Los Gatos is rich with history - some of it quite colorful.On Sunday, my husband, Jim, and I attended the Second Annual History Walk through parts of downtown Los Gatos. It was fascinating. Even before our tour began, we caught the tail end of the one before, in which the docent, Dan Turkus, explained how the fire bell was used.  If the fire was on the north side of town, it rang in a particular pattern.  Each direction - north, south, east, west - had a code in the way the bell was rung. Makes sense.I just never knew that.The tour was full of things like that - interesting tidbits that I never knew.  Practical stuff.  Seedy stuff.  Weird stuff.It included a walk through the Opera House (a known harbinger of a benevolent ghost) and a walk through the patio and yard at St. Luke's Episcop... 05/10/2007

Last night I took an unofficial Ghost Tour of San Jose with a friend of mine who donates her tours of Haunted San Jose for charity. We went along for a practice run and it was loads of fun. The van was packed with her neighbors and friends, one of whom likes staying at haunted hotels.Not me. That's where I draw the line. I really, really don't want to sleep in a haunted place.  Too much loss of control. I don't like surprises when I'm asleep.But I do like visiting haunted spots - when I'm awake.  Los Gatos, being a place with an interesting history, seems to have no shortage of haunted places.  One of them is a spot my family and I visit about once a week, and it constitutes a "great place to hang out". To read more, please visit Live in Los Gatos now! 05/09/2007

The Los Gatos housing market usually has a burst of activity in the early months of each year, and 2007 has proved to be no exception.We now have the statistics for April's sold and closed escrows, and also, of course, the stats for the "under contract" sales (sale pending in April). Most of our escrows last about 30 days, so it's fairly safe to say that April closings generally reflect March activity. April had strong numbers for the closeds - March was a great month in which to sell a home here. But the under contract situation (which reveals more recent activity in April)  hints that something might be about to change.  To get the whole story, please visit Live In Los Gatos!And while you're surfing the site, if you are at all curious about the photo above, it is discussed on another ... 05/07/2007

Belgatos Park is at the far east end of Los Gatos, about 3.5 miles from downtown. One end of it touches a residential community of about 500 homes (Belwood, Belgatos, and Surmont areas - all of which may belong to the Belwood Cabana, another anchor in the vicinity). The base offers traditional amenities like a playground area (usually in shade), picnic tables, trash cans, bbq areas, lots of lawn areas and even a restroom. But it also stretches upward and connects with a few other trails and open space preserves.  There are a myriad of possible hikes, each rising through the hills to better and better views.  The paths are enjoyed by hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians. Recently I learned to make slideshows of some of my favorite places, and last weekend I put together one on our be... 05/04/2007

Finish the phrase: "Fighting fire with...." The standard answer, "fire",  might seem like an "out of the box" solution, since fire and water are opposites.But how about something even stranger?  Fighting fire with wine!  In my Live in Los Gatos blog today, I discuss how that's been done in the hills above Los Gatos and Silicon Valley, and what it can teach us about problem solving today.  Please stop by for an interesting twist of history: www.LiveInLosGatos.com. 04/25/2007

 The plague of gardeners everywhere is anything that destroys the garden.  In the beautiful Santa Clara Valley (the San Jose area), a major pest in orchards, farms, and flower gardens is the gopher.Once I watched, in horror, as a lovely and delicate flower I had nurtured and loved shook violently in place - like it was having a personal earthquake or a seizure. It trembled, it wiggled, and suddenly, SWOOSH, it was pulled below ground in an instant.  I had run into the voracious gopher, and he had found his "all you can eat buffet".Los Gatos had its share of trouble with gophers too. They threatened the orchards which were the mainstay of the economy 100+ years ago. A solution was created in 1900, right in Los Gatos. Amazingly, it's still being manufactured today - with involvement of th... 04/23/2007

I've been writing away as part of Project Blogger and have been adding content daily to my blog, http://www.liveinlosgatos.com/ . A local historian who runs an online newspaper in Los Gatos really appreciated my depth of information and did a very favorable article on me today.  He did not mention Project Blogger but I was able to say something about it in a response at the end. Today's entry, by the way, is a guest post by my husband, Jim. He discovered that a street near ours (the eastern boundary of Los Gatos) is a "meridian" and he got very excited tracing where else that same meridian goes in the state. http://losgatosobserver.com/los-gatos/Article.phpYou just never know where blogging will take you!! 04/22/2007

Downtown Los Gatos, Califoria, featurtures many historic buildings with architectural importance and charm.One of them is an 1891 Victorian home, turned  mortuary (in 1917), turned  restaurant (1976 to the present).Would you be surprised to hear that in the past, many have asserted that it's haunted?My town blog, Live In Los Gatos, offers information and tips on current residential real estate, tidbits of history, current events and issues, scenic spots, local businesses, neighborhood & district information and a series on the town's haunted spots.Please stop by www.LiveInLosGatos.com and learn about the Coggeshall Mansion's newest use, see two photos I took of it recently plus a tourist's U Tube video done in the last few months.  Then check out some of the other ghosty places on the b... 04/21/2007

How does your community feel about "super sized" homes?How about you - how do you feel about the extremely large houses?  When is "big" just too much, such that it negatively impacts the community?This is an issue in my town, Los Gatos, right now. I blogged about it at www.LiveInLosGatos.com and I would love to have your feedback on the question of how much is too much? (Or is there such a thing?) 04/19/2007

