Close to the Los Gatos border sits one of the more affordable Cambrian neighborhoods in San Jose and the west valley generally.  It enjoys lovely views of the hills, great public schools with high API scores, a neighborhood private school to boot, and convenient access to freeways and stores.  There’s no sign, marker or gateway to the area, so many of its residents are probably unaware that the official name to it is Cambrian Gardens.

This neighborhood provides an incredible “bang for the buck” for home buyers wanting excellent schools and not wanting to pay luxury home pricing.  In many ways, it’s a “sleeper” – meaning that many people don’t know it’s there, but it’s a good deal!

Where is the Cambrian Gardens area of Cambrian?

The rough borders are Union Avenue, Los Gatos-Almaden Road, Leigh Avenue, and the West Valley Freeway (85).

Not everything within that area is part of the tracts which make up Cambrian Gardens, though. It was developed just south of and directly adjacent to the Cambrian Park area which is so well known, but now separated from it by the freeway. (Click image or here to see live map in Google.)

Cambrian Garden Landmarks

Homes built in this part of Silicon Valley were clustered around the later-built neighborhood public school (bordered by Clarinda, Laurinda, Emeline and Sandy), James De Voss, which is now leased out as a private one, the Global School, as well as Little Oak Preschool. The other major landmark to the neighborhood is Ross Creek, which slides through the middle. With it come frogs, egrets, ducks and other wildlife which are generally welcome.

What are houses like in the Cambrian Gardens neighborhood?

The property was subdivided, developed and built beginning in the late 1950s.  Most sections were completed by the early 60s but one part (Mise and Stuckey) came much later and houses there a bit larger.

Typically, the original construction consisted of smaller ranch style houses on about 6000 square foot lots with 3-4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and anywhere from 1100 to 1600 square feet. (Most common: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and 1200- 1300 SF.) Most lots have a frontage of about 60 feet with lots going back about 100 feet.

Since there were several builders, there are likewise several designs. At the same time, though, most were built within a few years of one another so basic features tend to be similar.Fireplaces, front porches, sliding glass doors to back patios, the use of tile, hardwood and abundant windows are all hallmarks of these homes.

Kitchens: a real estate trend of that era was “galley” style kitchens with a breakfast nook area or eat-in kitchen so that’s predominantly what you’ll find here. Some houses have both a formal dining area (dining “L” or combined living-dining room) as well as a breakfast room. Cabinets were often built under soffits, so if remodeling, it’s easy to get more storage by simply bringing the cabinets down directly from the ceiling.

Bathrooms: As with other construction of that vintage, bathrooms were built with efficiency in mind and are compact. The hall bath usually has a shower over the tub and the master bath includes a stall shower in most cases. (The latter often has a built in cabinet next to the shower which could be “blown out” to make a bigger stall shower.)

Houses are set fairly far back on the lot, which was typical for the time in which these properties were built.  For buyers with an eye to expansion, this means there’s room to add on in front (some build up, some build out when adding on).

Garage & laundry: Laundry is usually in the garage.  Most properties have an attached 2 car garage, but one builder provided an option that enabled purchasers to elect a 1 car garage + family or bonus room (and also to have an inside laundry room). A lot of houses have an extra wide side yard just off the garage, which appears to have been intended to function as an area for a drying line.

The majority, if not all of these houses, were built with hardwood floors (all but kitchen and bathrooms in most cases) and forced air heat (but again, one builder used wall heaters – though most of those have since been upgraded by later owners to forced air heating). They are almost exclusively on raised foundations, not slab (exception that I’m aware of being the “bonus” option on the 1 or 2 car garage design, where the family or bonus room is on slab – the rest of the house on a perimeter or raised foundation).

A challenge with some designs in the area is a shortage of closet space (for what we are used to today).  To reclaim some interior space for closets, some homeowners move the furnace from an interior space to either the garage or attic, thus adding another closet.  Others add on to the house, build “organizers” in the existing closets and have other ways of minimizing their need for more.

In looking through the Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions, or CCRs, I was surprised to see the name McKeon twice listed out of three names for those who subdivided this area.  The McKeons are best known in this area for the many, many fourplexes that dot Santa Clara County.  (There were several builders, though.)

What about the schools?

