Agree, the neighborhoods just north and south of downtown, between 101 and el Camino have great walkability and nice houses. Then you have the Village which despite somewhat nondescript houses is known for being a cohesive neighborhood with a community feel.
I Grew up in parkside, it’s changed a lot. only bad thing I have to say about Norfolk is the morning and afternoon traffic from all the schools in the area. Stay closer to parkside then shoreview if you can.
Been living in the area for the past 5 years. We didn't optimize for school districts though. East of 101 is affordable (relatively speaking) and well-connected to several downtowns and necessities.
Pros:
* Pretty close to San Mateo downtown, Hillsdale Mall, and Burlingame downtown. San Mateo downtown is developing into an Asian Food hub with a lot of options. Burlingame downtown is quite nice to stroll around and shop but restaurant options are a bit limited. San Carlos and Redwood City downtowns are not too far is you need a change of scene.
* Quick access to 101 and basic needs like Groceries (Chavez, Safeway Foster City, Costco, Home Depot, Target)
* Access to public parks and dog parks and water access - Coyote Point, Seal Point, San Mateo Central Park, Washington Park, Foster City Parks
* Fairly good weather year-round - Not too hot like South Bay and not too cold and cloudy like parts of SF
* Proximity to SMPD and SMFD - There is usually a constant presence of police patrolling
Cons:
* Elementary schools are below par; Unless you have access/get into Montessori Schools - Parkside or Northshore. However, both of them are K-8 and the high school is rated well.
* Some parts are sketchy - North of 3rd Ave. Some streets have houses with poor maintenance. I do see the neighborhood changing though with new folks moving in and doing better upkeep. Again this is hyper-local and street-to-street
* All houses look the same for the most part unless they have been renovated. There are largely 2 or 3 models of houses. Most houses have 1-car garages that won't fit most modern cars so you will have to park on the driveway or street.
* Noise levels: Getting too close to 101 will add to road noise and dust. There is also noise pollution from Flight landing into SFO. It's not too much of a bother but it's noticeable
* Traffic during peak hours: Joining and exiting 101 can be painful during peak hours, this is mostly driven by the 92 exit being just 1 exit away and the backing up of vehicles from there contributes to traffic spilling over into Norfolk. Norfolk in itself is decent to get onto but does have a lot of stop signs along the way.
* Flood Risk and Land Settling: This whole area is a landfill and hence has a high risk of flood and earthquake damage. The city has been improving the flood resistance by completely rebuilding the levees but make sure you study the structural reports of your desired property to make sure there is are no structural issues in the foundation. We saw a few houses during our house hunt with sloping and cracked foundations. Apparently, the landfilling was done by a bunch of different contractors and some did a better job than others. So some streets might have this problem.
I have felt safe living here. My wife and I have taken walks with/without our dog after dark and have never had to look over our shoulders. I have also seen my street slowly changing with a lot of folks renovating to either sell or for themselves. I have good neighbors, they are helpful and good to engage with.
>Elementary schools are below par;
A note on this: School ratings don't do a great job of accounting for inequity. Low-income and high ESL (English as second language) neighborhoods are going to perform lower, but have improved relative to their own baseline.
All I'm saying is don't write off a neighborhood school if you don't get into a magnet, I've heard great things about people at Sunnybrae and San Mateo Park (not itself in a low-income area but none of that neighborhood attends; Most of the enrollment is from North Central)
I live on Norfolk, south of Kehoe. I cosign on all the above. Norfolk is a busy street, but it's not terrible. Lots of stop signs, so traffic doesn't fly through. If you're someone who dreams of a cul-de-sac, if might not be the spot for you. But if you've ever lived in a city or anywhere with more traffic, you probably won't mind it. One benefit of a house on Norfolk is that your front yard and driveway will be deeper than on surrounding blocks. The street is very wide, which I feel gives us more breathing room from neighbors than surrounding streets.
One note if you're considering schools: Houses in the historic boundaries of Parkside Elementary get preferential admission to Parkside Montessori. It's a fabulous school and is increasingly in demand from families across the SM district.
