By Liz Weeker

Town Crier Editorial Intern

One of the founding residents of Los Altos, Irwin Martin has seen the community’s transition during its 50 years from slow and rural to bustling and commercially developed.

When Martin left Indiana in 1948, he came to a town whose intimate environment was much like that of his home state. “Everyone knew each other,” he recalled. The trusting atmosphere was one that enabled Martin’s children to enjoy the freedom to roam the neighborhood without fear. “We never worried about locking doors.”

Martin built his home in 1951 off Panchita Way, on a lot he paid $2,000 for.

Property value isn’t the only thing that has changed over the years. This longtime resident has seen traffic thicken, vacant lots disappear and Main Street lengthen with the increase of businesses.

The year he built his house, Martin voted with others to incorporate Los Altos.

“There were several thousand votes, and it won by only 250,” he said. He voted to preserve a certain lifestyle that may not have been possible without the town’s official establishment. “We wanted a rural environment without sidewalks,” he said.

The Martins contributed to the building of the Community Plaza in downtown Los Altos by purchasing a brick with the inscription “Irwin and Lou Martin - voted to incorporate.”