The Willows

The Willows is a catch-all name for a number of distinct tracts along both sides of Willow Road, between Middlefield Road and Highway 101. This large area is bounded on the north by Santa Monica and Coleman, and on the south by San Francisquito Creek and East Palo Alto. There’s a persistent rumor that the Willows were once part of Palo Alto.  Probably this started when people looked at their title reports and found that their Willows or East Palo Alto house was part of a tract called North Palo Alto or Palo Alto Park or Palo Alto Gardens, not realizing that a developer had simply appropriated the Palo Alto name for some quick cachet.

Based on the description by John Fyten

For clarity, The Willows has been divided into multiple area.

Woodland Avenue

A mix of smaller pre-war and post-World War II homes, usually entry-level.    Look here if you want a pretty creekside setting with the convenience of suburban living.

Boundaries:  Woodland between Middlefield and East Palo Alto

Overview:  An eclectic mix of homes strung along San Francisquito Creek, one of the very few local creeks still in its natural setting.  Some of the finest Palo Alto homes can be seen on the other side of the creek.  Most Woodland homes are located across the street from the creek but a few sit on the bank. It’s my understanding that owners of creek-side homes are responsible for maintaining their embankments, and this can be a very expensive engineering project.

Housing stock:  Quite varied, since Woodland runs through a number of different tracts and eras.  Earliest houses were built around 1910 but most date from the ’20s through the ’50s.  Styles range from simple cabins to large newer homes.

Lot sizes:  Also quite varied, from 5000 sq.ft. up.  Many quarter acres and flag lots.

Affordability:  There’s a slight premium for living on Woodland and the area attracts more new construction than is usual for the Willows, drawn by the creek-side ambiance and relatively large lots.

Neighborhoods with similar ambiance:  The south (Crescent Park) side of the creek.  Otherwise a unique creek-side setting.

“Outer” Willows

Pre-World War II homes, usually mid-range.  Look here if you want quarter-acre lots and interesting neighborhoods.

Boundaries:  Menalto, O’Conner, Euclid, San Francisquito Creek

Overview:  If there’s a “Lower” and “Upper” Willows then there can be an “Outer” Willows, my name for the distinct area between Menalto Avenue and East Palo Alto.  The tract name Charles Weeks Poultry Farm suggests an interesting history that goes back to the period 1909 to 1920.  An experiment in self-sufficiency, Weeks Poultry Farm left behind some of the largest lots and most interesting old houses in The Willows.  Found along O’Connor, a broad attractive street, some of these homes wouldn’t look out of place in Old Palo Alto.  A few lots are half an acre although many have been sub-divided.  Branching off O’Connor are several streets of mostly tract housing.  One block west, Oak Court has mostly ’40s ranchers but features many wide quarter-acre lots in a casual, almost country-like setting.

Housing stock:  Extremely diverse.  Many of O’Connor’s homes, large and small, date from the ’20s and ’30s, while others were built in the late ’40s and ’50s.  Oak Court just east of Menalto is a short private street with tiny ’20s bungalows but east of the traffic barrier becomes a city street with ranchers.  There are a handful of townhouses and apartments.  Just across Menalto is a small market and a few office buildings.

Lot sizes:  Along O’Connor quarter-acres are common, with a few half-acres.  Side streets often have relatively generous lots.  Quarter-acres are common along the eastern half of Oak Court.

 Affordability:  Big lots usually command big prices, but the area’s proximity to East Palo Alto’s apartment district has kept prices somewhat reasonable.  However, values may go up as EPA’s Whiskey Gulch transitions to the upscale office buildings of University Circle, although this may in turn increase traffic through the area.  There’s already cut-through traffic along O’Connor (note the speed bumps).  Homes along the north side of O’Connor back onto O’Keefe’s large apartment buildings, built on the back half of what were once Poultry Farm acre lots.

Oak Court is fairly pricey for The Willows, especially the nicer ranchers on quarter acres, although some of the homes that come up for sale are humble. 

“Upper” Willows 

Pre-World War II homes, usually mid-range to top end.  Look here if you want some of the most attractive, sought-after Willows neighborhoods.

Boundaries:  Willow, San Francisquito Creek, Gilbert, Concord

Overview:  Comprised of three tracts.  The Willows lends its name to all of Menlo Park between Willow and East Palo Alto, but the tract itself is limited to an attractive area of small ranchers.  North Palo Alto, never a part of Palo Alto despite its name, could be mistaken for many of that city’s pre-war neighborhoods.  There’s also a small section near Willow and Middlefield called Middlefield Park with bungalows reminiscent of neighboring Palo Alto north of University.

Housing stock:  The Willows tract is entirely small ranchers built from 1944-48, except for a large house on Robin I’m told is Archibald McKendry’s old farmhouse dating from 1870.  Most were 3-bedroom/1-bath although many have a second bath addition.  There’s been much updating and expansion but little new construction.  Although these homes are fairly typical ranchers, somehow the sum is greater than its parts and it’s a particularly pleasant neighborhood, especially along Concord, Lexington and Trenton.  Homes are smaller and a bit older between Marmona and Willow Road, and sell for about 15% less.  Between these two price tiers lie the small ranchers on Barton and two short streets, Nova and Shirley.

North Palo Alto is an eclectic, engaging mix of architectural eras ranging from the ‘teens to the ’50s, mostly 2/1s and 3/2s.  Garages in back with alley access are one of its old-fashioned touches.  This is a genuinely attractive neighborhood that can hold its own with any of the mid-Peninsula’s pre-war areas of modest, middle-class homes.

Middlefield Park dates from the late ’20s and is mostly bungalows.  It’s a very small area with little sales activity.  No apartments or condos in any of these areas.

Lot sizes:  The Willows has mostly 5000 sq.ft. lots but this depends on the street, with 6-8000 sq.ft. lots not uncommon.  Back yards can be small, especially if the house has been expanded.  Lot configuration is the usual post-war shape, relatively wide and shallow.   North Palo Alto lots tend to be larger, usually 6500-9000 sq.ft., with quarter acres not uncommon.  They’re typical pre-war lots, narrow and deep.  Middlefield Park lots tend to fall in the 5-6500 ft. range.

Affordability:  Upper Willows is priced below west Menlo but not cheap by mid-Peninsula standards.  Demand is high due to quiet, low-traffic neighborhoods, proximity to downtown Menlo Park and Palo Alto and an attractive, homogeneous look within each tract.  The neighborhood on Lexington, Concord and Trenton is quite popular.

“Lower” Willows

Smaller post-World War II tract homes, usually entry-level.  Look here if you want excellent schools, a Menlo Park address and (often) a big back yard, all at a discount.

Boundaries:  Highway 101, Willow, O’Keefe, East Palo Alto.

Overview:  You won’t find “Lower” Willows on any maps but it’s agent shorthand for the affordable part of the Willows, itself an affordable part of Menlo Park.

Housing stock:  Similar to most of the neighborhoods along Bay Road, these are small 2- and 3-bedroom tract homes (often with just one bath) built in the late ’40s.  Many have been updated with second bath and sometimes more bedrooms.  There’s little new construction and no condos.  A very few apartment buildings off Willow.

Lot sizes:  Varies but most are 6500-7500 sq.ft., narrow and deep.

Affordability:  Affordability in this part of the Willows is great for Menlo Park, fair for the mid-Peninsula.  Like Bay Road, price depends much on the home’s proximity to 101.  Cut-through traffic on the east-west streets (note the speed bumps) and 101 traffic noise keep prices affordable.  Neighborhoods are pleasant but don’t quite have the charm of “Upper” Willows.