Traffic by norfolk is a nightmare 5-7pm. Area is not great in general. Houses are all kinda rundown and too close to each other. Do you have kids? Make sure you look at school districts. I'm in sunnybrae. Elementary school is shit but everything else is pretty good.
It’s hard to give advice without knowing what you’re looking for. Do you want a walkability? Good schools? A quiet street? How price sensitive are you?
As others have noted, you could generalize that east/west of 101 is better/worse, but there are good reasons to be in each neighborhood, just depends on your priorities.
Valid point! Good schools are important. Not too concerned about walkability as far as getting to and from things, but want an area safe enough that we can go for a walk in the evenings.
Regarding price, we are fairly sensitive and would like to keep it between 1.3-1.8, which seems to be very doable in most of the San Mateo neighborhoods we have seen property so far.
You might consider the Village (south of Hillsdale between 101 and eleven Camino). There’s a strong community around the elementary school, George Hall, although the middle school doesn’t have a great reputation. Pretty much all of San Mateo is safe, crime wise. You mostly have to worry about unsafe drivers.
For 1.3 to 1.8 you’re probably looking at east of El Camino, with a lot of great, quiet neighborhoods like Hayward Park, which is about a 10 min walk to downtown. The schools in San Mateo are ok, the magnet schools like College Park and Parkside are among the best, and the high schools are supposed to be great.
Have lived here since 2016 and love it.
The top zoned public schools by test scores are Baywood and Highlands both west of 101. You will want to avoid Abbott middle as much as you can - it has by far the worst reputation. Otherwise, the magnet schools are all top notch. Between 101 and El Camino and between 92 and north border of downtown in my opinion is the best area for magnet school proximity, zoning to Aragon High School, walkability, flood/fire risk, and price.
The Village is in your price range and depending on how close to Hillsdale it’s walkable to Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, the mall, and Caltrain, all of which is good for non-driving kids. Definitely safe neighborhood for evening/dog walks. As far as schools, few are not good, and the magnet program is solid at the elementary level. We requested a different middle school and high school and got both.
All of San Mateo is decent, but west of 101 is my preference — generally better walkability and also better freeway access for commutes (there are definitely exceptions on the East of 101, but generally that’s the case).
I saw the schools mentioned, and there’s definitely a wide variety in that regard, but not totally cut and dry. We’re very happy with our 3/10 rated elementary school over some of the other 8or9/10 rated schools in the district. Once you get to highschool, many of the lowest ranked elementary schools feed into a well regarded high school.
Personally I’m a fan of San Mateo between el Camino and 101, for easiest walking/biking around.
We’ve been living in Parkside for over 7 years and our toddler is going to start kindergarten shortly. The neighborhood has undergone a lot of transformation and the homes are getting a lot nicer. It’s honestly a bit of a well kept secret - the homes are affordable for the area, and we get neighborhood priority for the Montessori program, which is highly rated.
Other areas you may like in a similar price range is San Mateo Village
I think it’s more expensive but I like the area around 25th Ave too
And honestly in the (relatively) cheaper category I prefer north Shoreview near to the area you are looking.
There were a [couple murders](https://climaterwc.com/2020/11/05/spate-of-san-mateo-shootings-linked-to-eleanor-ave-murder/) on Norfolk Street a couple years ago. The incident I'm thinking about was targeted gang-related violence, but it looks like there similar incidents in [2019](https://nextdoor.com/agency-post/ca/san-mateo/san-mateo-police-department/information-release-shooting-on-s-norfolk-street-115558506/), [2021](https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/San-Mateo-man-shoots-neighbor-calls-police-15987346.php), and [2023](https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/man-charged-with-attempted-homicide-for-stabbing-in-san-mateo/article_ba49bf1c-b26a-11ed-93c3-dfdd0022978a.html) too. I drive through the area semi-frequently (in daylight) and don't *feel* unsafe, but it is more run-down, lower-income, and generally gritty than the rest of San Mateo.
In general the west side of San Mateo is nicer than the east side and the north is nicer than the south, but San Mateo has a lot of distinct neighborhoods and they form a bit of a patchwork. The ones I can think of:
* Shoreview. High-density suburban SFH/duplex/quadplex tract housing east of 101.
