Willow Glen

Willow Glen feels like a small town that happens to sit inside the tenth largest city in the country. Its main street, Lincoln Avenue, is lined with low storefronts, sidewalk tables and big street trees. The blocks around it hold Victorians, Craftsman bungalows, Spanish style houses and a few Eichlers. Locals walk to coffee, to the Saturday farmers market and to the library.

For a Palo Alto visitor it makes an easy half day in the South Bay. It also pairs well with the museums and the Winchester Mystery House on the same side of San Jose. Residents thinking about a move often come to look at the neighborhood itself, since it is one of the most sought-after parts of San Jose. This guide covers distance and transit, the short life of the Town of Willow Glen, the main street, the houses, the trails, the yearly events and why it is worth the trip.

Where Willow Glen is and how far

Willow Glen is a district of San Jose in Santa Clara County, southwest of downtown. Interstate 280 is its accepted northern edge. The Guadalupe River and Highway 87 run along the east side. Los Gatos Creek curves around the west. There is no official boundary. The ZIP code 95125 covers most but not all of it. Campbell lies a few miles west.

From University Avenue it is about 20 miles. Outside rush hour the drive takes 25 to 35 minutes. On weekday afternoons the southbound freeways back up, so a morning visit or a weekend trip is easier.

Getting there from Palo Alto

By car

Take Interstate 280 south and exit at Bird Avenue or Meridian Avenue, then head south to Lincoln Avenue. From Highway 101, connect to Highway 87 south and exit at Curtner Avenue or Willow Street. The Willow Glen Business Association says downtown has free parking on the street and in public lots, which is a pleasant change from Palo Alto meters.

By Caltrain and VTA

Two Caltrain stations sit close by. Tamien station is on the eastern edge of the district. San Jose Diridon is about a mile north of it. Caltrain puts Palo Alto in zone 3 and both stations in zone 4, so it is a two-zone fare: $6.25 in October 2026 and $6.50 from January 1, 2027. On the fall 2026 weekday timetable, express trains reached Diridon in under half an hour and some local trains continued to Tamien. Many trains end at Diridon, so check before you board. Our Caltrain guide explains Clipper and tapping on and off.

From the stations, VTA light rail stops at Tamien, Curtner and Virginia along the eastern edge. Several VTA bus lines also cross the district, including routes 25, 64A and 64B. Lincoln Avenue is about a mile and a half west of Tamien, an easy bike ride or a short rideshare. Our VTA guide covers fares and trip planning.

By bike

The Three Creeks Trail runs diagonally through Willow Glen near downtown on an old rail line. Both sections of the Los Gatos Creek Trail end in Willow Glen too, though linking them takes some street riding.

From rancho to town to San Jose district

The land was once part of Rancho de los Coches and Rancho San Juan Bautista, Mexican land grants next to the San Jose pueblo. Antonio Suñol, who owned Rancho de los Coches, is considered the founder of the community. The Roberto-Suñol Adobe on Lincoln Avenue, tied to his ownership, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The name describes what settlers found: a marshy stretch between the Guadalupe River and Los Gatos Creek, thick with willows and cattails. In 1860 Frank Lewis dug a channel between Willow Street and Curtner Avenue that still carries the Guadalupe River. It drained the marsh and turned Willow Glen into prized farmland for wheat, hay, tobacco and hops. In 1865, shortly after President Lincoln's assassination, Willow Glen Road was renamed Lincoln Avenue. Willow Glen Elementary School dates to 1863.

The town itself was short-lived. In the 1920s Southern Pacific proposed moving its main line onto Lincoln Avenue. To stop it, residents incorporated the Town of Willow Glen in 1927. The railroad went around instead, on the line Caltrain uses today. But the new town had no sewers. Homes relied on cesspools. The high water table of the old marsh caused overflows. In 1936 residents voted 978 to 871 to be annexed by San Jose and connect to its sewer system. Willow Glen had been independent from September 8, 1927 to September 4, 1936.

