Mountain View, next to Palo Alto at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay, is visible from a distance because of the giant “Hangar One” at Moffett Field that used to house a blimp.
The airport at Moffett is fairly quiet these days, but occasionally large cargo planes take off and land from there, or helicopters fly out of there to assist the Marine Corps in Monterey Bay. Once in awhile you may even see Air Force One landing at Moffett.
Downtown Mountain View
Downtown is a fun, upscale, eclectic place with a myriad of independent shops and one of the best arrays of diverse restaurants anywhere in Silicon Valley. Food choices run from Irish and Italian to Indian, Thai, Chinese and Vietnamese. There’s also a newly revamped Chinatown as well. It is a FANTASTIC place to go for dining!
In summer you may find yourself in the downtown area for an outdoor market event – so much fun to browse the arts and foods for sale.
In addition to shopping and eating, Mountain View offers the wonderful Shoreline Park for recreation, and the Shoreline Amphitheater for concerts and other big-scale productions. The Center for Performing Arts is another great place to enjoy some entertainment.
Business is brisk in this mid-Peninsula city, home to top computer and electronic firms. Best known would be the NASA-Ames Research Center.
We must also mention access to Cal Train, as this is a major draw, too, for commuters to San Francisco.
Mountain View Housing
Mountain View offers a wide variety of housing, from apartments to condos, townhomes, and single family homes. Most houses are ranch style, but there are some Victorians and other styles to be found too. There’s a good sized collection of mid-century modern homes, also. Eichler built houses are loved by many and they can be found only in pockets of Silicon Valley, including here.
The real estate scene in this vibrant city is pleasantly diverse.
Its elementary schools are ranked in the top 10% in the state and there are many parks and recreational areas.
It’s important to note that living in this cool town is costly. Consumers don’t want long commutes to work and appreciate being close enough to major employers that they can bike to work or otherwise arrive without benefit of a car.
Mountain View real estate market data
How’s the real estate market in Mountain View? Keep up to date with the market analysis on the Mountain View ReReport.
Also please see our main blog on Mountain View, which we update monthly: Mountain View CA market trends & statistics
Below please find a live Altos Research chart, showing the median list price of homes for sale – this will give you an idea of what a house might cost there. Just remember that this reflect LIST prices, not sale prices, so the estimate is approximate.
Concerns in Mountain View
Every area has pros and cons. Home buyers should be aware that there are a number of natural and environmental hazards in this area. This is not an exhaustive list.
- There are quite a few superfund sites in Mountain View and neighboring Sunnyvale. A great site for locating them is Envirostor
- There are high transmission gas lines in many areas of this city. The PG&E website can show you where they are.
- Parts of this city are in a liquefaction zone. This is often the case along creeks, rivers, and close to the bay. A good site for determining the approximate location is the Cal OES My Hazards website, which will provide info on other natural hazard risks, too.
- The low lying areas near the bay may be in flood plains and may be at risk over time of bay waters rising with climate change. See the Cal OES My Hazards link above.
- Traffic around Google can be an issue.
This interesting city is in many ways the heart of Silicon Valley. It offers a tremendously convenient lifestyle that many find irresistible.
