Yeah but most of East Palo Alto isn't in the zone, and part of Menlo Park is.

The borders are based on census tracts with low average income. The complete list of zones is here: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-18-48.pdf

I'm not sure who draws census tract lines.

Arbitrarily and Irish myself seeing three streets of Irish name makes me assume long term economic doldrums. Saying this isn't a good feeling but one generation removed from poverty that's what I am programmed to think. (I'm not young my mother was born in '31)