San Mateo

San Mateo, CA    Click HERE to search for schools

The town of San Mateo is situated near the center of the San Francisco Bay Area. Ideally located, it is approximately 20 miles south of the city of San Francisco and around 32 miles from the city of San Jose.

San Mateo is the perfect town for families, as are its neighboring towns of Burlingame, Millbrae, Belmont, San Carlos and Redwood City. San Mateo offers many choices for everyone.

Downtown, with its pretty architecture, boasts a plethora of restaurants with an accent on Asian cuisine. There are some excellent Sushi restaurants and Steakhouses as well as many other restaurants that will appeal to every palate.

Some Park/Recreational areas below:

Central Park is a place for family get-togethers, picnics, playtime for children featuring a playground and sandbox area, musical concerts, many special events and ice skating during the holiday winter months.

Japanese Garden is a special and peaceful place located on the edge of Central Park. It was designed by renowned landscape architect Nagao Sakurai. The immediate tranquility, coupled by the fragile beauty of the tree, shrub and floral compositions is a joy.  Looking down from the little bridge over a large Koi pond, one can view many very colorful and very well fed Koi.

Sawyer Camp Trail borders the edge of scenic Crystal Springs Reservoir and it is tailor made for avid walkers, runners and cyclists. It is not unusual to see deer along the trail.

Coyote Point boasts a green and sprawling picnic area, a beach with a full view San Francisco’s city skyline and the bayside trail which skirts the bay for miles of pleasurable walking, jogging or bicycling. On the trail to Coyote Point Marina, which includes a lovely, gently hilly adjacent picnic area, you will see the CuriOdyssey Museum which is a Science museum featuring kid-friendly science exhibits and a zoo for children. It is well worth a visit.  Many marshes and fragile natural habitats can be seen from the trail, as well as some amazing and varied species of sea birds. 

Seal Point Park is along the trail, going south from Coyote Point. Seal Point is notable insofar as the entire park is a ‘mini-mountain’ built upon layers of landfill. It features a wind organ and sonic sculptures as well as fabulous bay area views. Close by is a large dog park. There are countless wind surfers dotting the bay, whizzing by in colorful brilliance.

Some neighborhood highlights in San Mateo:

Baywood/Aragon: Quaint old San Mateo aptly describes Baywood Aragon south of downtown. Charming older Mediterranean homes dating back to the 1920’s, meld well with older Tudor and Colonial style homes. Tasteful high rise apartment buildings on the northern end do not detract from the neighborhood. Close to downtown and schools.

San Mateo Park: A quiet, woodsy, ‘leafy’ neighborhood with lovely and spacious solid older homes, showing tremendous curb appeal due to their varied architecture. The homes were built tastefully, on oversized lots to allow for a generous amount of ‘frontage.’ One will not see homes that are butted up against the street. This neighborhood is close to downtown and schools. It boasts a BIG “Blue Sky Factor” and we are not talking about a blue sky.

Homestead/Beresford Manor: On San Mateo's Westside, this neighborhood is situated South of Aragon and North of Hillsdale. It is an easy walk to Hillsdale Mall and Beresford Rec Center and playgrounds.

Hayward Park: A historic neighborhood filled with attractive vintage homes built during the first 3 decades of the 20^th century, the styles include some expansive, Craftsman style homes and several Tudors, Mediterraneans and English Cottages which were all in vogue during the 1920’s.  A few homes were built before World War I. Central Park is located near the edge of this community.

Sunnybrae/19th Ave. Built after WWII most homes are single story and sit on well maintained lots of approximately 5,000 square feet. Although close to downtown and major commute corridors the neighborhood is quiet, family friendly and safe.

Fiesta Gardens: Surrounds an open space park that serves as the gathering place for many in the community. The Gardens has a homeowner's association that keeps the neighborhood safe, clean and fun.

Shoreview: Consisting of a long strip of neighborhood on the east side of Highway 101, the northern end hugs the well tended Coyote Point County Park. The homes were built in the 1950’s and are the most affordable on the SF Peninsula.

San Mateo Highlands: Close to Interstate 280, this neighborhood's most remarkable feature- 900 mid-century Eichler homes. The award winning elementary school and the community center with aquatics center make it a very a close knit community.

Hillsdale "The Lanes"/San Mateo and Westwood Knolls:  A larger neighborhood, it is located south from downtown San Mateo. It is a well established community with several schools close by. Hillsdale boasts the recently updated and now very upscale Hillsdale Mall with a state-of-the-art movie theatre complex

San Mateo Village/Lauriedale: The Village, as it is known, includes the area between El Camino and Highway 101. It is an easy walk to the tony Whole foods Market, Starbucks, Cal Train Station and the Hillsdale Mall. This area exudes a young, upwardly mobile vibe.