About
Wedged between Redwood City, Atherton, and Menlo Park is the unincorporated area of Fair Oaks. Like other unincorporated areas in Menlo Park, Fair Oaks relies on the County of San Mateo for its public services and governance.
The residents in Fair Oaks are fairly independent and self-guided. Many belong to the Fair Oaks Beautification Association, an all-volunteer, non-profit community organization. The association members worked together to plant and care for 400 street trees, install traffic-calming devices to make the streets safer, build and maintain a playground and open space area, organize an annual neighborhood wide garage sale event and social gatherings, and coordinate various community gardening projects.
There are two fairly distinct areas of North Fair Oaks: Fair Oaks Acres and The Avenues. Fair Oaks Acres is a small pocket closest to the Atherton border made up of about four blocks of larger homes on large lots that have the feel of nearby Atherton. Typical homes in Fair Oaks Acres sell for around $1-1.5 million, although there are exceptions that approach the $2 million mark.
The rest of North Fair Oaks is commonly called The Avenues, due to the street names. Homes here are on the smaller side, and lots are usually around 5,000 square feet. The neighborhood consists of an eclectic mix of different styles. New or remodeled homes here can still sell for over $1 million, but most typical homes sell in the $800,000 and $900,000 range.
