Charleston Gardens, Palo Alto

The five streets that compose Charleston Gardens near Cubberley Community Center can feel like a step back in time. The Eichler and ranch-style houses remain from 50 years ago, when returning war veterans and their new families doubled the population of Palo Alto in a decade.

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Even the wide streets and the abundance of oak trees that are replanted to replace each dying tree, keep the spirit of the '50s alive.

Families and professionals alike are drawn to Charleston Gardens for the isolated feel it has from the busy streets of Charleston and Middlefield that are right around the corner.

Facts: CHILDCARE AND PRESCHOOLS (NEARBY): Children's Pre-School Center, 4000 Middlefield Road, T1; Good Neighbor Montessori, 4000 Middlefield Road, K-4; Young Fives and Pre-school Family, 4120 Middlefield Road; Palo Alto JCC -- After School Enrichment Program (ASEP), 4000 Middlefield Road; Ta'Enna Preschool (JCC), 4000 Middlefield Road FIRE STATION: No. 4, 3600 Middlefield Road LIBRARY: Mitchell Park branch, 3700 Middlefield Road PARK: Mitchell Park, 600 East Meadow Drive POST OFFICE: Cambridge, 265 Cambridge Ave.; Main, 2085 E. Bayshore Road PRIVATE SCHOOLS: Challenger School, 3880 Middlefield Road; Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School, 450 San Antonio Road; Kehillah Jewish High School, 3900 Fabian Way; Palo Alto Prep School, 4000 Middlefield Road PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Fairmeadow or Hoover elementary schools, J.L. Stanford Middle School, Gunn High School SHOPPING: Charleston Center MEDIAN 2007 HOME PRICE: $1,490,000 ($1,180,000-$1,720,000) # HOMES SOLD: 4 MEDIAN 2007 CONDO PRICE: $962,000 # CONDOS SOLD: 1

"We love the location of our neighborhood, and its proximity to Highway 101, the Mitchell Park Library, Charleston Plaza and Mountain View," said Judy Lee-Squire, a resident since 1984. "But it's also a distinct neighborhood."

According to Lee-Squire, the isolation of the neighborhood is mostly because three of the five streets that form the area create a triangle that surrounds the other two. This layout, plus the barriers that prevent drivers from cutting through to get to Charleston Plaza, make the neighborhood traffic-free and kid-friendly.

"Over the time we've lived here, only some of the houses have changed," she said. "The neighborhood began as Eichlers and ranchers, and even though some people have remodeled, they still keep the character of the houses."

"People are moving here now because it is one of the few economical places to live in this city," said Jean Wilcox, a Charleston Gardens homeowner since 1985. "Plus, it is very accessible to schools like Fairmeadow, Hoover and the Challenger private school. ...We're looking forward to the Campus for Jewish Life moving into our neighborhood."

Since Charleston Gardens is where many young veterans settled down, it was also where most of the children in Palo Alto lived, noted Palo Alto historical librarian Steve Staiger. In the hey-day of the baby boom, seven of the current elementary schools opened, as well as Cubberley, which was a high school across the street from Charleston Gardens. Now Cubberley is a community center, and Charleston Gardens sports more of a mix of retired couples and single professionals, but families still appreciate the location.

Neighbors keep each other updated on local issues and events with an e-mail tree, used to inform residents of Palo Alto Neighborhood Disaster Activities (PANDA) meetings, when to put out their garbage cans, or plans for a block party.

The only problem facing residents of the quiet neighborhood of Charleston Gardens is the possibility of losing their isolation from the rest of the world.

"We still are concerned about traffic. If the city makes any more changes in the road, for instance removing the barrier, it will change the flow in our neighborhood. The changes they have made have made it worse. It's become difficult to get onto Charleston," Lee-Squire said.

Despite worries, life in Charleston Gardens continues much as it always has. Fifty years from now Charleston Gardens will probably still look as much like post-war America as it does right now.

-- Patricia Bass