Atherton Homes, Realty, and Visitor’s Guide

Atherton — An historic community with an air of exclusivity. Beautifully maintained homes on one-acre plus lots along stately tree-lined streets is what you can expect from the housing market in the area. Located in San Mateo County just 30 miles south of San Francisco and bordered on the north by Redwood City, and on the south and west by Menlo Park, Atherton makes a perfect home for anyone working in the San Francisco Bay Area looking for a balance between a safe, family-oriented community and an atmosphere of understated wealth.

Atherton, CA Insider

The city was founded by several wealthy families from San Francisco in late 1800s, which gives the city an “old-money” feel. The town’s General Plan aims to preserve the city’s character as a “scenic, rural, thickly-wooded residential area” with abundant open space and “streets designed primarily as scenic routes rather than speed of travel.”

Interested in recent Real Estate Sales Statistics in Atherton CA ?

The area surrounding Menlo Circus Club—an up-scale private country club—is the most desirable and expensive area. Lindenwood—an enclosed community with meandering forest roads is lovely. The Llyoden Park section is a charming “starter” neighborhood, with equally beautiful but smaller, more affordable lots. Homes closer to the border of Redwood City and East Menlo Park are less desirable and some are on lots smaller than one acre.

The city does not allow open house signs, so it is important to contact a realtor agent to tour homes for sale.

The city also has its own police department, making it a very safe place to live.

Atherton School Information

Most residents opt to enroll their children at one of the city’s outstanding private schools, most notably: St. Joseph School (K-8); Menlo School (6-12); and Sacred Heart Preparatory (9-12). However, admission at these schools is fierce. Most homes in Atherton fall within the high scoring Las Lomitas School District and Menlo Park School District and others fall into the lower scoring districts of surrounding cities.

Atherton students attend the Menlo-Atherton High School, which has a mix of the wealthiest and poorest students in the San Francisco Bay Area, resulting in a generally, peaceful, socio-economically and culturally diverse atmosphere. The API scores at Menlo-Atherton belie the outstanding performance of top-tiered students a great number of whom attend Ivy League schools upon graduation.