Cuesta Park, Mountain View

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Before Pam Miller moved to the Cuesta Park neighborhood in 1998, she and her husband were exploring the 25-acre park from which the neighborhood takes its name. "We didn't realize how big it really was, and we thought it would be wonderful to live nearby."

Donna Davies found the nearby parks made the neighborhood an ideal place to raise children. "Cuesta Park is probably one of the most beautiful public parks in the country. Even with the killer squirrels. And Bubb Park is wonderful, too. When my son was young, it made it very easy to meet other parents in the neighborhood."

But the neighborhood is the happy home to all kinds of people, according to Mountain View vice mayor Greg Perry, who moved to his Boranda Avenue home in 2005. As well as newer houses and apartments housing young professionals and budding families, there are many older homes with residents who have lived in the neighborhood for decades. "And everyone's been very welcoming," Perry said.

Cuesta Park facts: CHILDCARE AND PRESCHOOLS: YMCA Kid's Place, 525 Hans Ave.; Little Acorn Preschool, 1667 Miramonte Ave. FIRE STATION: No. 2, 160 Cuesta Drive NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: Cuesta Park Neighborhood Association (CPNA), Kim Merry, P.O. Box 4044, Mtn. View, CA 94040-0044, cpnatalk@yahoogroups.com PARKS: Bubb Park, Barbara Avenue and Montalto Drive; Cuesta Park, 615 Cuesta Drive POST OFFICE: Blossom Valley, 1768 Miramonte Ave. PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Mtn. View-Whisman School District -- Bubb Elementary School, Graham Middle School; Mtn. View-Los Altos Union High School District -- Mountain View High School SHOPPING: Grant Park Plaza, Grant Road at El Camino Real; Blossom Valley Shopping Center, Miramonte Avenue at Cuesta Drive; Downtown Mountain View MEDIAN 2007 HOME PRICE: $1,146,500 ($860,000-$1,608,000) # HOMES SOLD: 24 MEDIAN 2007 CONDO PRICE: 638,000 ($285,000-$950,000) # CONDOS SOLD: 6

The Cuesta Park Neighborhood Association, currently headed by Paul Donahue, was organized in 2001 to extend just such a sense of welcome to the whole neighborhood.

"We have an annual family picnic in summer or early fall," said Miller, treasurer of the neighborhood association. "We have a safety fair. We had a little garden tour. We'll probably have a holiday caroling party in December. We try to have these small events and big events throughout the year, so everybody can have fun and get involved."

"Since the association came into being, I've really seen people getting more involved in the neighborhood. It brings us together on issues," said Miller. An ongoing concern has been the future of the Cuesta Park Annex. The annex is an undeveloped remnant of the Bubb family orchards that covered much of the area from 1850 to 1950. A recent city council vote dismissed proposals to build playing fields in the annex, and preserved the land for future use as a historical site that may include a small heritage orchard to commemorate the city's agricultural roots.

Although residents do occasionally come together on issues such as the annex, the residents seem to be largely at peace.

"There's a lot of bicycling and walking," said Miller. "A lot of people walking their dogs through the neighborhood, on their way to the park and the annex. It's pretty quiet. Part of that is because there's not a lot of through streets. There were traffic issues, but the city has been very responsive to neighbors' concerns."

"I've always been very thankful for what we have," said Glenn Murata, who's lived on Nilda Avenue since 2002. "I once had a tree branch that fell down, must've been 20 feet long, and the street sweeper stopped by and asked if I wanted it cleaned up. And it was gone within the hour. It's the little things, things I hadn't expected I'd need, but found out that I did. And I appreciate them."

-- Dan Shilstone