For decades, the Crescent Park neighborhood of Palo Alto represented the dream of California living.
Doctors, lawyers, business executives and Stanford University professors lived in charming homes under oak, redwood and magnolia trees. The houses, an eclectic mix including Craftsman homes and bungalows, were filled with families who became fast friends. The annual block parties heaved with people. Daily life was tranquil, and the soundtrack was one of children laughing as they rode their bicycles and played in one another’s gardens.
Then Mark Zuckerberg moved in.
Since his arrival 14 years ago, Crescent Park’s neighborhood tranquillity and even many of its actual neighbors have vanished. Residents hardly ever see the Facebook founder, now worth about $270 billion, but they feel his presence every day.
Mr. Zuckerberg has used Edgewood Drive and Hamilton Avenue like a Monopoly game board, spending more than $110 million to scoop up at least 11 houses. He has offered owners as much as $14.5 million, double or even triple what the homes are worth, and neighbors have seen one family after another leave.
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