South of Seminary/Vintage Oaks, Menlo Park

Diane Farmer lives in the South of Seminary neighborhood with her 95 year old mother Jessie Farmer in the three-bedroom, two-bath home her parents bought in l941 for $5900. Her street is lined with liquid amber, and old walnut trees, and she describes the homes as "modest."

Click the map to view a larger image

South of Seminary is geographically defined by Middlefield Road, Willow Road, Coleman Avenue and Santa Monica Avenue, and is bordered by modest homes and apartment buildings, with the new development of Vintage Oaks in the center.

Most homes were built in the 1940s and early '50s. The neighborhood was named because of its proximity to St. Patrick's Seminary, which was dedicated in l898 and once occupied 86 acres donated to the Catholic Church by Kate Johnson.

The neighborhood consists of one-story houses on small lots, with some apartments lining the edges along Coleman Avenue and Willow Road. There are sidewalks, but no curbs. And, residents are walking distance to a small supermarket and Sunset Magazine and Books.

Residents say it's a friendly neighborhood where people are welcoming. When neighbors get sick, word gets out and food magically appears. And neighbors gather every year for the Fourth of July and again in the fall for a block party on Nash Avenue.

"There hasn't been a lot of change on our block," says Ms. Farmer. "The (Vintage Oaks) subdivision is the biggest change in the neighborhood."

Forty-six acres of this former pastoral retreat is now known as Vintage Oaks, and consists of 131 homes and 14 duet-style townhouses. The latter are reserved for people who work for the city, such as government officials and school teachers.

"They kept a lot of native heritage trees, so from the day we moved in it looked like a neighborhood that had been here a while," says Gary Harpell, whose 11,000 square foot lot he defines as "typical." Homes range from 2600 to 3900 square feet.

Dr. Richard Green and his wife Lynda moved into Vintage Oaks in the first of the three phases of development. "We all moved in at the same time, so we became very close," he says -- a seemingly universal sentiment in the area -- encouraged by neighborhood BBQs and book groups.

"There are six floor plans, and each plan offers several style choices, such as Tudor, Craftsman, English cottage. Also, a certain number of the floor plans are reversed. Combine that with different color choices, and it explains why it doesn't look like a development," he says.

Marilyn Bautista, mother of three school aged children, lives in a traditional home with a front porch and picket fence. She describes Vintage Oaks as "a community that raises kids." She says that the annual Halloween parade is "magical" and she appreciates that her children can walk to the two acre playground incorporated into the complex.

Sidewalks on one side of each street encourage safe walking, and there is no through traffic because the roads are windy and there is limited access.

Although you no longer see the seminary students coming out every Thursday on their bikes, their black robes streaming -- a sight recalled by Jessie Farmer -- the neighbors still enjoy the seminary bells.

"I intend to live here forever," says Mr. Harpell.

-- Susan Golovin