On the west side of Los Gatos, a little into the foothills and pulling into Monte Sereno, you'll find Overlook Road and adjoining streets. This is a very scenic part of town and one of the oldest too. It was developed beginning in the late 1800s (starting a little after 1890) to about 1910 initially. A hilly place, there are natural retreats due to bends in the terrain and clusters of trees. It is easy to feel remote. But it's close-in.
John Steinbeck, the famous novelist known for books such as "East of Eden" and "Cannery Row" lived near Overlook at 16250 Greenwood Lane (which is now in Monte Sereno and was unincorporated at the time he lived there). His first wife helped design the 800 square foot cottage and they moved in at the height of the depression, about 1935. Written there, on the front patio of his home and in the living room of the guest cottage, was “Of Mice and Men”. Even John Steinbeck experienced setbacks, though. As he was laboring over this piece, his puppy was said to have eaten the manuscript and Steinbeck was forced to recreate it from memory! It seems that he wrote “The Grapes of Wrath” from there too. For awhile, this spot offered him the solitude and scenery that were conducive to, and critical for, his writing.
Eventually, Steinbeck's fame made him the victim of uninvited visitors and he felt forced to build a fence to keep unwanted folks out. As the area continued to develop, Steinbeck became increasingly unhappy until the crowding and the noise made him feel suffocated. He and his wife then retreated further into the hills, moving to a 47 acre parcel in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Like most folks in Los Gatos, though, he did venture into town at times. He occasionally visit the Lyndon Hotel Bar, where he once reportedly entertained director John Ford and Charlie Chaplain.
As for the home on Greenwood Lane? The original home has since been expanded. And it is nearly impossible to find - quite on purpose. The current owners likewise seem to value their privacy. That might true of most of the people in the Overlook area, who have moved into the small foothills of the valley for just a little more quiet and seclusion than is found in the majority of town.
Usually on Christmas Eve, my husband and I take our kids on a drive around Los Gatos after dark to take in the pretty Christmas lights that grace homes, yards, and trees. And each time, we make sure to visit the Vista del Monte neighborhood, where we're treated to a look at homes with luminarias on Worcester Loop and Worcester Lane. Normally, there are a lot of homes that make a huge effort and put these out.
But not this year. What happened? We saw just three homes - all on Worcester Lane - with luminarias this year.
Perhaps it was too much work, or perhaps they thought no one cared or noticed. But our family certainly did enjoy seeing them! They are so pretty, but also they have a religious relevance, which I particularly appreciate with the commercialization of the feast. To me, it's a great reminder about what Christmas is really about, and I missed it that most of the homes didn't do it this year.
And my hat is off to the three homes that did do it. Thank you, we noticed and enjoyed seeing them!
I hope the luminarias will be back next year, like so many other wonderful Christmas traditions.
Fairview Plaza feels like a step back in time - and in many ways, it is. This little neighborhood is so quaint and unique that it seems perfect for a movie set. Located close to downtown and equally close to huge expanses of open space, it enjoys its own park, has an interesting history and is enough off the beaten path that it goes largely undisturbed.
In 1880, Frank McCullough came to Los Gatos and bought 166 acres of prime real estate. From that land, he donated a parcel to become a park, now Fairview Plaza Park. At one time it included playground equipment and a bird sanctuary too. Today it's a little more congested with cars on the street, but you can view a 360 degree panorama of the park and see that even today, it's quite pleasant. This little park is the heart of the neighborhood.
Being an older part of town, Fairview Plaza is an official historic district for the town. It gets some special attention for this, but also some restrictions so that the character of the neighborhood is not harmed by bad remodeling or additions.
To get to Fairview Plaza, you have two choices. You can make use of a staircase that rises from Broadway and makes a direct connection to the neighborhood, or you can arrive there via Pennsylvania Avenue, Fairview Avenue, and then Fairview Plaza. The street is really an enormous cul-de-sac, with no "through traffic". But unlike the cul-de-sacs of suburbia, this one is an entire community unto itself. Make a visit up there and rest a bit in the community park. You will enjoy pretty architecture but also a glimpse back in time. Enjoy!
