Los Altos Hills

The town of Los Altos Hills overlooks the Silicon Valley from beneath the neighboring Santa Cruz mountains and is a semi-rural community high enough in the hills to be isolated from the hustle and bustle of the Silicon Valley below. Natural wilderness abounds, making it one of the most idyllic places to live in the region, the country, and the world. Los Altos Hills encompasses nine square miles, and is located on what was once two Spanish-Mexican land grants dating from the 1840s and originally used for apricot, plum, and prune orchards prior to residential development. Surrounded by parks and open space, this historically agrarian lifestyle is highly valued today and has been intentionally preserved by the people who call this slice of heaven home.

 

Privacy and seclusion are very much valued by town residents, evident by the fact that the only access is the 280 freeway and a handful of back roads. With no commercial zoning and a 1-acre minimal requirement for each residence, Los Altos Hills’s 8,000 residents adhere to a quiet lifestyle, purposefully disconnected from the surrounding Silicon Valley. For commercial needs, Los Altos Hills has a very close connection to the nearby town of Los Altos, which has a nice selection of restaurants, cafés, and shopping.

 

Because of the town residents’ ties to Silicon Valley, many homes here utilize cutting-edge technology and were built using the latest solar, green, and LEED technology. With few streets, the town is uniquely connected through its Pathway System, a series of trails and off-road paths that are used for walking, running, and biking.

 

Los Altos Hills is often near the top of the list of the wealthiest towns in California. Some of the Bay Area’s biggest celebrities are drawn to the area because of the privacy living here affords. You may run into Google founder Sergey Brin, Oakland A’s owner Stephen Schott, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, or Russian billionaire Yuri Milner. Los Altos Hills public schools are some of the Bay Area’s most prestigious. Residents are also served by nearby Palo Alto and Los Altos school districts, both of which are consistently excellent. Not surprisingly, these elite schools consistently score higher than most California schools.

 

Los Altos Hills offers a rural feel with horse and running trails, excellent access to nature preserves, horse properties, and panoramic views, while still being a short commute to Silicon Valley businesses. One simply needs to step outside to experience the sounds of birds and crickets, the wind rustling through the trees, or the occasional cry of a hawk circling overhead. Because of its location and exclusivity, Los Altos Hills residents enjoy a rare and coveted seclusion experienced by a very lucky few in the San Francisco Bay Area.