Welcome to San Mateo
Expansive city with vibrant downtown and diverse neighborhoods
San Mateo Real Estate Insights
San Mateo is an expansive city with diverse housing in a mix of exclusive and accessible neighborhoods. The city has a vibrant downtown packed with more than 800 businesses that cover several blocks surrounding the verdant green space of San Mateo Central Park. San Mateo also has three Caltrain stations and a thriving tech scene. San Mateo wide-ranging real estate mix includes contemporary townhouses, cute Craftsman cottages, mid-century Eichler homes, and grand Spanish and Tudor Revival pre-war mansions. San Mateo real estate range in styles & properties. Contact San Mateo real estate agent & realtor, Michele Oravec to find houses, property, condos & luxury homes for sale in San Mateo, California.
What to Love
- Diverse homes and neighborhoods
- Central Park and Coyote Point recreation
- More than 800 downtown businesses
- Outstanding public and private schools
People & Lifestyle
San Mateo is packed with things to do, from the vast array of downtown restaurants and retailers to recreation on the San Francisco Bay. This is a diverse and energetic city with an abundance of employment opportunities and an easy commute into San Francisco and other areas of Silicon Valley. Major local employers include tech firms such as Sony Interactive Entertainment and GoPro alongside start-ups and companies in the finance and medical sectors.
Dining, Entertainment & Shopping
Downtown San Mateo offers an impressive array of places to shop, dine, drink, and work out. Draeger’s Gourmet Market is your go-to grocery store and so much more. The shelves are stacked with locally-grown produce, local and imported specialty foodstuffs, tasty fresh deli and bakery items, houseware items, and fantastic selections of meat, seafood, and wine. Pausa Bar & Cookery is a stylish Michelin Bib Gourmand-recommended restaurant serving traditional Northern Italian dishes, wood-fired pizzas, and premium wines and cocktails. San Mateo has long had a large Japanese-American population, which is reflected in the city’s extensive choice of authentic Japanese dining experiences. Sushi Sam’s Edomata is a standout with sublime sushi and an exquisite omakase tasting course. Start your day with customized coffee blends at Philz Coffee or your choice of coffee or nutritious and delicious fresh juice mixes at Joe & The Juice. San Mateo also has an abundance of high-quality gyms and fitness studios. Some of the most popular include SoulCycle, Orangetheory Fitness, and CorePower Yoga.
Things to Do
San Mateo Central Park and Japanese Garden provides a beautiful green refuge in the heart of Downtown San Mateo. This 16.3-acre park was built on land once belonging to the Kohl Mansion in 1922. The gorgeous Japanese Garden was designed by Nagao Sakurai of the Imperial Palace of Tokyo. Sakurai’s design is a perfect replica of a relaxing Japanese palace garden with a tea house, a granite pagoda, a bamboo grove, and a koi pond. The Japanese Garden is particularly popular during the early spring and late winter when its colorful cherry blossoms are in bloom. Central Park hosts events throughout the year, including the summertime Central Park Music Series. This free summer concert series runs every Thursday evening between June and August. The Music Series features a diverse lineup with previous years’ acts including reggae, salsa, country, rock, swing, big band, and electronic music. The Peninsula Golf & Country Club first opened in 1911 and features the West Coast’s only Donald Ross golf course. The Peninsula also offers members access to an exceptional clubhouse with an outdoor lap pool. The Peninsula’s excellent amenities have earned it the distinction of a Distinguished Emerald Club of the World rating from BoardRoom Magazine, an honor which is only granted to the top 5% of the world’s country clubs. The golf course has also been listed as one of the top 100 courses in California. Coyote Point Recreation Area is a sprawling 670-acre park on San Mateo’s San Francisco Bay shoreline. Coyote Point’s abundant recreational amenities include trails, picnic areas, Coyote Point Pistol and Rifle Range, Magic Mountain Playground, and the CuriOdyssey children’s science museum. Coyote Point also has three launch ramps for water-based activities on the Bay. This is one of the most popular windsurfing locations in California and is also a great spot for sea kayaking and stand-up paddling. San Mateo has three farmers’ markets selling fresh local produce and artisanal prepared foodstuffs. San Mateo Farmers’ Market is held every Saturday on the campus of the College of San Mateo while 25th Avenue Farmers’ Market and The Farmers’ Market at Bay Meadows both take place in Downtown San Mateo.
Schools
San Mateo has several exceptional private schools and highly-ranked public schools operated by the San Mateo-Foster City School District.
- Baywood Elementary, Public, K-5
- Aragon High, Public, 9-12
- Saint Matthew’s Episcopal Day School, Private, PK-8
- St. Matthew Catholic School, Private, K-8
- The Carey School, Private, PK-5
- Junipero Serra High School, Private, All Boys, 9-12