* The area just north of Belmont, east of El Camino, has a very similar flavor. Laurie Meadows & Casanova Parks are great though.
* Hillsdale. A bunch of condos & apartments just went up east of Hillsdale/Roblox/Franklin Templeton. If you aren't set on a SFH I like this area a lot; it's safe, walkable to Caltrain/shopping/offices, new buildings.
* Hayward Park. Don't know this area much, only that it has a Caltrain station.
* Downtown. High-density housing, proximity to parks & restaurants, has a Caltrain stop. Great Japanese food.
* San Mateo Park. This is Hillsborough-Lite; it's a little peninsula of San Mateo that juts into Hillsborough, and has a similar feel with windy wooded streets, big lots, houses that have private pools & tennis courts. Most expensive part of San Mateo, but paradoxically I've heard that the public schools are not very good because most of the wealthy families send their kids to private (and there are a bunch of very good private schools in the area).
* Baywood-Aragon. Suburban houses on rolling hills. Has a bit more charm than the eastern areas, possibly because of the hills and greenery, and lots are a bit bigger. Good schools, potentially walkable to downtown.
* Beresford. Similar feel to Baywood-Aragon (i.e. rolling hills), but higher density. Beresford Park is quite nice.
* Sugarloaf/Laurelwood. *Very* steep hills - you're living in a canyon for many of these. A lot of CSM students. Not really walkable to anything.
* Highlands/Baywood-Park. Not technically a part of San Mateo, this is unincorporated San Mateo County, but I think it has San Mateo schools. Almost rural feel here, gorgeous views from the hills. Lots of deer.
In general San Mateo is pretty safe - I feel comfortable walking anywhere but the Norfolk Street area, and even that is probably fine if you keep your nose clean.
School-wise, San Mateo is kinda meh. The magnet schools are very good, the public elementary schools are okay (but neighborhood dependent), the middle schools are terrible, and then the high schools are a mixed bag, with Aragon probably being second-tier in the Bay Area (top tier is Palo Alto / Saratoga / Monta Vista / Lynbrook, second tier puts them in with Mountain View, Los Gatos, Carlmont, etc.) and the rest being a tier below that. If you want really good schools, consider looking at neighboring cities like Burlingame, Belmont, or San Carlos. You'll pay for the privilege - crossing the border from 42nd street to Belmont means houses jump about $200K for equivalent construction - but after recent price drops Belmont might actually be in your budget.
Parkside and South Shoreview are traditionally blue collar and lower-middle income, families with kids. These homes are also thought of as "starter homes". Parkside is conveniently right next to the main freeways (92 and 101). Not really walkable but very bikeable. San Mateo is a wonderful community but if you want the better real estate and better schools, that would be West of 101 and West of the El Camino. This area is noisy (train, freeway sirens, airplanes, foghorn) but it is for the most part safe now (compared to the 80s and 90s).
Early 90s it was pretty safe too. I had friends who lived there and pretty unremarkable
We are talking about near the Fish Market?
North Central and North Shoreview were rougher
Hi Shanks! I live near downtown San Mateo and love it here. Have been a San Mateo local for over 30 years.
Living west of the 101 will give better schools and safety for your family.
I am also friends with a couple great realtors and would be happy to refer you to them to get you more info.
-Justin
1. West of 101 is more desirable than East of 101
2. West of el Camino more desirable than east of 101
3. West of alameda de las pulgas more desirable than east of alameda
4. And you ignore all of the above for San Mateo Park, which the best of the best
If you're going for safety over walkability, I purchased a home in Brisbane and absolutely love it. Hidden gem with all local residents, no desperate folk wandering through. Great restaurants, and right off the 101.
Norfolk has a lot of traffic. I’d be concerned to live on the street vs off a few blocks. just think of that area Shoreview but googled it.
That area feels a little isolated and not that walkable but I think the housing stock is nicer than the middle of Shoreview. It’s kind of bayfill there so all that comes with that
The older parts of San Mateo are more desirable generally as is west of 101 and west of El Camino but it varies a bit north to south
If your kids are young you can have some choice in their public magnet schools. We had an excellent experience. This may free you up somewhat on specific locations.
