Atherton is home to the rich and the famous. Celebrities, athletes, authors, and tech executives from Google, Facebook, Yahoo and more have called the small city home. The area is just over five square miles, and contains some of the most sprawling homes in the country. And, as of October 2013, Atherton’s zip code is rated number one on Forbes Magazine’s list of most expensive zip codes.

So now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, what’s it really like to live in Atherton?

Well, Atherton is a community. Residents host regular Neighborhood Outreach Meetings, actively participate in town organizations, and collectively contribute to charitable causes such as seasonal giving trees. A fun fact about Atherton’s history is that, following incorporation, it became a vacation home haven for San Franciscans looking to escape the colder weather, and is still a wonderful escape for the affluent today.

Atherton isn’t a large city. It has a population of around 7,000 people and is completely residential. This means residents must utilize nearby cities such as Menlo Park and Stanford for most shopping and amenities. There is also no public school system in Atherton. But because of it’s centralized location in the Peninsula, students are able to join a variety of school districts including the Menlo Park City School District and Redwood City School District.

It may come as a surprise that you can find the charm of smaller homes in Atherton. Homes for sale include mansions, of course, but there are also many more modest residences. Also, beyond the beautiful homes, pools with swimming pool ceilings, and other luxuries, lie picturesque oak trees that are naturally spectacular. Twenty-two acres of the land is dedicated to the Holbrook-Palmer Park, which really keeps the town’s legacy “plain of oaks” alive.

Are you interested in finding your new home for sale in Atherton? Begin your search today to get an inside view to this one of a kind community.