Rural Gems of South Mountain View

 One of the things which makes South Mountain View special are the pockets of rural and agricultural areas that give the area a charm  and character that the rest of Mountain View does not have, or has lost to extensive development. South Mountain View is a mature neighborhood, growth has been very stable for the past 20 years. But located within the neighborhood are little pieces of what the area used to look like before the 1940s.  Through the following pictures, you will be able to see the rural side of South Mountain View. We must learn to appreciate and preserve the last pieces of Mountain View's pastoral past, so that South Mountain View, and Mountain View in general, will lose forever these charming reminders of our rural roots. 

For your convenience, all images are thumb nailed. To view the full size image, click on the small one.

Located on Cuesta Drive between Miramonte and Grant Road.

The Cuesta Park annex is a large field located next to Cuesta Park. Remains of an orchard still dot the field, and in the back a grove of medium sized oak trees grow. This area has faced development, both as a school and as a housing subdivision and skateboard park. The city now owns this treasure. Open fields in Mountain View, once so prominent, are now virtually non-existent. This annex has no official use, but citizens have long been using it for short hikes on the trails which wind through it.

Residents of the city are determined to keep the land as open space, a rural reminder of Mountain View's history. What makes this area especially beautiful is its clear view of the Santa Cruz Mountains, it could aptly be named Mountain View park. No buildings block the view for which the city is named after. It harks back to a time when that very view was a lot more visible then it is today, when the only thing blocking it was the occasional oak tree. A proposal has been thrown around to plant a heritage orchard here, a very fitting idea and a honorable tribute to a part of Mountain View's history that has been physically erased from the landscape of the city.

Visit a web page about the Annex: Sunset at the Annex 

The Martens Avenue Greenhouses

At the end of Martens Avenue off Grant Road

The land surrounding these Greenhouses was only recently developed and annexed into the city. They are remnants of what was probably a larger green house and farm complex that once was located here along the banks of the Stevens Creek. This picture illustrates the strange contrast between developed Mountain View and the rural character that it is quickly replacing. 

The Marilyn Drive Greenhouses

 Accessed by turning onto Marilyn Drive from Miramonte Avenue and continuing to the terminus of the street.

These greenhouses are an unexpected agricultural area surrounded on all four sides by development. It is a rural square in the middle of the South Mountain View Neighborhood which extends between Miramonte Avenue and Springer Road. Marilyn Drive runs right into two sides of the property, which divides the street into two separate, unconnected segments. 

The Grant Road Farm

Located on the east side of Grant Road, immediately south of Levin Avenue.

The Grant Road Farm is a local landmark. This is a true piece of the country in the middle of the city. The farm even has a windmill and produce stand along Grant Road, open to the public. This farm is unannexed county land, not a within the borders of the city, although it is surrounded by them. The farm grows a variety of produce, including corn and strawberries. It is the last productive commercial farm in Mountain View, and makes good use of the rich soil which once made Mountain View and the Santa Clara Valley famous. In the Autumn, this farm is transformed into a large pumpkin patch. A unique Halloween themed playground is placed in the front portion of the field, along with a petting zoo and small train. During this time of the year, the corn has grown to its full height and provides a backdrop to this Halloween scene. In Christmas, the farms front portion is a Christmas Tree Lot also.