Photos

"Small enough to know you, large enough to serve you" is the slogan proudly displayed under the heavy timber eaves at Rancho Shopping Center in Los Altos.

A steady stream of people come and go, some on bikes, some on foot, and some stopping to take a rest on a park bench just outside the stores and businesses, which sell everything from jewelry to pizza and ice cream, to physical fitness and flowers. Andronico's market anchors the shopping center that has been around since the early 1950s when Christian Wilder developed the area.

Given its age, the shopping center looks pretty fresh, upgraded over the years, with tenants changing over time. The same thing could be said for the Rancho neighborhood, bordered by Foothill Expressway, Parma Way, Riverside Drive and Springer Road.

A century ago, when the 150-acre Campbell ranch that was once filled with fruit trees changed hands, a real estate brochure described Los Altos as the "Crown of the Peninsula." The arrival of the railroad and subsequent subdividing turned what is now called Rancho into mostly quarter-acre lots.

Today the bulk of the homes are one-story, a mixture of wood, brick and stucco, with mature landscaping and trees. With no sidewalks or street lamps, and many low-lying fences defining yards, Rancho still retains a small-town character.

Robin Devaughn has lived on Riverside for 28 years now, and feels "the neighborhood has really improved."

"A lot of people have moved in and remodeled, "she said, "but the homes aren't that much bigger. They've been remodeled in a very tasteful way that fits in with the atmosphere of the neighborhood.

"The older people have left and younger people have moved in, and there are actually a lot more children now than there were" when she was raising a son, she said.

Devaughn grew up in Los Altos, and after a short stint in Palo Alto, returned to her roots because she and her husband "wanted more land and a country atmosphere."

"It's a really nice place to live, we're close to 280, close to the market, and close to town," she said.

Devaughn works on Main Street at a local travel agency, which is somewhat ironic, because wanderlust may be part of her job, but she has always worked in Los Altos, and spent most of her life in her hometown.

Laura O'Brien also grew up in Los Altos, in nearby Loyola Corners, and knew when she started her own family that she wanted to return home, too. For five years the O'Briens lived on the "busy corner" of Berry and Springer, right across the street from the Rancho Shopping Center. With more children on the way, the family recently made the move to a larger house on a quiet cul-de-sac, Arrowood Court.

The street, however, does have a reputation for hosting one lively event each year: a Halloween block party with about 100 trick-or-treaters running around in costume.

O'Brien loves her new location because of the "convenience to the stores, and the schools are good."

She can walk her kids to preschool, and admits one of the best features is, "There are days I don't even get into my car."


FACTS


CHILDCARE AND PRESCHOOLS: Children's House of Los Altos, 770 Berry Ave.

FIRE STATION: No. 16, 765 Fremont Ave.

LIBRARY: Los Altos, 13 S. San Antonio Road

PARKS: Rosita Park, 401 Rosita Ave.; McKenzie Park, 707 Fremont Ave.

POST OFFICE: Loyola Corners, 1525 Miramonte Ave.

PRIVATE SCHOOLS (NEARBY): Pinewood School, 327 & 477 Fremont Ave.; Los Altos Christian School, 625 Magdalena Ave.; Canterbury Christian School, 101 N. El Monte Ave.; Saint Francis Catholic High School, 1885 Miramonte Ave., Mtn. View

PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Los Altos School District — Loyola or Springer elementary schools, Blach Intermediate School

Mtn. View-Los Altos Union High School District — Los Altos or Mountain View High School

SHOPPING: Rancho Shopping Center, Loyola Corners, Downtown Los Altos

MEDIAN 2008 HOME PRICE: $1,920,000 ($1,700,000-$2,650,000)

HOMES SOLD: 3

— Kate Daly