The Del Oro neighborhood is a pretty pocket of the Cambrian district in San Jose directly on the border with Los Gatos at Blossom Hill Road. Most blocks enjoy large, mature street trees, and views of the coastal foothills are plentiful.
Where is the Del Oro neighborhood?
The Del Oro neighborhood in San Jose 95124 is bordered by Blossom Hill Road on the south, 1 house in from Leigh Avenue to the west, the utility easement behind Anne Way to the north, and the water or underground creek easement between Bobbywood Avenue and Mary Jo Way to the east. Streets included are Del Oro Drive, Del Oro Place, Del Oro Court, Tesoro Court, part of Anne Way, Anne Court, most of Copeland Lane, Copeland Place, and Copeland Court.
Students in this area attend Noddin Elementary, Union Middle, and Leigh High School – and those schools are a popular draw for this Silicon Valley community. The Del Oro neighborhood actually backs up to the Leigh campus. The other side of Blossom Hill Road lies the Belwood of Los Gatos neighborhood and the Belgatos area. As you can see from the map below, it is close to Belgatos Park, which includes some great trails as well as a playground, and also the Heinz Open Space Preserve and a good network of trails.
What are homes like in the Del Oro neighborhood?
This part of Cambrian consists of mostly single story ranch style homes, but there are some 2 story houses. Additionally, some Del Oro neighborhood homes are Spanish style, there are some French with a Mansard roof, etc. – so a bit of variety. Most of the streets are tree lined and there are sidewalks to make it even more inviting for pedestrians. And of course, the coastal hills are not far, and they make a beautiful back drop of the neighborhood.
Some details:
- 183 single family homes
- 143 of them were built in 1968, 4 in 1967
- 30 were built between 1959 and 1964
- average square footage is 1792 SF (range is 1057 Sf to 2793 SF)
- average lot size is 6691 SF (largest lot is 11,097 SF, but most properties have 5900 to 8000 SF)
- average house has 3 to 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms
- 2 bedrooms = 1 house
- 3 bedrooms = 96 homes
- 4 bedrooms = 84 properties
- 5 bedrooms = 1 house
- 6 bedrooms = 1 house
- most homes have 2 car attached garages
- as of this writing, 15 are rental homes and the rest are owner occupied (92% owner occupied)
- 36 of them have pools (20% do have pools, 90% do not)
- 111 (61%) are 1 story houses, 48 have 2 stories, and 20 are tri-levels.
Most of the homes seem to be well cared for and updated, and most are basically ranch style. This first image displays a house with a taller than usual roofline, which is a beautiful improvement over the more typical low profile ranch roof.
And here’s another, this one a little Spanishy with the arched window and entry area (but not tile roof).
This next one is a French style with a Mansard roof – something we do not often see in Silicon Valley!
And another:
But there are some with an original second story – basically a two story ranch configuration.
And some are older ranch styles. There is a large area of Cambrian known as Dutch Haven, and many of the houses there are in this style with the scalloped woodwork and the false peak over the front facing room’s window.
Del Oro neighborhood: any drawbacks?
Every neighborhood has strengths and weaknesses. Right behind Anne Way there are high voltage power lines and the occasional power tower. Beyond them is the Leigh High School campus and fields. Some properties back directly to the athletic fields, which can be seen as a plus or a minus.
With this first image, you see a power tower.
A little further away, there’s no tower, but there are bright lights to illuminate a sports field (you may have to look hard to see it – right side, just over the roof).
Blossom Hill Road is a very busy street, so obviously being directly on it, or even too close to it, will be viewed negatively, and homes will sell for a little less with that location issue. At the same time, that does make it easier for some to buy into a great neighborhood!
What do houses cost in the Del Oro area of Cambrian?
Depending on many factors, such as size, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, lot size, condition, and above all the exact location, homes in the Del Oro part of Cambrian are selling for between $1,380,000 to $1,680,000 in recent months. The hardest locations for selling are along Anne Way (power lines) and Blossom Hill Road (traffic). Year to date in 2018, 4 houses have sold and closed, and 3 of them have been between $1,600,000 and $1,700,000 and only one that sold at a low price of $1,380,000. If budgeting for this area, expect a turnkey home in a good part of the community to fetch at least $1,6 mil. Right now, there are 2 houses for sale, both offered at less than $1.5 mil. Do check them out!
Some other Cambrian neighborhoods:
Villa Cambrian subdivision in Cambrian’s Parker area
Lone Hill Highlands neighborhood in Cambrian Park
The “King Street” Neighborhood of Cambrian Park on the Los Gatos Border
