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About

Palo Alto is heralded for its rich community offerings throughout the City, but if you truly want to be in the heart of it all, look no further than the aptly named neighborhood of Community Center. 

The neighborhood’s centerpiece is 19-acre Rinconada Park where residents are often found strolling, swimming, or playing in the outdoors. Neighboring the park is Rinconada Library, one of Palo Alto’s largest branch libraries, and the Palo Alto Art Center, which offers a suite of extracurricular learning. A full day’s activities can be enjoyed at Lucie Stern Community Center, the Children’s Library, Palo Alto’s Children’s Theatre, and the Junior Museum and Zoo, which is set to re-open in late 2020 after an extensive remodel. 

For many families, being in the center of Palo Alto’s community offerings is nothing short of perfection. The tree canopy in this neighborhood is stunning, ranging from liquid ambers on many streets to the beautiful Ginkgo trees, whose leaves turn from a deep vernal green to a luminous gold in the fall. The innumerable amenities that this neighborhood provides are a delight for those seeking the tight community feel sought by families with school age children who want to walk to nearly every community amenity possible. 

Like many Palo Alto families, Ken’s children loved birthday parties at the children’s pool at Rinconada Park, which can be rented in the morning before the pool opens to Palo Alto residents. Kids often clamor to be under the “Magic Mushroom” raining water
upon them as the sounds of summer ring out. This is truly the epicenter of community offerings anywhere in Silicon Valley. 

The majority of the Community Center neighborhood is out of the flood zone, and new homes with expansive basements complement beautiful Craftsman or Mediterranean homes. There is even a tract of Eichler homes built in 1973 after Eichler purchased the land that Harker School was on. 

With only a few properties sold every year, it’s clear that living in this vibrant neighborhood is a coveted experience not many are willing to part with.  

Boundaries

  • Channing Avenue on the north
  • Newell Road on the east
  • Embarcadero Road on the south
  • Middlefield Road on the west

Public Schools

  • Walter Hays Elementary School (K-5) (#4 Elementary School in California)
  • Duveneck Elementary School (K-5) (#5 Elementary School in California)
  • Addison Elementary School (K-5) (#10 Elementary School in California)
  • Jordan Middle School (6-8) (#3 Middle School in California)
  • Palo Alto High School (#5 High School in California)

(state-ranked according to niche.com)

Libraries

  • Main Library- 1213 Newell Road Palo Alto, CA 94303
  • Children’s Library- 1276 Harriet Street Palo Alto, CA 94301

Parks

  • Rinconada Park- 777 Embarcadero Road Palo Alto, CA 94303
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