This area is not all served by the same public elementary schools.  One section, north of Ross Creek, has attendance at Carlton Elementary and the other, south of Ross Creek, at Alta Vista. Both are extremely well regarded.  (Please see the boundary map for the Union School District online.) All attend Union Middle School and Leigh High School.  Here are the numbers for the API Report numbers for 2010:

• Carlton: 930 API
• Alta Vista 938 API
• Union Middle 892 API
• Leigh High 817 API

What do homes cost in Cambrian Gardens?

Naturally there is a range of size, condition, and sale type (regular sale vs short sale or bank owned) and those all influence resale value or market value.  Additionally, there are more and less desirable areas: Leigh and Los Gatos-Almaden Road are much busier than more interior streets such as Kenlar, Tilden, or Nerissa (which has no through traffic at all).  And, of course, homes that are very close to the freeway will be louder and that also impacts a buyer’s probable value for the home.

Disclaimers aside, at this time prices are running mostly in the 500s and 600s with exceptions for the extremes one way or the other (big additions or homes needing a lot of work in a less desirable area). You can check on the current Cambrian real estate market conditions here.

Overall, it’s an inexpensive area for the quality of the schools and is a great choice for people who want to live either in the Alta Vista neighborhood or perhaps closer to Carlton Elementary (such as in the King Streets or El Gato Terrace areas) but don’t want to spend that much.

See photo slide show of San Jose’s Cambrian Gardens area

Just listed: Beautiful, updated & remodeled Cambrian Gardens home on oversized lot!
Beautiful Cambrian Home, Large Lot, Alta Vista School, Affordable Price!

The Alta Vista neighborhood, which sits along the border of Los Gatos and the Cambrian Park district of San Jose, is very highly sought after and valued for many, many reasons. Real estate prices vary depending upon the precise location within the neighborhood as well as the size and condition of the home.

Why is this area so popular?  Most of the streets close to Alta Vista School are beautifully tree-lined, and from virtually everywhere in the neighborhood, you are close to Blossom Hill (that’s the name of the hill, not just the name of the road!).  Homes are well kept, streets are wide enough, and except when there’s a school function, there really aren’t too many cars on the street. It is very scenic, pleasant and uncrowded feeling.  Although you’re in the city or town, you feel close to the country there.

Additionally, many homebuyers select this area because the school scores are high and because it’s easy to get to the elementary and middle schools without crossing any major streets: that is a big plus!  It is also a quick drive to highway 85, just a couple of miles to the Los Gatos shopping areas (at Los Gatos Blvd and Blossom Hill Road) or to Vasona Lake County Park.  For many, it’s a way to be close to Los Gatos while paying less expensive San Jose prices.

Prior to being developed for housing, this spot at the base of Blossom Hill was once blanketed in orchards and was scenic enough that it was part of the “blossom tours” that used to take place at the height of the flowering.  Hence, one large section of this neighborhood has street names that begin with “blossom”.

Where is the Alta Vista neighborhood? What are the landmarks?

The neighborhood considered to be “Alta Vista” has three strong borders and one vague one. The three well defined edges are Blossom Hill Road, Union Avenue, and Los Gatos Almaden Road. The fourth boundary is approximately the edge of Ross Creek, which runs behind Westchester Drive, but perhaps some would argue that it goes a little further.

View Alta Vista Area of Cambrian & Los Gatos in a larger map

There are several landmarks in the neighorhood:

• Alta Vista School
• Union Middle School
• The Downing Shopping Center (at the corner of Union & LG ALmaden)
• Blossom Hill and the coastal foothills
• The high voltage power lines (runs behind Blossom Valley Drive)
• Ross Creek (behind Westchester)
• Three major roads: Blossom Hill Road, Union Avenue, and Los Gatos Almaden Road

The terrain of the neighborhood runs from hilly (only a few homes close to Blossom Hill Road have much of a slope or a view) to flat, with most of the properties being fairly or completely level.

San Jose and Los Gatos have a very strange boundary line in this area, and it is very confusing to folks who visit for the first time.  If you were to drive along Blossom Valley Drive, for instance, at the intersection with Westchester you’d be in Los Gatos, then heading south east you’d be in San Jose, and by the time you get to Pinehurst you’re back in Los Gatos again.  The house numbers jump and you move in and out of Cambrian Park: a home with 3 digits is in Los Gatos but one with a 4 digit address is San Jose.  When it goes back and forth, it’s very confusing. The neighborhood has something like a peninsula of San Jose poking into a sea of Los Gatos – perhaps because the builder could put more homes on San Jose lots, which could be smaller? That would be my guess.