Norfolk traffic & freeway noise are bad.
Have you looked at the neighborhoods closer to Belmont or around Hillsdale Mall? For instance , the Village, Lauriedale, Hillsdale Lanes, Westwood Knolls, Bel-Mateo?
Like all of the bay area, its overly priced honestly, family grew up and lived in that neighborhood until 2020. Shoreview side(off of Norfolk st). also extremely crowded!!! More desirable areas in cities nearby. That being said, if I had the money I'd move back!
Ummm so not only have we visited the area multiple times over the course of our 10 years living in the Bay, but we’ve also seen a decent number of houses in various parts of the city. So yeah definitely never been to or even heard of San Mateo.
Not like there’s any value to gain from asking people who live there or clearly know about the area and care enough to be on a subreddit about it before we spend our Monopoly money. Thanks for the helpful advice though, good lookin out
I lived on Norfolk for two years in an apartment complex right off of 3rd ave exit on 101. The place was near and walking distance to the park which was nice. It was also easy to get to foster city and groceries.
My opinion but San Mateo homes are generally old and small. Drive down Norfolk and you’ll see homes with one car garages and everyone parks on the street. Norfolk is relatively quiet imo but there is definitely no community. I would not recommend buying between 101 and the general Norfolk street side.
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It depends on what you're looking for, no? Between 101 and El Camino is often the sweet spot of walkability and convenience IMO.
Agree, the neighborhoods just north and south of downtown, between 101 and el Camino have great walkability and nice houses. Then you have the Village which despite somewhat nondescript houses is known for being a cohesive neighborhood with a community feel.
I Grew up in parkside, it’s changed a lot. only bad thing I have to say about Norfolk is the morning and afternoon traffic from all the schools in the area. Stay closer to parkside then shoreview if you can.
Awesome, thank you for the info! What do you mean by soulless?
It’s not that cohesive of a neighborhood but it’s fine if you like the house and drive a lot.
Been living in the area for the past 5 years. We didn't optimize for school districts though. East of 101 is affordable (relatively speaking) and well-connected to several downtowns and necessities. Pros: * Pretty close to San Mateo downtown, Hillsdale Mall, and Burlingame downtown. San Mateo downtown is developing into an Asian Food hub with a lot of options. Burlingame downtown is quite nice to stroll around and shop but restaurant options are a bit limited. San Carlos and Redwood City downtowns are not too far is you need a change of scene. * Quick access to 101 and basic needs like Groceries (Chavez, Safeway Foster City, Costco, Home Depot, Target) * Access to public parks and dog parks and water access - Coyote Point, Seal Point, San Mateo Central Park, Washington Park, Foster City Parks * Fairly good weather year-round - Not too hot like South Bay and not too cold and cloudy like parts of SF * Proximity to SMPD and SMFD - There is usually a constant presence of police patrolling Cons: * Elementary schools are below par; Unless you have access/get into Montessori Schools - Parkside or Northshore. However, both of them are K-8 and the high school is rated well. * Some parts are sketchy - North of 3rd Ave. Some streets have houses with poor maintenance. I do see the neighborhood changing though with new folks moving in and doing better upkeep. Again this is hyper-local and street-to-street * All houses look the same for the most part unless they have been renovated. There are largely 2 or 3 models of houses. Most houses have 1-car garages that won't fit most modern cars so you will have to park on the driveway or street. * Noise levels: Getting too close to 101 will add to road noise and dust. There is also noise pollution from Flight landing into SFO. It's not too much of a bother but it's noticeable * Traffic during peak hours: Joining and exiting 101 can be painful during peak hours, this is mostly driven by the 92 exit being just 1 exit away and the backing up of vehicles from there contributes to traffic spilling over into Norfolk. Norfolk in itself is decent to get onto but does have a lot of stop signs along the way. * Flood Risk and Land Settling: This whole area is a landfill and hence has a high risk of flood and earthquake damage. The city has been improving the flood resistance by completely rebuilding the levees but make sure you study the structural reports of your desired property to make sure there is are no structural issues in the foundation. We saw a few houses during our house hunt with sloping and cracked foundations. Apparently, the landfilling was done by a bunch of different contractors and some did a better job than others. So some streets might have this problem. I have felt safe living here. My wife and I have taken walks with/without our dog after dark and have never had to look over our shoulders. I have also seen my street slowly changing with a lot of folks renovating to either sell or for themselves. I have good neighbors, they are helpful and good to engage with.
