Housing options in Silicon Valley include RVs

A camper parked on El Camino Real in Palo Alto, CA. A camper parked on El Camino Real in Palo Alto, CA. Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Housing options in Silicon Valley include RVs 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

PALO ALTO, Calif.—Houston has become increasingly concerned about the affordability of housing, as the median price of a single family home reaching $239,000 —a new record—and average rents running about $1,800 a month.

But it's nothing compared to the $2.6 million it costs to buy a typical house in Palo Alto, Calif., according to Zillow. Or the $3,800 a month it costs to rent a two-bedroom apartment here, according to data firm Rent Jungle.

To live in the heart of Silicon Valley and home to Stanford University, some people are living in recreational recreational vehicles parked on city streets. A recent drive down the El Camino Real, which borders the Stanford University campus,, found dozens of recreational vehicles parked on the side of the road, as if they were in a vertical trailer park.

Some of the units look as if they could barely budge, and use tarps to cover gaps in the walls and ceilings. Some residents set up television antennas and portable generators. Some didn't even have vehicles attached to their trailers, including one Airstream parked along the side of the busy roadway.

These are just one manifestation of the housing crisis in California, the result of a booming economy and the difficulties building the the state. As the New York Times reported Monday, the state Legislature is considering legislation to make it easier to develop housing, often the target to local and environmental opposition,

The growing collection of trailers have become a sore spot for many who live and work in Palo Alto. Under Palo Alto rules, vehicles must be moved at least a half a mile every 72 hours and the city has been getting complaints that many are not moving.

City officials began visiting the makeshift RV parks in May to find out what the residents might need in terms of social services and let them know about the 72-hour parking rule, said Palo Alto spokeswoman Claudia Keith. Some of them are construction workers, she said, while others are living in their campers because of difficulties in finding low-cost housing.

The outreach is already having an effect, she said. A couple of weeks ago, about 100 camping vehicles were parked along a mile-long stretch of the El Camino Real but lately only about 50 recreational vehicles lined the curb.

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It's not just a Palo Alto problem either, said Keith. Campers looking for inexpensive housing are also popping up alongside the roads in Mountain View, Menlo Park and other cities in Silicon Valley.

In any event, the RV parking along the El Camino Real in Palo Alto must come to an end in September, she said, because that's when the Stanford University football season begins and the street is off-limits to any parked vehicles.



