| Ventura, Palo Alto
Rebecca Sanders and Scott Van Duyne moved to Ventura in 2001 because it seemed like a friendly neighborhood. The affordable housing, convenient location, cultural diversity and great schools didn't hurt, either.
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Less-expensive homes make Ventura an appealing entry point for families. When a friend told Sanders that a house had opened up in Ventura, she saw it as a great opportunity for her kids.
"I was excited to get my kids into Terman," she said. "And Gunn has excellent academic standards."
Gunn is close enough for Sanders' daughter, Victoria, to bike there everyday with a group of friends from the neighborhood. Her son, Tom, who now attends Terman, will join her at Gunn next year. While Ventura Elementary School closed down in 1978, it is now home to a police department information facility, day-care centers and various neighborhood organizations.
Ventura's location is within walking distance of California Avenue and El Camino Real, giving its residents easy access to Palo Alto's shops and restaurants.
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| Facts:
CHILDCARE AND PRESCHOOLS: ChildrenFirst, Inc., 3000 El Camino Real; Country Day Little School, 3990 Ventura Court; Heffalump Cooperative Nursery, 3990 Ventura Court; Sojourner Truth Child Development Center, 3990 Ventura Court
FIRE STATION: No. 4, 3600 Middlefield Road
LIBRARY: Mitchell Park branch, 3700 Middlefield Road
PARK: Boulware Park, 390 Fernando Ave.; Ventura Community Center, 3990 Ventura Court
POST OFFICE: Cambridge, 265 Cambridge Ave.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Barron Park and Juana Briones elementary schools, Terman Middle School, Gunn High School
SHOPPING: Charleston Center, San Antonio Shopping Center
MEDIAN 2007 HOME PRICE: $1,238,000 ($725,000-$1,617,000)
# HOMES SOLD: 9
MEDIAN 2007 CONDO PRICE: $811,000 ($675,000-$910,000)
# CONDOS SOLD: 4
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Ventura is also culturally and racially mixed. Barry Katz, who has lived in Ventura since 1989, lives next to an African-American minister and a family of Orthodox Jews. Ventura also has Hispanic, Korean and Chinese residents. That diversity is part of its appeal, Sanders said.
Most of the houses in Ventura were originally built after World War II with low interest rates thanks to the GI Bill. A generation or so later, as more families move in, the architecture of the neighborhood is changing.
"We're seeing some two-story houses now," said Caleb Hauser, who moved to Ventura nearly 20 years ago.
In the past few years, some of the families have demolished the previous houses and started anew. In an area with mostly one-story houses, some residents said the larger houses stand out. A part-time architectural journalist, Katz said that he worries about the neighborhood losing its identity.
"If you drive around Ventura, you'll notice a remarkable architectural integrity," he said. "And what we've seen in the past few years is the struggle to preserve that against soaring real estate prices. As our older neighbors move out and move on, their homes will go on sale for a million dollars, and that speaks for itself."
Katz has also noticed positive changes. In Boulware Park, where there were once groups of men drinking and littering the area with trash, there are now kids playing basketball and families holding picnics.
"I would never bring my family there before," he said. "Now, I feel comfortable taking my kid there."
Katz attributes much of the neighborhood's improvement to the community's willingness to work together. While they have forgone starting a homeowners' association, Katz and his wife, Deborah Trilling, have acted as leaders within the community and helped address problems.
"Sometimes you'll come home and there'll be some fruit sitting on your porch," she said. "It's a really friendly neighborhood."
-- Cyrus Hedayati |
