San Mateo Knolls

Laurel Creek Farms actually refers to a pair of San Mateo neighborhoods. East of Alameda de las Pulgas, Laurel Creek Farms is part of San Mateo Knolls; west of the Alameda, it's San Mateo Woods. The San Mateo Knolls neighborhood is orderly, a classic post-war U.S. suburb; as it moves west, however, it becomes more unpredictable. Some streets, notably those closest to Alameda de las Pulgas, are similar to San Mateo Knolls. As the neighborhood climbs uphill, it takes on characteristics more like those of Belmont, the heavily-wooded town to the south, and Laurelwood, the neighborhood of large, 1960s and 1970s homes just to the north.

San Mateo Knolls/Laurel Creek Farms real estate is attractive to those seeking a bit of remove from the downtown din. Homes located far from Alameda de las Pulgas have large lots – often 10,000 square feet or more – and boast more than 2,000 square feet of interior living space, with three or four bedrooms, two-car garages and open, mid-century-inspired floorplans. Many have views, some of San Francisco Bay. Mixed in among them are even larger, two-story homes of the same 1960s vintage. These properties are at the high end of San Mateo Knolls and have been known of late to command as much as $2 to $2.3 million on the open market, though most settle into the $1.5 to $1.9 million range.

Houses located near the Alameda resemble David Bohannon’s Hillsdale tracts, boxy three-bedroom, single-story homes on smaller lots, older by a decade than their western neighbors. Neighborhoods are neatly-maintained. San Mateo Knolls homes for sale in this part of the neighborhood can be had for prices beginning at or around $1.2 or $1.3 million, while larger homes to the west range from the $1.4 to $1.7 million, with a few topping out at $2 million.

To view a detailed google map of the San Mateo Knolls neighborhood, click here. The MLS area is 429.