home / mountain view / monta loma
mountain view neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Monta Loma, Mountain View Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
A 1950s mid-century neighborhood in north Mountain View where Eichler, Mackay and Mardell tracts meet, between San Antonio Road, Middlefield Road, Rengstorff Avenue and Central Expressway.
Monta Loma by the numbers
monta loma by the numbers · live from the mls
- for sale now…
- median list price…
- homes sold, last 12 months…
- median sale price, 12 mo…
- median price per sq ft, sold…
- sale price vs. list…
Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Monta Loma: San Antonio Rd to Rengstorff Ave, Central Expwy to Middlefield Rd (approximate). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in monta loma · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Monta Loma
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Monta Loma from the MLS, updated automatically, with a map of the neighborhood outline.
Loading listings…
Listings come from MLSListings and other MLSs through IDX and show their listing brokerage; confirm details with the listing agent. The map outline is the neighborhood boundary used by our listing search (Monta Loma: San Antonio Rd to Rengstorff Ave, Central Expwy to Middlefield Rd (approximate)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Monta Loma came to be
Long before the tract houses, this ground held an Ohlone shell mound. The Monta Loma Neighborhood Association's history describes the Castro mound as about 400 by 300 feet and 10 feet high, likely covering ground under today's Nita, Dell, Betlo, Aldean and Mardell streets near San Antonio Road. Stanford researchers dug there from the 1890s, its soil was later sold off as garden soil, and in 1989 Stanford returned the remains of 550 Ohlone people from its collection to their descendants.
Before the subdivisions the land was fields and orchards, and a 1948 aerial photo shows a small grass-runway field, Progressive Airport, at Middlefield and San Antonio roads. Then the postwar boom arrived, and between about 1954 and 1957 three builders split the ground: Joseph Eichler's tract, which he called Fairview; John Mackay's Oakwood; and the Mardell Building Company's Mardell Manor. The design credits overlap. Anshen and Allen drew the Mackay houses and, with Jones and Emmons, the Eichlers. The Eichler tract went onto the old airfield, and Alvin Street roughly follows the landing strip.
The three tracts now answer to one name. The Monta Loma Neighborhood Association, founded in 1977, runs its own Community Emergency Response Team and received the Silicon Valley Community Foundation's 2010 Elizabeth Anabo BRICC Award.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
Monta Loma is a rough square of about 228 acres by map measurement, ringed by four busy roads, with curving streets and cul-de-sacs inside. Several Eichler streets honor the people behind the houses: Alvin Street for Joseph Eichler's brother Al, Nedson Court for his son Ned, Quincy Drive for architect A. Quincy Jones and Emmons Drive for Frederick Emmons. In the southwest corner, Diablo Avenue sits in a cluster of streets that share names with California peaks: Diablo, Tamalpais, Lassen, Whitney and Hamilton. Jones and Emmons first planned hidden greenbelts behind the cul-de-sacs, but the developers chose more lots instead.
The three house types are close cousins in size. An Eichler publication puts a typical Eichler here at about 1,100 sq ft with three bedrooms and two baths, says the Mackays and Mardells are about the same size, and notes that many houses have been expanded by 300 to 400 sq ft. The difference is in the bones. Eichlers sit on concrete slabs with radiant heat; the Mackays use conventional foundations and forced-air heat, which changes how a remodel is planned. Most Eichlers still read as Eichlers from the street, while the Mackays and Mardells have been altered more often.
Lots are small, which has limited teardowns. When an Eichler publication last surveyed the neighborhood, Monta Loma had no rule against second stories, unlike another Eichler tract in Mountain View that the city had protected from two-story homes, and a zoning change had been floated without universal support. Mountain View's zoning code does include a one-story height overlay (-H1S) and neighborhood design overlays (-ND), so check the zoning map for the specific parcel before planning an addition.
streets in monta loma
- San Antonio Road
- West Middlefield Road
- Rengstorff Avenue
- Central Expressway
- Alvin Street
- Thompson Avenue
- Victory Avenue
- Thaddeus Drive
- Emmons Drive
- Quincy Drive
- Nedson Court
- Diablo Avenue
- Tamalpais Street
- Lassen Avenue
- Whitney Drive
- Hamilton Avenue
- Mardell Way
- Nita Avenue
- Dell Avenue
- Junction Avenue
- Palmer Avenue
- Laura Lane
- Jane Lane
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Monta Loma
- park
Monta Loma Park
Dedicated in 1958 on 5.5 acres of the 10-acre Monta Loma School site on Thompson Avenue, shared with the school: a baseball diamond (Monta Loma Field), a soccer field, basketball courts and playgrounds.
- park
Thaddeus Park
About 0.75 acre by map measurement on Thaddeus Drive in the Eichler section, built by about 250 neighborhood volunteers over six weekends in 1972. It has a playground.
