Los Altos Hills


 
Most prestigious city in Santa Clara County.  Home to many of Silicon Valley's bosses and bigwigs.  Small and essentially built-out.  Located in the hills and valleys above Silicon Valley, it has one of the lowest crime rates in the state.  There are many mansions and custom homes.  There is no business and no commercial.

There is a minimum of one-acre lots.  Valley views, trees overhang roads, creating tunnels of leaves and branches.

Los Altos Hills faces in two directions.  Homes on the east side look toward the Bay and Stanford University.  Homes on the west look toward the coastal mountains and are heavily wooded.  You will also find corrals and riding stables.

In 1999, the Associated Press analyzed STAR scores of fourth and eighth graders throughout the state.  Los Altos Elementary District was first in reading in both grades, and first in math at the eighth grade, and second in math for the fourth grade.  High schools also score very high. 

Some streets are located in the Palo Alto Unified School District, which also has some of the highest-scoring schools in the state.

The city has issued a handbook spelling out what Los Altos Hills would like to see--homes that fit in, heed neighbors' wishes, etc.  Over the past few years, the newcomers and old timers have clashed on tearing down older homes and replacing them with larger homes.  It might seem that the old guard has the edge on this argument; many of the older homes are nicely done.