Los Altos

Los Altos is in Santa Clara County, in the South Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. The city means "The Heights" or "Foothills" in Spanish. It is mostly residential, but it does have several areas which could be considered 'business districts'.

Get in
If driving on El Camino Real, drive south on San Antonio Road, south on Los Altos Avenue, or south on Grant Road. If taking public transportation, VTA bus lines 40 and 52 go near downtown Los Altos. Interstate 280 provides easy access to Los Altos. If coming in from the north (San Francisco), then use 280 South. There is no method of entry from the west with the exception of Page Mill Road and Moody Road. If coming in from the south, use 87 North with connections to 280 North. If coming from the east, then 280 North is a simple method of entry.

Get around
Los Altos is a small enough town that there is no real "mass transit" option such as train, or light rail. Due to the residential nature of Los Altos, almost every single person uses cars. There is the occasional VTA bus, but it has never been the true method of transit. Los Altos hotspots such as Whole Foods are the greater majority of all bus transit.

See
Los Altos is mostly residential but there are some hotspots such as Loyola Corners, Downtown Los Altos, and the various borders between Los Altos and other close-by cities. Although not necessarily in the city, Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve (Rancho OSP) is a major distinction to see the mountains. The park is open daily from sunrise to sundown.

Do
Bicycling is popular, especially on the NE/SW route of Foothill Expressway. Peet's Coffee on State Street is a popular stop for bicyclists. A bicycle route from Los Altos Avenue to Arastradero road is a popular route to Stanford University that avoids much automobile traffic. During evenings in the summer, the Downtown Triangle shows a movie every evening, free of charge.

Buy
Los Altos has four main shopping areas, listed in order of size:
 * 1) the south side of El Camino Real
 * 2) the Downtown Triangle bordered on the Southwest by Foothill Expressway, on the North by Edith Drive, and on the East by San Antonio Road near its Southern terminus. This area is very suitable for walking and is much more peaceful and than similar downtowns in nearby Palo Alto and Mountain View, but still has plenty of foot traffic.
 * 3) Rancho Shopping Center at the intersection of Springer Road and Foothill, primarily Andronico's grocery store
 * 4) Loyola Corners at the Southern end of Miramonte Road has a variety of shops including a very popular high-end bicycle shop.

Eat
In the El Camino Corridor:

In the Downtown Triangle:

In the Rancho Shopping Center:

In Loyola Corners:

Stay safe
Dial 911 for all emergencies.

Violent crime in Los Altos is relatively rare. For hikers, there are some obvious guidelines that should be followed. Bring water, food and a first aid kit if you decide to go hiking in Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve. The city's police department is located near the city hall.



For fire and medical services, Los Altos contracts with the Santa Clara County Fire District and has two fire stations:



Publications
The Los Altos Town Crier is the city's official newspaper.

Go next
There are several neighboring cities that are very similar, such as:


 * Los Altos Hills
 * Palo Alto and Stanford
 * Mountain View
 * Sunnyvale
 * Cupertino
 * Los Gatos