Palo Alto Weekly 08.03.2012 - Section 2

Page 1

Home&Real Estate

OPEN HOME GUIDE 46

Also online at PaloAltoOnline.com

Home Front RENTS ARE UP ... If you’ve been home-hunting lately, it’s not your imagination that rents have been edging up. Average asking price for a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment in Palo Alto rose to $3,349 through June 30, up 17 percent over last year; for a one-bedroom, one-bath place, asking rent is $2,402, up 9 percent, according to RealFacts, which gathers data on apartment buildings with at least 50 units. It’s still less pricey in Mountain View: A two-bedroom, two-bath place goes for $2,679 (up 18 percent), and a one-bedroom, one-bath apartment for $1,894 (up 16 percent). The best deal in town is still East Palo Alto, with a onebedroom, one-bath unit going for $1,063 (up 9 percent), or $1,300 for two bedrooms. (RealFacts calls both East Palo Alto and Menlo Park “outliers,” because there are so few apartment buildings with 50 or more units.)

MORE FOOD, LESS WORK ... Master Gardener Ann Burrell will give a free talk about “More Food, Less Work: Growing Veggies in the Cool Season” from 10 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 4, at the Palo Alto Demonstration Garden, 851 Center Drive, Palo Alto. Emphasis will be on how and when to start plants and seeds and when to transplant to maximize harvest. The talk is followed by a hands-on demonstration and tour of the edible and water-wise demonstration gardens. UC Master Gardener Candace Simpson will talk about “Less Work, More Food: Growing Cool Season Vegetables” from 2 to 3 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 10, at Avenidas, 450 Bryant St., Palo Alto. Information: Master Gardeners at 408-2823105, between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday or http://mastergardeners.org GET RID OF TOXICS ... Palo Alto residents may bring any unwanted toxic household products to the Regional Water Quality Control Plant, 2501 Embarcadero Way, Palo Alto, from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Aug. 4. Samples of what will be accepted at the Household Hazardous Waste Event include pharmaceuticals, paint, pool chemicals, pesticides, syringes, mercury-containing thermometers and fluorescent lights. Information: 650-496-6980 SUCCULENT SUCCESS ... Mimi Clarke will teach a class on “Succulent Success” on Wednesday, Aug. 8, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Filoli, 86 Cañada Road, Woodside. Focus is on care, propagation and how to best use in the landscape. Each participant will take home cuttings or plants. Cost is $65 for nonmembers, $50 for members. Information: 650-364-8300 or www. filoli.org

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Mayfield

A neighborhood with a sense of history by Lauren-Marie Sliter photographs by Sierra Duren

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ne of Joe Villareal’s favorite places to eat is Palo Alto Baking Company on California Avenue because it is individually owned and run. “The person who owns it usually works here,” he said. “You’ll find a lot of businesses like that on California Avenue.” Despite containing one of the biggest commercial districts in Palo Alto, the Mayfield neighborhood is often forgotten or grouped together with one of the surrounding neighborhoods, said Villareal, a resident for 32 years. It’s left off of neighborhood maps and many of its own residents are not aware of its historical significance. “It has a very distinct history,” he said. Mayfield, Calif., was its own town founded in 1855, even before Palo Alto’s beginnings in 1894, said Palo Alto Historical Association’s historian Steven Staiger. Though Leland Stanford originally wanted to build his university in Mayfield, the town refused his one request: that the town, which was known for its 13 bars, go “dry.” Eventually, Palo Alto outgrew Mayfield and in 1925, the two cities became one, with Palo Alto annexing Mayfield. Today, the blocks bounded by El

Top: Housing in the Mayfield neighborhood is mostly multi-family, including Birch Court. Middle: Joe Villareal enjoys meeting his friends and neighbors at Caffe Riace. Below: Among the multi-family structures is Sunrise Senior Living, which offers independent, assisted and Alzheimer’s and memory-care units.

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