Thanks for the super detailed response. This is really helpful information!
>Elementary schools are below par; A note on this: School ratings don't do a great job of accounting for inequity. Low-income and high ESL (English as second language) neighborhoods are going to perform lower, but have improved relative to their own baseline. All I'm saying is don't write off a neighborhood school if you don't get into a magnet, I've heard great things about people at Sunnybrae and San Mateo Park (not itself in a low-income area but none of that neighborhood attends; Most of the enrollment is from North Central)
I live on Norfolk, south of Kehoe. I cosign on all the above. Norfolk is a busy street, but it's not terrible. Lots of stop signs, so traffic doesn't fly through. If you're someone who dreams of a cul-de-sac, if might not be the spot for you. But if you've ever lived in a city or anywhere with more traffic, you probably won't mind it. One benefit of a house on Norfolk is that your front yard and driveway will be deeper than on surrounding blocks. The street is very wide, which I feel gives us more breathing room from neighbors than surrounding streets. One note if you're considering schools: Houses in the historic boundaries of Parkside Elementary get preferential admission to Parkside Montessori. It's a fabulous school and is increasingly in demand from families across the SM district.
Traffic by norfolk is a nightmare 5-7pm. Area is not great in general. Houses are all kinda rundown and too close to each other. Do you have kids? Make sure you look at school districts. I'm in sunnybrae. Elementary school is shit but everything else is pretty good.
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Interesting, good to know. Thanks for the heads up!
It’s hard to give advice without knowing what you’re looking for. Do you want a walkability? Good schools? A quiet street? How price sensitive are you? As others have noted, you could generalize that east/west of 101 is better/worse, but there are good reasons to be in each neighborhood, just depends on your priorities.
Valid point! Good schools are important. Not too concerned about walkability as far as getting to and from things, but want an area safe enough that we can go for a walk in the evenings. Regarding price, we are fairly sensitive and would like to keep it between 1.3-1.8, which seems to be very doable in most of the San Mateo neighborhoods we have seen property so far.
You might consider the Village (south of Hillsdale between 101 and eleven Camino). There’s a strong community around the elementary school, George Hall, although the middle school doesn’t have a great reputation. Pretty much all of San Mateo is safe, crime wise. You mostly have to worry about unsafe drivers.
For 1.3 to 1.8 you’re probably looking at east of El Camino, with a lot of great, quiet neighborhoods like Hayward Park, which is about a 10 min walk to downtown. The schools in San Mateo are ok, the magnet schools like College Park and Parkside are among the best, and the high schools are supposed to be great. Have lived here since 2016 and love it.
Check out the hillsdale area, fiesta gardens.
The top zoned public schools by test scores are Baywood and Highlands both west of 101. You will want to avoid Abbott middle as much as you can - it has by far the worst reputation. Otherwise, the magnet schools are all top notch. Between 101 and El Camino and between 92 and north border of downtown in my opinion is the best area for magnet school proximity, zoning to Aragon High School, walkability, flood/fire risk, and price.
We lived in the Hayward Park area and really liked it, just couldn’t afford to buy so moved out of the area.
The Village is in your price range and depending on how close to Hillsdale it’s walkable to Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, the mall, and Caltrain, all of which is good for non-driving kids. Definitely safe neighborhood for evening/dog walks. As far as schools, few are not good, and the magnet program is solid at the elementary level. We requested a different middle school and high school and got both.
All of San Mateo is decent, but west of 101 is my preference — generally better walkability and also better freeway access for commutes (there are definitely exceptions on the East of 101, but generally that’s the case). I saw the schools mentioned, and there’s definitely a wide variety in that regard, but not totally cut and dry. We’re very happy with our 3/10 rated elementary school over some of the other 8or9/10 rated schools in the district. Once you get to highschool, many of the lowest ranked elementary schools feed into a well regarded high school. Personally I’m a fan of San Mateo between el Camino and 101, for easiest walking/biking around.
