Atherton

Welcome to Atherton

Highly exclusive community with spectacular properties

Atherton is an exclusive community with one of the most expensive zip codes in the country. Nestled between Redwood City, Woodside, and Menlo Park, this ultra-desirable community features gated estates and spacious lots providing ultimate privacy. The community has been designed with the privacy of its high-profile residents in mind, and there are few sidewalks or streetlights. Oaks, redwoods, and other towering trees blanket Atherton’s six square miles and seclude its spectacular homes from the street.

Atherton’s real estate consists of masterfully designed custom homes, many on one acre plus lots that have lavish interiors and gorgeously landscaped grounds. Each property is unique, with housing styles that include elegant European-style villas, grand country estates, and striking glass-fronted contemporary residences. Luxurious amenities often include outdoor pools, wine cellars, steam rooms, fitness centers, sports courts, gourmet chef’s kitchens, and home theaters.

What to Love

Highly exclusive
Spectacular real estate
Ultimate privacy
Equestrian facilities

People & Lifestyle

Residents of Atherton include affluent tech founders, venture capitalists, angel investors, and other high-profile figures from sports, entertainment, and politics. Many take an active part in local community groups aimed at preserving Atherton’s enchanting semi-rural character. The bucolic setting features equestrian trails and horse stables. Atherton feels blissfully isolated despite being just 30 miles from San Francisco and within a 15-minute drive of the headquarters of Facebook, Google, and Tesla, as well as Stanford University and Sand Hill Road’s numerous VC firms.

Dining, Entertainment & Shopping

Atherton contains little in the way of commercial development, although the upscale restaurant Selby’s opened in the neighborhood in 2019. A luxurious eatery with retro vibes, Selby’s features formal and semi-casual dining spaces serving modern takes on classic continental American fare. Selby’s shared vegetable platters feature produce grown at an organic farm in nearby Woodside.

Downtown Menlo Park is a short drive from Atherton, with many more places to shop and dine. Businesses here include boutique shops and chic European-style restaurants such as Bistro Vida, Café Borrone, Camper, and Left Bank Brasserie. Atherton is also less than a 10-minute drive from Palo Alto’s open-air Stanford Shopping Center. This upscale shopping destination is anchored by Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Nordstrom, and Neiman Marcus department stores and features over 140 shops and restaurants. Other tenants include high-end brands such as Burberry, Ermenegildo Zegna, Hermes, Jeffrey, Louis Vuitton, MaxMara, and Tiffany & Co.

Things to Do

While Atherton primarily consists of private residences, 22-acre Holbrook-Palmer Park is a public green space with tree-shaded lawns, gardens, a playground, and tennis courts. Expert tennis instruction is available here from Alan Margot’s Champion Tennis. Menlo Circus Club has been an Atherton institution since the 1920s, when a group of local young girls organized fundraising shows with their horses, ponies, and other pets. Menlo Circus Club is a big part of Atherton’s local equestrian scene, offering a full-service stables with blacksmiths and veterinary bays. Polo matches are organized on weekends between May and September. Menlo Circus Club began organizing an annual charity horse show in the 1970s that has since become one of the premier equestrian events in the United States, earning an AA rating from the United States Equestrian Federation. Top riders from across North America participate in the show, which takes place over six days each year. Menlo Circus Club also has tennis courts and riding instruction.

Schools