North Whisman, Mountain View

James O'Hearon has seen the North Whisman neighborhood do a lot of growing up since his father was stationed at nearby Moffett Field in 1970. "At one point, this was a dirt road here, we didn't have sidewalks. We've come a long way," said O'Hearon, who bought his own home on Murlagan Avenue in the early '90s.

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North Whisman, bounded by Moffet Boulevard, Evandale Avenue, Whisman Road and Middlefield Road, has paved streets these days, and a variety of modern apartments and condos have sprung up around the original core of 1950s naval housing. But in spite of the alienating effects of modernization, recent years have seen a revitalized sense of community bloom in the quiet shade of North Whisman's tall conifers.

"We watch out for each other," said Vivian Olmos, who still lives in the home on Wake Forest Drive where she grew up during the '60s. "There's a really nice sense of community that we didn't have before. There're a lot of old-timers here still, but the newer population has reenergized the neighborhood."

North Whisman facts CHILDCARE AND PRESCHOOLS: German International School of Silicon Valley, 310 Easy St.; Kiddie Academy, 205 E. Middlefield Road; NASA Ames Child Care Center, Mail Stop N-270-1 Moffett Field; Walnut Grove Children's Center, 84 Murlagan Ave. FIRE STATION: No. 4, 229 N. Whisman Road NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: North Whisman Neighborhood Association, Soosh and Jessica Gandhi, 650-969-2429; jessicasgandhi@yahoo.com PARKS: Whisman Park, Easy Street and Middlefield Road POST OFFICE: Moffett Field, Bldg. 67 PRIVATE SCHOOLS: German International School of Silicon Valley, 310 Easy St. PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Mtn. View-Whisman School District -- Huff, Landels or Monta Loma elementary schools, Crittenden Middle School; Mtn. View-Los Altos Union High School District -- Mountain View High School SHOPPING: Strip mall on Leong Drive; retail centers on Middlefield Road and Whisman Road MEDIAN 2007 HOME PRICE: $752,500 ($547,000-$900,000) # HOMES SOLD: 4 MEDIAN 2007 CONDO PRICE: $523,000 ($280,000-$775,000) # CONDOS SOLD: 36

This revitalization is due in large part to the efforts of the North Whisman Neighborhood Association, which Soosh and Jessica Gandhi have headed since shortly after their move to Wake Forest Lane in 1999. The neighborhood association fosters community ties by organizing a variety of events, including an annual picnic at Whisman Park, Christmas caroling, a Halloween parade, potluck dinners, neighborhood cleanups and emergency-response training.

"It feels like one of those neighborhoods back in the '50s," said Jessica Gandhi. "I literally have neighbors stopping by to borrow sugar or an egg. Probably three or four have a key to my house."

Greg and Anjanette Lundell, who moved to Emily Drive in 2004, are delighted by how child friendly the neighborhood is. "Whenever a family has a new baby, the neighborhood association organizes to bring them some meals," Anjanette said. "So last year when our little baby was born, we didn't have to fix dinners the first month or two."

Parents can walk down the street and socialize while their kids play together, she said.

If residents shared any complaint about their neighborhood, it was that it no longer had a community public school. Since the closure of Whisman School in 2000, neighborhood grade-schoolers have been dispersed to three different campuses.

"It would be wonderful if our kids could walk down the street to school instead of having to drive to another neighborhood," Anjanette said.
But even without that walk to school, people get out of their houses and get to know one another.

"When I'm watering my front yard, everybody that walks by says hello," said James O'Hearon. "There are always a lot of people out walking, and running with their dogs. And we have the Steven's Creek trail. My wife and I use that almost every night. We love it."

-- Dan Shilstone