Beautiful, family friendly,great sun and food - 12/12/2018

I have lived in San Mateo since 2013. It has seen tremendous growth, lots of new restaurants which have become progressively more high-end though there is ample mom-and-pop ethnic shop still. It is an honest vibe not at all pretentious like Burlingame for Palo Alto. People actually know each other. The high schools are top-notch, middle schools are about average. The elementary schools are Hit or Miss depending on where you live.Crime is low, weather is fantastic and there is excellent escapes into the mountains 4 hikes mountain biking as well as trips to half Moon Bay, Tahoe napa-sonoma, Russian River. The tech surge is definitely developing the area between the heart of silicon Valley and San Francisco. There are tons of jobs here.it is also 10 minutes from the airport yet sees none of the airport noise because planes are landing how across the bay instead of directly overhead and the takeoff is in a different direction away from San Bruno and Millbrae typically. About the only downside I can see is if you live really close to the train tracks you will hear train noise and horns which usually is only annoying during morning and evening rush hour for a couple hours. There is a Union Pacific rail that has a particularly loud horn but it is extremely rare and predictable. With Caltrain becoming electrified in the next couple of years it should become a whole lot quieter. Overall we love San Mateo.

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Los Angeles Suburb by the Bay - 11/11/2018

I'm a native of California. I have lived in the southern part of the state and the northern part of the state for most of my life. I have spent the last 29 years in San Mateo. One of the reasons I've stayed so long is that San Mateo and the Bay Area were different from Los Angeles. But, no more. It's congested, jammed freeways, people living on top of people. It has great weather, although the air quality is starting to go down hill. If you like Los Angeles, you'll love San Mateo and the Bay Area. The area is similar to Los Angeles circa 1980. San Mateo and the peninsula is on it's way to becoming part of a single metroplex spanning from San Jose to San Francisco.

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A comfortable place - 4/28/2010

San Mateo has a diverse mix of people, a pleasant climate, a very pleasant downtown park with lots going on, and pretty much whatever you need handy. It's not far to drive for a walk on the beach (20 minutes to Half Moon Bay) or for a hike in the redwoods. 20 minutes will get you into the city for culture if that's your pleasure, or you can find it right here. It seems a bit densely populated because it's part of the long stretch of continuous towns along the South Bay Peninsula and the cost of living is very high. If it were not for that I wouldn't budge ever. My kids are happy here and I am nestled, but like most of the Bay Area it costs a lot just to be here.

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San Mateo - 5/25/2009

Looking to buy at San Mateo county.

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I love this town! - 5/1/2008

I have lived in San Mateo for approximately 25 years. I have watched the different neighbors grow and expand during all this time. Currently, our small city is very chic and up-to-date with many restaurants, shops, a beautiful new state-of-the-art library, etc. This is a wonderful city with a great downtown suitable for both the young and elderly.

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We love our town - 3/2/2008

San Mateo is one of the perfect spots in the Bay Area. It is close enough to San Francisco and San Jose, has great local restaurants, and many, many family activities.

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climate - 8/19/2007

excellent climate with few extremes.

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Pretty nice town - 7/2/2007

I have lived in San Mateo for about 25 years. It is expensive but less so than some other communities in the Bay Area. There are some beautiful neighborhoods (see Baywood) and some not so nice areas. It has great air quality, weather, and quick access to the coast, SF, and Silicon Valley. There is a large Hispanic population but they don’t seem to be more likely to be involved in crime than any other ethnic group. There us a real downtown between 1st and 5th streets and El Camino and Railroad Ave. There is also the Hillsdale Mall with very good shopping and a wide selection of restaurants from Peruvian to Italian.

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Great climate! Too Expensive! Other better commu - 6/6/2007

I've lived in San Mateo for about 20 years. The truth is this community consists of a majority of hispanics, asians, middle easterners, and pacific islanders, -- the rest caucasian. There are lots of rich punks riding around blasting thier car stereos. People are not friendly in general, and there is a definite division between "have and have nots." Housing is deplorable and renters pay sky high rents($1,500-$2,500 per mo) for sub-housing properties of mostly older dumps. Affordable condos are run by incompentent boards and lackasdasial property management. I know this from experience. Thus, affordable housing in nice neighborhood is rare find in San Mateo or nearby cities of Belmont, Burlingame, Redwood City. The town is overrun with too many chinese restaurants and only a few nice American or Mediterranean restaurants. Nordstrom, Macy's and Sears are the only decent stores around to shop. The best schools would be private. Upside, situated 17 miles from San Francisco. Climate is great! Sunny most of the time, not too hot or too cold! If you are either mortgage free or have a small mortgage, you can survive. For families,(singles too), I recommend nicer communities like Pleasanton, San Ramon and Livermore or even Novato or Petaluma, slightly less expenseive. The further out --- the better quality of life. If you are single find a nice neigborhood in San Francisco or Marin and be sure to have a job that pays at least $75K annually. Folks, this is the real scoop about San Mateo!

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great downtown & people stay here - 11/29/2006

Lots of stuff happening, great for families, faster commute to downtown SF than many parts of SF itself

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Too many illegals, high cost of living - 10/9/2005

San Mateo is a place that is perfect in some ways, but like most places has it's negatives. I guess it depends on what's important to you. On the plus side, it is perfectly situated on the peninsula - 20 minutes south of SF, with easy access west over the hill to Half Moon Bay or east over the bridge to the East Bay. If you want to go south there are two freeways , 101 or 280 that will take you to Palo Alto, San Jose, etc. The weather is perfect almost all year. The fog gets stuck on the ridge from the Pacific and creates a natural AC effect in the summer. Gets a little windy sometimes. Traffic is bearable if you know where and when to drive, although the population is very dense due to the geography. Very mixed, ethnically, with huge numbers of illegals from Mexico. They line the 3rd Ave. corridor throughout the week waiting for work - very big blight on this beautiful community. Liberals, who run this area, probably love the "diversity", but to most locals it has to be an unfortunate trend. I don't know how these folks afford to live here, because the cost of living is very high, and most "starter" homes come in around $700k! My family cannot afford to live here any longer, which is why I'm on this website! It will be hard to find anything that has it all like the Bay Area does.

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We are thinking of moving to San Mateo. - 8/26/2005

Any pluses and minuses you can tell us about? Kind of nervous. Moving up from the San Fernando Valley, the smog and heat finally broke us down, just that moving somewhere new is kind of scary. How are the schools, traffic, life in general? Any input will be very welcome. Take care, Lynda

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