Homes for Sale in San Leandro Zip Code 94579
San Leandro's 94579 is the city's southwestern quarter — bounded by Interstate 880 on the east, San Francisco Bay on the west, and Lewelling Boulevard on the south. It is largely a postwar zip code, built out in the 1950s as Washington Manor and Bonaire, and the housing stock still reads that way: single-story ranch homes on flat, regular lots with attached garages and mature street trees. For buyers who want a detached house with a yard inside a 30-minute radius of both Oakland and the Peninsula, this is one of the more attainable places in the inner East Bay to find one.
Home Listings in Zip 94579
The Homes: Postwar Ranch and Mid-Century Tracts
Almost everything here went up after World War II, when the orchards and truck farms of southern San Leandro were subdivided in a hurry for a growing workforce. The result is a coherent streetscape of Ranch and Mid-Century Modern variations — low rooflines, wide front lawns, sliding glass doors onto rear patios, attached garages, and the occasional decorative screen block or scalloped fascia that dates a house to within a few years.
Three practical consequences of that vintage. Lots are flat and rectangular, which makes additions and ADUs more straightforward here than in the hill neighborhoods east of 880. Original systems are now seventy years old, so sewer laterals, electrical panels, and foundations deserve real attention during inspections. And because the tracts were built by a handful of builders working from a small set of plans, comparable sales in 94579 are unusually reliable — the house three streets over often is genuinely the same house.
Washington Manor, Bonaire, and the Parks
The two neighborhood names that matter here are Washington Manor and Bonaire, and locals often use them together. The parks are the everyday infrastructure that makes the area work for families.
- Washington Manor Park on Zelma Street is the largest — tennis and pickleball courts, an outdoor water play area, multiple playgrounds, picnic groves, and open field space for soccer and baseball.
- Bonaire Park at Juniper and Sagewood has separate play structures for toddlers and older kids, a gated toddler area, a ballfield, and restrooms, sitting directly beside a school campus.
- Stenzel Park on Wicks Boulevard is the quieter of the three, built around its baseball diamond, with playgrounds and barbecue pits.
Just west, the San Leandro Marina and Marina Park put shoreline trail, picnic lawns, beach volleyball, and bay views within a few minutes' drive — the closest thing this part of the city has to a regional destination.
Shopping and Everyday Errands
Greenhouse Marketplace on Lewelling Boulevard is the workhorse center for this zip code, anchored by Safeway and Cardenas Market with a range of casual restaurants, takeout, and services around the ring. It is a practical older shopping center rather than a polished one, with some vacancy among the smaller storefronts, and it covers the weekly grocery run without leaving 94579.
Larger shopping sits just outside the boundary: Bay Fair Center and Fashion Faire Place on Hesperian to the northeast, and Southland Mall down in Hayward. Bay Fair has lost tenants over the past decade and its future is tied to transit-oriented redevelopment planning around the BART station — a long-term change worth tracking if you are buying nearby.
Schools
94579 is served by the San Leandro Unified School District. James Madison Elementary on Juniper Street and Dayton Elementary on Dayton Avenue both sit inside the zip code, with additional SLUSD elementary campuses just over the boundary. The district operates a single comprehensive high school, San Leandro High School on Bancroft Avenue, so high school assignment is not a variable the way it is in districts with multiple attendance zones. Middle school assignment does vary by address. Verify current boundaries with the district before making an offer — they are revised periodically.
Getting Around: BART, 880, and the Bridges
Bay Fair BART on Hesperian Boulevard is the closest station, just outside the zip code's northeast corner. It is a transfer point serving three lines, which makes it more useful than a single-line station: direct service toward downtown Oakland and San Francisco, south toward Fremont, and east toward Castro Valley, Dublin, and Pleasanton. AC Transit buses connect the residential streets to the station.
By car, I-880 runs along the eastern edge with interchanges at Marina Boulevard and Washington Avenue, north to Oakland and the Bay Bridge, south toward Hayward and Silicon Valley. For a Peninsula commute, the bridge to use is the San Mateo–Hayward Bridge (Highway 92), reached by heading south on 880 or down Hesperian — roughly fifteen minutes from most 94579 addresses. Oakland International Airport is about ten minutes north.
Two honest notes. The western portion of the zip code sits near Oakland International's flight paths, and aircraft noise varies noticeably block to block — stand in the backyard during a showing before you decide it does not bother you. And 880 traffic through this stretch is heavy at peak, so a commute that maps at twenty minutes can run considerably longer at 5pm.
Nearby Communities
San Lorenzo, an unincorporated Alameda County community, sits directly south across Lewelling Boulevard and shares much of 94579's postwar tract character. Hayward continues south beyond that with a broader range of housing and price points. Castro Valley lies east past 880 and 238, trading flat tract streets for hillside lots, larger homes, and its own well-regarded school district. For the rest of the city — the Marina, Broadmoor, Estudillo Estates, and the neighborhoods north of Davis Street — see all San Leandro homes for sale.
San Leandro 94579 Real Estate FAQs
What neighborhoods are in San Leandro 94579?
The zip code covers San Leandro's southwestern quarter, principally the Washington Manor and Bonaire neighborhoods, along with the residential streets running west toward the San Leandro Marina. It is bounded by I-880 on the east, San Francisco Bay on the west, and Lewelling Boulevard on the south.
What kind of homes are in 94579?
Predominantly single-story Ranch and Mid-Century Modern houses built in the 1950s on flat, regular lots, with attached garages, front lawns, and rear patios. Because the tracts came from a small number of builders and plan sets, homes repeat street to street, which makes pricing comparisons unusually reliable. Expect original-era systems in unrenovated houses.
Is 94579 close to BART?
Bay Fair BART on Hesperian Boulevard is the nearest station, sitting just past the zip code's northeastern corner. It is a three-line transfer station with service toward San Francisco and Oakland, south toward Fremont, and east toward Castro Valley, Dublin, and Pleasanton, and AC Transit buses link it to the residential streets.
How is the commute from San Leandro to the Peninsula?
Take the San Mateo–Hayward Bridge on Highway 92, reached via southbound 880 or Hesperian Boulevard, roughly fifteen minutes from most addresses in the zip code. That crossing puts Foster City, San Mateo, and the mid-Peninsula within reach, which is why 94579 draws buyers who work on the Peninsula but want East Bay pricing.
What schools serve San Leandro 94579?
San Leandro Unified School District serves the area. James Madison Elementary and Dayton Elementary are inside the zip code, with other SLUSD campuses nearby, and San Leandro High School is the district's single comprehensive high school. Middle school assignment varies by address, so confirm current boundaries with the district before you write an offer.
Is San Leandro 94579 a good place to buy?
It suits buyers who want a detached single-family home with a yard, on a flat lot, within reasonable reach of Oakland, San Francisco, and the Peninsula, at prices below what the same house commands closer to those job centers. The trade-offs are aging original systems, aircraft noise on the western side, and 880 congestion at peak hours.
Work With a Local San Leandro Real Estate Expert
Bruce Wagg, DRE #01760054 with Keller Williams Elevate, has spent 20 years representing buyers and sellers across Alameda County. In a zip code where houses repeat plan for plan, the value is in knowing which streets carry aircraft noise, which blocks have had sewer lateral work done, and what separates two identical-looking ranch homes priced fifty thousand dollars apart.
Call (669) 202-7777 or use the contact form below to start your San Leandro home search. Learn more about Bruce Wagg.