Despite being a midsized residential community, Palo Alto enjoys an outsized reputation as one of the premier cities to live and work in—with eye-popping real estate figures to complement that. It’s the home of many tech companies and neighbor to that great bastion of research and learning, Stanford University. Palo Alto is somewhat split between its historic northern half, anchored by the always exciting University Avenue, and its “other downtown” centered on California Avenue, where most of the city’s science and technology offices are located. Throughout the city, there are pleasant little parks and a variety of homes from modern mansions to quirky bungalows to the unique mid-century Eichlers that are like large suburban cabins.
It's a progressive, environmentally-centered city where bikes, electric cars and hybrid cars seem to outnumber regular cars. That green focus possibly dates back to the city’s namesake, a giant redwood tree that still stands proudly and quietly in a little forest by the San Francisquito Creek.
