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East Palo Alto, CA

Frequently asked questions

East Palo Alto, CA

East Palo Alto is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of East Palo Alto was 30,034. It is situated on the San Francisco Peninsula, roughly halfway between the cities of San Francisco and San Jose. To the north and east is the San Francisco Bay, to the west is the city of Menlo Park, and to the south is the city of Palo Alto. The city is directly north of Palo Alto. East Palo Alto was founded as an unincorporated community and incorporated in July 1983. The two cities are separated only by San Francisquito Creek and, largely, the Bayshore Freeway (the vast majority of East Palo Alto is northeast of the freeway, while all of the residential part of Palo Alto is southwest of the freeway). The revitalization projects in 2000, and high-income high-tech professionals moving into new developments, including employees from Google and Facebook, have begun to slowly eliminate the historically wide cultural and economic differences between the two cities. East Palo Alto and Palo Alto share both telephone area codes and postal ZIP codes.

In 1990, 43% of East Palo Alto's residents were African Americans, which was the result of redlining practices and racial deed restrictions in Palo Alto, while 34% were Latinos. As of 2020, African Americans were 11%, while Latinos are about 66%. A small minority of Pacific Islanders also reside in East Palo Alto, most of Tongan, Samoan, and Fijian origin.

The prosperity that benefited Silicon Valley during the dot-com boom of the late 1990s largely bypassed East Palo Alto. The Ravenswood City School District, which serves East Palo Alto and part of adjoining Menlo Park, has struggled with low academic performance. Eventually, however, the Peninsula's shortage of land and soaring property prices meant that East Palo Alto became an option for urban regeneration.

East Palo Alto includes a small piece of land southwest of the Bayshore Freeway (U.S. Route 101), across the freeway from the Gateway 101 shopping center. This land is roughly triangular and sits between the freeway and San Francisquito Creek. This land was formerly the site of a two-block-long retail business district known as Whiskey Gulch. Since 1888, Stanford University, on the west side of Palo Alto, prohibited alcohol sales within a radius of 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the campus. Whiskey Gulch, which was just outside these limits, became home to several liquor stores, bars, and music venues. The rules were relaxed in 1970, but the neighborhood still retained this character until 2000, when the city tore down Whiskey Gulch and replaced it with the University Circle office complex. A 200-room Four Seasons hotel opened in University Circle in 2006.

Over 25% of East Palo Alto (400+ acres) has been bulldozed and replaced with brand-new housing and brand-name retail establishments since approximately 1997, attracting an entirely new demographic. The University Square community has become particularly appealing to young high-tech professionals and high-income couples, including many employees from Google, Facebook, Sun Microsystems, Yahoo!, and various other software and startup companies.

East Palo Alto is located in San Mateo County. Despite its name, it lies almost entirely north, and not east of Palo Alto. It is bordered on the west by Menlo Park, to the south by Palo Alto, and to the east by the San Francisco Bay. The San Francisquito Creek defines its southern edge. To the north are Ravenswood Point and the western end of the Dumbarton Bridge in Menlo Park.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2), of which 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (4.11%) is water.

East Palo Alto gives importance to health and wellness. Explore the parks, facilities, and programs offered by the East Palo Alto Recreation and Community Services Department. These spaces provide opportunities for outdoor activities such as walking, jogging, sports, and picnicking. Join local fitness centers and gyms to participate in exercise programs, fitness classes, and strength training. Some popular options include Palo Alto Hotel Fitness Center, YMCA, and 49ers Fitness. Discover the walking and biking trails in and around East Palo Alto, such as the Ravenswood Preserve and Joel Davis Park. These trails offer opportunities for outdoor exercise and enjoyment of nature.

The top sites in East Palo Alto, CA are the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo, Baylands Nature Preserve, and Palo Alto Art Center. 

ZIP Code: 94303. Population: 28,847 (2021). Area code(s): 650. Elevation: 20 ft. Area: 2.64 sq mi (6.85 km2).

FAQs

Is East Palo Alto, CA a good place to live?

Living in East Palo Alto offers residents an urban suburban mix feel and most residents rent their homes. In East Palo Alto there are a lot of coffee shops and parks. Many families live in East Palo Alto and residents tend to be liberal. The public schools in East Palo Alto are highly rated.

Is East Palo Alto, CA safe?

The crime rate in East Palo Alto is considerably higher than the national average across all communities in America from the largest to the smallest. However, at 29 crimes per one thousand residents, it is not among the communities with the very highest crime rate. The chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime in East Palo Alto is 1 in 34. Based on FBI crime data, East Palo Alto is not one of the safest communities in America. Relative to California, East Palo Alto has a crime rate that is higher than 79% of the state's cities and towns of all sizes.

Is East Palo Alto, CA expensive?

East Palo Alto is part of the San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City Metro Div. metro area, which is ranked 3 out of 273 cities across the US in terms of cost of living. According to C2ER (the Council for Community and Economic Research), the cost of living in East Palo Alto is estimated to be 169.9% of the national average making it one of the most expensive cities in the US. The total monthly expenditure you can expect to incur depends on the cost of housing, food, utilities, transportation, healthcare, and other miscellaneous goods and services. 

Sources

Wikipedia

East Palo Alto

East Palo Alto Recreation and Community Services Department

Palo Alto Hotel Fitness Center

YMCA 

49ers Fitness

Ravenswood Preserve 

Joel Davis Park

Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo

Baylands Nature Preserve

Palo Alto Art Center

Niche

Neighborhoodscout

Zero Down

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