Mountain View Community Guide

From stagecoach stop to Google headquarters, Mountain View has evolved into a Silicon Valley mainstay with a population of over 80,000.

There are more renters than homeowners here. You’re going to find tons of condos and apartments but also plenty of residential neighborhoods full of single-family homes. It’s common for there to be apartments, condos, townhomes, duplexes, ranch-style homes and multi-story homes—all within a couple blocks of one another. A pro-tenant rent control measure was passed in 2016. Though there’s recently been pressure to raise the rent control cap.

Downtown Mountain View has its fair share of restaurants and retail options but it hasn’t seen as much evolution as other thriving Bay Area downtowns. There’s still a lot of old school places here. You can also count on diverse dining—Chinese, Vietnamese, French, Mediterranean, Mexican, Korean, Japanese, Indian, Italian and my favorite Spanish restaurant, Cascal. Red Rock Cafe is popular with the high-tech crowd and has a second story with open mic nights and local bands.

The “Googleplex” is definitely the most well-known company headquarters in Mountain View, bringing more than 23,000 workers into the city each day. Their footprint in the city continues to expand with a 1.3 million-square-foot development recently approved on a 42-acre site. They’re not the only big name in town though—LinkedIn expanded their Mountain View headquarters recently and Intuit, Microsoft and Samsung all have offices here. There’s a lot of development along San Antonio Road, including approval of a seven-story office building. Highway 85, 237 and 101 all intersect with Mountain View for those commuting out of the city.

Caltrain connects with VTA light rail in Mountain View and is a popular route for those heading to 49ers games or concerts at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. Many headlining acts also perform at Shoreline Amphitheatre, an outdoor venue with a 22,500 person capacity and a popular summer country concert series. The Century Cinema 16 also brings people into the city for entertainment. The Computer History Museum is another noteworthy place to visit with the largest collection of computer-related artifacts in the world.

Close to the amphitheater and originally a landfill, Shoreline is now a standout recreation area with hiking trails, golf, a dog park, kite flying area and a man-made, 50-acre salt water lake with sailing, standup paddle boarding, kayaking, windsurfing and more. An on-site bistro offers dining, picnic baskets, catering, beer and wine.

Moffett Field sits next to Mountain View on unincorporated land. Once a naval air station, it’s now home to the NASA Ames Research Center. Hangar One is one of the world’s largest freestanding structures and can be seen from afar as you drive down highway 101.

Most Mountain View addresses fall under the Mountain View-Whisman School District, though some are part of the Los Altos School District. Mountain View schools are mostly good but Los Altos schools rank even higher, with that being a huge factor as to what the most desirable neighborhoods are. Students then attend either Mountain View or Los Altos High School, both score very well on college readiness. There are several private schools including Saint Francis High School and Khan Lab School, a mastery-based school for ages 5-18+ where academic progress is based on mastery versus age.

Communities vary dramatically from east to west of El Camino. Neighboring towns are Palo Alto, Los Altos and Sunnyvale and that’s also going to affect the vibe as well. Let’s dig into the 25 communities that make up Mountain View:

Old Mountain View

Old Mountain View is home to downtown with Castro Street being at the center of the action. You’ll find a mixture of families and young professionals strolling the streets and stopping in at the dozens of restaurants and cafes. Public transportation is easily accessible, the library is close by and there’s a Sunday Farmer’s Market. You’re going to find a lot of multi-family housing here with duplexes, studios and smaller square footage.

Shoreline West

Head north to Shoreline West and you’ll still benefit from downtown proximity with a friendly neighborhood feel. People began populating the area in the early 1900s and by the 70s many homes were in disrepair. The city allocated federal grants that helped spruce things up. In the last couple of decades, new homeowners have moved in and torn down many homes completely, opting for much larger ones. There are a lot of apartment buildings, parks, a teen center, the Khan Lab School and plenty of stores and quick service restaurants along El Camino.

Castro City

This is a small community—just a couple blocks off South Rengstorff Avenue, from Central Expressway to California Street. There are a lot of long-time residents. When a home does become available, it’s a popular choice with first-time homebuyers looking for a more affordable, modestly-sized option. On the other side of Rengstorff Avenue is the Mountain View Community Center and Rengstorff Park with a pool, skatepark, tennis courts, baseball field, picnic area and dog park.

Greater San Antonio

Fittingly nestled next to San Antonio Road and the San Antonio Caltrain station, this is a small community of townhouses and condos. The neighborhood is surrounded by large retailers—Walmart, Target, Safeway, Trader Joe’s, Joann Fabrics, Kohl’s—all just on the other side of California Street. Street parking can be tight. Residents are part of the Los Altos School District with highly rated schools.

