SHARON HEIGHTS
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socializing. It holds an annual summer party and an annual holiday party, Ms. Wiegard says. The condominiums tend to have community parties as well, Mrs. Saxe says of 1000 Sharon, a development home to spacious townhouses and condominiums. “Generally, we have annual holiday parties, which a condo resident hosts. We also have pool parties on Labor Day and the Fourth of July.” Although residents boast a choice of schools from among Phillips Brooks School, Trinity School, Las Lomitas School, La Entrada School and Menlo-Atherton High School, Ms. Wiegard and Mrs. Saxe both say that the townhomes and condominiums are home to mostly adult neighbors. “As a hilly neighborhood, it’s not as conducive to children running out to play in the streets,” according to Julie Brenner, whose children were grown when she and her husband moved to the area in 2006.”There are some young families, but generally, the lower down on the hill you go, the more children you see.” Living in the hills provides some opportunities as well as drawbacks, according to Mrs. Brenner. She walks the hills with a neighboring resident on her cul-de-sac. “Walking with my friend, I have come across
many people who clearly are coming from out of the area,” she says. “If you live in Menlo Park and want to get some exercise, here’s the only place hilly enough to go.” — Sarah Trauben
Vivian Wong
NEIGHBORHOODS
itting atop the West Menlo Park Hills is the Sharon Heights neighborhood. Developed by for residential use by Duncan McDonald and Mark Radin in the 1960s, the neighborhood is home to a variety of residences, including houses, condominiums, townhouses and apartments. Neighbors say they love the hilly community with ample greenery and neat landscaping. “I love where I live,” says Dorothy Saxe, who moved with her husband to the neighborhood from Palo Alto in 1979. “The views and the neighbors are lovely, and the neighborhood is well-maintained and convenient to shopping and 280.” Sharon Heights retains a quiet allure despite its proximity to commerce and thoroughfares. “The trees are beautiful as they change in the different times of year,” Cora Wiegard says. She has been watching the trees change through autumn and spring since she moved to the neighborhood in 1983. Ample tournaments and volunteer opportunities keep some residents involved with the Stanford Heights Golf and Country Club, which borders the 574-acre community along with Alameda de las Pulgas, Santa Cruz Avenue, and Sand Hill Road. The Sharon Heights Homeowners Association provides other opportunities for
FACTS CHILD CARE & PRESCHOOLS: Trinity School, 2650 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park FIRE STATION: 3322 Alameda de las Pulgas LOCATION: Sand Hill Road and Hwy. 280; Santa Cruz Avenue and Alameda de las Pulgas NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: Sharon Heights Homeowners’ Association, John Sakrison, president, 650-854-4487 PARKS: Sharon Park, Sharon Park Drive; Sharon Hills Park, Valparaiso Avenue at Altschul Avenue PRIVATE SCHOOLS: Phillips Brooks School, 2245 Avy Ave.; Trinity School, 2650 Sand Hill Road PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Las Lomitas School District — Las Lomitas School, 299 Alameda de las Pulgas, Atherton; La Entrada School, 2200 Sharon Road, Menlo Park Sequoia Union High School District — MenloAtherton High School, 555 Middlefield Road, Atherton SHOPPING: Sharon Heights Shops MEDIAN 2010 HOME PRICE: $1,737,944 ($1,225,000-$3,710,000) HOMES SOLD: 16 MEDIAN 2010 CONDOMINIUM PRICE: $900,000 ($431,000-$2,000,000) CONDOMINIUMS SOLD: 35