Belwood of Los Gatos, Belgatos and Surmont areas of Los Gatos
On the far eastern end of Los Gatos lies a friendly and active neighborhood of about 500 homes: Belwood of Los Gatos, and also the Belgatos and Surmont neighborhoods - all of whom now share a cabaña and the town's huge neighborhood park. At the heart of the community is Belgatos Park, an expanse of open space with places for barbequing, swinging, tossing a frisbee, hiking, walking, running, and riding horses. A second anchor for Belwood is the cabaña, with a pool, basketball courts, lawn area and indoor party space.
The homes in the Belwood, Belgatos and Surmont neighborhoods are generally unpretentious. Mostly ranch style homes, some two-story, they vary from 1800 - 3000 sf (mostly - some are larger), they sit on 8000 - 10,000 sf lots and range from about 25 - 40 years old. They are not
McMansions and they don't scream "I am made of money", though they cost about $1.1 million to $1,600,000 in an interior location - so they aren't cheap. Most of the streets meander and are tree-lined. People of all ages are seen walking, pushing strollers, running - anything just to be out and about in the neighborhood.
This is where my family and I live and make our home and we love it. Turnover here is low, because people who move here decide to stay here.
If you would like more information on the Belgatos and Belwood and Surmont neighborhoods of east Los Gatos, please see my website dedicated to this very pretty corner of town:
www.BelwoodOfLosGatos.com
or www.Belwood-Belgatos.com The site includes information on homes for sale in these Los Gatos neighborhoods, some sales history for the area, information on the park and cabaña, photos and slideshows of the 3 east Los Gatos communities and more.
If you want to live in Los Gatos, this is a great place to make your home!
My husband, Jim Handy, likes to joke that just like there’s an “East Palo Alto”, there’s also an “East Los Gatos” – and that is where we live. It’s not a jurisdictional boundary, just a descriptive one with no real function except to give a sense of place.
What is east Los Gatos? What is west Los Gatos?
Highway 17 pretty much splits the town east-west and is the unofficial boundary for each side of town, though I have known others to think of Los Gatos Boulevard as the line. Another freeway, Highway 85 (The West Valley Freeway) is the approximate northern boundary of town, though the exact boundary zigs and zags enthusiastically.
There are many distinct neighborhoods in Los Gatos beyond the general “east Los Gatos” or “downtown” areas, and in future blogs I’ll discuss each one, but here are a few of the areas: Fairview Plaza, The Almond Grove, Blossom Hill Manor (Blossom Manor), The Edelyn District, St. Joseph’s Hill, Belgatos and Belwood of Los Gatos, Surrey Farms, The Alta Vista area and more.
And there are several school districts in Los Gatos too. This really confounds people who move to the Santa ClaraValley from other places. “What do you mean I can buy a home in Los Gatos and not have Los Gatos Schools?”The reason is simple: the school district boundaries predate the current boundaries of many of our cities and towns. So what used to be “out in the country”, a county pocket, now belongs to Los Gatos, or Saratoga, or any other municipality. UnionMiddle School, for example, is on the boundary of (east) Los Gatos and San Jose (the Cambrian district). So it serves kids who live in San Jose, Los Gatos, and also the county pockets in that area.
Of course, Los Gatos is not a young town and so it also has officially designated historical districts and places.
And then there are the mountain communities.Just up “the hill” off highway 17 there are many neighborhood hamlets that have a Los Gatos mailing address but are actually county lands and not part of the town per se. Redwood Estates, Chemeketa Park, Aldercroft Heights and others are not really “in town” officially or juriddictionally, but they share the mailing address and are, in effect, a social part of the town if not a voting component.
If you’d like to get to know Los Gatos better, the best way is to start downtown and take a walking (or slow driving) tour. The Chamber of Commerce has a fine little introductory tour available on their website here: http://www.losgatosweb.com/lgwalkingtour.html
A blog about Los Gatos real estate, homes, houses, condos, townhomes, housing market, neightborhoods, history, events, businesses, parks, schools, photos, issues, and lifestyle.
Mary Pope-Handy
Realtor, CRS, ABR, SRES, E-PRO
Luxor Real Estate Group
Mailing Address for Mary: PO Box 440 Los Gatos, CA 95031-0440
877 397-5391 (office/toll-free)
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