Los Altos is a Silicon Valley city with a small-town feel
Despite its location near the heart of tech-centric Silicon Valley, the city of Los Altos is often regarded as an escape from the valley’s high-speed working environment. “People who work in Silicon Valley grind it out and work really hard, but when we go home to Los Altos, it’s very quiet and like a small town,” says Nicholas French, a resident and a broker associate at Christie’s International Real Estate Sereno who’s sold homes here for 23 years. “I always say my blood pressure drops when I come home because I can relax and take a deep breath.” Los Altos’ highly rated school system, proximity to nature and low crime rates are just some of the city’s major draws. “It’s like middle America,” says Lynn North, a Realtor with The Agency who’s lived in Los Altos since 1986. “You see families walking the kids to school morning and night and people walking dogs all the time.”
Because of its laid-back atmosphere and small-town feel, the city has become one of Silicon Valley’s most desirable places to live. “Once you’re in Los Altos,” French says, “you tend to stick around.” However, constant demand coupled with limited housing stock has led to increasingly high home prices, making Los Altos one of the country’s most expensive suburban cities.
Los Altos is a beautiful neighborhood in Silicon Valley.
Los Altos is location near the heart of tech-centric Silicon Valley.
Rosita Park offers wide trails for riding scooters, walking, or jogging in Los Altos.
Los Altos is one of Silicon Valley’s most desirable places to live.
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A competitive housing market
In late 2024, the median price for a single-family home in Los Altos was approximately $4.6 million, with the vast majority of single-family properties ranging from $3 million to $6 million. The median price for a townhouse is $2.8 million. According to Jane Shen, a local Realtor with Christie’s International Real Estate – Sereno, many homes listed for sale in Los Altos sell above asking price, and despite the high costs, cash offers are frequent. Midcentury ranch-style homes are most common; buyers can also find Craftsman, contemporary and Mediterranean-style homes. “The minimum lot size for most residential housing is one-quarter of an acre,” North says, adding that many homeowners build accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, to host visiting family members and guests.
Midcentury ranch-style homes are most common in Los Altos.
Craftsman-style homes are beautiful additions to the Los Altos neighborhood.
Mediterranean-style homes Los Altos are popping up all over Los Altos.
Townhomes are spread throughout Los Altos.
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Highly ranked Los Altos schools
Students in kindergarten through eighth grade are served by the Los Altos School District, which receives an overall A-plus rating from Niche and includes seven elementary schools and two intermediate schools. In 2025, the district was ranked No. 4 on Niche’s “Districts with the Best Teachers in California” list. Los Altos High School is an A-plus-rated secondary institution that serves grades nine through 12. It was ranked No. 14 on Niche’s 2025 list of the best public high schools in California. Los Altos High regularly hosts TEDx events with speakers including Stanford University faculty, local entrepreneurs and students.
In the neighboring town of Los Altos Hills, Foothill College is a public community college offering about 80 associate’s degree programs, over 120 certificate programs and two bachelor’s degree programs for dental hygiene and respiratory care studies. Niche ranks Foothill College as the best community college in California and the fourth-best community college in America. Foothill graduates can transfer to any of six University of California institutions.
Covington Elementary School is a highly appraised school in Los Altos.
Almond Elementary School is located in the Los Altos neighborhood of California.
Bowman School offers a 12-month program for busy, working families in Los Altos.
Close-up of Los Altos High School located in the Los Altos neighborhood.
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Exploring nature in year-round balmy weather
With a Mediterranean-like climate, residents of Los Altos can enjoy year-round outdoor recreation. “The climate is to die for, really,” Shen says. “It’s pretty temperate weather year-round. Cold to us is like 50 degrees.” The Los Altos Parks & Recreation Department oversees 18 parks and community facilities throughout the city, including the 6-acre Redwood Grove Nature Preserve. Local schools host local youth athletic programs, including Los Altos Little League and Mountain View Los Altos Soccer Club. The city also backs up to the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, where residents can explore miles of outdoor space at the Rancho San Antonio Preserve and the Foothills Nature Preserve. “There’s so much nature here,” North says. “Whatever you like, whatever you want to do, it’s here. We’re 30 minutes to the ocean. Wine country is within an hour, and the ski slopes are three hours away.”
Enjoy a tennis match with friends and family at Rosita Park in Los Altos.
Foothills Nature Preserve is a nature lover's paradise.
Redwood Grove Nature Preserve is home to the popular Redwood Grove Summer Camp.
