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North AmericaUnited StatesCalifornia

East Palo Alto

California, United States · North America

About East Palo Alto

East Palo Alto is worth a stop: 5 minutes from Menlo Park, 49km from Golden Gate Bridge.

East Palo Alto is a town located in California, United States. With a population of 29,662, it is an important destination in North America.

On a road trip, East Palo Alto sits in United States, where you drive on the right. It's in the America/Los Angeles time zone. Below you'll find where to stay, things to do nearby, and everything you need to add East Palo Alto to your route.

About East Palo Alto

East Palo Alto ( EAST PAL-oh AL-toh; abbreviated E.P.A.) is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of East Palo Alto was 30,034. It is situated on the San Francisco Peninsula, roughly halfway between the cities of San Francisco and San Jose. To the north and east

Read more is the San Francisco Bay, to the west is the city of Menlo Park, and to the south the city of Palo Alto. East Palo Alto was founded as an unincorporated community and was incorporated in July 1983. The two cities are separated only by San Francisquito Creek and, largely, the Bayshore Freeway (the vast majority of East Palo Alto is northeast of the freeway, while all of the residential part of Palo Alto is southwest of the freeway). The revitalization projects in 2000, and high income high-tech professionals moving into new developments, including employees from Google and Facebook, have begun to slowly eliminate the historically wide cultural and economic differences between the two cities. East Palo Alto and Palo Alto share both telephone area codes and postal ZIP codes. In 1990, 43% of East Palo Alto's residents were African Americans, which was the result of redlining practices and racial deed restrictions in Palo Alto, while 34% were Latinos. As of 2020, African Americans were 11%, while Latinos are about 66%. A small minority of Pacific Islanders also reside in East Palo Alto, most of Tongan, Samoan, and Fijian origin. The prosperity that benefited Silicon Valley during the dot-com boom of the late 1990s largely bypassed East Palo Alto. The Ravenswood City School District, which serves East Palo Alto and part of adjoining Menlo Park, has struggled with low academic performance. Eventually, however, the Peninsula's shortage of land and soaring property prices meant that East Palo Alto became an option for urban regeneration. East Palo Alto includes a small piece of land southwest of the Bayshore Freeway (U.S. Route 101), across the freeway from the Gateway 101 shopping center. This land is roughly triangular and sits between the freeway and San Francisquito Creek. This land was formerly the site of a two-block-long retail business district known as Whiskey Gulch. Since 1888, Stanford University, on the west side of Palo Alto, prohibited alcohol sales within a radius of 1.5-mile (2.4 km) from the campus. Whiskey Gulch, which was just outside these limits, became home to a number of liquor stores, bars, and music venues. The rules were relaxed in 1970, but the neighborhood still retained this character until 2000, when the city tore down Whiskey Gulch and replaced it with the University Circle office complex. A 200-room Four Seasons hotel opened in University Circle in 2006. Over 25% of East Palo Alto (400+ acres) has been bulldozed and replaced with brand new housing and brand-name retail establishments since approximately 1997, attracting an entirely new demographic. The University Square community has become particularly appealing to young high-tech professionals and high-income couples, including many employees from Google, Facebook, Sun Microsystems, Yahoo!, and various other software and startup companies.

Read more on Wikipedia

Where to Stay in East Palo Alto

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best things to do in East Palo Alto?

East Palo Alto offers many attractions including tourist sites, museums, parks, and local restaurants. Explore famous landmarks, scenic roads, and natural wonders on our interactive map and plan your visit.

How do I plan a road trip to East Palo Alto?

Plan your road trip to East Palo Alto with Plan Your Road Trips! Add East Palo Alto as a destination, and we'll help you find the best route and discover more amazing places along the way.

Where is East Palo Alto located?

East Palo Alto is located in California, United States, North America. The coordinates are 37.4688 latitude, -122.1411 longitude.

What is the population of East Palo Alto?

East Palo Alto has a population of approximately 29,662 people, making it a town in United States.

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Quick Information

Population
29,662
Continent
North America
Country
United States
Region
California
Timezone
America/Los_Angeles
Coordinates
37.4688, -122.1411

Emergency & Services

Essential numbers in United States

Police
911
Ambulance
911
Fire
911
Driving side
right

AAA roadside assistance: 1-800-222-4357. Right turn on red is legal in most states unless signed otherwise.

Full driving guide for United States

Tags

North AmericaUnited StatesCaliforniaTown

Worth the detour from East Palo Alto

8 notable places within an hour's drive.

cafe

Alice's Restaurant

A legendary biker and car enthusiast hangout on Skyline Boulevard in the Santa Cruz Mountains, a must-stop on one of California's best riding roads.

13 km · about 25 min drive

tunnel

Tom Lantos Tunnels (Devil's Slide)

Twin highway tunnels that bypass the notorious Devil's Slide cliffs on Highway 1 south of Pacifica; the old clifftop roadbed is now a spectacular coastal trail.

35 km · about 40 min drive

museum

Blackhawk Museum

Classic and rare automobiles displayed as art in an elegant gallery setting in the San Francisco Bay Area.

42 km · about 50 min drive

museum

Exploratorium

A pioneering hands-on science museum on San Francisco's waterfront that inspired interactive museums worldwide.

43 km · about 50 min drive

landmark

Coit Tower

Art Deco observation tower on Telegraph Hill offering 360-degree views of San Francisco, the bay, and the Golden Gate Bridge.

44 km · about 50 min drive

museum

California Academy of Sciences

A unique museum combining an aquarium, planetarium, and natural history museum under a living green roof in Golden Gate Park.

44 km · about 50 min drive

landmark

Alcatraz Island

Notorious former federal penitentiary on a rocky island in San Francisco Bay that once held America's most dangerous criminals.

47 km · about 55 min drive

bridge

Golden Gate Bridge

The Art Deco suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate strait in famous International Orange; drive, cycle, or walk it, with classic viewpoints at Battery Spencer and Fort Point.

49 km · about 55 min drive

Driving roads near East Palo Alto

  • 35 kmTom Lantos Tunnels (Devil's Slide)Twin highway tunnels that bypass the notorious Devil's Slide cliffs on Highway 1 south of Pacifica; the old clifftop roadbed is now a spectacular coastal trail.
  • 49 kmGolden Gate BridgeThe Art Deco suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate strait in famous International Orange; drive, cycle, or walk it, with classic viewpoints at Battery Spencer and Fort Point.

Nearby Destinations

Other places to explore near East Palo Alto.

Palo Alto

🇺🇸 United States

3 km awayPop. 66,853

Menlo Park

🇺🇸 United States

4 km awayPop. 33,449

North Fair Oaks

🇺🇸 United States

5 km awayPop. 14,687

Atherton

🇺🇸 United States

5 km awayPop. 7,167

Stanford

🇺🇸 United States

5 km awayPop. 13,809

West Menlo Park

🇺🇸 United States

7 km awayPop. 3,659

Redwood City

🇺🇸 United States

9 km awayPop. 85,288

Ladera

🇺🇸 United States

9 km awayPop. 1,426

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Data sources:GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)•Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)•Mapbox•Photography: George Lawrence