May 20, 2004

STREET SCENEMt. Pakron Drive

Quiet and beautiful, Mt. Pakron Drive is a wide, neatly landscaped street shaped like the letter L beginning at Trinidad Drive and proceeding to the right to Almaden Road. About 50 elegant homes are clustered along the tree-lined street.

Toward its end, a small cul-de-sac, Mt. Pakron Court, stands out with about half a dozen handsome houses with enormous yards and well-manicured gardens.

Carol and Larry Dauch have lived in this neighborhood for 33 years, raising two children. The retired couple moved here more than three decades ago from Long Island, N.Y.

The Dauchs are the original owners of a gorgeous two-story colonial-style 3,300-square-foot home that’s been upgraded and is now valued in the high $800,000s.

“We looked all over for a place in California. We wanted something that was serene and when we moved here it was the end of the valley. There was maybe just a few more houses,” says Carol. “There’s just a few of us old timers remaining here.”

Carol worked as a teacher for Anderson Elementary School in the Oak Grove School District for 19 years. Her husband, Larry, was a principal in many schools also in the Oak Grove School District.

The 62-year-old mother of two and grandmother of one remembers when she first moved to her home there were other young couples with children who purchased homes on the street because they liked the neighborhood and the “country feeling” it provided. She says Almaden Expressway was two lanes wide and that people rode horses on the street.

“It was exciting to have a house in Almaden then,” she recalls. “And it still is now.”

Carol says many of the homes weren’t as large in the beginning and that many neighbors expanded or made improvements because they remained in the area and needed to make room for their growing families. “We chose to stay because we couldn’t find any other neighborhood that was better,” says Carol.

Carol is thankful for having friendly and highly educated neighbors who care about the appearance of the street and of their homes.

“The neighbors are always there to help each other,” says Carol,

Now, many younger families have moved in and neighbor Jan Day has made it a tradition to greet newcomers with a delicious loaf of homemade strawberry bread. Many of the original neighbors also stayed together because of Henderson Elementary School, which is now the private Almaden Country School. The school was part of the San Jose Unified School District, but was closed. Parents then sent their children to other schools including Graystone Elementary School. Neighborhood children also attend Bret Harte Middle School and Leland High School.

“We all sent our children there and we were friendly because of that. We were all in the PTA. It had an amazing teaching staff,” recalls Carol.

She remembers also how one time her next-door neighbor hurt his back while laying a brick path in the front of his home and another neighbor finished the job for him in an act of kindness.

She says those who have moved away stay in touch and invite each other to their children’s weddings or celebrations of new births.

Roger and Maryann Schroeder moved to the quiet street from the Santa Cruz Mountains in 1994 when they were expecting their fourth child. “We wanted to find a family-oriented area to live in and when we heard about Almaden we looked and liked the area,” says 54-year-old Roger, comfortably sitting in a nicely remodeled living room he worked on himself. He has also remodeled the dining room.

He says he fell in love with the area immediately, despite Highway 85 not being opened yet and despite the congestion presenting a challenge for his commute to work. “It’s a friendly street. I like to do handyman tasks for my neighbors. We take care of each other’s kids,” says Roger, a software development manager for giant computer maker Hewlett Packard. Maryann is a broker for Alain Pinel Realtors.

Their 2,600-square-foot house sits on a 10,000-square-feet lot with a huge yard that includes a swimming pool.

Their children, Daniel, 15, Michael, 13,Christy, 12, and Mark, 10, attend the area’s schools.

“It’s an active street,” he says. “Traffic is not too bad. It’s safe for kids to play basketball on the street and catch baseballs.”

Roger guesses about one-third of the homes on Mt. Pakron Drive are occupied by retired couples and the rest by newer families with children who came to the neighborhood because of the quality of the local schools and the area’s lifestyle.

Roger says the street is also the home of a lot of high technology workers with many being employed at Hewlett Packard, Cisco and Apple. “I love living here because it’s close to a lot of things,” says Roger. “I commute to work in Cupertino and I don’t mind the 25-minute ride. We’re in the middle of a lot of things.”

His family also loves the area because it’s close to Calero where they keep a horse in a stable.

The Schroeders say the neighborhood enjoys the Girl Scouts selling their cookies in the spring. They also get together for picnics in the park. One neighbor also hosts an annual Christmas party and many decorate their homes for the holidays including Christmas and Halloween.

Rose and John Schwartz and their two children, ages 12 and 15, live on a one-story house that sits on a half-acre lot. Her home is 1,900 square feet. It has four bedrooms.

She says they’ve repainted the inside and outside and have retiled the kitchen. The Schwartz family moved to Mt. Pakron Drive from Santa Teresa in September of 1999 looking for better schools and neighbors. “I love living here because of the Almaden community. It’s very family oriented and they stay here for a while raising their children,” she says.

She remembers when her mother passed away in 2000 many neighbors came by to express their condolences and bring her food and flowers. “We were fairly new here, but it was wonderful to see everyone come through and show support.”

—By Sheila Sanchez