Atherton, California

If you love the Golden State Warriors and Steph Curry then you’re going to love Atherton. Steph moved to Atherton in 2019 because: “safety and privacy for us and our kids continue to be our top priority”. Safety and privacy also drive other pro athletes and tech billionaires to pick Atherton among the many wealthy enclaves in the area. We kid about needing to love Steph to appreciate what’s great about Atherton but hey, if the wealthiest and most popular pro athlete in the bay thinks they can raise their children safely, privately, and successfully in Atherton maybe it can work for you?

Atherton is very small, with only 7k residents, but also very roomy as the few residents live on lots zoned for a minimum of 1 acre. It’s purely residential and also very intentionally rural, at least for a town in the middle of the action of Silicon Valley. The streets are all heavily tree-lined, with massive oaks, redwoods, and cedars, and no sidewalks. The estates here are built for residents to enjoy their time on their property not out in communal spaces. If and when people go out on weekends or at night they head to neighboring cities like Menlo Park or Palo Alto for a drink or a meal.

Within the city, it comes down to just a few things:
1) Menlo Circus Club is the most exclusive club in Silicon Valley. An invitation is required but it includes access to a stunning Olympic-sized swimming pool, tennis courts, a gym to rival Equinox, and an equestrian center with riding programs and camps for children, along with fine dining and a wedding and event venue.
2) Holbrook Palmer Park is Atherton’s only public recreation site. It’s 22 acres of beautiful gardens and walking paths. Indoor and outdoor facilities, including a ball field, tennis courts, and a children’s playground, along with three structures, are available for event rental. It’s also doggo-friendly as long as you keep Rover on a leash.

Setting aside these two community options the city is dominated by social interactions via the local public and private schools, all of which are top-notch. Expect the best of everything in school sports, extracurriculars, and overall educational experiences. If you want to understand the social side of life in Atherton it starts and ends with the experiences they have through the schools.

We highly recommend visiting Atherton and staying in the community in a VRBO rather than a hotel to get a feel for living among the locals. You can receive discounted fares on travel via our partnership with Expedia as well.

Atherton is zoned within the Sequoia Union and Menlo Park City School Districts. Both are A+ rated on niche.com. School options include: Encinal Elementary School (Public, K-5), Las Lomitas Elementary School (Public, K-3), Laurel Elementary, (Public, K-5), Sacred Heart School (Private, PK-12), and Menlo-Atherton High School (Public, 9-12). While in some cities you pay close attention to which neighborhood you move into in case you get zoned for an underperforming school, that’s just not an issue in Atherton, they’re all excellent choices.