- park
Planned Thompson Avenue mini-park
The city has bought 538 Thompson Avenue and 2231 West Middlefield Road for a 0.43-acre mini-park at Thompson and Junction avenues, with design expected in fall 2027 and construction in spring 2028.
- shopping
Monta Loma Plaza
A neighborhood center at 580 North Rengstorff Avenue, at the northeast corner, anchored by a supermarket.
- shopping
San Antonio Center
Across Central Expressway to the southwest, with grocery stores and a big-box store around San Antonio Road and Showers Drive.
- park
Rengstorff Park
Across Central Expressway at Rengstorff Avenue, about 0.9 mile by bike: about 23 acres by map measurement, with the city's community center at 201 South Rengstorff Avenue, an aquatics center, courts and playgrounds.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
Monta Loma is in the Mountain View Whisman School District for TK-8 and the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District for grades 9-12, according to U.S. Census school district maps. Monta Loma Elementary is inside the neighborhood on Thompson Avenue, and Crittenden Middle School is on Rock Street, north of Middlefield Road and east of Rengstorff Avenue. The parcels fronting San Antonio Road on the west edge are in the City of Palo Alto and the Palo Alto Unified School District. Attendance boundaries change, so check the exact address with each district before you buy.
Mountain View Whisman guide · Mountain View-Los Altos high schools · Silicon Valley school districts
Getting around
- Caltrain: San Antonio station, just across Central Expressway at the southwest corner, is about 0.6 mile from the middle of the neighborhood, roughly a 13-minute walk; Mountain View station at the Downtown Transit Center, with VTA light rail, is about 2.1 miles by bike (approximate).
- Buses: VTA Routes 21 and 40 and the Mountain View Community Shuttle stop along the edges of the neighborhood; check current schedules.
- US 101 is about 1.3 miles north via Rengstorff Avenue or San Antonio Road (approximate).
- Central Expressway runs along the south edge, with interchanges at San Antonio Road and Rengstorff Avenue.
- Bikes: a mapped local bike route crosses the neighborhood from San Antonio Caltrain toward the Permanente Creek Trail, which starts north of Middlefield Road and leads toward US 101.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Monta Loma: what we check
Buying here
- Know which builder you are buying. On an Eichler, ask about the radiant heating in the slab (leaks, zones, the heat source) and the age of the roof; on a Mackay, check the crawl space, foundation and forced-air ductwork.
- Check the parcel's zoning for any one-story (-H1S) or design (-ND) overlay and ask the planning division whether a Monta Loma overlay or Eichler guidelines are under discussion before you plan a second story.
- Lots are small, so map setbacks before you count on an addition or ADU, and get the city's current ADU and SB 9 standards.
- Confirm the city on any listing near San Antonio Road: the frontage parcels there are in Palo Alto, with different schools and building rules.
- Ask about past additions and permits. Many houses here have been expanded, and some Eichlers lost original rear glass walls in older remodels.
Selling here
- Name the builder and tract (Eichler Fairview, Mackay Oakwood or Mardell Manor) and call out original features that remain, from glass walls to radiant heat.
- Document upgrades to Eichler-specific systems (radiant heat, roof, glass) or foundation work on a Mackay.
- Show the walk to San Antonio Caltrain and to Monta Loma Park on a simple map.
- Have permits ready for additions; many houses here have grown by a few hundred square feet.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Monta Loma questions, answered
What are the boundaries of Monta Loma?
San Antonio Road, Middlefield Road, Rengstorff Avenue and Central Expressway, according to the Monta Loma Neighborhood Association. The parcels fronting San Antonio Road itself are in Palo Alto.
Is Monta Loma all Eichlers?
No. Three builders worked here in the mid-1950s: Joseph Eichler (the Fairview tract, roughly 200 contiguous Eichlers), John Mackay (Oakwood) and the Mardell Building Company (Mardell Manor). The houses are similar in size, but Mackays use conventional foundations and forced-air heat rather than Eichler slabs with radiant heat.
How many homes are in Monta Loma?
The neighborhood association reports about 1,008 households. An Eichler publication counts about 1,100 homes including later additions and apartments.
Is a second story allowed in Monta Loma?
When an Eichler publication last surveyed the neighborhood, Monta Loma had no single-story overlay, but rules can change. Check the city's zoning map and talk to the planning division about the specific parcel before you design.
How far is Caltrain?
San Antonio station is just across Central Expressway at the southwest corner, about 0.6 mile or a 13-minute walk from the middle of the neighborhood (approximate).
talk to a property nerd
Thinking about Monta Loma? Let's run your numbers.
Eric, Janelle and the Boyenga Team have sold more than 2,520 Silicon Valley homes, $2.6+ billion in all, since 1996. Get a value, a plan, or a straight answer about a street.
Questions about Monta Loma? Send us a note.