Los Altos backs up to the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
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Downtown Los Altos is a community hub home to more than 150 businesses
The pedestrian-friendly Downtown Los Altos is home to over 150 local shops, restaurants and businesses. With rows of retail and dining options along Main and State streets, this commercial hub is the center of community activity. “When you go downtown, you typically run into someone you recognize,” French says. The Los Altos Village Association, or LAVA, organizes events and festivities hosted in the downtown area throughout the year, including numerous holiday celebrations, the annual Los Altos Arts & Wine Festival and the Downtown Los Altos Farmers’ Market, which is hosted weekly between May and October. “Our biggest festival is the Festival of Lights Parade,” French says. Since 1977, this nighttime parade has kicked off the holiday season with light-festooned floats, marching bands and Santa Claus. “If you want to feel small-town Los Altos, you come to the Festival of Lights. Our whole downtown is packed for it.” Near the edge of the city along the El Camino Real is Chef Chu’s, a widely popular Chinese restaurant that opened in 1970 and has since become a Silicon Valley icon. “From Ronald Reagan to Justin Bieber, everyone who comes to the Bay Area comes to Chef Chu’s,” North says. “You never know who you’re going to run into or see.”
Downtown Los Altos has over 150 local shops, restaurants, and businesses.
Downtown Los Altos rows of retail and dining options along Main and State streets.
P&K Farms is a popular vendor at the Los Altos Farmers Market.
Chef Chu’s is a popular Chinese restaurant that opened 19 years ago in Los Altos.
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Commuting in Silicon Valley and to major tech employers
Los Altos is sandwiched between Route 82 (or the El Camino Real) to the north and Interstate 280 to the south. Both highways are major Silicon Valley thoroughfares running between San Francisco, which is 37 miles away, and downtown San Jose 17 miles away. Residents can hop on the regional Caltrain or the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) light rail at the Mountain View Station, 4 miles away. VTA buses stop regularly along Los Altos’ main roads, most of which have dedicated bike lanes. Air travelers can make the 14-mile trip to San Jose Mineta International Airport or drive 26 miles to San Francisco International Airport.
Many Los Altos residents work at world-renowned tech companies headquartered in surrounding Silicon Valley cities. Google and LinkedIn are situated in bordering Mountain View; directly south is Cupertino and its iconic Apple campus; nearby Santa Clara is home to NVIDIA, Intel and McAfee; and Zoom and Adobe are located in downtown San Jose.
Safety and environmental awareness in Los Altos
The Los Altos Police Department reported an approximately 9% decrease in total reported crimes from 2022 to 2023. Nearly 90% of the 762 crimes reported between those two years were property-related, primarily theft. Compared to state-level and national crime rates, Los Altos trends lower in both violent and property crime.
Because of Los Altos’ location near seismic faults, earthquakes are somewhat frequent throughout the year; however, these quakes usually occur at a low magnitude and don’t tend to cause injuries or damage to buildings.
The Los Altos Police Department also oversees the city’s emergency preparedness resources and training programs, which aim to mitigate the effects of events like power outages and natural disasters. Los Altos is at low risk for wildfires, but residents may experience poor air quality from fires in nearby high-risk areas such as the Santa Cruz Mountains. Most of the city is at low risk of flooding, but properties along Adobe Creek have a slightly higher risk of water damage if the creek overflows.
Since 2003, Linda Baker has mentored hundreds of devoted clients through the biggest financial milestones of their lives. Her passionate desire to help others achieve their goals blends with her strategic, forward-thinking mindset to make her a well-respected and highly sought partner in the Silicon Valley real estate industry.
Linda’s vibrant disposition creates a fun and welcoming environment where new ideas thrive, and she earns her clients’ trust through her genuine, honest care for their needs. When her clients are selling, Linda combines her tech savvy, marketing prowess, and design sense to masterfully list their unique properties, positioning them for success in the diverse Silicon Valley market. When her clients are buying, she uses her visionary eye and collaborative mindset to help them see potential in neighborhoods and properties they may not have considered. Often, her unexpected suggestions lead to the results they’ve always dreamed of.
As a former director of finance who oversaw marketing events at the Silicon Valley Business Journal, Linda is no stranger to creating smooth end-to-end experiences by paying special attention to each detail. Whether she is representing your listing or helping you make an exciting transition into a new home, Linda’s innovative marketing, fearless negotiating, and thorough contract management ensure you achieve the best possible outcome. For her leadership feats, Linda has earned the YWCA Tribute to Women and Industry award.
Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
