Mills Estates continued to find its place as one of Burlingame’s most sought-after neighborhoods in 2021, finishing the year with an average home price of $3.32 million, $11,000 above high-profile Easton Addition. That figure was 14% higher than 2020’s $2.918 million, as buyers flocked to Mills’ large (homes sold in 2021 averaged almost 2,500 square feet), mostly single-story mid-century homes, snapping them up in only 12 DOM on average, second-lowest in all of Burlingame. Since 2017, Mills Estate real estate has increased its average value by 43% and yet the neighborhood remains a solid value by Burlingame standards. Its average price per square foot in 2021, $1,346, was only seventh-highest among Burlingame neighborhoods.

To view a detailed google map of the Mills Estates neighborhood, click here. The MLS area is 472.

Favorable

• Open floorplan homes mostly built in the 1960s

• Opportunity for larger square footage and larger lot

• Close to 280 and easy to pop down Trousdale to the Millbrae BART station

• Many homes have sweeping bay views

Adverse

• Does not have a typical Burlingame older home feel

• Not close to Burlingame Ave and Broadway

• Hilly, though some streets are level

Schools

The elementary school for the neighborhood is Franklin Elementary, which is just down the hill on Trousdale.

There is one public middle school, Burlingame Intermediate School, which is located in the Ray Park neighborhood. It’s a 5 minute drive at the most from anywhere in Mills Estates.

There is one public high school, Burlingame High, which is a 10-12 minute drive across town.

History

As late as 1954, the 42-room Mills Mansion built in the 1860s still stood proud near the present location of Mills High School. Although parts of the original 1,500-acre Mills estate had been developed earlier (Burlingame Village and Ray Park, for example) several hundred acres still surrounded the home. After the newly formed City of Millbrae and the City of Burlingame ended an eight-year legal battle regarding title to the mansion and its remaining property, the mansion was destroyed and the land was subdivided. In its place, new homes were built to provide for the Peninsula’s growing post-WWII population. Today many homes in Mills Estate enjoy great views of the Bay and easy access to I-280. The area includes numerous Eichler homes, known for their large windows, open atriums and mid-century design that reflected the fabled California lifestyle.