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As the former home of the Pacific Press Publishing Company and the future partial site of Google, Shoreline West has a history and character as eclectic as its architecture.

The neighborhood originally broke off from Old Mountain View in 1994 in an effort to preserve the home of the city's first mayor. Today, the heavily populated area is considering tightening its boundaries even further in an effort to build close community amongst its ethnically and economically diverse populace.

Bounded by Shoreline Boulevard, El Camino Real, Escuela Avenue and Villa Street, the neighborhood's quiet, tree-lined streets lead to small shops and markets and sit in close proximity to downtown. Residents vary in age, from longtime empty-nesters to young couples.

Architectural styles range from original craftsman and Victorian single-family homes to duplexes to apartments. Julie Stanford, who's lived there since 2002, loves how the neighborhood "doesn't have a specific look. Every house looks completely different."

As newlyweds, Stanford and her husband were first attracted to Shoreline West for its location near downtown and its friendliness to growing families like their own. Today, the couple enjoys visiting with their neighbors for casual dinner gatherings throughout the year, along with hosting occasional "happy hours" in their own yard. Neighborhood volunteers also organize community potlucks every winter.

The area has become even more communal as years have passed, Stanford said. "I can walk through the neighborhood and know who lives in every house," she said. "We know everybody on our street."

Block parties of varying sizes occur throughout the year. In 2011, the Shoreline West Association of Neighbors hosted its first all-neighborhood block party, which boasted a record attendance of more than 300 people.

Neighborhood association president Deniece Watkins Smith called the event "very successful," adding, "The next day, when we all ran into each other, we all knew each other."

The block party even received support from local businesses, including one-third of its funding from A-1 Foreign Auto. Watkins Smith hopes to continue the tradition in the coming years.

Neighbors have most recently been active in developing safer crosswalks with more stop signs, and have monitored recent developments along Mariposa Avenue and El Camino Real. Overall, residents don't offer many complaints.

"Everybody that comes to the neighborhood is like, 'I wish every neighborhood could be like this,'" Watkins Smith said.

Impressed and encouraged by the tight-knit community, Stanford even convinced her business partner to move in next door.

"It's like a small town in the middle of Silicon Valley," she said. "I feel like that's really rare."

-- Casey Moore

FACTS
CHILDCARE AND PRESCHOOLS: Castro Preschool, 505 Escuela Ave.; Childrens Learning Cottage, 675 Escuela Ave.; Wonder World, 2015 Latham St. (nearby)
FIRE STATION: No. 1, 251 S. Shoreline Blvd.
LOCATION: bounded by Shoreline Boulevard, El Camino Real, Escuela Avenue and Villa Street
NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: Shoreline West Association of Neighbors (SWAN), Deniece Watkins, dsoldit@gmail.com
PARKS: Castro School Park, Toft Avenue and Latham Street; Mariposa Park, 301 Mariposa Ave.; Eagle Park and Pool, S. Shoreline Boulevard at Church Street
POST OFFICE: Mountain View, 211 Hope St.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Mtn. View-Whisman School District -- Castro Elementary School, Graham Middle School; Mtn. View-Los Altos Union High School District -- Los Altos High School
SHOPPING: Downtown Mountain View; California Street Market, 1595 California St.; Escuela Avenue at El Camino Real
MEDIAN 2012 HOME PRICE: $920,000 ($399,000-$1,405,000)
HOMES SOLD: 28
MEDIAN 2012 CONDO PRICE: $339,000 ($200,000-$615,000)
CONDOS SOLD: 17

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