[5] According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 8.8 square miles (23 km2), all of it land.

Los Altos Hills maintains a rural feel,[6] similar to the likes of neighboring Woodside and Portola Valley (see: Strictly Residential).

There are many open space preserves, such as Rancho San Antonio and Westwind Barn.

The Los Altos Hills ZIP code 94022 appeared on the 2017 Forbes list of America's most expensive ZIP codes; 94022 was ranked the 3rd most expensive in the United States, with a median home price of $7,755,000.

[7] In 2019, a Bloomberg analysis ranked Los Altos Hills the fourth richest town in the United States.

[8] Los Altos Hills has a ban on commercial zones, which was upheld by the California Court of Appeal (First District) in 1973.

[9] The town's two retail commercial operations are the book store on the campus of Foothill College and the gift shop on the grounds of the Immaculate Heart Monastery of the Poor Clare Colettines.

The town does not have a post office or library, with mail delivery provided from nearby Los Altos.

The town's zoning regulations require a minimum lot size of one acre (4,000 m²), setbacks from the property boundary, and easements for public pathways.

[10][11] Landowners are limited to one primary dwelling per lot, which effectively bans multifamily housing; this ban and the minimum lot size were upheld as constitutional by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 1974.

The town is home to a monastery of the Immaculate Heart of the Poor Clare Colettines.

The town of Los Altos Hills has a five-member elected city council.

The Pinewood School Upper Campus is also located in Los Altos Hills, serving students in grades 7-12.