What kind of homes are found in the Alta Vista Neighborhood? What does it cost to live there?

There are a few larger homes on much bigger parcels along Nimrick Lane but most of the homes are ranch style, ranging from about 1100 square feet on the small side to perhaps 2500 on the large side, with most houses under 2000 SF.  There are a few multi-family units along Pinehurst, but by and large the area has single family homes.  Parcels run, generally, between 6000 SF and 8000 SF – with exceptions.  There are a few larger lots closer to Blossom Hill Road and toward Los Gatos along and near Lu Ray Drive, Camino del Cerro etc.

The “blossom” streets (Blossom Dale, Blossom Tree, Blossom Vista, Blossom Crest etc.) were Garcia-built tract homes (Garcia homes are found in many parts of San Jose, including along the “King” streets near Good Samaritan Hospital).  Most of those properties are in San Jose, 95124.  Part of the same tract, though, is in Los Gatos 95032: homes along the southern part of Pinehurst, Danville, Blossom Villa and parts of Blossom Valley. They’re solidly built homes.

The other side of the power lines was built by a several builders.  There are some tract homes with shared floorplans, but many of the homes there (Baron, Kunkel, Keene, etc.) are semi-custom homes.

Behind the school and closer to downtown Los Gatos, homes and lots are larger, the addresses are Los Gatos and there were a few builders involved.  These are, of course, more expensive than much smaller homes on  smaller lots with a San Jose address.

Home prices can range from the $600′s to well past one and a half million dollars, “depending”. Estimating what a home might be worth can be tricky because there are a number of variables, from which city the property is located in (can make a 3-5% difference, sometimes more or less), whether or not there’s a view, the home & lot size, the proximity of the power lines, whether or not the property is on the Shannon Fault, how close it is to the schools, and the improvements made or deferred.

Would you like to see Alta Vista homes for sale?  Click on the link below for an interactive map of homes for sale in the Alta Vista neighborhood. Note, there aren’t many! This is a “low turnover” neighborhood!

What are the “issues”, if any, in the Alta Vista area?

There aren’t many, but here are the biggest areas of concern:

1. The Shannon Earthquake Fault cuts through part of this area, so a few homes may be sitting directly on this fault (which I believe is considered “minor”, but check it out with a geologist)
2. The high voltage power lines cut through the middle of the neighborhood. Homes that are immediately adjacent to them, especially to the power towers, will have a harder time selling and will sell for less than a similar home further away. Those who own the homes, though, are often happy at the extra open space. Many have had P, G & E test the area and found that the EMFs emitted are stronger in front of their microwave than in their front or back yards…but do check out this issue thoroughly yourself if you decide to buy in that location.
3. The proximity of the beautiful hill means that water is going to be more of an issue with the clay soils that we have here.  Too many homeowners, in this neighborhood and throughout Silicon Valley, do not divert water away from their homes (even neglecting downspout extenders, which are very cheap and extremely important).  This translates into potential drainage and foundation issues, and the closer you are to the hill, the more crucial an issue this can become.  Ignore the water and the foundation will probably crack, your home will get out of level to an unacceptable amount, and the repairs will be costly.

How is the Alta Vista real estate market? It is part Cambrian Park real estate market, part Los Gatos so it’s a good idea to keep an eye on both markets in the Union School District area.
I have had the pleasure of selling a number of homes in the Alta Vista area over the years (since 1993), both in this immediate area as well as on streets that “belong” to Alta Vista such as Heather Drive, Rosswood Drive, Bel Estos, Kensington, and many more. Whether you are buying or selling a home in or near Alta Vista, please give me a call. I would welcome the chance to talk with you about working together to meet your real estate goals in this beautiful neighborhood.

Please also check out posts on Cambrian Gardens neighborhood (half goes to Alta Vista, half to Carlton) and also post on my listing at 5114 Nerissa Way, San Jose (affordable home in Alta Vista’s attendance area)