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Welcome to Los Altos Hills Real
Estate
 The primarily residential community of Los Altos
Hills is 8.4 square miles in area. An additional 5.8 square miles of
unincorporated land adjacent to the Town's boundaries have been designated
by the County of Santa Clara as being within Los Altos Hills' "sphere of
influence," and may be subject to Town guidelines or annexation.
The Town is distinctive because of its rolling hills and picturesque
valleys. Numerous creeks and densely wooded areas provide pleasant visual
diversity. The Town's location along the edge of the Santa Clara Valley
contributes to a mild climate, with only rare extremes of temperature.
Elevations above sea level rise from 200 to 1,300 feet, making Los Altos
Hills a natural buffer between the more heavily developed urban Bay Area
and the coastal Santa Cruz Mountains. Los Altos Hills became the 14th city
in Santa Clara County on January 27, 1956, with a population then
numbering 2,500. Today, there are more than triple that number of
residents living in the Town. Zoning has remained the same since its
inception - a single "residential-agricultural" zone, with additional
permitted uses such as public and private schools, churches and
synagogues, recreational clubs, and other facilities compatible with
non-commercial communities.
Los Altos Hills' Town Hall was built on land donated by the Town's first
Mayor, Arthur E. Fowle, at the northeast corner of his 30-acre ranch at
Fremont and Concepcion Roads. Mr. and Mrs. C. Earl Dawson of Magdalena
Road contributed $18,000 for the cost of the building. William Simrell,
Jr. donated architectural services. The original facility served until
1975, when it was remodeled, and new City Council Chambers were added on
the west side of the building. The public information counter and most
administrative offices are located in the current facilities. The Heritage
House sits directly to the north and features a history room for the
storage of special collections. Heritage House was formerly the
Eschenbruecher House in Los Altos, and was donated to the Town and moved
to its present site in 1984.
 To acquaint today's residents and visitors with the early 1900s character
of the Town, 25 apricot and prune trees were planted behind the building,
where an historic collection of early farm equipment is on public display.
Beginning in 1996, the Santa Clara County Sheriff established a local
office in the Heritage House.
History
Ohlone Indians were the first known residents of Los
Altos Hills. They were part of a group of Native Americans who once
inhabited small villages throughout the Santa Clara Valley. Both Los Altos
and Los Altos Hills have been substantiated as sites of early Ohlone
villages. In 1955, Indian remains and artifacts such as mortars and
pestles were found on the Peck property east of Moody Road. In 1964,
developers on O'Keefe Lane unearthed more human remains and artifacts.
Still later, in 1970, an Ohlone village and burial ground of major
significance came to light on the Costello property on O'Keefe Lane,
prompting archaeological study by Foothill College and others. Additional
mounds and village sites have since been excavated along Permanente and
Matadero Creeks.
Following roughly the path of today's Fremont Road, Juan Bautista De Anza
passed through what was to become Los Altos Hills while making his journey
from Monterey to San Francisco in 1776 to establish the Presidio. A year
later, the Santa Clara Mission was founded.
Two large Spanish-Mexican land grants comprise Los Altos Hills: Rancho La
Purissima Concepcion, 4,436 acres granted to Native Americans Jose
Gorgonio and his son Jose Ramon in 1840 and sold to Juana Briones de
Miranda in 1844 for the sum of $300; and Rancho San Antonio, 4,438 acres
granted to Juan Prado Mesa. Adobe Creek was the boundary line of the two
ranchos. The Briones and Mesa families were friendly and became related
when two of the Mesa men married two of the Briones women.
 In 1855 Juana Briones sold 3,000 acres to Martin Murphy, founder of the
City of Sunnyvale, who had previously leased her land for cattle grazing.
Murphy gave 2,800 acres to his daughter, Elizabeth Yuba, when she married
William Taaffe, a prosperous San Francisco merchant. They built a home on
what is now the Foothill Community College campus and had four children:
William, Martin, and twin daughters Mary and Mathilda. Some of the Taaffe
descendants still reside in Los Altos Hills. The two large ranchos were
eventually parceled and sold as smaller ranches for cattle grazing and
vineyards, mostly of Zinfandel grapes. Many Italian and French vintners
lived on Purssima Road until a blight destroyed the vineyards near the
turn of the century. Soon after, orchards of apricots, plums and prunes
flourished.
With its millions of fruit trees producing a beautiful, aromatic sea of
blossoms, Santa Clara Valley became the "Valley of Heart's Delight" and so
it remained well into the 1960s. Trains and tour buses brought countless
travelers from near and far to glimpse this unique panorama.
Wealthy San Franciscans attracted to the area during this period built
summer estates in Los Altos Hills. Among the many still standing are: The
Shumate House on Viscaino, the Lohman and Griffin Houses on the Foothill
College campus, the Morgan Manor (which for many years was operated as
Ford Country Day School) on Stonebrook, and the Finn Mansion on Prospect.
Both Morgan Manor and Griffin House are official Town Historical
Landmarks.
History of Incorporation
The Town of Los Altos Hills was incorporated on January 27, 1956. Before
then, residential development was constrained by numerous factors,
including lack of a dependable water supply. Water from wells and creek
beds was safe, but not always adequate. Headwaters for Hale, Adobe,
Barron, Matadero, Purissima, and Deer Creeks are generated in loca l
foothills characterized by heavily wooded banks and often-impenetrable
areas of poison oak and chaparral. Homes and farms were usually on large
acreage. The overall personality of the region was distinctly rural. In
1956, the many advocates for incorporating the City, to be known as "The
Town of Los Altos Hills", were singularly dedicated to "preservation of
the rural atmosphere of the foothills."
