Living in San Mateo

San Mateo gives you a little of everything the Peninsula offers: a lively downtown, one of the area's best loved parks, newer communities near the train, and established tree lined blocks in the hills.

With more than 100,000 residents, San Mateo is one of the largest cities in the county, yet it rarely feels that way. The city grew up around its downtown, incorporated in 1894, and still centers on Central Park, a 16 acre green space with a Japanese tea garden honoring its sister city of Toyonaka, Japan.

On the south side, the former Bay Meadows racetrack has been reborn as an 83 acre neighborhood of homes, offices, shops and parks next to the Hillsdale Caltrain station, with Hillsdale Shopping Center just across El Camino Real. East toward the water, Coyote Point offers trails, a marina and the CuriOdyssey science and wildlife center.

105,000+residents, per the 2020 census
3Caltrain stations inside city limits
670 acresof bayfront park at Coyote Point
1894year San Mateo incorporated

San Mateo Neighborhood Map

Every neighborhood I cover in San Mateo, numbered and pinned.

Swipe sideways to explore the map.

San Mateo neighborhoods map SAN MATEO 28. San Mateo Park 28 29. Bowie Estate and Woodlake 29 30. North Shoreview 30 31. North Central 31 32. Downtown San Mateo 32 33. Eastern Addition 33 34. South Shoreview 34 35. Baywood 35 36. Hayward Park 36 37. Sunnybrae 37 38. 19th Avenue Park 38 39. Parkside 39 40. Mariners Island 40 41. Harbortown 41 42. Aragon 42 43. Baywood Knolls 43 44. Homestead 44 45. Fiesta Gardens 45 46. Lakeshore 46 47. Foothill Terrace 47 48. Beresford Manor 48 49. Bay Meadows 49 50. Los Prados 50 51. Beresford Park 51 52. San Mateo Village 52 53. Glendale Village 53 54. Lauriedale 54 55. San Mateo Terrace 55 56. San Mateo Woods and Bayridge 56 57. Westwood Knolls 57 58. Hillsdale 58 59. Laurelwood 59 60. Sugarloaf 60 61. Baywood Park and Enchanted Hills (unincorporated) 61 62. San Mateo Highlands (unincorporated) 62 101 92 El Camino Real Caltrain San Francisco Bay N 1 mile

San Mateo

  1. 28San Mateo Park
  2. 29Bowie Estate and Woodlake
  3. 30North Shoreview
  4. 31North Central
  5. 32Downtown San Mateo
  6. 33Eastern Addition
  7. 34South Shoreview
  8. 35Baywood
  9. 36Hayward Park
  10. 37Sunnybrae
  11. 3819th Avenue Park
  12. 39Parkside
  13. 40Mariners Island
  14. 41Harbortown
  15. 42Aragon
  16. 43Baywood Knolls
  17. 44Homestead
  18. 45Fiesta Gardens
  19. 46Lakeshore
  20. 47Foothill Terrace
  21. 48Beresford Manor
  22. 49Bay Meadows
  23. 50Los Prados
  24. 51Beresford Park
  25. 52San Mateo Village
  26. 53Glendale Village
  27. 54Lauriedale
  28. 55San Mateo Terrace
  29. 56San Mateo Woods and Bayridge
  30. 57Westwood Knolls
  31. 58Hillsdale
  32. 59Laurelwood
  33. 60Sugarloaf
  34. 61Baywood Park and Enchanted Hills unincorporated
  35. 62San Mateo Highlands unincorporated

Each numbered pin marks a spot inside the neighborhood. Neighborhood borders on the Peninsula are informal and vary by source, so treat edges as approximate. City limits, roads and rail are drawn from OpenStreetMap. Numbers circled with a dashed line are unincorporated county areas that share a mailing city.

Neighborhood by Neighborhood

Numbers match the pins on the map above.

28

San Mateo Park

Laid out between 1902 and 1904 on the Clark family lands, with landscaping credited to Golden Gate Park's John McLaren. Large lots, planted street islands and A.P. Giannini's Seven Oaks estate on El Cerrito Avenue.

29

Bowie Estate and Woodlake

The Bowie subdivision dates to 1897. Next door, Woodlake was completed in 1965 with about 990 homes arranged around a central lake, landscaped by Lawrence Halprin, beside Poplar Creek Golf Course.

30

North Shoreview

East of Highway 101 and north of Third Avenue, with compact post war homes close to Poplar Creek Golf Course and Coyote Point.

31

North Central

Between El Camino Real and Highway 101 just north of downtown, with early 1900s bungalows, Craftsman homes, Victorians and condos, plus Martin Luther King Jr. Park and San Mateo High School.

32

Downtown San Mateo

A local historic district along B Street with more than 800 shops and restaurants, the main Caltrain station and Central Park a few blocks away.

33

Eastern Addition

The early town grid next to the original depot, just east of downtown and often grouped with it.

34

South Shoreview

Built out in the 1950s and 1960s with ranch homes, near Shoreview Park and Seal Point Park, which has a dog park and a windsurfing launch.

35

Baywood

John Parrott's 1860s estate became part of San Mateo in 1927, and building began that same year. Tudor and Spanish revival homes line the streets near Bay Tree Park, with Baywood Elementary, Borel Middle and Aragon High.

36

Hayward Park

Former estate land of Alvinza Hayward, subdivided in 1904. It includes the Glazenwood Historic District of Spanish Colonial Revival homes from the early 1920s and its own Caltrain stop.

