Woodside Hills

The views from Woodside Hills on a clear day reach from the redwood-studded hills to the west all the way across the Bay to Mount Diablo. But it's the neighborhood and the neighbors themselves that really draw people to settle here, Linda Kellogg says.

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"We really enjoy the peace and quiet," she adds, while also relishing the close proximity of the freeway and shopping at places like Stanford. "We feel like we're at a resort or something."

"You're not really that close to your neighbors," Mr. Schoenfeld says, referring to physical proximity. "We're not really in each other's way."

Indeed, the landscaping and shade trees that blend highly manicured looks with natural settings evoke feelings of the Monterey Peninsula's 17-Mile Drive. Landscaped islands along the main road -- Woodside Drive -- and at the end of the cul-de-sacs that jut off it are expertly maintained by the Woodside Hills Homes Association.

The homes are luxurious, but not ostentatious. "We want things to remain really rustic," Ms. Kellogg, a resident for more than five years, says. Residents seem to understand that no one wants an Atherton-style monster home here, she adds.

"Peaceful and secluded" are the words Bill Davey uses to describe the place. Residents enjoy burbling creeks along their properties and walking trails that wind through the hills.

And few want to leave. Out of about 250 homes, only a dozen or so go on the market each year.

Many homes get passed on from parents to children, Mr. Davey says. It's a testament to the idyllic nature of this Woodside neighborhood east of Interstate 280 that a drive through the area reveals a conspicuous dearth of for-sale signs. Even the man who developed the neighborhood in the 1930s, David Bohannon, lived in the home he built in Woodside Hills until his death 12 years ago; and his daughter still lives in that house, according to the neighborhood association Web site.

And everyone gets along.

"This isn't Leave it to Beaver because our homes are a couple of acres apart, but it's close to it and we watch out for each other," Ms. Kellogg says.

The neighborhood association puts out e-mail alerts when something is up in the neighborhood, like a recent spate of mail thefts and a mountain lion sighting, she says.

Each year the association puts on a summer party at someone's home. Ms. Kellogg was surprised to see many new young families with kids at this year's party, where they exchanged phone numbers and set up play dates.

After 20 years, Mr. Davey says, "there's no place in the world I'd rather live than right there."

-- Kathy Schrenk