Baywood fits snugly into a corner formed by Alameda de las Pulgas, Crystal Springs Road and El Camino Real. Notre Dame Avenue separates the neighborhood from Aragon. It is within a brisk walk of downtown San Mateo and a short drive from commute routes and highways 101, 92 and 280, but what brings out the pride in Baywood residents isn’t their comfortable homes, their close-in location, their gently curving streets or the cache that comes with a Baywood address – it’s their schools.

Among San Mateo neighborhoods, Baywood real estate is surpassed only by the stately mansions of San Mateo Park. Homes in Baywood are larger than those in other neighborhoods, with three, four or five bedrooms and, as a rule, more than 2,000 square feet of living space. More often, Baywood houses have 2,500 or more square feet, ranging all the way up to 4,000 in some cases. Homes are built in a variety of classic pre-war styles: Spanish, English, Moorish, Tudor and Colonial, with only a few post-1950 homes mixed in. Lots are larger than those in Aragon or Baywood Knolls, with some rare ones up to 10,000 square feet in size.

Many homes have been updated. Even those that haven’t have amenities that were reserved only for the upper class when they were built, like en-suite baths and walk-in closets. Homes rarely come up for sale in Baywood, but when they do, they sell between $2m and $5 million. The neighborhood median home price in 2023 was $2.6 million, and the average home price was $2.9 million. However, in 2023, there were just 16 sales in the neighborhood in the whole year, so the data can be skewed depending on the mix of homes in any one year. Buyers who like Baywood also generally look for homes in Baywood Knolls, Aragon, San Mateo Park, and the Burlingame neighborhoods of Easton Addition and Burlingame Park.

Baywood is a neighborhood of style and grace. A stroll through its gently curved, wide streets reveals beautifully manicured lawns, children happily (and safely) playing and driveways full of luxury cars. It is as much an idea as a place – and it’s been that way since the days of John Parrott.

Just nearby Baywood across El Camino, the impressive San Mateo Library is state-of-the-art and tech-smart, and the 16 acre Central Park features the cherish Japanese Tea Garden with its koi pond, where the koi are fed every day at 11 a.m. and at 3 p.m.

To view a detailed google map of the Baywood neighborhood, click here. The MLS area is 438.

Favorable

Tons of character in the homes

Excellent schools - Baywood Elementary, Borel Middle, Aragon High

Larger lots (7-8,000 s/f) compared to similar lots in Burlingame (6,000 s/f) at the same price

Mostly walking distance to downtown San Mateo and Central Park

Adverse

One of the two most expensive neighborhoods in San Mateo along with San Mateo Park

No "starter" homes - most are at least 1,800 s/f

Homes are older than most in San Mateo but still regarded as well built

San Mateo has it all: a diversity of neighborhoods, great parks, easy access, a plethora of shopping, and home to many businesses and an anchor for employment on the peninsula. With a rich heritage, dating back to the turn of the century with its most famous resident being A.P. Giannini, the founder of the Bank of Italy and later Bank of America, San Mateo offers a delightful spread of activity for all. The downtown area is studded with delicious restaurants and a variety of retail stores, and also boasts a 12 screen movie theatre and one of the largest wine cellars in the country, at Draeger’s Grocery Store. Shopping abounds at Hillsdale and Bridgepointe as well as the many neighborhood shopping centers.

Perhaps the most well known natural area is Coyote Point, a rock outcropped peninsula that juts into San Francisco Bay and home to a natural history museum, the Peninsula Humane Society, windsurfing, a private marina, and large picnic areas with uplifting vistas. Within walking distance of downtown, Central Park has something for everyone: ride the toy train, pick up a game of tennis, take a serene walk through the Japanese Garden, have a picnic while listening to Thursday evening’s Jazz in the Park, or enjoy the playgrounds.

San Mateo attracts a variety of homeowners, from those seeking their first home in the upcoming neighborhoods of the Village, Parkside, or Shoreview, to those looking for more a little more space in Hillsdale or the Meadows, to larger families seeking the spaciousness offered by San Mateo Park, Baywood, and Aragon.