Los Altos

Once an agricultural town with many summer cottages, Los Altos is now an affluent bedroom community located of miles south of San Francisco. Los Altos is a residential community that mostly developed between the 1950s and 1970s. Its semi-rural atmosphere is highlighted by roads with broad dirt shoulders and little or no street lighting. The minimum lot size for most homes is one-quarter of an acre.

The seven square mile city prides itself on its small town atmosphere, excellent schools, volunteerism, community spirit and family-oriented annual events such as the Kiwanis Pet Parade, Arts & Wine Festival and Festival of Lights Parade.

Los Altos is served by several small retail areas, as commercial zones are strictly limited to the downtown area (Los Altos Village) and a few small shopping and office parks lining Foothill Expressway and El Camino Real.

Its civic center sits in the middle of an orchard, a remnant of those that once covered the area. The tree lined streets of the six block downtown triangle evoke the quaint, village atmosphere of small town America.