oad Hill R
M nt a
Sa
ou Rd
.
Freew
ay
Westridge Searsville Lake
Road
Po
rto
We
la
Central Portola Valley
strid ge D ri ve
Ro
L a H o nd a
ad e
Aras
ta
de Rd
Wa y
s
Rd
.
d
id
ro
Ol
r
■ Portola Valley Ranch
Serra
Ladera
Woodside Woodside Highlands
ro
Drive
■ Ladera
pe
ni
Portola
Ju
■ Central Portola Valley
280
Road
Stanford University
e R oa d in Hom
■ Brookside Park
■ Los Trancos/ Vista Verde
H ill
nd
We s t r i d g e
■ Blue Oaks
PORTOLA VALLEY
key
Alpine Road
W
his
Brookside Park
pin
e
Va l l e y O a k
ine
ncos Tra
Alp
Blue Oaks
Sk
Lo
s
Reservoir
Palo Alto
C reek
Windy Hill Open Space Preserve
ad
cos
Al
Ro
Lo s
Road
Tra n
■ Woodside Highlands
Portola
Road
■ Westridge
.
Foothills Park
yli ad
vard
Portola Valley Ranch
rt o
wn
limi
s
Los Trancos Woods/ Vista Verde
ek
y to
C re
la
lle
co
Po
Va
Tran
ule
Los
Ro
ne Bo
ts
Alpi
FACTS
ne
Ro
2013-14 TOWN OPERATING BUDGET:
ad
$6.2 million
Roa
d
ag
eM
POPULATION (2011):
ill
4,348
P
HOUSEHOLDS (2010):
1,689 SINGLE-FAMILY HOUSING (2007-11):
81.9 percent MEDIAN HOME PRICE:
$2,225,000 MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME (2007-11 ESTIMATE): $331,667
A
stride the San Andreas fault, with views extending from across the Bay to San Francisco, Portola Valley’s history begins with the logging town of Searsville. Its most famous 19th-century settler was Andrew Hallidie, inventor of the cable car, who purchased property in 1883, then donated land for a school and post office. Farming and stock ranching were major enterprises between 1860 and 1920, but as
with much of the Peninsula, the real surge for development came after World War II. The town of Portola Valley was incorporated in 1964 with the goals of preserving the beauty of the valley, fostering low-density housing, and limiting services to those necessary for local residents. To this day, the goal is to maintain a balance between the rural, quiet neighborhoods and the need for modern development. Neighborhoods | The Almanac | 53