Quality of residential life is the central mindset of residents living in Midtown. Bounded by Oregon Expressway to Loma Verde Avenue to W Meadow Dr. and Alma Street to Ross Road to Middlefield Road, Midtown is valued for its placid streets and greenbelt parks. It’s no wonder then that its residents are united and determined to preserve the quiet nature of their neighborhood, making Midtown is a place where people stay once they arrive.
Since it’s founding in 1994, the Midtown Residents Association has worked to maintain the communal atmosphere that sets the Midtown – Palo Alto’s largest residential neighborhood – apart. Some 5,000 families live here in a wonderful array of Eichler, craftsman and English Tudor-style homes. While exuding the closeness of a small town, Midtownis in fact immediately accessibility to all the amenities you would expect of a major urban center plus the benefits derived from its adjacent proximity to world-class Stanford University. Midtown residents especially value being only minutes away from a major freeway, a Caltrain station, as well as great shopping and service business options.
Having a thriving commercial zone close by has been a priority for Midtown residents. Over the years residents here have been successful in transitioning what was a ragged shopping district with shuttered storefronts into a vibrant neighbor-serving commercial zone. During the dot-com boom, the Association lead the effort that prevented computer startups and dot-coms from snapping up leases that would have displaced merchant and service businesses. The result has created a retail and services district where neighbors meet, interact and hold events such as an annual ice cream social every September plus block parties and community meetings.
Midtown is an extremely family-oriented neighborhood. So many families live herethat the kids playing with each other actually works to bring parents together and get to know each other as neighbors. The result is a companionableand safe neighborhood community.Midtown also prides itself as a neighborhood with an intriguing mélange of people whose different backgrounds, occupations and cultures create a delightful community.
The recent climb of new residential construction has become a topic of concern for the neighborhood. Change though can be unsettling and the Midtown Residents Association constantly endeavors to manage the evolutionary process. The Associations efforts have aided residents and guided their acceptance that growth is good and a sign of a healthy neighborhood. As a result, residents of Midtown maintain a sense of community and warmth toward one another.
FACTS
LOCATION: between Oregon Expressway and Loma Verde Avenue to W Meadow Dr., Alma Street, Ross Road and Middlefield Road
NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: Midtown Residents Association – midtownresidents.org
POST OFFICE: Cambridge, 265 Cambridge Ave.; Main, 2085 E. Bayshore Road
FIRE STATION: No. 4, 3600 Middlefield Road
LIBRARY: Mitchell Park branch, 3700 Middlefield Road
PUBLIC SCHOOLS: El Carmelo, Fairmeadow, Hoover, Ohlone and Palo Verde Elementary Schools; J. L. Stanford Middle School; Gunn or Palo Alto High Schools
SHOPPING: Midtown Shopping Center; Middlefield Road at Loma Verde Avenue
PARKS: Greer Park; Hoover Park; Seale Park
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