Downtown Willow Glen on Lincoln Avenue

Downtown Willow Glen is the stretch of Lincoln Avenue roughly between Willow Street and Minnesota Avenue. It has cafes, restaurants, wine bars, boutiques, vintage shops, kids' stores and plenty of everyday businesses such as banks and pharmacies. The business association's own description mentions water bowls for dogs on the sidewalks. That fits: this is a street people stroll rather than drive through.

The historic Garden Theatre still anchors the street. It now hosts events rather than films, including the association's makers markets. The Willow Glen Branch Library is a block off Lincoln at 1157 Minnesota Avenue. Spanish Colonial Revival facades and the Stone Church of Willow Glen give the area its look. Check the Willow Glen Business Association site for its business directory and parking map.

Houses and streets

Most homes in Willow Glen are custom or semi-custom, built over many decades, so almost no two blocks look the same. Walk a few streets off Lincoln and you will see Victorians, Queen Anne cottages, Colonial Revival houses, Craftsman bungalows, Mission and Prairie style homes, Spanish Eclectic houses, Tudors and Eichlers. Palm Haven, a historic residence park near the northern edge, is known for its palm-lined streets.

Many small houses have been replaced with larger ones in recent years, a pattern Palo Alto residents will recognize. If you enjoy architecture walks, compare it with our guide to Palo Alto architecture, which covers Birge Clark and the Eichler tracts.

Parks and trails

Willow Glen has several neighborhood parks rather than one big one. Frank Bramhall Park on Willow Street is the largest and busiest, with lawns, a playground and sports fields. Fuller Park, River Glen Park, Wilcox Park and Wallenberg Park and Garden are smaller.

• Three Creeks Trail follows an old rail corridor through the district and passes close to downtown.
• Los Gatos Creek Trail runs north toward downtown San Jose and south toward Campbell and Los Gatos.
• Highway 87 Bikeway follows the eastern edge of the district north to Willow Street.

Events through the year

The business association runs a busy calendar. Its listings for late 2026 included:

• Willow Glen Farmers' Market: every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Willow Glen Elementary, rain or shine, with produce, local food and live music. Our farmers markets guide covers the two Palo Alto markets.
• Trick or Treat Along Lincoln Avenue: October 30.
• Garden Theatre Fall Makers Market: November 8, 2026, from noon to 4 p.m. inside the theater.
• Holiday Bubbly Walk: December 5, 2026, from 2 to 5 p.m.

The best-known tradition belongs to the residents. In 1950 Robert and Arlene Cimino started buying small Christmas trees in bulk for neighbors, who set them on front lawns about ten feet from the sidewalk with colored lights. Frank Badagliacca Jr. kept it going after the Ciminos moved in 1956. His wife Dolores added a single white light at the top of each tree. The custom now reaches more than 200 streets in the area. It makes a good evening drive in December. Our holiday lights guide lists displays closer to home.

Older events have come and gone. Dancin' on the Avenue, a summer street party, ran from 1995 to 2018. Founders' Day, with a parade down Lincoln, has not been held every year.

Food and drink

Lincoln Avenue has enough choice for breakfast, lunch and dinner on one visit. Expect coffee shops and bakeries, casual American places, Italian, Japanese, Mexican and Mediterranean restaurants, wine bars and dessert shops, many with outdoor seating. Businesses change, so use the association's directory or a current map before you set out. If you are staying over for an event in San Jose, you can compare San Jose hotels near Diridon or downtown, both a short drive away.

Why a Palo Alto visitor might go

1. A real main street. Lincoln Avenue is one of the most walkable shopping streets in the South Bay, with free parking.
2. House watching. The mix of styles rivals Palo Alto's older neighborhoods.
3. The holiday trees. A December drive through the lighted lawns is a local ritual.
4. Easy pairing. Combine it with a San Jose museum or the Winchester Mystery House on our San Jose day trip.

Frequently asked questions