37

Sunnybrae

Post war bungalows and cottages near Sunnybrae Elementary and Trinta Park's Little League diamonds.

38

19th Avenue Park

An Eichler neighborhood of about 235 homes built from 1953 to 1955, with Concar Park as its playground.

39

Parkside

Post war ranch homes along the west side of Marina Lagoon, near the boat ramp at Parkside Aquatic Park and the outdoor pool at Joinville Park.

40

Mariners Island

Opened in 1966 with homes along the lagoon and Mariners Island Park, close to Bridgepointe shopping and Highway 92.

41

Harbortown

A gated condo and townhome community from 1979 with private pools, near Mariners Island Boulevard.

42

Aragon

Homes built mostly from 1930 to 1940 in Spanish, Tudor and English revival styles, between El Camino Real and the Alameda, near Aragon High School.

43

Baywood Knolls

A small hillside pocket west of Baywood along Parrott Drive and the Alameda, with early twentieth century homes.

44

Homestead

Part of Antoine Borel's country estate, subdivided in 1961, near where Highway 92 meets El Camino Real.

45

Fiesta Gardens

Built in the early 1950s with ranch homes on modest lots. The homes association, founded in 1954, runs a shared pool and cabana, and Fiesta Meadows Park is close by.

46

Lakeshore

1950s ranch homes and newer condos between Highway 101 and Marina Lagoon, with Lakeshore Park and Marina Plaza for errands.

47

Foothill Terrace

Hillside streets west of the Alameda next to Highway 92, with homes mostly from the 1950s and 1970s and some bay views.

48

Beresford Manor

1930s and 1940s homes south of Highway 92 between El Camino Real and the Alameda, close to Beresford Park and Beresford Elementary.

49

Bay Meadows

Built on the 83 acre site of the Bay Meadows racetrack, which ran from 1934 to 2008. New homes began in 2012 around a 13 acre community park, the Nueva upper school campus and the Hillsdale Caltrain station.

50

Los Prados

Single story ranch homes south of Hillsdale Boulevard between Highway 101 and the lagoon, centered on Los Prados Park.

51

Beresford Park

Late 1930s to 1950s homes around Beresford Park, home to the city's community garden, the Garden Center, a skate area and bocce courts.

52

San Mateo Village

Mostly single family homes from the 1940s and 1950s east of the tracks, near George Hall Elementary.

53

Glendale Village

Next to San Mateo Village, anchored by Casanova Park, where a footbridge crosses Laurel Creek to Laurie Meadows Park.

54

Lauriedale

Condos and townhomes largely from the 1970s and 1980s, beside the 7.5 acre Laurie Meadows Park near the Belmont line.

55

San Mateo Terrace

Streets between 27th and 31st Avenues near Hillsdale High School, which opened in 1955 and became a model for Bay Area campus design.

56

San Mateo Woods and Bayridge

Hillside streets near the College of San Mateo and West Hillsdale Boulevard, with homes mostly from the 1960s and 1970s.

57

Westwood Knolls

Mostly 1950s homes around West 39th Avenue, close to Abbott Middle School and Hillsdale High.

58

Hillsdale

David Bohannon began building his Hillsdale tracts near Hacienda Street and 31st Avenue around 1941. Hillsdale Shopping Center followed in 1954, and Indian Springs Park is a local favorite.

59

Laurelwood

Homes near Laurelwood Park, which together with Sugarloaf Mountain forms 225 acres of trails and open space, the largest in the city.

60

Sugarloaf

About 226 homes from the late 1970s and 1980s next to the Sugarloaf open space. Some addresses feed into Carlmont High, so check school assignments by address.

61

Baywood Park and Enchanted Hills

Wooded hills west of Parrott Drive with larger homes, mostly from the 1970s and 1980s. This is unincorporated county land with a San Mateo mailing address.

62

San Mateo Highlands

More than 700 Eichler homes built from 1956 to 1964 on the ridge above Highway 92, with the Highlands Recreation Center pool and courts. Unincorporated, with a San Mateo mailing address.

A Short History

The Ramaytush Ohlone lived along these creeks for thousands of years. Spanish missionaries built an outpost at San Mateo Creek in 1793, and in 1849 Nicolas de Peyster opened the town's first business, an inn and stagecoach stop on the old mission site.

The railroad arrived in 1863, and wealthy families including the Parrotts, Haywards and Borels built country estates that would later become today's neighborhoods. San Mateo incorporated in 1894. Bank of America founder A.P. Giannini made his home here, and Seabiscuit won back to back races at Bay Meadows in 1937 and 1938.

Schools, Parks and Local Favorites

Public Schools

Most homes are served by the San Mateo Foster City School District and the San Mateo Union High School District, with San Mateo, Aragon and Hillsdale High in town. Some southern pockets feed into Belmont and Carlmont schools, so always check by address.

Private Schools and College

Junipero Serra High, the Nueva upper school at Bay Meadows, St. Matthew's Episcopal Day School and The Carey School, plus the College of San Mateo on its 153 acre hilltop campus.

Central Park

Bought by the city in 1922, Central Park has a miniature train running since 1948, a Japanese Garden designed in 1966 with gifts from sister city Toyonaka, rooftop tennis courts and free summer concerts.

Coyote Point

A large bayfront park with a marina, a yacht club dating to 1941, Magic Mountain Playground and the CuriOdyssey science and wildlife center.

Getting Around

Caltrain stops at San Mateo, Hayward Park and Hillsdale. Highway 101 and Interstate 280 run north and south, and Highway 92 crosses the bay to the East Bay.

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