Ladera, California

Ladera is a census-designated place (CDP) located in southern San Mateo County, California adjacent to Portola Valley. Primarily a residential community, it comprises approximately 520 homes. The ZIP Code is 94028 and the community is inside area code 650. The population was 1,426 at the 2010 census.GeographyLadera is located at the bottom of the eastern slope of the Peninsula Range of the Santa Cruz Mountains. It is bordered on the west by the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve operated by Stanford University, on the east by Alpine Road, and on the north by Webb Ranch.According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 0.4 square miles (1.1 km²), all of it land.HistoryThe community of Ladera occupies land that was originally settled by the Ramaytush Ohlones peoples prior to the settlement of California by the Spanish. Ladera is located on the Rancho Corte de Madera Mexican land grant.The land was used for grazing and timber through 1927 when it was joined to the Ormondale Ranch, owned by the Macdonough family. The Macdonoughs raised cattle and sheep, and bred racehorses; their most famous horse, Ormonde, raced primarily in England and never lost a race. In the 1930s, the majority of the Ormondale Ranch land was developed and incorporated into Portola Valley.