You've probably heard that buying a home in Silicon Valley is outrageously expensive. With $700,000 being the cost of an entry level house that's about 40 years old, I won't argue with you that it's costly to live here in the land of palm trees and semiconductors. People will pay a premium to enjoy this type of weather, the highly educated population, and extremely low crime. So what is the cost in Los Gatos, the upscale, scenic town between San Jose and Santa Cruz, a more expensive part of an expensive place? In my blog post today at Live In Los Gatos, I provide real-life, today's listings at various price points (with links) so you can literally see for yourself what your money buys - or doesn't - in The Corner of the Cats. Please visit www.LiveInLosGatos.com and have a peek at what i... 04/13/2007

Back in November I began my Live in Los Gatos blog, and since then I've included information on neighborhoods, homes, history, events, the housing market, and even haunted houses in town.  Last night, though, I felt inspired to be a little more personal, so I discussed in today's entry a bit about the relationship between people and computers here in Silicon Valley.  And I talked about my own home too, and how (possibly absurdly) important the things are to life here in The Valley. My husband is an engineer by training, and our oldest child, Brian (17) seems especially gifted in that area too. His idea of a productive weekend is one in which he spends a whole lot of time programming or coding. It looks like gibberish on his screen but it becomes a video game.Brian, by the way, has helpe... 04/12/2007

We're off and typing and I'm having a great time seeing everyone's blogging efforts and expertise.  My fabulous coach, Frances Flynn Thorsen, and I have been having a communications glitch with emails that seem to disappear in cyber space (or get sucked up into spam filters).  This has not made me any less of a nervous apprentice.  Half the time I'm not sure if I'm not receiving her directives or not.  Ah, the joys of internet communications!What's new?  In an effort to expand my horizons, today I used a new tool to showcase my beloved Los Gatos: Real Estate Shows. (Yes, I am aware that it's the product of one of the coaches on this contest.)  I have to say, it's an easy way to do an attractive slideshow and it offers some cool tools.  My 17 year old son, Brian (who is also my "in house... 04/10/2007

Hello from sunny California!  I wanted to make my first post for Project Blogger on my blog, www.LiveInLosGatos, a good one that encompassed many of the reasons why living in Los Gatos is so cool.  Today I spent some time discussing the parks (one county, one owned by the town) at the very center of Los Gatos life and why they are so significant. Here's a link to today's post on Vasona Lake County Park and Oak Meadow Parks in Los Gatos:http://liveinlosgatos.realtownblogs.com/greatplacesinlosgatos/vasona-and-oak-meadow/ So my toes are wet!  Swimming's not allowed at Vasona Lake though, so of course I mean this figuratively :)Best wishes from Silicon Valley,Mary 04/09/2007

REInfolink, the local multiple listing service provider for real estate professionals, has provided us stats on March's sales and closing activity. How're things looking?In a nutshell, I'd say Los Gatos is fairly healthy.  Homes that are in the lower to midrange prices and are nicely improved and are selling well.  Overpriced homes that need updating are not moving well at all (but of course that tends to be the case in all markets).  Homes with a good lot that are priced like "land value" are selling well too.  It seems to be all about positioning.  Here are the numbers:For the "monthly under contract sales" (pendings), it looks strong. There were 46 new sales and 62 new listings in March, for a 74.19% ratio of sales to new listings.  In February that ratio was 71.71% and in January it... 04/06/2007

 Los Gatos (Spanish for "The Cats") snuggles into the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains, also called "The Coastal Range" since it separates the Santa Clara Valley from the area along the coast. On the other side of "the hill", as locals call it, lies the unconventional city of Santa Cruz (famous for being the first place in the continental US where surfing was introduced and for the odd college mascot of The Banana Slug at UCSC), the beach, and the exquisite Monterey Bay. Inland is Silicon Valley, the high-tech magnet, which is centered around San Jose, the self-appointed Capital of Silicon Valley.Right in between, but on the valley side, lies my scenic town, Los Gatos.  It enjoys the best of both worlds, with lots of great open space (prized in the land of infill) and also a bustling an... 04/02/2007

Updated 02/22/2019Los Gatos (Spanish for "The Cats") snuggles into the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains, also called "The Coastal Range" since it separates the Santa Clara Valley from the area along the coast. On the other side of "the hill", as locals call it, lies the unconventional city of Santa Cruz (famous for being the first place in the continental US where surfing was introduced and for the odd college mascot of The Banana Slug at UCSC), the beach, and the exquisite Monterey Bay Area. Inland is Silicon Valley, the high-tech magnet, which is centered around San Jose, the self-appointed Capital of Silicon Valley.Right in between, but on the valley side, lies my scenic town, Los Gatos.  It enjoys the best of both worlds, with lots of great open space (prized in the land of infill) ... 04/02/2007

In my http://www.LiveInLosGatos.com  blog, I recently did a post on a very scenic area where the borders of Los Gatos and Saratoga meet: Quito Road.  I invite you to take a look and get to know this pretty part of Silicon Valley better!Mary Mary Pope-Handy, ABR, CRS, ePro, SRESHelping Nice Folks to Buy & Sell Homes in Silicon Valley Since 1993Intero Real Estate Serviceshttp://www.popehandy.com  http://www.valleyofheartsdelight.com/Mary@PopeHandy.com 04/01/2007

Last November, I decided to write about my enthusiasm for my town, Los Gatos, with a blog at www.RealTown.com, another (wonderful) online real estate community. (If you haven't been to Real Town, check it out, bookmark it, and return often to see the ongoing improvements to that site.)  I'm a Silicon Valley (or Santa Clara Valley) native and I've lived in this area most of my life except for a few years away for eduction & 1 year teaching in the LA area. I didn't live in Los Gatos as a child - but always wanted to. In 1999 we moved 1.5 miles from the edge of town and into the town, making my long-time goal a reality. We are in "East Los Gatos" in a neighborhood called Belwood - not near downtown but a great area in and of itself with a huge park, equestrian trails, etc.  And we're thril... 03/16/2007