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Real Estate and Quality of Life
     Due to the quality of life in the city of Palo Alto, the city is considered one of the best places to live in Silicon Valley, which makes real estate expensive (some houses are priced over 10 million dollars) and one of the most expensive cities to live in Santa Clara County as well as the in the country The Palo Alto Public School District with a student-teacher ratio of less than 17, is considered one of the best in the state as well as the country. The climate is very Mediterranean with very mild winters and relatively mild summers. The crime rate is very low with city services rated as top notch. With all the positives mentioned (not including Stanford University) the demand for housing in this city is always high and real estate properties always priced above the rest of the San Francisco Bay Area communities. Palo Alto's web site is www.city.palo-alto.ca.us.

Stanford University
     The prestigious Stanford University was founded in 1891 by Leland Stanford and is located in Palo Alto. The university today, has over 6,700 undergraduates and 8,000 graduate students. With approximately 1,700 faculty members. The university has over 180,000 living Stanford degree holders throughout the world Included in this number are famous graduates that are too numerous to mention but they include actors, scientists, inventors, government and business leaders, athletes, international leaders and more.

     Many of the major startup companies in Silicon Valley were founded by Stanford graduates and the Stanford Medical Center is one of the leading medical institutions involved in research and education

The Market
     With the inherent quality of life, the growth of Silicon Valley over the years and the increase of money, students and faculty at Stanford, the demand for real estate in Palo Alto has dramatically increased. The location between two major cities (San Francisco and San Jose) makes it a desirable location to live and raise a family.

Local Real Estate Agencies and Agents
     Below is a list of local real estate agents and agencies that may be helpful in your search of buying a home in Palo Alto. Please check agents and agencies in Menlo Park, Atherton, Mountain View and Los Altos as well.

Important Statistics
Listed below are some helpful real estate statistics that may be important in your search for real estate properties in and around Palo Alto. Please visit other sections of San-Jose-Real-Estate.org to compare the real estate market with other towns and cities in Silicon Valley as well as the San Francisco Bay Area.. The statistical numbers below were taken from the 2000 U.S. Census Bureau unless otherwise noted.

• About the Palo Alto Population
  Total population - 58,598
  Median household income in 1999 (dollars) $90,377
  Percent of households below poverty level 4.8%
• Education Attainment Levels
  Less than 9th grade - 1.7%
  9th to 12th grade, no diploma - 2.1%
  High school graduate (includes equivalency) - 5.6%
  Some college, no degree - 12.2%
  Associate degree - 4.1%
  Bachelor's degree - 31.4%
  Graduate or professional degree - 43.9%
• About the Real Estate
  Total housing units - 26,048
    - Owner-occupied housing units - 57.2.2%
    - Renter-occupied housing units - 42.8%
  Vacant housing units - 3.2.%
  Average price of single-family owner-occupied homes (2008) - $1,677,000

Historical Information
     The first people to settle in Palo Alto were the Ohlone Indians, also known as the Costanoans by the Spaniards. This group has lived off the land in this area for thousands of years, however no known full-blooded Ohlones are know to exist today.

     In the 1760-1770's Explorer and soldier Gaspar de Portolà started his trek up near the coastline of California from San Diego and explored the area which is now Palo Alto and the San Francisco Bay

The Naming of Palo Alto
     The city was named after a tall redwood tree, "El Palo Alto" that was along the bank of the San Francisquito Creek that borders Menlo Park today. The tree still stands and is considered to be over 1000 years old and is the oldest living landmark in California.