Palo Alto, California is a suburb of San Francisco with beautiful parks, bike paths, and tree-lined streets. Here are some reasons why you might consider moving to Palo Alto.
Beautiful Scenery
Palo Alto means “tall tree,” and the town has more than 36,000 trees. It's named after a coastal redwood tree along the San Francisquito Creek that's 110 feet tall and more than 1,000 years old. The city has 36 parks and nature preserves. At Foothills Park, you can see beautiful views of the city and go hiking or biking. This park is only open to residents, and you can see wild turkeys, deer, coyotes, hawks, herons, and other animals. The Los Trancos trail is 7.3 miles long, and the Toyon trail is just 1.4 miles.
Rinconada Park covers 19 acres, and it has a public pool and tennis courts and is home to the Magic Forest, which is a grove of redwood trees. The Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge is only about 20 minutes away, and it's surrounded by San Francisco Bay and rolling hills. It's a popular place for birdwatchers and photographers, and there's a little red house with peeling paint and a rustic look that's perfect for a sunset photo shoot. You can also walk your dog or just relax and enjoy the excellent views.
The Pearson-Arastradero Preserve is on the outskirts of Palo Alto, and it has towering trees, cattle, and golden grass. Kids can play at the Magical Bridge Playground at Mitchell Park. This park also has a library, a community center, basketball courts, and a baseball field. At Hoover Park, you can enjoy some takeout from local restaurants among the trees. The Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden is next to the restored 1902 home of the granddaughter of one of Procter & Gamble's co-founders, and it covers 2.5 acres.
The weather in Palo Alto stays warm for most of the year, and the temperature rarely goes below freezing. There's not much rain, so you and your family members can enjoy the outdoors no matter what time of year it is. The city has plenty of bike lanes, and it's easy to walk or bike to many places.
Great Schools
According to U.S. News, the Palo Alto Unified School District is one of the best in the United States. With elementary school students, 79% tested at or above the proficiency level for reading, and 81% tested at or above the level for math. With middle school students, 83% scored at or above their proficiency level for reading, and 81% tested at or above that level for math.
With high school students, 86% tested at or above the proficiency level for reading, and 80% tested at or above that level for math. Palo Alto is also the home of Stanford University, one of the best research universities in the country.
Delicious Restaurants
Living in Palo Alto means you won't have to go far to enjoy delicious food. The Tamarine Restaurant & Gallery opened in 2002, and it's an art gallery as well as a restaurant. It has shaking beef, lemongrass sea bass, hoisin lamb chops, and other Vietnamese favorites. The red vegetarian curry comes with organic tofu, red curry, coconut milk, onion, red bell peppers, Thai basil, broccoli, and zucchini.
With the roasted five-spice chicken, you'll get garlic ginger paste, honey tamari glaze, oyster sauce, and egg fried rice. For dessert, try the Vietnamese coconut tapioca with coconut milk, passion fruit, and pandan syrup.
For Italian food, visit Vina Enoteca. It's in a striking, brick barn built in the 1800s, and the menu has wood-fired pizzas, handmade pasta, elegant cocktails made with local ingredients, and homemade gelato and sorbetto. You can also stop for a snack at Oren's Hummus. They have great hummus, and you can try their challah French toast with whipped cream, strawberries, and maple syrup for breakfast. This place also has a variety of beers, wines, and coffees, and teas.
Plenty of Shopping
Palo Alto has plenty of great places to shop. The Stanford Shopping Center is a picturesque outdoor mall with award-winning gardens. It has a variety of upscale stores, including Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Nordstrom, and Neiman Marcus. You can also visit Louis Vuitton, Tiffany and Company, Burberry, and many other stores.
You can also take indoor cycling classes at SoulCycle or get a snack at Blue Bottle Coffee. There are several grocery stores in Palo Alto, including Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Safeway, and the local Walgreens is open 24 hours per day. No matter what you need to buy, you won't have to drive far to find it in Palo Alto.
A Variety of Fun Attractions
Palo Alto has a variety of fun attractions. You can visit the Hewlett Packard Garage, the small shed where Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard founded their Fortune 500 company and started Silicon Valley. It's marked by a plaque, and it's on the National Register of Historic Places. The Stanford Theatre opened in 1925, and it was restored in 1987. It shows movies from the 1920s and 30s on a big screen, and its Mighty Wurlitzer organ often plays during intermissions.
At the Museum of American Heritage, you can see a 1920s general store, an early 20th-century kitchen, and an auto shop with a 1915 Ford Model T. The Exhibits change regularly, so you can visit often and see something new every time. The Hiller Aviation Museum has more than 40 unique aircraft. You can learn about early aircraft designs, women in aviation, air traffic control, and more. There's a realistic flight simulator, and young kids can play with foam blocks in the Imagination Playground. On weekends, kids and adults can learn more about engineering and design in the Invention Lab.
Palo Alto, California, is an excellent place to live for kids and adults, and there are plenty of fun attractions. What are your favorite things about Palo Alto? Contact us at Volvo Cars Palo Alto and let us know what you like most about this town and what living here is like for you.