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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.

"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."

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 seven 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 13 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.

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


FACTS


CHILDCARE & PRESCHOOLS: Woodside Parents' Nursery School, 3154 Woodside Road, Woodside; Woodside Preschool, 3195 Woodside Road, Woodside

FIRE STATION: 3111 Woodside Road, Woodside

PARK: Huddart County Park. 1100 Kings Mountain Road, Woodside; Wunderlich County Park, 4040 Woodside Road, Woodside

NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: www.woodsidehills.org

PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Redwood City School District — Henry Ford School, 2498 Massachusetts, Redwood City; Kennedy Middle School, 2521 Goodwin Ave., Redwood City; plus magnet schools

Sequoia Union High School District — Woodside High School, 199 Churchill Ave., Woodside

SHOPPING: Woodside Road, Woodside

MEDIAN 2008 HOME PRICE: $2,197,500 ($1,815,000-$3,250,000)

HOMES SOLD: 8

View the neighborhood map (PDF)

— Kathy Schrenk