Monta Loma
Monta Loma, north of Central Expressway and west of Highway 85, is a planned mid-century neighborhood of 1950s ranch homes on rectangular lots, anchored by Monta Loma Elementary in MVWSD.
Monta Loma Real Estate Market Snapshot
Living in Monta Loma
Monta Loma occupies the northwestern quadrant of Mountain View, north of Central Expressway and west of Highway 85, and was platted in the early 1950s as a planned subdivision of single-story ranch homes on rectangular lots. The street grid is unusually orderly for the Peninsula, the topography is flat, and the architectural rhythm reads as a coherent mid-century pocket rather than a patchwork of eras. The Monta Loma Neighborhood Association has been active for decades and remains one of the more organized civic groups in the city.
Distinct from Old Mountain View's walkable downtown core or Cuesta Park's southern ranch streets, Monta Loma's identity centers on its bike connectivity to the bayland employer corridor and the consistency of its 1950s ranch stock. Recent teardown-and-rebuild activity has reshaped portions of the neighborhood, with newer two-story homes appearing alongside original ranches, and that mix has pushed median lot pricing upward while preserving the underlying grid character.
Schools
Monta Loma Elementary, located within the neighborhood, anchors the K-5 attendance area and is part of Mountain View Whisman School District, which operates nine elementary schools and two middle schools across the city (Mountain View Whisman School District). Middle-school students typically continue to Crittenden or Isaac Newton Graham, and high-school placement falls under Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District, with assignment to Mountain View High School or Los Altos High School determined by address. Buyers should verify both K-8 and 9-12 attendance at the parcel level before writing offers.
Lifestyle
Daily life in Monta Loma centers on the neighborhood's flat grid and proximity to Shoreline Park, the Bay Trail, and Stevens Creek Trail, with the Google campus and adjacent bayland employers reachable by bike from most addresses. Rengstorff Park and McKelvey Park sit within a short ride for sports fields and pools, and Castro Street's restaurants, theaters, and Sunday farmers market are roughly a ten-minute drive south. The Monta Loma Neighborhood Association maintains regular events that reinforce a planned-community feel.
Commute
Monta Loma's location places Highway 85 immediately east and US-101 a short drive north via Rengstorff Avenue or Shoreline Boulevard, with I-280 reachable in under fifteen minutes. The downtown Mountain View Caltrain station and VTA light-rail terminus sit about two miles south for rail access to San Francisco, San Jose, and Levi's Stadium. Bike connectivity to the Google campus and Shoreline Amphitheatre is among the strongest in the city thanks to the flat grid.