Monta Loma

On the other side of Central Expressway, Monta Loma is in the northernmost part of Mountain View, sharing a border with Palo Alto. The streets are lined with mid-century modern homes, including many built by Joseph Eichler. There’s less remodeling happening here than other neighborhoods so it’s really preserved its unique vibe. It’s also where you’ll find Google’s X company, a research facility that works on “moonshots,” radical new technologies to make the world a better place. Don’t be surprised to see a self-driving car out on a test drive. The neighborhood is just blocks away from popular Palo Alto amenities like the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo, Magical Bridge Playground and Mitchell Park Library.

Rex Manor/Mountain Shadows

With its close proximity to Google, Rex Manor is home to a mix of long-time residents and tech workers. Homes here are modest, though many undergo remodels as tech money rolls in. People like this neighborhood because it has a suburban feel while being centrally located to shopping, entertainment and other Mountain View amenities. Stevenson Park is at the heart of the neighborhood and next to Theuerkauf Elementary School.

Moffett Boulevard

There’s a little bit of everything in Moffett Boulevard with a mix of single-family homes, townhouses, condos, apartments and a mobile home park. It’s close to parks, downtown, Caltrain and a Safeway. This is a bike-friendly community with access to bike trails and plans to improve bike lanes that would lead to the tech companies on the other side of Highway 101.

Jackson Park

This is a small, couple-block section connected to the Moffett Boulevard neighborhood. It sits opposite downtown on the other side of busy Central Expressway. It’s a mix of older, one-story and remodeled, two-story homes. It has a small but peaceful neighborhood park with a playground, sand box and grassy areas.

Willowgate

Moving south, Willowgate also sits opposite downtown along Central Expressway. It has a natural setting with a ton of mature trees that makes it feel like a true escape from the bustle. It’s a mix of single-family homes, apartments and condos, including woodsy Cypress Point Lakes Condominiums with lush foliage and peaceful waterways. There’s an entrance to Stevens Creek Trail, a paved 5 mile trail will take you out towards the bay. Willowgate Community Garden offers residents a unique opportunity even if they don’t have a yard. There are 84 individual plots available for $135 per year (discounted for 55+). Beware though, the waitlist is long. Other neighborhood amenities include Silicon Valley Tennis and the Historic Adobe Building, a registered historical landmark available for event rentals.

Stierlin Estates

Take the Shoreline Boulevard exit off Highway 101 and enter into the industrial area of Stierlin Estates with a Public Storage, Recology, Church of Scientology, biotech and high tech offices. Away from the freeway, you’ll find a lot of older, one-story homes. San Vernon Park is small with a basketball court, playground and lawn. A soundwall borders the neighborhood along Stevens Creek Highway.

North Whisman

You’ll find this neighborhood south of Stevens Creek Highway off 101. It’s extremely close to Google’s main campus and you can run into some traffic as their buses shuttle employees to work and home each day. This is another neighborhood with a concentration of multi-family housing, including Tyrella Gardens, affordable rental housing. In 2018, the City Council approved plans to replace other apartments in the neighborhood with small row homes aimed at middle-income owners. You’ll find a mix of older homes and new developments like this in North Whisman. Hetch Hetchy Trail runs through the neighborhood and connects to Stevens Creek Trail.

Wagon Wheel

Immediately south of North Whisman you’ll find Wagon Wheel. These two neighborhoods blend together with their combination of mixed-family and single-family housing, and share a similar community vibe. The name actually comes from Walker’s Wagon Wheel, a bar frequented by engineers from local semiconductor companies. The tavern was shut down in 1997 and demolished in 2003 but a replica wagon wheel is actually at the Computer History Museum to commemorate this early meeting place for Silicon Valley minds.

Slater

Slater sits west of North Whisman and Wagon Wheel, to Central Expressway. It tends to be more affordable as a lot of homes are still in their original 1950s condition. There’s also a lot of apartments like the sprawling two-story Central Park complex. This area of Mountain View was lacking a school since Slater Elementary closed in 2006. The campus was actually leased to Google as a day care facility for their employees. The community campaigned hard to reopen Slater, and it was opened as Vargas Elementary in 2019. It serves K-4 students from the Whisman, Wagon Wheel and Slater neighborhoods. Downtown can be reached via the Stevens Creek Trail.

Whisman Station

On the other side of North Whisman Road is Whisman Station, a planned community popular with commuters. Whisman Light Rail Station sits at the center of the neighborhood and will connect you to downtown San Jose, or you’re one stop away from downtown Mountain View and Caltrain. Residents started moving into this mix of condos, townhouses and single-family in 1998 so it’s all fairly new construction surrounded by well-laid plans that include 2 acres of parks, a community pool and lots of trees.

