East Palo Alto highlight
Proximity to Palo Alto
East Palo Alto sits adjacent to Palo Alto, home to Stanford University since 1894 and a founding center of Silicon Valley technology.
Palo Alto was incorporated in 1894 by Leland Stanford and his wife Jane to house Stanford University and serve as a center for learning and research. The city's name derives from El Palo Alto, a historic coast redwood tree first documented by Spanish explorers in 1769. Over the twentieth century, Palo Alto became home to technology companies including HP, Xerox PARC, and later the founding locations of Google, Apple, and other major technology firms.
East Palo Alto and Palo Alto share geography but developed separately, divided by San Francisquito Creek and the Bayshore Freeway. While Palo Alto became a center of technology wealth and innovation, East Palo Alto developed as a residential community that provides housing and access to Bay Area employment for a broader cross-section of workers and families. Both communities are part of the greater Silicon Valley region and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Proximity to major employment centers means many East Palo Alto households have income from multiple sources—wages, self-employment, or business interests—and depend on health, stability, and the protection of income. A life insurance policy sized to the household's obligations during its vulnerable years is how that protection works in practice. Comparing quotes from multiple carriers shows what different ages and health profiles actually cost.