San Mateo County

Welcome to God's Country...

San Mateo County is located between San Francisco and Santa Clara Counties.  It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on it's west side and the San Francisco Bay on it's east side.  San Mateo County is about 40 miles long and 15 miles wide; it has mountains, water reservoir(s) and an earthquake fault. Within this area are the cities between South San Francisco, Pacifica and Menlo Park.  Please note that popular Palo Alto, where Stanford University is located is the start of Santa Clara County. Because this area is landlocked by water on two sides and there is little room to expand, people who want to live in this desirable  "Peninsula Area" and are required to pay rather large prices for their homes, but living here makes up for it.

The Peninsula area is close to beaches, romantic San Francisco and is a half-day's drive to Tahoe or Yosemite or even less to Carmel and Monterey.  Three major airports service the area: San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland. 

San Mateo County is loaded with parks and trails, good schools, local community colleges, good library system and good transportation.  While the Peninsula does have many high paying jobs, (particularly in Biotech), it is not uncommon to be "house rich" only, meaning that the majority of one's wealth is located in the equity in their home.

San Mateo County has a climate that ranges in moderate temperatures; it rarely freezes and rarely gets above 90 degrees. Most homes do not require air conditioning. While it does rain, it is usually in the winter and often is less than 20 inches annual.  Local communities have in the past and probably again in the future will institute regulations about water usage.

Atherton is a great community near the south end of San Mateo County providing easy access to Stanford University and Silicon Valley.  It has large lots (minimum one acre lot size) lots of trees, no sidewalks, no streetlights and no businesses.  With an average income of $270k (2004), it is one on the most affluent communities in the Bay Area.  The weather is great, the schools are some of the California's highest rated and life is good, but expensive.

There are about 2500 households of which 98% are single-family homes.  Children attend the Menlo Park or Las Lomitas Elementary School Districts and the Sequoia High School District. Community school bonds financially assist the schools.

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Belmont is a pleasant community in mid San Mateo County.  It ranges from the flat area near highway 101 and goes up Ralston Road to the hills on the west side. It has easy access to both highway 101 and highways 92 and 280.  People seem to like Belmont because it has a "wooded" feel with limited sidewalks and streetlights, but lots of trees, hills, terraced lots and frequently some superb views.  The houses vary from one to another, and there may be a modest home adjacent to a much more upscale one. Most high school students attend Carlmont High School.

Belmont has lots of parks, a cute downtown area and a low crime rate.

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Burlingame is a fine older and stately community.  It offers very good schools, lots of activities, trendy shopping and great restaurants.  Burlingame also has quite a bit of income from local industry, including multiple hotels and office buildings.  It has close proximity to the San Francisco Airport and a moderate easy commute into the City of San Francisco itself.

While it has a variety of homes in different shapes ands sizes, they all tend to be on the expensive side with lesser expensive homes down near the flat area and more expensive ones going up the hill towards the west. Local parent groups raise money to benefit the local schools and they are well rated.  The Burlingame Middle School was rated nationally as a "Distinguished School" in 2003. High School students usually attend either the Burlingame High School or Mills High School, which is located just over the Millbrae line.

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Foster City is a fabulous community to live in. Foster City has 223 acres of waterways, 12 small islands and lots of gorgeous waterfront homes. Add that to the fact that many of the homes are newer than the majority of the homes built on the rest of the Peninsula area.  Most of the homes were built in the last 30 years or so and as a result feature the benefits that many buyers have come to appreciate... like multiple bathrooms, attached family rooms and two car garages. In addition, it offers choices in apartment, condominium and townhouse living styles. The city was designed with lots of neighborhood parks and many neighborhood-shopping areas.

Foster City was a "master planned community and provides lots of activities for all ages. There are several beaches around town, a nine-hole golf course, fishing pier, an extended pedway trail and a spectacular set of soccer fields, baseball & football fields in the south end of town.  Foster City has active Scouts, Soccer, Little League and Pop Warner Football and also has lots of activities through the Recreation Department. Many of the waterfront homes have boats (no gas engines) and windsurfing lessons are offered near the combined Senior and Recreation Center. 

There are two school districts that serve Foster City. The elementary and middle schools are part of the San Mateo-Foster City School District.  They have three elementary schools in Foster City, Brewer island, Foster City School and Audubon Elementary School. The middle school, Bowditch Middle School received national designation as a "Blue Ribbon School" in recent years.  The high schools are part of the San Mateo Union High Schools District. While there is no high school in Foster City, each Foster City address has a correlating high school assigned to it. Most students go to either San Mateo High School or Hillsdale High School, however there are opportunities to transfer within the six high schools within the district.

In addition to a great outdoor lifestyle, Foster City houses Visa and many Biotech firms.  It is roughly a 12-minute ride to the San Francisco Airport and you can easily reach the East Bay or Half Moon Bay by jumping on Route 92.

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Hillsborough, the former home of Bing Crosby, is known as an affluent community with fabulous schools. It is adjacent to Burlingame and winds through parts of San Mateo, has lots of hills and even more trees. The homes are built on large lots and often cannot be seen from the street, sidewalks are rare.  Businesses are also rare, but are reported to include a private school(s) and a golf course.

There are four schools in Hillsborough, 3 elementary schools North, South West and Crocker Middle School.  The outstanding ratings are attributed to massive fund raising, parental "donation", parent volunteers, and the annual Concours d' Elegance fund raiser. They are very serious about the quality of their schools. The high school students usually attend either Burlingame High School or San Mateo High School.

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Redwood Shores is a newer community east of highway 101. It is part of Redwood City, but closer to Belmont.  Redwood Shores is the home to Oracle and Entertainment Arts, but also has lovely homes, condos and the popular Pacific Athletic Club.  There are a few restaurants and most necessary services, including Starbucks & Jamba Juice.  Currently they are building a new library.  Redwood Shores is part of the Belmont Elementary District. Sandpiper Elementary School is the only school in Redwood Shores and while it is well rated, it is also over crowded and many students have been relocated into Belmont schools across highway 101. There is a community center and playing fields at the Sandpiper School location.

Redwood Shores has lovely walkways and lagoons and one can often see boats with crew members practicing on the water.

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San Carlos is a very popular community about 25 miles south of San Francisco.  Known for good schools (top 4% of the nation), community activities and great weather.  San Carlos has a really lovely downtown area, complete with restaurants and some have seating on the sidewalk.

The whole city is lovely; particularly popular is the White Oaks neighborhood near El Camino Real.  While most of the homes in this neighborhood are older, they have been well maintained and those that have been upgraded tend to command a dear price. Keep in mind; there are many nice neighborhoods and homes throughout San Carlos. As you go up the hill, many of the homes have awesome views.

Indoor/outdoor living is popular and the parks & trails get lots of use. The San Carlos Tennis Club is very popular not only with San Carlos locals, but also tennis players from neighboring communities.

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San Mateo is a large community about 18 miles from San Francisco, and has a different feel depending on which neighborhood you are in, school scores and housing prices seem to vary with neighborhoods as well. The neighborhood variance offers alternatives in housing price ranges.

San Mateo has a nice downtown area spread over several streets near Central Park.  Central Park has tennis courts, playing fields, a Japanese Garden and for many years, a small train that could be ridden.  San Mateo has several shopping areas including Hillsdale Mall featuring Macy's & Nordstrom and Bridge Point which houses Target and Toys-R-Us, among others.  Newer to the area is Franklin Templeton and it's adjacent center featuring Whole Foods, Gold's Gym and many restaurants & shops.  San Mateo has a new library and two smaller satellite libraries, an active senior center, boating area and several recreation departments.   

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