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College Terrace

As its name suggests, when you arrive in the College Terrace neighborhood of Palo Altoyou know you’re in a college town. You quickly sense you’re in an exclusively residential, pedestrian friendly community at the foot of one of America’s premier centers of learning,StanfordUniversity.In addition to having Stanford as its ‘next door neighbor’, even the streets in the area echo a collegiate attitude bearing the names of such East Coast colleges as Harvard, Columbia, Yale, Oberlin and Bowdoin. Its close adjacency to Stanford means CollegeTerrace is fully engaged with youth and learning.

The neighborhood group, the College Terrace Residents’ Association (CTRA), brings residents together to foster an engaged, higher quality of life. It works hard to represent and look after the best interests of its resident’s interests, interacting on their behalf with boththe city of Palo Alto and Stanford.

College Terrace, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Palo Alto, has a rich history and tradition. Housing in College Terrace is a diverse mix of relatively modest one and two story homes to small apartments, all ranging in age and style as well. For the most part, modest single-story cottages are typical here, but you’ll also come upon beautiful and larger Victorian homes. Most homes are situated on small, tidy lots with either two-car garages or long driveways.

While being one of Palo Alto’s more humble neighborhoods, College Terrace is also a pretty busy area. It has everything from flat, tree-lined streets that shade sidewalks to a downplayed religious fervor. It is an extremely convenient location for students, young families and long-term residents who want to stay connected to the university’s rich culture and campus events. Geographically, College Terrace encompasses about twelve blocks by two blocks, running from Alma Street to Junipero Serra Boulevard.

College Terrace also has a burgeoning and diverse population of about 5,000 residents who are often referred to as “the melting pot of Stanford”. Here you’ll find an exciting mix of young and old, locals and people from far away, owner residents and renters, single-family homes and small apartments – a worldly community with small town ambiance.

Living in College Terrace also comes with some issues and challenges. A major concern has been the affordability of ownership as well as rents in the neighborhood, both of which have climbed up in recent years. The development of large projects in or near College Terrace – Stanford’s 17-acre Mayfield project that will provide housing for Stanford faculty members – has everyone’s attention. And of coursethere is the impact of traffic congestion and parking on area streets – twin issues that College Terrace residents work on with the city of Palo Alto in an effort to introduce andmanage traffic-calming measures.College Terrace, a busy neighborhood marked by diversity and influenced by Stanford’s world-class cultural and learning experiences, is an exceptional place to live.

COLLEGE TERRACE FACTS
LOCATION: Bounded by Stanford Avenue, El Camino Real, California Avenue and Amherst Street
NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: College Terrace Residents’ Association – ctra.org
POST OFFICE: Cambridge branch, 265 Cambridge Ave.
FIRE STATION: No. 2, 2675 Hanover St., and No. 6, 711 Serra St. on the Stanford campus
LIBRARY: College Terrace, 2300 Wellesley St.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Escondido School, Jordan Middle School, Palo Alto High School
SHOPPING: California Avenue
PARKS: Cameron Park; Mayfield Park; Weisshaar Park; Werry Park


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