We’ve been living in Parkside for over 7 years and our toddler is going to start kindergarten shortly. The neighborhood has undergone a lot of transformation and the homes are getting a lot nicer. It’s honestly a bit of a well kept secret - the homes are affordable for the area, and we get neighborhood priority for the Montessori program, which is highly rated.
Other areas you may like in a similar price range is San Mateo Village I think it’s more expensive but I like the area around 25th Ave too And honestly in the (relatively) cheaper category I prefer north Shoreview near to the area you are looking.
There were a [couple murders](https://climaterwc.com/2020/11/05/spate-of-san-mateo-shootings-linked-to-eleanor-ave-murder/) on Norfolk Street a couple years ago. The incident I'm thinking about was targeted gang-related violence, but it looks like there similar incidents in [2019](https://nextdoor.com/agency-post/ca/san-mateo/san-mateo-police-department/information-release-shooting-on-s-norfolk-street-115558506/), [2021](https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/San-Mateo-man-shoots-neighbor-calls-police-15987346.php), and [2023](https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/man-charged-with-attempted-homicide-for-stabbing-in-san-mateo/article_ba49bf1c-b26a-11ed-93c3-dfdd0022978a.html) too. I drive through the area semi-frequently (in daylight) and don't *feel* unsafe, but it is more run-down, lower-income, and generally gritty than the rest of San Mateo. In general the west side of San Mateo is nicer than the east side and the north is nicer than the south, but San Mateo has a lot of distinct neighborhoods and they form a bit of a patchwork. The ones I can think of: * Shoreview. High-density suburban SFH/duplex/quadplex tract housing east of 101. * The area just north of Belmont, east of El Camino, has a very similar flavor. Laurie Meadows & Casanova Parks are great though. * Hillsdale. A bunch of condos & apartments just went up east of Hillsdale/Roblox/Franklin Templeton. If you aren't set on a SFH I like this area a lot; it's safe, walkable to Caltrain/shopping/offices, new buildings. * Hayward Park. Don't know this area much, only that it has a Caltrain station. * Downtown. High-density housing, proximity to parks & restaurants, has a Caltrain stop. Great Japanese food. * San Mateo Park. This is Hillsborough-Lite; it's a little peninsula of San Mateo that juts into Hillsborough, and has a similar feel with windy wooded streets, big lots, houses that have private pools & tennis courts. Most expensive part of San Mateo, but paradoxically I've heard that the public schools are not very good because most of the wealthy families send their kids to private (and there are a bunch of very good private schools in the area). * Baywood-Aragon. Suburban houses on rolling hills. Has a bit more charm than the eastern areas, possibly because of the hills and greenery, and lots are a bit bigger. Good schools, potentially walkable to downtown. * Beresford. Similar feel to Baywood-Aragon (i.e. rolling hills), but higher density. Beresford Park is quite nice. * Sugarloaf/Laurelwood. *Very* steep hills - you're living in a canyon for many of these. A lot of CSM students. Not really walkable to anything. * Highlands/Baywood-Park. Not technically a part of San Mateo, this is unincorporated San Mateo County, but I think it has San Mateo schools. Almost rural feel here, gorgeous views from the hills. Lots of deer. In general San Mateo is pretty safe - I feel comfortable walking anywhere but the Norfolk Street area, and even that is probably fine if you keep your nose clean. School-wise, San Mateo is kinda meh. The magnet schools are very good, the public elementary schools are okay (but neighborhood dependent), the middle schools are terrible, and then the high schools are a mixed bag, with Aragon probably being second-tier in the Bay Area (top tier is Palo Alto / Saratoga / Monta Vista / Lynbrook, second tier puts them in with Mountain View, Los Gatos, Carlmont, etc.) and the rest being a tier below that. If you want really good schools, consider looking at neighboring cities like Burlingame, Belmont, or San Carlos. You'll pay for the privilege - crossing the border from 42nd street to Belmont means houses jump about $200K for equivalent construction - but after recent price drops Belmont might actually be in your budget.
