.org. There is also a lovely row of Chinese Elm trees situated along Elsinore Drive that adds to the diverse ambiance of this traditional neighborhood. The district is also just down the road to US Route 101, a convenient option for commuting families.

This tiny neighborhood just a little ways off the Bayshore Freeway is yet another of those Eichler neighborhoods. This is another particularly well kept one that seems to really get into the modernist aesthetic that is at the heart of the Eichler concept. The neighborhood seems to take a certain pride in its clean lines and modern shapes to which they can put their front topiary. It is not at all unusual to find front hedges that have been trimmed into repeated circles or other geometric shapes in a playful manner. Even homes that have let their front yards grow slightly more naturally seem to grow plants in unusually incongruent patterns of color as if to imitate a post-modern abstract.

This is also a pretty good neighborhood for kids, since its sidewalks are very bike-able and streets shady and tree lined. The schools here are great too, as throughout most of Palo Alto.

There isn’t much else to this neighborhood really. Nice house, quiet, good for families.