While it didn’t make the splash in 2020 that it made in 2019, when it recorded its first-ever $4 million sale, buyer-friendly Lyon Hoag spent 2020 nearly duplicating its 2019 market performance, solidifying itself as one of Burlingame’s most reachable entry-level neighborhoods. For the year, 19 homes sold in Lyon Hoag, tying it with Mills Estates as Burlingame’s second-most popular neighborhood.

Almost every relevant sales category recorded slight increases or decreases year-over-year in Lyon Hoag last year, except for two: absent any individual high-end sales, the average value of homes sold in Lyon Hoag fell 11% in 2020, to $2.057 million (median was static at $2 million). Conversely, the neighborhood’s average DOM fell 35% from 2019. Last year, Lyon Hoag homes were on the market an average of 16 days before finding buyers.

The MLS area is 462.

Favorable

• One of the most affordable neighborhoods in Burlingame
• Well manicured, with wider streets
• Homes vary in architectural style
• Walking distance to Burlingame Avenue, Washington Park, Washington Elementary School and city’s recreation center

Schools

The elementary school for the Lyon Hoag neighborhood is Washington Elementary School located on Howard Avenue. It’s within a 5-7 minute walk from anywhere in the neighborhood.

There is one public middle school, Burlingame Intermediate School, which is located in the Ray Park neighborhood. It’s a 10 minute drive to north Burlingame.

There is one public high school, Burlingame High, which is walking distance (5-10 mins) from Lyon Hoag.

History

This is Burlingame’s first subdivision, created in 1896. Prior to its use for homes, the Howard family maintained a dairy here. The Howards are the original American land grant purchasers of 6,500-acre Rancho San Mateo, and the rancho covered all of modern-day San Mateo north of San Mateo Creek (near Mills Hospital), Hillsborough and all of Burlingame south of Sanchez Creek (near present day Sanchez Avenue). A portion of the Howard property, east of the Burlingame Avenue train station, became the McLellan nursery, which grew flowers in gardens and greenhouses on “Bloomfield” Road south of Burlingame Avenue. Around the turn of the twentieth century, the McClellan nursery was harvesting 200,000 roses per month from Burlingame and shipping 7,000 cut flowers each day to San Francisco! Sales of real estate in this subdivision were slow until the 1906 earthquake sent San Franciscans scrambling south in search of shelter. In 1907, a lot in this area was offered “at $600 and up, with terms of $25 down and $10 per month installment payments.”

The subdivision takes its name from two of the first directors of the Bank of Burlingame, which helped finance the real estate purchases here. The Bank of Burlingame was located in the beautiful building that now houses Straits Restaurant at the northwest corner of Burlingame Avenue and California Drive. The Lyon-Hoag neighborhood is also known for its proximity to Burlingame Avenue, Washington Park, Burlingame High School and the city’s recreation center.