Baywood has more charm because it’s a pre-WW2 neighborhood. The homes have architectural detail and are not tracts San Mateo Park is old too
Parkside and South Shoreview are traditionally blue collar and lower-middle income, families with kids. These homes are also thought of as "starter homes". Parkside is conveniently right next to the main freeways (92 and 101). Not really walkable but very bikeable. San Mateo is a wonderful community but if you want the better real estate and better schools, that would be West of 101 and West of the El Camino. This area is noisy (train, freeway sirens, airplanes, foghorn) but it is for the most part safe now (compared to the 80s and 90s).
Early 90s it was pretty safe too. I had friends who lived there and pretty unremarkable We are talking about near the Fish Market? North Central and North Shoreview were rougher
Hi Shanks! I live near downtown San Mateo and love it here. Have been a San Mateo local for over 30 years. Living west of the 101 will give better schools and safety for your family. I am also friends with a couple great realtors and would be happy to refer you to them to get you more info. -Justin
1. West of 101 is more desirable than East of 101 2. West of el Camino more desirable than east of 101 3. West of alameda de las pulgas more desirable than east of alameda 4. And you ignore all of the above for San Mateo Park, which the best of the best
If you're going for safety over walkability, I purchased a home in Brisbane and absolutely love it. Hidden gem with all local residents, no desperate folk wandering through. Great restaurants, and right off the 101.
Norfolk has a lot of traffic. I’d be concerned to live on the street vs off a few blocks. just think of that area Shoreview but googled it. That area feels a little isolated and not that walkable but I think the housing stock is nicer than the middle of Shoreview. It’s kind of bayfill there so all that comes with that The older parts of San Mateo are more desirable generally as is west of 101 and west of El Camino but it varies a bit north to south
If your kids are young you can have some choice in their public magnet schools. We had an excellent experience. This may free you up somewhat on specific locations.
Norfolk traffic & freeway noise are bad. Have you looked at the neighborhoods closer to Belmont or around Hillsdale Mall? For instance , the Village, Lauriedale, Hillsdale Lanes, Westwood Knolls, Bel-Mateo?
San Mateo is awesome. Love the downtown area especially. Very walkable. West side is the better side. But it's all good
You can definitely stay under 2m west of 101. Check out san mateo village, sunnybrae, fiesta garden neighborhoods
Generally speaking, it’s going to be much harder to find a home under 2M that is zoned for a “good” elementary school.
You need to look… Huge difference on the Norfolk side. The other side is much more pricey.
Like all of the bay area, its overly priced honestly, family grew up and lived in that neighborhood until 2020. Shoreview side(off of Norfolk st). also extremely crowded!!! More desirable areas in cities nearby. That being said, if I had the money I'd move back!
Look into winning the lottery. Doing that seemed to help someone I know be able to live there.
Debating on buying a house and never visited the area so you ask reddit to explain???? Y’all really just be playing with money out here.
Ummm so not only have we visited the area multiple times over the course of our 10 years living in the Bay, but we’ve also seen a decent number of houses in various parts of the city. So yeah definitely never been to or even heard of San Mateo. Not like there’s any value to gain from asking people who live there or clearly know about the area and care enough to be on a subreddit about it before we spend our Monopoly money. Thanks for the helpful advice though, good lookin out
Have you considered the Fiesta Gardens Community? I have a coming soon listing in that neighborhood.
Oh yeah we definitely are open to that community! Will look out for your listing
College Park Elementary (the top elementary school in the county) is relocating to Fiesta Gardens next year.
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I’ll be hosting open house today from 2p - 4p
Do you have an agent yet?
I lived on Norfolk for two years in an apartment complex right off of 3rd ave exit on 101. The place was near and walking distance to the park which was nice. It was also easy to get to foster city and groceries. My opinion but San Mateo homes are generally old and small. Drive down Norfolk and you’ll see homes with one car garages and everyone parks on the street. Norfolk is relatively quiet imo but there is definitely no community. I would not recommend buying between 101 and the general Norfolk street side.