Portola Valley is a beautiful, heavily wooded town located on the eastern slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains, spanning the famous San Andreas Fault. With only 4,500 people, it is one of the smallest cities in the Peninsula. But it ranks as one of the most wealthy cities in the United States, and is known for its great schools and high quality education. With its serene rural character, it is easy to forget that it is in fact in the middle of a bustling metropolitan area, situated within convenient reach of everything all the neighboring Peninsula communities offer and only a short drive to San Francisco in the North.

History

Like the rest of the Peninsula, Portola Valley was originally inhabited by the Ohlone Native Americans, who were displaced after Spanish Explorer Gaspar de Portolá explored the area in 1769 and the Spanish Mexican government granted settlers massive ranches in the area, who took over the land for lumbering and cattle grazing. The original Redwood forests were mostly all cut down by the early twentieth century, but a few groves have been preserved and the city encourages their replanting and conservation. Housing development didn’t really increase until after the Second World War, when the growing demand motivated residents to officially incorporate the city in 1964, in order to preserve the natural beauty and maintain low density.

Things to Do

• Parks: Windy Hill open space offers 1335 acres and 12 miles of trails and spectacular views. Webb Ranch is a family farm that welcomes visitors to learn about their organic farming, enjoy horseback riding, and other seasonal events for autumn and Christmas. Wunderlich Park in neighboring Woodside is a 3rd generation Redwood forest with scenic trails.
• Arts: Portola Valley is conveniently located next to world class art and music venues in the surrounding Peninsula communities including Stanford, Palo Alto and San Francisco.
• Dining: As a largely residential city, Portola Valley has a limited number of dining options. But you have the entire Peninsula community at your doorstep, most notably downtown Palo Alto is just a short drive up Sand Hill Road and the urban excitement of San Francisco is a short drive away.