Sylvan Park

Sylvan Park is the southernmost section of Mountain View between Central Expressway and El Camino. There is every type of housing here—tons of apartments, single-family homes, townhomes, duplexes and mobile home parks. It’s close to all the major freeways and downtown. Residents have access to one of Mountain View’s larger parks, Sylvan Park, whose highlights include tennis courts and exercise equipment.

Cuernavaca

This neighborhood is a little enclave in the southernmost part of Mountain View. It’s a newer development completed in 1989, with attached and detached Spanish-style homes. Red-tiled roofs and lush, well-kept landscaping are designed to make you feel like you’re in your own little resort community. It’s close to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation campus, Safeway and the stores lining El Camino. But despite being close to the action, it keeps a quiet neighborhood feel with only two entrances into the community’s circular street that has cul-de-sacs shooting off.

Martens-Carmelita

West of El Camino and north of Highway 85, this was originally a rural area and remnants still exist today with limited sidewalks, larger lots and backyard sheds. This neighborhood also maintains a peaceful vibe with its configuration of circular streets and cul-de-sacs. Smaller cottages have been remodeled into larger homes over the years. Frank L. Huff Elementary School sits on the edge of the neighborhood. Residents can easily access Stevens Creek Trail.

Waverly Park

Further west along Highway 85 you’ll find Waverly Park. This is one of Mountain View’s more elite neighborhoods with spacious homes on large lots. Formerly an apricot orchard, the majority of homes were built in the 60s, 70s or 80s. The completion of The Enclave within the past decade has added newer, bigger single-family homes with up to 6 bedrooms on 8000 square-feet lots. The 15-acre site of the Enclave actually used to be a local pumpkin patch that residents remember fondly. Cooper Park, Stevens Creek Trail and highly regarded Mountain View High School are all right within the neighborhood.

Dutch Haven

This tiny neighborhood can be found in a corner of the Waverly Park neighborhood, near Cooper Park. It’s right across Grant Road from sprawling Cuesta Park, the YMCA and El Camino Hospital. Cul-de-sacs add to the quiet charm of this neighborhood of one-story homes.

Cuesta Park

This is a large neighborhood along El Camino, opposite of Old Mountain View. This is a popular place to live. It’s close to downtown, the Neighborhood Association puts on a ton of community events and it’s home to Cuesta Park where families come for weekend barbecues, bocce ball, tennis, volleyball and the Summer Sounds concert series. The neighborhood has a mix of apartments and single-family homes with a lot of new construction going on all the time.

Blossom Valley

Once a series of orchards, Blossom Valley is composed of four sub-neighborhoods--Springer Meadows, Varsity Park, Blossom Valley Estates and Gest Ranch. The first homes built here were modest in size but newer ones can be more than 3,000 square feet. People who move to Blossom Valley tend to be long-time residents. Depending on your address, kids will either go to Los Altos or Mountain View schools. Los Altos schools are very good and attract many young families to the area. Blossom Valley Shopping Center has just about everything you need—anchored by a Safeway with nail salon, hair salon, karate lessons, pet food, dentist, bagel shop and more.

Eastern Varsity Park

A small section within Blossom Valley, Eastern Varsity Park is a neighborhood of mostly ranch-style homes.This tiny neighborhood is anchored by Varsity Park with prestigious sounding streets surrounding it—Cornell Drive, Tulane Court, Yale Drive. The area was developed in the 60s and most homes have undergone some type of remodeling since they were originally built. Fruit trees line the front yards along Tulane Drive. Most residents feed into the Los Altos school district for elementary and middle school.

Springer Meadows

Another sub-community of Blossom Valley, Springer Meadows has that genuine close-knit neighborhood feel that is made apparent by their annual September block party. The location here is really desirable which makes homes here pricier. You’re walking distance to downtown, Cuesta Park and for some addresses, fall under the Los Altos School District.You’ll find a mix of original ranch-style and remodeled two-story homes along quiet cul-de-sacs. A ton of shopping centers are close by including Blossom Valley, Rancho and Grant Road Plaza Shopping Center.

St. Francis Acres

A small neighborhood west of El Camino, St. Francis Acres is the type of place where you actually know your neighbors. A lot of cul-de-sacs add to the family-friendly, block party feel. Celebrations for Halloween and Memorial Day are partially funded by the city’s neighborhood grant program that supports activities to bring neighbors together. Homes here are modest in size with residents commonly opting to remodel and add a second story. It’s part of the desirable Los Altos School District.

Gemello

Another gem on the west side of El Camino, Gemello is a quiet neighborhood near Los Altos—though it falls under the Mountain View-Whisman School District. Ranch-style homes, mature trees and long-time residents give this community an inviting feel. There have been more apartments, condos and townhouses built in recent years. Rent tends to be a bit higher than other parts of Mountain View. The neighborhood is actually named after the family winery that used to be here. It’s since been sold and renamed Obester Winery in Half Moon Bay.