Editing Los Altos Hills, California (section)

== Geography ==
Los Altos Hills is located at {{Coord|37|22|17|N|122|8|15|W|type:city}} (37.371390, -122.137605).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|8.8|sqmi|km2}}, all of it land.

The town is located in a group of small hills. Both the Altamont and [[Monta Vista Fault]]s pass through the town.

Los Altos Hills maintains a rural feel,<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.goldengatesir.com/eng/localguide/los-altos-hills-ca| title=Living in Los Altos Hills|publisher=Sotheby's International Reality|access-date=February 28, 2024}}</ref> similar to the likes of neighboring Woodside and Portola Valley (see: Strictly Residential). There are many open space preserves, such as [[Rancho San Antonio County Park|Rancho San Antonio]] and Westwind Barn.

The Los Altos Hills [[ZIP code]] 94022 appeared on the 2017 ''[[Forbes]]'' list of America's most expensive ZIP codes; 94022 was ranked the 3rd most expensive in the United States, with a median home price of $7,755,000.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/samanthasharf/2017/11/28/full-list-americas-most-expensive-zip-codes-2017/#3b4437055d19|title=Full List: America's Most Expensive ZIP Codes 2017|last=Sharf|first=Samantha|work=Forbes|access-date=December 12, 2017|language=en}}</ref> In 2019, a ''[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]]'' analysis ranked Los Altos Hills the fourth richest town in the United States.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-13/silicon-valley-suburb-snags-richest-spot-in-u-s-for-third-year | title=These Are the Wealthiest Towns in the U.S. | publisher=Bloomberg | access-date=August 18, 2018 }}</ref>

===Strictly residential===
Los Altos Hills has a ban on commercial zones, which was upheld by the [[California Court of Appeal]] (First District) in 1973.<ref>''Town of Los Altos Hills v. Adobe Creek Properties, Inc.'', [http://online.ceb.com/calcases/CA3/32CA3d488.htm 32 Cal.App.3d 488] (1973).</ref> The town's two [[retail]] commercial operations are the [[book store]] on the campus of [[Foothill College]] and the [[gift shop]] on the grounds of the Immaculate Heart Monastery of the Poor Clare Colettines. The town does not have a [[post office]] or [[library]], with mail delivery provided from nearby [[Los Altos, California|Los Altos]].

The town's zoning regulations require a minimum lot size of one acre (4,000 m²), setbacks from the property boundary, and [[easement]]s for public pathways.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Peraino|first=Kevin|url=https://www.newsweek.com/gold-them-thar-hills-159169|title=Gold in Them Thar Hills: Money isn't new to Los Altos. But this much new money is|magazine=[[Newsweek]]|date=September 4, 2000|page=55}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.latc.com/2005/04/20/news/news5.html|title=Los Altos Hills pathways map shows trails that dead-end or don't exist|newspaper=[[Los Altos Town Crier]] Archives|date=April 20, 2005|author=Lauren McSherry|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061030044519/http://latc.com/2005/04/20/news/news5.html|archive-date=October 30, 2006}}</ref> Landowners are limited to one primary dwelling per lot, which effectively bans multifamily housing; this ban and the minimum lot size were upheld as constitutional by the [[U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit]] in 1974.<ref>''Ybarra v. Town of Los Altos Hills'', 503 F.2d 250, 254 (9th Cir. 1974).</ref>

The town contracts with Santa Clara County for police and fire services, making it a so-called "[[contract city]]" under California law.

The town is home to a [[monastery]] of the [[Colettine Poor Clares#Colettines in the United States|Immaculate Heart of the Poor Clare Colettines]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.poorclareslosaltos.org/|title=Poor Clare Colettines of Los Altos Hills, California}}</ref>