While many changes have taken place in the intervening years, most of the
pleasant country aspects of the Town remain as new housing is constructed
to accommodate the needs and lifestyles of today's residents.
HISTORY OF TWO CITIES
One of the first visitors to the area was the famous Spanish explorer,
Juan Bautista de Anza, who led an expedition in 1776, through what is now
Los Altos and Los Altos Hills on his way to explore the Bay of San
Francisco.
Further exploration continued as the construction of California's missions
by the Franciscans began under the leadership of Father Junipero Serra in
the early 1700s. The closest mission to Los Altos, Mission Santa Clara,
was dedicated in 1777. By 1833, the colonization of the missions came to a
close in California with the Act of Secularization, which gave land to the
Indians for homes while the church remained at the center of each pueblo
community.
After winning independence from Spain in 1821, Mexico encouraged the
settlement of California by offering land grants to any Catholic native or
naturalized citizen of Mexico. The area which is now Los altos was part of
Rancho San Antonio, a land grant given in 1843 to Juan Prado Mesa, a
soldier. Portions of present day Los Altos Hills were also included in
Mesa's grant of one square league (4,438 acres).
The greater part of the land where Los Altos Hills is situated was part of
Rancho la Purissima Concepcion granted in 1840 to Jose Gorgonio and his
son, Jose Ramon, Indians from Mission Santa Clara.
American interest in California began with expeditions by John C. Fremont.
After the War with Mexico, California was ceded to the United States under
the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo signed on February 2, 1848. California was
admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850.
 In 1854, Juana Briones de Miranda purchased Rancho la Purissima Concepcion.
Part of her adobe home still stands on Old Trace Road. Gradually, the
ranchos were divided and sold as smaller ranches for cattle grazing,
orchards, and vineyards. Wealthy San Franciscans also bought properties
for summer and weekend retreats.
The initial development of Los Altos is credited to Paul Shoup, an
executive of the Southern Pacific railroad, who wanted to link the cities
of Palo Alto and Los Gatos by making Los Altos a commuter town on a
proposed new rail line.
Attracted by the natural beauty of the land and its proximity to the
county seat of San Jose and the cultural attraction of nearby Stanford
University, Shoup joined with colleagues to form the Los Altos Land
company in 1906. Advertising Los Altos as "the loveliest place on the
peninsula", San Franciscans were offered free railroad excursions for a
day in the country, along with complimentary picnics alongside the tracks
in Los Altos.
By 1911 there were 50 homes in Los Altos and a few office buildings and
stores on Main Street. Twelve steam trains a day stopped at the two-boxcar
railway station. Eschenbreucher's Hardware Store, now 316 Main Street, was
the first business in town and also housed the post office. Los Altos
Water Company, Los Altos Building and Loan, Union Land Company and the
railroad company all occupied offices in downtown Los Altos. In 1909, the
two-story Shoup Building at Main and Second streets, housed a grocery
store downstairs while upstairs one teacher taught all eight grades of the
first public school classes in Los Altos.
As Paul Shoup envisioned, Los Altos grew and prospered. The business
community thrived and orchards gave way to beautiful tree-lined
residential streets. Following World War II, Los Altos experienced a boom
in home construction and new schools were built in rapid succession to
accommodate the expanding student population.
The town leaders in Los Altos, fearing annexation by neighboring cities,
realized that incorporation was one way to control zoning and development.
After a bitter campaign and an incorporation election, Los Altos became
Santa Clara County's 11th city on December 1, 1952. The first mayor of the
new city was A. Watson Conner. Minimum residential lot size was
established at one-quarter acre.
 Meanwhile in unincorporated Los Altos Hills, residents were becoming
concerned by the zoning decisions of county planning commissioners and
supervisors that threatened their treasured rural atmosphere and one acre
minimum residential zoning.
Homeowner associations banded together to fight for incorporation and the
Town of Los Altos Hills became official on January 27, 1956.
Arthur E. Fowle, automatically designated mayor as th e highest vote getter
among the city council candidates had to step down from the council
because of ill health. His son, John M. Fowle, was appointed to fill his
seat and Sidney Treat was then chosen as the first mayor of Los Altos
Hills. the council voted to retain the minimum one acre lot size.
TOTAL POPULATION 7,902 100.0%
In households 7,837 99.2%
In group quarters 65 0.8%
RACE
White 5,922 74.9%
Black or African American 47 0.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native 7 0.1%
Asian 1,667 21.1%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 7 0.1%
Some other race 36 0.5%
Two or more races 216 2.7%
HISPANIC OR LATINO AND RACE
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 170 2.2%
Not Hispanic or Latino 7,732 97.8%
White 5,795 73.3%
Black or African American 42 0.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native 5 0.1%
Asian 1,660 21.0%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 7 0.1%
Some other race 20 0.3%
Two or more races 203 2.6%
SEX
Male 3,898 49.3%
Female 4,004 50.7%
AGE
Under 5 years 355 4.5%
5 to 17 years 1,506 19.0%
18 to 64 years 4,699 59.5%
65 years and over 1,342 17.0%
Median age (years) 46.7 (X)
HOUSEHOLDS
Total households 2,740 100.0%
Family households 2,340 85.4%
Families with children under 18 947 34.6%
Average household size 2.86 (X)
Average family size 3.02 (X)
HOUSING OCCUPANCY
Total housing units 2,816 100.0%
Occupied housing units 2,740 97.3%
Owner-occupied housing units 2,572 93.9%
Renter-occupied housing units 168 6.1%
Vacant housing units 76 2.7%
For rent 5 6.6%
For sale 19 25.0%
Source: U.S. Census, PL94-171 (March 2001), DP-1 (May 2001) and SF1
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